Draft2Digital Authors Can Now Distribute to the Smashwords ... - Smashwords Blog

Today, Panzer stopped in at the Smashwords site. There our adventuresome kitty traveler found a post by Mark Coker about Draft2Digital authors.

 

Not what this little kitty expected.

If you've been visiting here for a while, you know we've used Smashwords for our ebook distribution to all the ebook retailers except Amazon. You also know Smashwords has now joined Draft2Digital (D2D). It's no surprise then to learn that the authors and publishers at D2D will use Smashwords' ebook store since D2D doesn't have a store. The post includes a link to a post at D2D about Smashwords.

 

Panzer says, "You need to read both posts to see what the plan is for Smashwords in the future."  

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Draft2Digital and Smashwords

What the ruling against the PRH-S&S merger means for the publishing business - The Idea Logical Company

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to The Idea Logical Company site. There with a little digging in the posts he found one about the Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster merger failure. Panzer told you about the court case as it unfolded.

It's an interesting read.

Mike Shatzkin gives an in-depth analysis of what he believes will be the outcome of the court decision to stop the Penguin Random House (PRH) merger with Simon and Schuster (S&S). He presents his reasoning for why there will continue to be a big five in the publishing industry.

Panzer says, "Everything he presents makes sense as long as the court decision is upheld on appeal. (If there is an appeal.)"

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a large cup of warm tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to PRH-S&S merger ruling

To read the previous post about the court decision tootle over to PRH-S&S written ruling

In Written Opinion, Judge Florence Pan Delivers Knockout Blow to PRH, S&S Merger - Publishers Weekly

Today, over at the Publishers Weekly site Panzer found a post about the judge's decision against the merger of Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S).

After all that reading it's nap time.

The post by Andrew Albanese lists the major points from Judge Pan's written opinion which was released yesterday. The judge listed the arguments of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) case which she used in making her decision against the merger. She also listed the arguments of the publisher's lawyers which she found not credible.

Panzer says, "Judge Pan put a lot of effort into her decision."

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring your lunch to eat during your reading.

To read the post tootle over to Written Opinion

Court Blocks Penguin Random House, S&S Merger - Publishers Weekly

Panzer just found a breaking news release at the Publishers Weekly site about the Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S) merger lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

 

Doesn't surprise me.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, the case has been decided in the Department of Justice's favor and the merger will not be allowed to go forward.

 

Panzer says, "This little kitty thinks PRH will probably appeal the decision."

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and muffin for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to PRH S&S Merger

In Post-Trial Briefs, PRH Attorneys Say DOJ Failed to Prove Its Case Against S&S Merger - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) case against the Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S) merger.

I want to see the DOJ's brief too.

According to Andrew Albanese's post, Penguin Random House submitted its post-trial brief to explain why the Department of Justice has not proved its case to stop the merger with Simon and Schuster. The PRH brief says the DOJ only concentrated its arguments on lower advances for authors who have previously received advances of $250,000 or more. PRH says these authors won't suffer any monetary loses because of the merger. PRH also says the DOJ didn't address any harm to consumers caused by the merger. The post doesn't address the DOJ's post-trial brief, but they haven't seen it yet. The post contains several links for more information about the case.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wants to know, when is a publisher too big?"

Note: This is a long medium length post. Bring a glass of iced tea and a bowl of ice cream for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll have to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

To read the post tootle over to DOJ vs. PRH

DOJ v PRH:Madeline McIntosh Details PRH's Publishing Process - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer has the latest update from the Publishers Weekly site on the Department of Justice's (DOJ) attempt to stop Penguin Random House's (PRH) merger/acquisition of Simon and Schuster (S&S).

What is good for the employees?

According to Bethanne Patrick's post, Alex Berker of ViacomCBS testified why the company thought the sale of S&S to PRH would be "good" for "employees and executives." Madeline McIntrosh US CEO of PRH was next to testify about the book publishing process. Manuel Sansigre PRH vp for global mergers and acquisitions was the last to testify about cost cutting measures by moving S&S employees to PRH headquarters and then the company wouldn't need the S&S building any more.

Panzer says, "You'll need to go to the Publishers Weekly site to read all the information about the testimony."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a big glass of iced tea, a brownie and a bowl of ice cream for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Madeline McIntosh testimony

DOJ v PRH: Agents Have Their Say - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer has another update on the Department of Justice's (DOJ) case to stop Penguin Random House's (PRH) acquisition of Simon and Schuster (S&S).

 

I'm finished for now.

According to Bethanne Patrick's post, there were six people testifying for PRH's defense of the acquisition. In order, they were: W.W. Norton's editor-in-chief John Glusman (finishing his testimony), author Charles Duhigg, Putnam senior v.p. Sally Kim, agent Elyse Cheney, agent Andrew Wylie, and agent Gail Ross. There is no more testimony until Monday.

 

Panzer says, "You'll need to go to the Publishers Weekly site to read about the testimony."

 

Note: This is another very, very long post. Bring a thermos of iced tea, a muffin and a brownie.

