Many were especially wary of Penguin Random House — already by far the largest publisher in the United States — getting even bigger by absorbing a rival.
Penguin Random House has about 100 imprints; together they publish more than 2,000 titles a year.
The merger would have given it Simon & Schuster’s approximately 50 imprints, as well as the company’s vast and valuable backlist of older titles.
“The market is already too consolidated,” said Mary Rasenberger, chief executive of the Authors Guild, an advocacy group for writers that opposed the purchase.
The company’s recent performance has been strong, even as the results have sagged at other major publishers.
Persons:
Simon, Schuster —, United States —, Schuster’s, ”, Mary Rasenberger, Simon & Schuster
Organizations:
Random, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin, United States, Justice Department, Guild, Simon &
Locations:
United