Marvin S. Brown, 87, a publishing executive who served as president at Atheneum, New American Library, Viking Penguin, and Penguin USA, died in his home in Boca Raton, Florida on July 15. Science fiction writer Eric Flint, 75, New York Times bestselling author of Alternate History, died on July 17.
Archives for July 2022
Bookselling: B&N Opening in Riverhead, NY
Barnes & Noble will open a new location on Long Island, in Riverhead, NY. Set to open in fall, the 10,862-square-foot store is located in a Route 58 shopping center.
A3: DOJ and PRH State Their Cases In Pre-Trial Filings
On Friday, the Department of Justice and Penguin Random House both filed their formal pre-trial briefs with the court for the upcoming A3 antitrust trial, framing in advance their core arguments and counterpoints. As in their original complaint, the DOJ focuses on their core argument that the acquisition of Simon & Schuster “would further entrench the largest publishing giant in the United States (and the world) and give the merged company control of nearly half of the market to acquire anticipated top-selling books [ATSB] from authors.” They allege that the “merger would likely result in authors of anticipated top-selling books […]
A3: More On Walsh, Printing Issues
In other filings from the court docket over the weekend, the DOJ further illuminated their position on two issues that Judge Florence Pan is expected to rule on Monday (there is a pre-trial conference that started at 10 AM): Whether Jennifer Rudolph Walsh will be deemed an expert witness, and the question of admitting information about Bertelsmann’s position of strength in the US book printing market. Regarding Walsh, the government says she is no more of an “expert” than most of the industry witnesses, and should not be differentiated that way or allowed to opine beyond her own experiences as […]
Ahead of Trial, Karp is “Hopeful” and Confident That PRH Will Buy S&S
Simon & Schuster ceo Jonathan Karp addressed staff in advance of next week’s antitrust trial. In a memo, he shares that Judge Florence Pan is expected to make her ruling in November. He thanks staff for S&S’s “outstanding” performance the past two years since the sale was announced–which was also two years of unprecedented publishing sales in the pandemic–and shares a sunny outlook on the potential PRHSS. “As I’ve told you before, I am hopeful that Simon & Schuster will become part of Penguin Random House,” he writes. “I spent 16 years at Random House, and I know their culture […]
Obituaries: Diana Kennedy, Merloyd Lawrence
Cook book author Dianna Kennedy, 99, author of 1972 cookbook The Cuisines of Mexico, as well as The Tortilla Book and My Mexico, died on Sunday. Book publisher Merloyd Lawrence, 89, died in Cambridge, MA on June 27 of congestive heart disease. She was the co-founder of Seymour Lawrence and over the course of her career worked at Addison-Wesley, Perseus Publishing, Da Capo Press, Basic Books and Hachette. A memorial will be held at King’s Chapel in Boston, with a date in October to be decided.