 

To read the post tootle over to Agents

DOJ v PRH: Agents, Publishers Move Center Stage - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer has your daily update on Publishers Weekly's coverage of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) court case to stop the merger of Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S).

 

I need a nap after all that.

According to the post by Bethanne Patrick, five witnesses were called to testify today. The testimony for the DOJ was first provided by economist Dr. Nicholas Hill. He was followed by agent Christy Fletcher. When she finished, the government rested it's case and the PRH defense began. Their first testimony came from agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. The next testimony came from Gallery Books publisher Jennifer Bergstrom. She was followed by W.W. Norton and Co. editor-in-chief John Glusman.

 

Panzer says, " You'll have to go read the post to learn what they all said."

 

Note: This is a very, very long post. Bring a thermos of iced tea, a muffin and a brownie for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to agents and publishers

DOJ v PRH: Brian Murray Still Wants S&S at HarperCollins - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer is bringing you the latest news from the Publishers Weekly site about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit to stop the Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster merger (S&S).

The defense starts next.

John Maher's post is about HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray's testimony explaining how PRH obtained the right to buy/merge Simon and Schuster. An economist's testimony is also included.

Panzer says, "This little kitty wants to know, 'How big is too big?'"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a glass of iced tea and muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to More DOJ vs. PRH

DOJ v PRH: Don Weisberg, Government's Economist Raise Concerns Over PRH-S&S Merger - Publishers Weekly

Not good for authors.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer back to the Publishers Weekly site. There our inquisitive kitty boy found the latest news on the Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit against the merger of Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S).

John Maher's post describes the DOJ's argument that the merger will cause financial harm to authors. Including: The merger would create a publisher which would control 49 percent of the industry. and A publishing entity that large would have control over the size of author advances in book auctions.

Panzer says, "49 percent?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a big glass of iced tea and three sugar cookies for today's reading.

To read the post tootle over to DoJ and PRH merger

DOJ V PRH: Jonathan Karp and Stephen King Take the Stand - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer stopped in at the Publishers Weekly site to get an update on the Department of Justice lawsuit (DOJ) to stop the merger of Penguin Random House (PRH) and Simon and Schuster (S&S).

 

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, the case is a back and forth of witnesses against the merger and witnesses for the merger. Bestselling author Stephen King testified why the merger would be bad for authors if there's one less publisher to sell to. S&S CEO Jonathan Karp testified why the merger should be allowed to proceed. Agent Ayesha Pande, Kensington CEO Steve Zachanus and S&S CFO Dennis Eulau also testified.

I have my own opinion.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Interesting ... Stephen King ... Only witness the publishers' attorney didn't cross examine. This little kitty will let you figure out why he didn't."

 

Note: This is a huge post. Bring a thermos of iced tea, two muffins, a brownie, and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Jonathan Karp and Stephen King

OverDrive Education Acquires TeachingBooks.net - Publishers Weekly

 Today Panzer made a trip to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts, he found one about OverDrive Education.

 

According to the post, TeachingBooks.net has merged with OverDrive Education. Currently, 55,000 schools and libraries worldwide have access to 265,000 "curated materials" through TeachingBooks.net. The post quotes OverDrive officials who call it an acquisition, but the TeachingBooks.net founder calls it a merger. Included in the post is a link to OverDrive's home page, one to TeachingBooks.net's home page and one to OverDrive's Sora reading app home page.

Merger? Acquisition? Which is it?

Panzer says, "This little kitty didn't know there was an OverDrive Education platform."

 

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading news. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring a thermos of tea, four muffins and brownie.

 

To read the post tootle over to OverDrive Education

CMA launches merger investigation into PRH and S&S deal - The Bookseller

 Panzer was cleaning out the glove box in the Panzermobile when he found a wadded up post in there. Smoothing it out, he discovered it was a post from The Bookseller site about an investigation into the merger of book publishers PRH and S and S. A couple of months ago Panzer told you about the Authors Guild's requested investigation of the merger by the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

According to the post by Mark Chandler at The Bookseller site, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking into the Penguin Random House (PRH) merger with Simon and Schuster (SS). This investigation would be similar to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation. Both would be looking to see if the merger would in any way stifle competition in the book publishing industry.

 

I'm not getting down.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It looks like there will be one really big pit bull and a bunch of teacup poodles left."

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a large mug of cocoa and a muffin for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to merger investigation

To read Panzer's earlier post tootle over to Authors Guild 

Authors Guild Asks DoJ to Stop PRH Purchase of S&S - Publishers Weekly

 Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site today. There with a little digging in the posts our illustrious kitty found one about the sale of Simon and Schuster.

 

According Jim Milliot's post, the Authors Guild (and other writers groups) wrote a letter asking the Department of Justice (DoJ) to stop the sale of Simon and Schuster (S&S) to Penguin Random House (PRH). The Authors Guild says in the letter sent to the DoJ that the merger will harm authors by making a smaller market for their manuscripts and cause lower advances for them. PRH says they need to merge to compete with Amazon. The Authors Guild counters that the DoJ should step in and restructure the book market industry. The Authors Guild's letter also states Amazon poses "threats to ...  American democracy itself ...". Included in the post are links to information about the merger and posts about mergers in the book printing industry.

