If you have problems trying to get to sleep, close your eyes and try counting all the imprints, UK and US, which will form part of the Penguin Random House merger.
It's a scary experience. The answer is somewhere north of 100. But don't panic, even if you are, as we are, an independent with just one imprint to your name. The merged company will be a behemoth, but it might just turn out to be one that benefits the publishing industry as a whole.
The Big Issue of the day is whether or not the advent of ebooks is going to give a new lease of life to book publishers. In theory it should mark the start of a new golden age where no book ever goes out of print, the costs of production, storage and distribution become vanishingly small, authors' earnings are enhanced rather than eroded, and our business is transformed from dusty, cash-strapped sunset industry into an intellectual property tiger at the heart of the media sector.
But this is unlikely to happen unless we can find a way of redressing the balance of power between publishers and Amazon. With a market share of over 90% in the UK and approximately 65% in America, Amazon is setting the rules of engagement, controlling prices and promotions, and competing with publishers for IP rights.
The Penguin Random merger does create an entity with the clout to look Mr. Bezos in the eye. This is a point not mentioned in the impeccably fluffy press releases issued by bride and groom. Its very absence lends weight to the idea that it may represent their real motives.
I hesitate to say more lest a swat team arrives at HoZ HQ to remove the hard drive from my computer.