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back to article Publishing giants borg into Random Penguin ... But can it see off Amazon?

Venerable publishing house Penguin will merge with Random House to create the world's largest book publisher. Penguin owner Pearson signed off on the deal with Random House owner Bertelsmann today declaring that the merger was the best way for the two dead-tree publishers to take advantage of new digital publishing models, …

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  1. wowfood

    I don't care

    I'm still calling it "Random Penguin"

    Also, why is it when two of the biggest forces in every other sector take more than 25% of the market there's a massive inquest into whether it's anti-competitive. But when it's books it's okay?

    This isn't just being sarcastic, I actually am kinda curious about this.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I don't care

      Why? Because Amazon has 90% of the book market.

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      1. Ru
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        Re: I don't care

        "Why? Because Amazon has 90% of the book market"

        Really? Or are you confusing publishing with retail?

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      2. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        @ SP

        You clearly either didn't read the article or are incapable of basic arithmetic.

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    2. DF118
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      Re: I don't care

      The deal does have to be cleared by competition authorities, it just wasn't mentioned in the story.

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  2. Alex C
    Thumb Up

    +1 for Random Penguin

    Such a pleasing name :-)

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    1. frank ly
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      Re: +1 for Random Penguin

      It would be a great name for an Ubuntu release, even if it's not the standard structure; but they can't use it now :(

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  3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Rupert won't be pleased.

    Expect unfavorable review on the Sun arts page.

    Oh wait, they don't have an arts page.

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    1. David Webb
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      Re: Rupert won't be pleased.

      They do, it's on page 3 and is tit-led "tits or GTFO", it's very arty.

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    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
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      Meh

      Re: Rupert won't be pleased.

      To clarify for the hard of comprehending the thumbs up was for *not* accepting Rupert's shilling from the coffers of "News" International.

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  4. Skewer

    Penguin House?

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    1. mhoulden
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      Linux

      House Penguin. Got to be more interesting than a budgie.

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    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
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      I can't dance to that.

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  5. thomas k.

    Penguin

    Don't they still hold the rights to most of Maugham's works? Arrgh! Hasn't that bugger been dead 75 years yet?

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    1. I think so I am?
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      Thumb Up

      Re: Penguin

      he did life until he was 90 odd mind

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  6. Qwox
    FAIL

    Missed opportunity

    They've really missed the bus here, Random Penguin would of been one of the coolest business names everyone would of remembered it

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    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
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      Headmaster

      Re: Missed opportunity

      HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE .

      Would've is bloody well "WOULD HAVE"!!!!!111!!!1!1!!

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      1. Spoonsinger
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        Happy

        Re: Missed opportunity

        Obviously +1 to original poster for annoying a grammar nazi on a throw away comment.

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    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
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      Unhappy

      Re: Missed opportunity

      "Random Penguin would of been one of the coolest business names everyone would of remembered it"

      True.

      But they probably wouldn't remember what they *did*. Which is something publishers would quite like their potential customers to remember.

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  7. chr0m4t1c
    Stop

    Eh?

    "It will give the publishers greater leverage in a market where Amazon and Apple are starting to set prices."

    I thought the recent ruling allowing Amazon to sell books at a loss if they wished was precisely because Apple's agreement to use the agency model (and therefore let the publishers set the prices) was deemed to be uncompetitive and amounted to price fixing.

    You can't have them setting the prices and not setting the prices, we need some clarity in order to know why we're hating someone, without that clarity we're just being technology fascists, which we would never do.

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  8. Charlie van Becelaere
    FAIL

    I'm hating them

    simply because they didn't call themselves Random Penguin.

    Epic fail? I believe so.

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