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WEKU
WEKU
Chloe Veltman

Authors and bookstore owners worry a big publishing merger will affect diversity

Penguin Random House Simon & Schuster Diversity Penguin Random House United States Authors Guild NPR
The Penguin logo is visible on the spine of a book. The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster to block the companies from completing a merger valued at $2.175 billion. (Tim Ireland/PA Images via Getty Images)

One of the largest antitrust trials ever to hit the publishing industry is unfolding in a federal courthouse in Washington. The Department of Justice says that the proposed merger announced in 2020 between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster would stifle competition.

But what would a successful merger mean on a practical level for booksellers, authors and others in the industry?

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