As soon as Lagardere bought out Time Warner Book Group, many (us included) began to chirp that Simon & Schuster might be next on the conglomerate's acquisition list. Not so, says S&S CEO Jack Romanos to Publishing News. "Did you ever meet the rumour you couldn’t kill?" he asks. "It's been around for a decade, and it's amusing at some level, but it's totally unfair on the people who work here. At the moment, we’re not for sale."

Which isn't to say that last year wasn't difficult for the company, as Romanos is first to admit. "It's been a humbling experience for us not to have the same position in the London publishing community as we have in the US. We've had some missteps but now we're back on track."