At the Global 50 CEO Talk, held during the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 16, 2024, Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp and Chairman Richard Sarnoff discuss the publisher’s development following its acquisition by KKR. Moderated by Rüdiger Wischenbart, the conversation examines how new ownership has enabled Simon & Schuster to reinvest its profits and pursue long-term international growth.
Karp and Sarnoff describe a strategy that combines organic expansion with carefully selected acquisitions. They discuss the purchase of the Dutch publishing group VBK and Australia’s Affirm Press, as well as the international development of Summit Books. Rather than imposing a centralized model, Simon & Schuster aims to preserve the independence and local expertise of its publishing companies while sharing resources and successful practices across markets.
The conversation also addresses the rapid growth of audiobooks, subscription services and artificial intelligence. AI-assisted translation and synthetic narration could make more books available in underserved languages, but both speakers emphasize that these tools must respect intellectual property, contractual rights and fair compensation. Sustainable subscription models must likewise balance wider access with viable remuneration for authors and publishers.
The speakers ultimately present publishing as a resilient growth industry built book by book. In an increasingly crowded media environment, editors and trusted publishing brands remain essential for selecting quality work, supporting authors and connecting books with readers. International collaboration, strong backlists, digital innovation and responsible investment can reinforce this role while opening new opportunities for stories to circulate across languages and formats.
