The Complex. (Viking, March 10. Editor: Allison Lorentzen. Agent: Jin Auh, Wiley Agency.) Karan Mahajan is the author of The Association of Small Bombs, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, won the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, and was named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. His debut novel, Family Planning, was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He has been selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, […]
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UK Is Listening, Learning Over AI Position; Drops Preference for Letting AI Companies Train Broadly
The UK has reversed course on their AI position in a new governmental report. Originally, the country favored allowing tech companies to use copyrighted work to train AI, with an option for artists to opt out. Now, the UK is less committed to that approach, but “no longer has a preferred option” for what the country should do. “We must take the time needed to get this right,” the report states. “We will not introduce reforms to copyright law until we are confident that they will meet our objectives for the economy and UK citizens. This means protecting the UK’s position […]
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Baker & Taylor Files for Bankruptcy
Baker & Taylor has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, five months after announcing that they would shut down operations and liquidate assets. The filing indicates that the company has between $1 million and $10 million in assets and owes in the range of $100 million to $500 million in liabilities to between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors. B&T’s largest debts are to publishers, libraries, and for corporate real estate, including $23.3 million owed to Penguin Random House, $16.5 million to Simon & Schuster, $15.5 million to Harper Collins, and $3.8 million to Macmillan’s distribution arm MPS. The 20 largest claims on […]
Lagardere Publishing Talks Acquisition Plans
Lagardere Publishing plans to grow through international acquisitions, according to the Bookseller and Livres Hebdo, based on a press conference Hachette Livre deputy ceo Jean-Christophe Thiery gave last week. The company hopes to expand in Latin America and Africa, focusing on French, English and Spanish language markets. Thiery noted that Africa’s population is growing, and “if residents of the continent write books that appeal to them, ‘our intuition is that the book market in Africa will take off’.” “Electronic and audio versions will be used to overcome logistical constraints facing print,’ the Bookseller notes. The company doesn’t foresee acquisitions in […]