Penguin Random House Purchasing Simon & Schuster
ViacomCBS Inc., which owns Simon & Schuster, said it plans to sell the third largest U S. publishing entity to the largest one, Penguin Random House. If you feel like some sticker shock: $2.175 billion in cash is the price. “Approximately one-third of all books sold in America will now come from one corporation, Bertelsmann. And because the now-combined shares of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster are so high, the deal also raises antitrust concerns and may attract attention from the U.S. Justice Department.”
The Guardian’s Best Books Of 2020
The Guardian has revealed its Best Books of 2020 list with separate lists for fiction, children’s, crime and thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, memoir and celebrity books, politics, ideas, sports, nature and science, poetry, comics and graphic novels, art, food, and stocking fillers. So many lists. So many books. Chosen by Guardian critics, you can check out all the lists here.
Grammy Nom Omits Alex Trebek’s Name From Own Memoir
The 2021 Grammy Award nominations nominated Ken Jennings for the Best Spoken Word Album for Alex Trebek’s memoir The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life. But they didn’t nominate Alex Trebek, who is also a narrator on his memoir with Jennings. “’This should 100% be Alex’s Grammy nomination. He wrote this book and reads much of the audiobook!,’ the Jeopardy! champ said on Twitter following the nominations announcement Tuesday. ‘Who do I speak to about this.’”