The Bookseller - News - Agents react to 'offensive' advances claims but say PRH could be a better home for S&S

During the testimony, PRH US c.e.o. Madeline McIntosh's claim that the size of an author's advance did not define a book's marketing plans as other factors including market feedback came into play between acquisition and publication has stirred a debate in the UK trade. Her claim was echoed by S&S chief Jonathan Karp and summed up by PRH's lawyer Dan Petrocelli. In his closing argument he said that unless the book came from franchise or celebrity authors, "we see the same bargaining processes, the same editorial process, the same marketing methods, the same sales process".

The point was made in response to the Department of Justice's attempt to establish that acquisitions where the author earned over $250,000 were a distinct category within the publishing market, a claim opposed by PRH.

The assertion about advances came as a "big shock" to some in the UK industry, although others said the issue was more nuanced.