Penguin Random House merger looks set to go ahead

So it’s official. Big publishers Penguin and Random House are moving ahead with their merger plans and, once the move is complete, are set to have around a 30% share of the publishing market worldwide.

Of course, arguably the biggest missed opportunity of the deal is that they will not be calling the merged company Random Penguin as I imagine many people secretly hoped they might (imagine the great logos they could come up with for that), but it’s still a highly significant move – and one that needs to be cleared by the competition regulators before it can fully go ahead.

It has been reported that both brands will keep their editorial independence, but that there will be benefits in terms of cutting ‘back-office functions’.

To most people, the merger between the two traditional publishing giants probably won’t have a huge amount of impact. After all, people tend to buy books not because of the publisher, but because they like the author or simply like the look of a particular book. However, the move is definitely important, not least because it represents an attempt by the two companies to react to the changing publishing market and the growing dominance of those such as Amazon.

It will be interesting to see what the effect of the Penguin Random House merger actually is; it has so far attracted some criticisms from authors and others as the ‘big six’ publishers become five. However, there is a chance that it could lead to a surge in the smaller, independent presses as authors seek alternative publication options.

It will probably be some time before the full effects of the deal become clear, but it seems certain that this is a move that will affect the publishing industry for some time to come – what do you think of it?

You can read more about the Penguin Random House merger here.