A $2.2 Billion Penguin Deal Can’t Be Good for Books - The Washington Post

For entertainment value, you get a handful of embarrassing private messages written by executives in both firms such as: "I would not want to be a big author at Simon & Schuster now." The political context - a more robust U.S. approach to dealmaking - adds spice too. But the substance is what counts, and that's where there are concerns for authors and readers.

The acquisition would consolidate the so-called Big Five book publishers down to four and extend PRH's lead as the world's largest. As the DOJ argues, the number of houses with the financial muscle to buy blockbuster manuscripts would shrink even further.