Democracy?  Really?

 

Panzer says, "Umm ... Amazon is a threat to American democracy?"

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of cocoa, a muffin and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a thermos of coffee, two muffins, a brownie and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits).

 

To read the post tootle over to Authors Guild

Interview: CEO Allen Lau on Wattpad's $600 Million Merger with Korea's Naver - Publishing Perspectives

 Today Panzer made another stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. Yesterday the site had a post about Canada's Wattpad merger with South Korea's Naver. Today the site has an interview with Wattpad CEO Allen Lau about the reason's for the merger.

Maybe a cat comic? I'd read it.

According to Porter Anderson's post, Wattpad CEO Allen Lau is elated about the merger with Naver. The merger will form a combined user base of 160 million. Naver has 72 million users and Wattpad has 90 million users. The post includes some interesting information about the two company's channels/platforms and Wattpad's expansion into comics with Naver's Webtoons.

Panzer says, "This sounds like it will work out fine as long as Wattpad gets to stay a separate company in Canada and doesn't get lost in Naver's future plans."

Note: This is an exceptionally long post. Bring a thermos of tea and five muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Wattpad CEO Allen Lau

Author Groups Try to Block Quad-LSC Communications Merger Based on Antitrust Concerns - Book Business Insider

Panzer was just tootling around minding his own kitty business when he heard howling and growling coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the hubbub our kitty boy found himself at the Book Business Insiter site. With a little digging around he found a post about the Quad-LSC Communications merger.

The only time bigger is better is with cats.

According to D. Eadward Tree*, the Authors Guild, PEN America and Open Markets Institute have joined together to protest the merger of Quad and LSC Communications. The three have submitted a letter to the Justice Department detailing the adverse effects such a monopoly would inflict on the printing industry. The merger would allow the new Quad-LSC Communications merged company to determine pricing in the printing market for magazines and mass market books with no competition. There's a link included in the post to the letter submitted to the Justice Department.

Panzer says, "This little kitty thinks, if this merger goes through and printing costs go up, the cost of magazines and books will go up. That will mean more magazines and books will have to go online to save money."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring two cups of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Quad LSC Communications merger


*If you read the author bio at the end of the post, you'll discover this is a pen name.

The Random House and Crown Publishing Groups Merge - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was shaken from his nap by the sound of shouting and yelling coming from the Catosphere. Jumping into the Panzermobile our brave kitty boy followed all the noise to the Publishers Weekly site. There he discovered a post about the merger of the Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group are merging.

According to John Maher, in a letter to employees US CEO Madeline McIntosh announced the merger of Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group. The merger will create one super-sized publishing group. For now Random House Publishing Group and Crown Publishing Group will each keep their name.

Back to something important. A nap.

Panzer says, "Is there such a thing as too big in publishing?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Random House and Crown merger

Create Space to be Phased Out - Indies Unlimited

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by crying and wailing. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to the Indies Unlimited site. There he found a post about Create Space.

I knew it was coming, but I don't like it.

According to the post by K.S. Brooks, Amazon announced today that Create Space is being merged into KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). The email quoted in the post states that Create Space's publishing facilities and employees will still be used, so there should be no change in quality of service. However, a second email quoted in an update at the end of the post states there is an increase in printing costs for shorter UK and EU books. There are links included in the post for more information.

Panzer says, "This little kitty doesn't think Barnes and Noble will be getting his books from Amazon KDP like they have from Create Space to sell in their stores and online. ... So ... He (and you) better learn how to use Ingram to publish and distribute his (your) paperbacks."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. Oh, and you better bring a tissue to dry your tears at the demise of Create Space.

To read the post tootle over to Createspace

Whole Foods Shareholders Sue to Block Amazon Merger - Courthouse News Service

As soon as Panzer entered the Catosphere today the Panzermobile was buffeted by ranting and raving and shouting. Following all the reverberating noises took our brave kitty boy to the Courthouse News Service site. There he found a post about two Texas court cases filed against the Whole Foods Market and Amazon merger/acquisition.

According to the post by Ryan Kocian, two Whole Foods Market shareholders have filed separate lawsuits against Whole Foods Markets and Amazon to stop the proposed merger/acquisition. In one suit Robert Riegel is suing Whole Foods Market and the board of directors. In the second suit Robert Berg is suing Whole Foods Market, the board of directors, Amazon.com and Walnut Merger Sub. Both suits claim a lack of certain financial information, the lack of certain conflict of interest information, and the lack of certain banker interest and financial compensation information makes the proxy statement false and misleading to the shareholders. Both suits are seeking to get class action status.

Blindsided me. Never saw it coming.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... And this little kitty thought it was going to be the federal government that would slow down the acquisition."

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post. Bring a thermos of tea, half a dozen muffins and two cinnamon rolls for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Whole Foods shareholders