A new monster is being taken on by Stephen King.
The author was the main witness in the anti-trust trial.
The US Department of Justice wanted King to testify about how the tie-up could affect authors.
King told the court that the move would be bad for competition.
Both publishing houses argued that the merger wouldn't hurt competition because the companies would continue to bid against each other for the rights to publish novels after the transaction is completed.
King has been in publishing for 50 years.
"You might as well say you're going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house," the novelist said.
More than 70 novels have been written by King since he published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974.
In the last 10 years, King has become more outspoken on social media, interacting with fans and encouraging his 6.8 million followers to support local bookstores.
Plans for a merger were announced in November 2020.
The acquisition was blocked by the justice department. Competition is a central part of the economic policy of the United States.
"American authors and consumers will pay the price of this anticompetitive merger - lower advances for authors and ultimately fewer books and less variety for consumers," the US Attorney General said after the announcement of the lawsuit.
The attorneys representing the merger denied the allegations and argued that stopping the transaction would harm the authors.
The DOJ has not found that the combination will reduce competition in the sale of books, according to Daniel Petrocelli, the lead attorney in the trial.
The robust and competitive landscape will ensure a decision that the acquisition will promote, not harm, competition.
Acquisitions and mergers should not create market monopolies or anti-competitive practices.
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