Things that will happen when there’s a PRHSS monopoly:
-fewer imprints and fewer editors
-ever-shrinking midlist
-fewer debuts being published, and fewer sophomore books
-agents and writers hold significantly less leverage, leading to worse terms for writers

-lower starting salaries for publishing staff (no more keeping up with the Joneses)
-employees will have less say over what gets published
-imprints will further chase trends instead of creating them

-indie bookstores and libraries will be beholden to unfavorable purchase terms and a difficult distribution system
-small presses will generally have a harder time getting shelf space

Explicit ramification of the above:
-fewer people of color obtaining and maintaining positions in the industry
-fewer working-class people entering the industry
-fewer authors of color getting published

Things that will stay the same:
-big pubs will take no credit for the impact they have on culture
-publishers will not allocate any money for promotion/marketing for most of their books and then blame literally everyone else, and claim they have no idea how to make a hit

-there will still be incredible editors who will fight tooth and nail to still break out incredible books. I hope they won’t burn out
-good books will still be published, but we have to push for them. Consumers: use your money wisely. Don’t forget about small presses, also!

So this thread is doing some numbers, so if you want to hear me talk about all these aspects of publishing in a lot more detail, you might want to check out @printrunpodcast! Also please buy small press books from indie bookstores!