Danica Davidson
December 3, 2020 
It was recently announced that publisher Penguin Random House is planning to purchase publisher Simon & Schuster from ViacomCBS for more than two billion dollars. Penguin and Random House were previously two enormous publishers that combined, and the idea of a third enormous publisher being brought in is making some people nervous.
Otaku USA already reported on how this could affect the manga business (let alone all other forms of book business) by editors looking only for bestsellers and ditching niche titles. Now the American Booksellers Association has requested the Department of Justice to get involved for antitrust reasons.
“Antitrust enforcers should block this deal,” declared co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Stacy Mitchell. “There’s ample evidence that concentration in the book industry is already harming readers and authors. Allowing more consolidation among the big publishers will further reduce the range of books and ideas that find their way into print and into the hands of readers.”
Source: ICv2
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
