HarperCollins UK CEO Victoria Barnsley has warned the industry is not likely to return to pre-recession glory after figures released by Nielsen BookScan for the first 24 weeks of the year, revealed a fall in the total value of book sales of 5.7% and eight of the top 10 publishers saw a drop in sales in 2010: “Our business needs to change, regardless of whether there is a recession or not. The economic situation has merely hurried the process along . . . To be honest, I don’t anticipate the market ever returning to pre-recession levels in its current form.” […]
Authors
Authors: Waterstone’s “Novel”; Amis Stops Biography; Patterson Hits Seven-Figures for eBooks; Chinese Author Faces Threats; Stephen King’s Summer Reads
Unsuccessful at buying his way back into book retailing, Tim Waterstone will reappear in stores this fall as an author–of a “thinly disguised” novel IN FOR A PENNY, IN FOR A POUND from Corvus. The Guardian calls it “a searing treatment of the world of books that contains recognisable caricatures of several figures in publishing, newspapers and high finance.” Characters include “a brash book-buying chief at a chain of stores named Waterwells.”Guardian Though Martin Amis co-operated with biographer Richard Bradford, sitting for “five face-to-face interviews in return for having an ‘editorial say’ over the contents of the biography,” that “say” […]
People: Hitchens, Merwin, and More
In a brief statement yesterday, Christopher Hitchens explained his sudden book tour cancellations: “I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This advice seems persuasive to me. I regret having had to cancel so many engagements at such short notice.” News outlets concluded that the treatment is related to esophageal cancer, which is linked to both smoking (Hitchens was a heavy smoker until recently) as well as drinking alcohol. Two-time Pulitzer-winner (most recently in 2009 for the collection The Shadow of Sirius) W.S. Merwin has been named the Library of […]
Wiley and the Authors Guild: Still Going
In a brief statement yesterday, Wiley said that “after a useful and productive exchange of ideas, we concluded that the best way to proceed is to call each and every one” of the 117 Bloomberg Press authors “to make sure they understand the changes that we have proposed. If any of them are uncomfortable with our proposed changes, they can choose to retain their original Bloomberg contracts.” They noted that “Wiley shares a common objective with the Authors Guild, to treat authors well and fairly.”Wiley release In a follow-up e-mail to members, the Authors Guild says “this is progress, and […]
Author Mitchell Files Infringement Suit Against Wayne Dyer and Hay House
On May 24 author Stephen Mitchell filed suit in a Los Angeles court US District Court against author Wayne Dyer and publisher Hay House, alleging copyright infringement, claiming that Dyer “has copied verbatim a significant portion” of Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching in two different books (Living the Wisdom of the Tao and Change Your Thoughts–Change Your Life) as well as various spin-off products. Later the suit alleges that the infringing books “copy verbatim at least 200 lines” from Mitchell’s book.HR blog item
Authors Guild and Wiley Dispute Continues, Focused on 24 Contracts
The Authors Guild and Wiley have continued their public battle over contract amendment terms for what Wiley says are 24 Bloomberg Press authors who originally had list price royalty contracts. (According to Wiley, another 93 Bloomberg authors already had contracts that pay royalties on net.) On Friday Wiley reiterated their belief that their proposals are favorable to authors (“Wiley is well known for excellent relationships with our authors. Given the inaccurate information that has been recently disseminated, we will contact the affected authors again to be sure they are not in any way confused.’) Today’s Authors Guild posting reiterates their […]