Penguin Random House buys Simon & Schuster

We've lost at least one genre imprint due to the pandemic (can't remember which one atm; it was going to be on my sub list), and a lot of editors. On the other hand, some imprints have been hiring. My agent tells me this year has been "weird."

Has consolidation, in any industry, ever been an unalloyed benefit to consumers?

Or in the case of the publishing industry, producers?

(The latter is a genuine question. I have fairly vague, second-hand views into publishing in particular.)

Matt Stoller, who IMO is one of the best writers out there on political economy and antitrust, talked about this merger in his newsletter yesterday. (His newsletter, BIG, is a very good read in general. And his book, about the history of American antitrust, is on my to-be-read list.)

Some highlights:

BIG by Matt Stoller said:

That Bertelsmann is even attempting the merger shows just how absurd our antitrust laws have become.

Click to expand...

This kind of merger is straight-up illegal by any plain reading of the Clayton Act.

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Read the whole thing in part because he uses his own book deal as a rather apt example--the mechanics won't be news to anyone here, but Stoller's an excellent writer and his clarity is refreshing. The merger is the second item; the first, on Apple and Google, is also really important and fascinating.

Here's a contrasting perspective to Stoller's: https://stevelaube.com/simon-schuster-bought-by-penguin-random-house/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Ooooooo, fascinating. Hopefully, not that much of a bad thing!!!! :S

Another point of view:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/ente...3d5382-2f40-11eb-860d-f7999599cbc2_story.html