Stephen King Set to Testify in Book Publishing Antitrust Trial

Best-selling author Stephen King is slated to testify for the federal government in an antitrust suit aimed to block Penguin Random House LLC’s $2.18 billion acquisition of Simon & Schuster Inc.

King is being called as a witness in federal court in Washington about his experiences as a popular author in selling anticipated top-selling books, according to court filings.

The author of horror classics including “Carrie” and “The Shining” is expected to testify specifically about publishers that successfully purchase rights to anticipated best-sellers and what effects he believes the proposed deal will have on the markets for those books, prosecutors ...