If a Tree Falls in the Forrest…

A few days ago Publisher’s Weekly announced that Penguin Group had purchased ASI, an independent author’s service company. It would appear that the Biggies in the traditional publishing world are waking up to the fact that they can neither control nor stop the independent movement. But my question is, how does Penguin plan to use this acquisition?


Will it function as an imprint? Will they treat ASI the same way Amazon treats Create Space, as a subsidiary? Or will they use it as a hedge against possible losses given the growth of the Indie publishing?
Hmmm. However they choose to use it you can be sure we Indies are not going away.


This acquisition causes me to wonder two things: 1) Is Penguin trying to maintain their slice of the publishing pie by grabbing whatever they can of the Independent dollars? or 2) Is this their way of getting a foothold in the Indie realm?


In either case, we are watching you, Penguin. You chopped down your first tree. We heard it fall!