The government and publishing titan Penguin Random House exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Monday as the US seeks to block the biggest US book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The case comes as a key test of the Biden administration's antitrust policy.
The Justice Department has sued to block the $2.2 billion merger, which would reduce the Big Five US publishers to four.
The government's star witness, bestselling author Stephen King, is expected to testify at Tuesday's session of the weekslong trial in US District Court in Washington, DC King's works are published by Simon & Schuster.
At Monday's opening session, opposing attorneys for the two sides presented their cases before US District Judge Florence Pan.
Justice Department attorneys called the merger presumptively wrong because it would shrink competition and, inevitably, the vital public discourse that books help engender. Penguin Random House countered that the new company would enhance competition because the combined company could turn out books more efficiently.
The government contends that it would hurt authors and, ultimately, readers if German media titan Bertelsmann, of which Penguin Random House is a division, is allowed to buy Simon & Schuster, the fourth-largest publisher, from U.S. media and entertainment company Paramount Global. It says the deal would thwart competition and give Penguin Random House gigantic influence over which books are published in the U.S., likely reducing how much authors are paid and giving consumers fewer books to choose from.
The publishers counter that the merger would strengthen competition among publishers to find and sell the hottest books, by enabling the combined company to offer bigger advance payments and marketing support to authors. It would benefit readers, booksellers and authors, they say.
The two New York-based publishers have impressive stables of blockbuster authors, who've sold multiple millions of copies and have scored multimillion-dollar deals. Within Penguin Random House's constellation are Barack and Michelle Obama, whose package deal for their memoirs totaled an estimated USD 65 million, Bill Clinton, who received USD 15 million for his memoir, Toni Morrison, John Grisham and Dan Brown.
Simon & Schuster counts Hillary Clinton, who received USD 8 million for her memoir, Bob Woodward and Walter Isaacson. And King.
Bruce Springsteen splits the difference: His Renegades: Born in the USA, with Barack Obama, was published by Penguin Random House; his memoir, by Simon & Schuster.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
You’ve hit your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Quarterly Starter
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online
Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app