Clearing up what few questions remained about how Amazon would approach the September 15 release day of Dan Brown’s THE LOST SYMBOL, the retailer announced this morning that the book would be available for “guaranteed delivery” via UPS (for the hardcover edition) and via wireless (for the Kindle edition.) The hardcover will be priced at $16.17, while the Kindle edition will bear the $9.99 pricetag.Release
Archives for August 2009
Further Opposition to the Google Books Settlement
As the September 4 date for authors deciding whether to opt in or opt out of the Google Books Settlement, more opposition is being voiced. Scott E. Gant, an author and partner at Boies Schiller & Flexner, a prominent Washington law firm, has launched what the NYT deems “a sweeping opposition” to the Google Books Settlement. “This is a predominantly commercial transaction and one that should be undertaken through the normal commercial process, which is negotiation and informed consent,” Gant told the paper. “Google and its partners are “trying to ram this through so that millions of copyright holders will […]
Google to Partner with France's National Library
Even as opposition swirls, Google Books continues to make deals with national libraries, the most recent being the Bibliothque Nationale de France (BNF) after a four-year battle. BNF director of collections Denis Bruckman described the decision to La Tribune as “purely financial”, as France provided only ¬5 million a year for digitising books for Gallica, the national digital library, yet the national library needed up to â¬80 million (£68 million) just for its works from 1870 to 1940. “We will not stop our own digitising programme, but if Google can enable us to go faster and farther, then why not?”Times […]
B&N Shutters Quamut
Barnes & Noble has closed down its how-to site Quamut, designed to provide simple instructional pieces on a variety of subjects using a mix of user-produced wikis and professionally produced guides. Despite the change (and the message that greets those who try to access the Quamut.com site), B&N continues to run in-house ads for the site on its online store.CNET
People and Announcements
Geri Thoma has been named as a full partner in the Elaine Markson Literary Agency has changed its name to Markson Thoma. The agency remains at 44 Greenwich Avenue in New York, and now has a website: www.marksonthoma.com. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn were named the recipients of the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement. The prize committee also announced the finalists for its fiction and nonfiction categories, including Louise Erdrich, Ma Jian, Richard Bausch, David Grossman, Nicholson Baker, and Thomas Friedman. A winner and runner-up for both categories will be announced on September 22.Prize finalists Random House […]
Reader's Digest Will File for Chapter 11; Owner Ripplewood's Stake to be Wiped Out
The publisher of Reader’s Digest magazine said Monday it will file for bankruptcy protection in what they term a “pre-arranged” bankruptcy. Under the plan, the WSJ report, Reader’s Digest Association will cut its debt to about $550 million from $2.2 billion. An investment group led by private-equity firm Ripplewood Holdings, which bought the 87-year-old magazine in 2007 for $1.6 billion, will see its investment wiped out, and lenders led by JP Morgan & co., will take control of the company. The operations outside the U.S., which generate a majority of the company’s revenue, aren’t part of the proposed bankruptcy filing.WSJ