In this week’s issue, News Corp. makes a bid to buy Simon & Schuster, UK universities worry about the excessive pricing of academic books, the 2020 National Book Award winners are announced and more.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Bids for Simon & Schuster
The New York Times
News Corp. is the latest media company to place a bid to purchase Simon & Schuster. Penguin Random House, owned by Bertelsmann AG, is also making a bid.

News Corp CEO Says PRH Would Face Antitrust Fight Over Simon & Schuster
Publishers Lunch
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson said in answer to a question at the company’s annual meeting he has no doubt that Penguin Random House would face major regulatory issues in the US if they were to prevail in the bidding to acquire Simon & Schuster.

University staff urge probe into e-book pricing ‘scandal’
BBC News
More than 2,500 UK university staff have called for an investigation into the “scandal” of excessive pricing of academic e-books.

Sheila Heti on the Importance of Finding Trusted Readers
Literary Hub
The author discusses the importance of finding someone to review a writer’s first drafts.

AAP and CCC End Georgia State ‘E-Reserves’ Copyright Litigation
Publishing Perspectives
Citing appellate court rulings that make the plaintiffs’ point, the Association of American Publishers and Copyright Clearance Center decline to pursue further appeals in a 12-year-old case.

Callender, Miri, Choi, Payne and Payne, and Yu Win 2020 National Book Awards
Publishers Weekly
The winners of the 2020 National Book Awards in five book categories were announced on November 18. The Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was presented to Walter Mosley, making him the first Black man to ever receive the award. AG members Anne Posten and Elisabeth Jacquette were both finalists in the Translated Literature category.