Penguin India issued a statement earlier today regarding its decision to pull Wendy Doniger’s THE HINDUS from sale in that country after a settlement that ended a four-year court battle. “Penguin Books India believes, and has always believed, in every individual’s right to freedom of thought and expression, a right explicitly codified in the Indian Constitution. This commitment informs Penguin’s approach to publishing in every territory of the world, and we have never been shy about testing that commitment in court when appropriate.” But, the company said, they have “the same obligation as any other organization to respect the laws […]
International News
People, Etc.
At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Teresa Ronquillo has been promoted to marketing coordinator. Novelist and spoken-word artist Maggie Estep, 50, died Wednesday in Albany two days after suffering a heart attack in her Hudson, NY home. Estep was most recently the author of ALICE FANTASTIC (2009) and earlier, a trio of crime novels set in and around New York City published between 2003 and 2006, as well as two works of fiction based on her spoken-word poems. In the UK, Waterstones announced shortlists for their three children’s book prizes, to be awarded April 3 (honoring picture books; fiction for children 5 […]
Publishers Warn Trade Representative On Canada and Fair Use
We are accustomed to America’s intellectual property creators warning about inadequate protection for their work in countries such as China, Ukraine and Russia. But on Friday, organizations representing industries that rely on copyright (including the AAP) called out Canada for special attention and a place on the US Trade Representative’s “watch list” among others. The AAP explained in a release that Canada’s Copyright Modernization Act 2012 “expanded its fair dealing exceptions to include an undefined ‘education’ purpose. The education exception lacks any specific parameters, thus conflicting with established international norms regarding exceptions, and has also been subject to excessively broad interpretation, […]
Canada Settles eBook Pricing Investigation with Four Publishers
The one holdout in resolving governmental concerns over the establishment of agency pricing for ebooks, Canada announced that their Competition Bureau has signed consent agreements with Harper, Hachette, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster. The Bureau said, “This agreement should benefit Canadian consumers by lowering the price of ebooks in Canada. Businesses operating in the digital economy must realize that anti-competitive activity will not be tolerated, whether it occurs in the physical world or the digital one.” The settlement resolves allegations of violation of Canada’s Competition Act. The four publishers have “agreed to remove or amend clauses in their distribution agreements […]
Another UK Independent Publisher Seeks Support
It has been a difficult period for independent publishers in the UK, with Saqi Books the latest to announce that it is seeking new investment or else will discontinue its English-language publishing program after 30 years. In their statement they indicate: “Following considerable success and significant growth over the years, Saqi is now reviewing its long term strategy. It is no secret that publishing in the UK is an uphill struggle, especially for a small independent outfit. We have been going from strength to strength and we saw our highest turnover in 2013. The directors are now reviewing our strategy […]
Corporate: Little Brown UK Buys Constable & Robinson; Simon & Schuster Launches Business Book Site
Little Brown UK has purchased Constable & Robinson, which will continue to operate as its own entity under managing director Pete Duncan, who will report to David Shelley. Nova Jayne Robinson indicates to the Bookseller that the conversations began some time last year, before the death of previous chairman Nick Robinson in September. “Nick and I shared the view that we could not imagine a better home.” C&R had been a member of the UK’s Independent Alliance, and they have been the UK distributor for Skyhorse as well as New Harbinger and New Holland. Simon & Schuster has launched 250 Words, […]