Author Stephen King testifies for US government in books merger trial

Author Stephen King departs federal court on Aug 2 after testifying for the US Department of Justice as it bids to block the proposed merger of two of the world's biggest publishers, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Photo: AP

Stephen King didn't break any legal ground on the stand on Tuesday as he testified against his own publisher's efforts to merge with Penguin Random House. But he did know how to please a crowd and even get the judge to thank him for his time.

"It was a real pleasure to hear your testimony," the otherwise businesslike US District Judge Florence J. Pan told the author after he finished speaking as a government witness in a federal antitrust lawsuit against the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, King's longtime publisher.