Six, Five, Four...

...good things that don't start with Big

And now it’s the Big Four. Penguin Random House is buying Simon & Schuster. The logic of conglomeration proceeds apace: this latest merger is just the natural momentum of a series of consolidations that started four decades ago. For an interesting take on this trajectory, and what this means for literature and authors, check out Dan Sinykin’s piece. (Belt remains that rare bird, a small press that is not a non-profit.)

Probably not much will change in my corner of the industry as a result of this deal, though I expect (and hope!) I might receive more queries from agents who have tried, and failed, to garner a Big Four contract for their authors; editors at the Big Four will be even more bottom-line attuned than they are now, and there will be fewer (4) places to try. Advances might also go down for all but the celebrity mega-million deals, as more editors will be, in effect, competing against themselves, which is what happens when different imprints, owned by the same master, comp…