The US Department of Justice has given its seal of approval to the proposed merger between Random House and Penguin.

“This positive first decision by one of the antitrust authorities is an important milestone on the path to uniting two of the world’s leading publishing companies into a truly global publishing group,” said Thomas Rabe, CEO of Bertelsmann AG (the German parent company of Random House). “It will enable investments worldwide in new digital publishing models, in new distribution paths, products, and services, and in the major growth markets.”

Bertelsmann and Penguin’s British parent company, Pearson PLC, announced their plans to merge last year. At the time, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was said to be eyeing Penguin for possible purchase in order to bolster their publishing arm (News Corp already owns HarperCollins).

The merger between Random House and Penguin will create the largest publishing house the world has ever known. The new company will be called ‘Penguin Random House,’ and Bertelsmann will control 53 percent of it, while Pearson will control the other 47 percent.

Estimates of Penguin Random House’s projected market share vary widely. When the merger was first announced, it was reported that the new company would control 30 percent of the trade-book market. Now, the media seem to suggest that the figure will be closer to 25 percent. However, if the market share is examined by genre, Penguin Random House’s clout might be much greater. For example, Dennis Johnson over at the independent publisher Melville House suggests that the new conglomerate might end up controlling 50 percent of the literary fiction market.

No doubt Pearson and Bertelsmann are hoping that, by tying the knot, they will be able to strengthen their hand when negotiating with digital companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple. Amazon alone controls a whopping 60 percent of the online book market thanks in large part to its now-ubiquitous Kindle family of e-readers.

Despite the Justice Department’s approval, the merger still faces potential obstacles in Europe. The European Commission still needs to evaluate the deal, and analysts note that it tends to evaluate culture-related mergers with particular care. When Universal Music Group purchased the recorded music division of EMI last year, European Union regulators forced Universal to sell off a large chunk of EMI’s assets, including most of the lucrative Parlophone label. Will Bertelsmann and Pearson be forced to make similar concessions?

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New York, U.S.A. – Random House Children’s Books launches Choose Kind, a campaign to encourage students, educators, families, and readers of all ages to combat the nationwide rise in bullying with every day acts of kindness, it was announced by Chip Gibson, President and Publisher. The initiative was inspired by “Wonder”, the debut novel by R. J. Palacio, which tells the story of Auggie, a fifth grader with a facial deformity who attends a mainstream school for the first time.

“Wonder has inspired us, and captured our hearts entirely,” said Gibson. “The outpouring of enthusiasm from book lovers and educators moved us to share the poignant message of this novel with a wider audience. I am proud to give them, and anyone around the world, the opportunity to discover the story and to pledge with us to Choose Kind.”

ChooseKind.tumblr.com is the online home of the campaign, designed as a next step for the ardent supporters of the novel who have been asking for additional resources to use in sharing “Wonder” and its message with families, schools, and communities across the country. Each section of the site offers an interactive user experience.

• Share: Fans can contribute a post, ranging from personal experiences of being bullied to moments where they wished they had stood up for someone else.
• Sign the Pledge: Pledge to Choose Kind in an effort to end bullying, and print a certificate to display.
• The Book: Watch the trailer for “Wonder”, read reviews, and find links to the novel’s social media channels.
• The Author: Read about R. J. Palacio, and how to connect with her on Twitter and Tumblr.
• Resources: A Digital Toolkit of stickers and Web badges, as well as links to other anti-bullying efforts such as the It Gets Better project and the National Education Association’s Bully Free: It Starts with Me.

Additionally, the campaign will have a global footprint with full support from Random House UK, which will publish “Wonder” for adult readers on June 6, 2012, following its release as a children’s novel in March.

“Celebrating those who have made the choice to be kind—not always an easy thing to do when you’re a kid!—is the best way to raise awareness to this very simple fact: kindness is a virtue whose ripple effects can literally change the world,” says “Wonder” author R. J. Palacio. “One child at a time, one person at a time, there’s no greater antidote to bullying than the steadfast refusal of children, teachers, and parents to accept a culture where bullying is tolerated.”

A word-of-mouth sensation from the start, with its Twitter hashtag, #thewonderofwonder, the book has also been the topic of countless blog posts from parents, teachers, and librarians praising its ability to relay a universal message from the story of one unique boy. Clara Beatty, a nine-year-old girl with Treacher-Collins Syndrome, was already reading “Wonder” when the Associated Press spoke with her and her family for a recent feature. Her parents Janet and Eric were impressed with Palacio’s skill in realistically portraying Auggie’s experience, noting “As a family with a child of facial difference, ‘Wonder’ gives an amazingly accurate view of our world from a number of perspectives. We are hopeful that this story raises awareness of how being kind can be powerful.”

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