• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Blog
  • Writing Advice
  • Publishing Advice
  • About
  • Take a Class
  • Get Editing

Penguin Random House

Social media is a dumpster fire (This week in books)

February 3, 2023 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

This week! Books! You know it, I know it. Social media just isn’t what it used to be. Approximately 15 years into the social media era, and 8 years after GameGate marked the beginning of the end, we’re at a messy nadir, where the giants (Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, Snap) are earnestly committing suicide, the insurgent (TikTok) […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: ALA Awards, Censorship, Donald Maass, Florida, Hunter Patterson, Judith Viorst, Lincoln Michel, Madelin McIntosh, Martin Riker, Patrick Sauer, Penguin Random House, Peter C. Baker, S.E. Hinton, Social Media, Sophie Vershbow, Writing and Sports

Marcus Dohle resigning as CEO of PRH (This week in books)

December 9, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 1 Comment

This week! Books! First up, the amazing organization We Need Diverse Books is hosting a holiday auction full of really great books and writing-related items to support Books Saves Lives, their initiative to fight book banning. I’m offering a query critique, which you can bid on here! The fallout from Penguin Random House’s failed acquisition […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: ChatGPT, Chelsea Banning, Derek Thompson, Marcus Dohle, OpenAI, Penguin Random House, We Need Diverse Books

Penguin Random House blocked from acquiring Simon & Schuster (This week in books)

November 4, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 5 Comments

This week! Books! Massive, massive news for the publishing industry, and, in truth, for all US antitrust law as the DOJ successfully convinced Judge Florence Pan that Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster would create a monopsony that would harm authors. This is particularly notable because antitrust precedent over the past 50 […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Artificial Intelligence, Florence Pan, Franklin Foer, Jeffrey Trachtenberg, Jessica Toonkel, P.N. Hinton, Penguin Random House, Stephanie Burt, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Twitter, Victoria Song

What we gain from independent publishers and bookstores (This week in books)

August 12, 2022 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

This week! Books! The antitrust trial over Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster is now in its third week. There’s a whole lot of coverage and smaller bits to chew on, and if you want a deep dive, Publishers Weekly and Publishers Lunch ($ link) have comprehensive coverage. Just two of the […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Allison Hunter, Andrew Wylie, Charles Duhigg, Colleen Hoover, Gilbert Bassey, Jennifer Weltz, Jillian Medoff, Laura Miller, Mohsin Hamid, NFTs, Nicole Chung, Penguin Random House, Richard Howorth, Sangeeta Mehta

The PRH/S&S antitrust suit gets underway (This week in books)

August 5, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

This week! Books! The antitrust lawsuit over Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster is in full swing. Shira Ovide writes about how the threat posed by Amazon is looming in the background of the trial, and Publishers Lunch ($ links) has some extensive recaps of the testimony so far. The latest prominent […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Amazon, Book Banning, Diversity, Donald Maass, Evan Osnos, Joyce Carol Oates, Kate McKean, Nicole Chung, Penguin Random House

The PRH/S&S merger heads to court (This week in books)

July 29, 2022 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

This week! Books! We’re getting into the doldrums of summer, but I still have a few links to share with you this week. First up, there’s an auction this weekend to support two great organizations, We Need Diverse Books and NaNoWriMo! There are lots of great items to bid on, and I’m offering a thirty […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, Barack Obama, Charlie Warzel, Delia Owens, Man Booker, NaNoWriMo, Penguin Random House, Rebecca Stott, Simon & Schuster, We Need Diverse Books

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums
Footer Logo
Nathan Bransford

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Editing Services
  • My Books
  • About Me
  • Blog Directory
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Logo Facebook Logo Instagram Logo
As an Amazon and Bookshop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and Bookshop links are usually affiliate links.