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DOJ v. PRH: Challenges over Bid Competition, Market Share
As testimony wrapped up prior to closing arguments today, the defense and DOJ once again attacked each other's data analysis and methodology. The DOJ asserted that publisher competition, not imprint competition, is the surest way to lift advances, and that non-Big Five publishers face "significant barriers to expansion."
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DOJ v. PRH: 'Agents Don't Have Guns, They Have Tactics'
On Wednesday, following Judge Pan's decision to exclude the testimony of Manuel Sansigre, senior v-p and global head of M&A for PRH, defense expert witness Edward Snyder returned to the stand, where he and the government lawyer appeared to exasperate each other in a discussion of what constitutes competition.
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DOJ v PRH: Lit Agents Say S&S Acquisition Would Be Bad for Business
A survey released by the Association of American Literary Agents has found that 87% of respondents oppose the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House, with many predicting “less competition” for titles and “lower advances.”
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DOJ v. PRH: Judge Tosses PRH Exec Testimony
After a lengthy presentation by Manuel Sansigre, PRH's global v-p for mergers and acquisitions, Judge Florence Pan decided to exclude his testimony, ruling that the data had not been independently verified.
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DOJ v PRH: Madeline McIntosh Details PRH's Publishing Process
As the Department of Justice’s case against the proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House entered its third week, the defense called PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh, plus merger and acquisition executives from ViacomCBS and PRH, to the stand to discuss why approval of the deal would benefit all parties.
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Salman Rushdie, Hospitalized After Stabbing, Begins Recovery
Author Salman Rushdie, 75, was attacked on August 12 as he was being introduced for a lecture he was giving in western New York, suffering multiple knife wounds. Rushdie is now recovering from surgery and has been taken off a ventilator.
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Brian Murray on HarperCollins’s Fiscal 2022
After the release of HarperCollins’s year-end results, the CEO talks rising costs, supply chain issues, and Amazon Prime’s Tolkien adaptation.
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DOJ v PRH: Agents Have Their Say
In a day dominated by testimony from some of publishing's leading agents, the overall theme was that the biggest advance is not the only thing that is important in reaching an agreement with a publisher, and that these agents believe that S&S authors would benefit from becoming part of PRH.
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DOJ v. PRH: Agents, Publishers Move Center Stage
As attorneys for Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster took their turn to defend PRH's purchase of S&S, William Morris Endeavor's Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Gallery publisher Jennifer Bergstrom, and Norton's John Glusman found themselves in the witness chair.
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AAP Won't Seek Fees in Maryland E-book Case
In a new filing the AAP said that it will not seek to recoup costs and legal fees it incurred in its successful challenge to a Maryland e-book law that was declared unconstitutional earlier this year.
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From the Archive: June 8, 1992
David McCullough, the author of 12 bestselling books, died August 7 at age 89. PW caught up with McCullough in 1992 shortly after his sixth book, 'Truman,' was released by the only publisher he ever had, Simon & Schuster.
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DOJ v PRH: Brian Murray Still Wants S&S at HarperCollins
HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray, testifying in the trial over whether the Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster sale will go through, said he was “shocked” by the price PRH offered for S&S. Later in the day, the defense cross-examined the government's economic witness.
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DOJ v PRH: Don Weisberg, Government's Economist Raise Concerns over PRH-S&S Merger
As the government's case against Penguin Random House's acquisition of Simon & Schuster winds down, Macmillan CEO Don Weisberg and government economist Nicholas Hill laid out reasons why they are concerned about the impact of the proposed merger.
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Close-Up on: John Patrick Green
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Tom Doherty Associates Rebranded as Tor Publishing Group
The rebranding of Tom Doherty Associates is designed to show the growth of the company beyond its science fiction and fantasy titles, said Tor president and publisher Devi Pillai.
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Close-Up on: Chas! Pangburn and Lower Your Sights
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From the Archive: August 3, 1901
We look back on our coverage of the first American Booksellers’ Association convention, held July 24, 1901, in New York City.
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DOJ v. PRH: Markus Dohle's Silicon Valley of Media
In roughly five hours of testimony on Thursday, Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle jousted with government lawyers over PRH's market share, his commitment to allow PRH and S&S editors to bid on the same books if the merger is completed, and other issues tied to what the impact of a PRH-S&S merger will be.
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Judge Backs Dismissal of 'Implausible' Amazon, Big Five Price-Fixing Suit
A week after a marathon hearing, magistrate judge Valerie Figueredo found no "direct evidence of a conspiracy to fix e-book prices and eliminate retail competition," and recommended the case be tossed.
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DOJ v. PRH: Karp's Second Day of Testimony
Simon & Schuster Jonathan Karp was again the featured witness as PRH attorneys pressed their case that the merger of the two companies would be good for S&S's authors. Morrow's Liate Stehlik and Michael Jacobs of Abrams also took the witness stand.