It's a known fact that people who work in book publishing love gossip and talking about the inevitable demise of book publishing. So when word broke that two of the biggest publishing houses might merge, the Twittersphere lit up with a barrage of snarky comments and panicked assessments of the possible future. Here is a glimpse of some initial comments from Tweeters on the merger--the topic was quickly given the dueling hashtags #RandomPenguin and #PenguinHouse. Please feel free to add your favorite tweets in the comments section.
sethasfishman 12:22pm via Web
wow, with the S&S chaos and potential Penguin/RH merger... just a lot of ugh going on.
thedaysbetween 12:24pm via Web
The Big Five just doesn't *sound* as nice as the Big Six.
paperhaus 12:24pm via Web
Maybe someone can to explain to me what part of consolidation has been *good* for publishing. (How can Random-Penguin be a good idea?)
sarahlapolla 12:24pm via Web
If RH & Penguin merge, it would suck for many, many reasons. Too many. Let's hope it stays "in talks" & doesn't become reality.
LucyACarson 12:35pm via Web
NO NO NO this can't happen. please no, stay separate companies. I love you both but you can't merge! #freakingout
BeMissH 12:36pm via Web
@randomigloo is also taken! This merger is going to be impossible without a twitter account making fun of it. @DBerthiaume @bookateur
StaciaDecker 12:32pm via TweetDeck
Worst initial part of any re-org is sending every editor you know the "you ok?" email. Worst long-term part is if it limits acquisitions.
katzish 12:39pm via Web
And then they were Big Five? Penguin/RH merger not good, & not a good sign. bit.ly/RiIbJc
sarahw 12:48pm via Seesmic twhirl
Something to ponder: in an earnings report earlier this year, Penguin specifically blamed 50 SHADES OF GREY sales for its poor performance.
GoodRandomHouse 12:49pm via Web
Weird... just saw @AAKnopf breathing into a paper bag while @paulbogaards drank from a jug of grain alcohol. Did I miss something?
GoodRandomHouse 12:54pm via Web
Why is Amy Einhorn walking around with a tape measure and comparing fabric samples???
ChuckWendig 12:46pm via Twitter for Mac
Random House and Penguin touch rings. Bwing! "Form of: PUBLISHING MEGALOPOLY STOMPY ROBOT BEEP BOOP ZING BLORP."
LAGilman 12:47pm via Web
Having been in-house for the Penguin/Putnam-Berkley merger, this is... well, I may be having faint PTSD flashbacks.
SaraEileen 12:54pm via Tweetbot for iOS
So, Penguin House or Random Penguin?
michelewells 1:08pm via TweetDeck
RT @ChuckWendig: Dude. I'm telling you. RANGUIN PENGDOMHAUS, INC. It sounds so official! So exotic! Perfumed with possibility!
WolfsonLiterary 1:07pm via TweetDeck
I think #RandomPenguin makes about as much sense as...a random penguin maybe? But then again many business decisions in publishing baffle me
JVNLA 1:14pm via HootSuite
For some reason I can only think of images of RANDOM PENGUINS!!!! - Bing Images ow.ly/eLHi9
