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Sarah Wynn-Williams, whose whistle blower account of working at Facebook CARELESS PEOPLE was published last month, will testify before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday about how the company undermined national security to build their business in China. Meta attempted to suppress the book and Wynn-Williams’ promotion of her book was blocked in an interim award by an emergency arbitrator. This is her first public comment since that arbitrator’s ruling. She says in her introductory remarks to congress that she is testifying despite the arbitration ruling because “the American people deserve to know the truth.” But Meta spokesperson Andy Stone […]

The American Booksellers Association published an explainer on how the new tariffs will affect the book world. As previously reported, standard printed books imported into the US are exempt from the new tariffs. However, the cost of producing books—and thus, book prices—could go up, if publishers use ink, pulp, or paper imported from other countries, such as China or the EU. Paper from Canada (and Mexico) that is “wholly grown, produced, or manufactured” within the country is exempt, since it’s subject to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Retaliatory tariffs from other countries will affect books exported by US publishers, however. […]

Documentation indicates that standard printed books are exempt from the extensive tariffs imposed by executive order last week. But there are tariffs on imported paper, including that used in book printing. As book printer Sheridan had advised last month, “Tariffs will likely lead to some cost fluctuations across imported printing materials. Some publishers may wonder if switching to U.S.-sourced materials is a viable option. While this is a consideration, past trends have shown that increased demand for domestic alternatives typically leads to price shifts in those materials as well.” (Ironically, tariffs on imported book paper could make printing in other […]

DOGE placed the roughly 75 employees who comprise the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences on paid “administrative leave” for up to 90 days. A letter from the agency’s director of human resources told employees they would not be allowed on the premises during the leave, and their email accounts are suspended. “Please understand this action is not punitive but rather is taken to facilitate the work and operations of the agency,” the letter claims. The workers are represented by the AFGE Local 3403 union, which says the action came after a “brief meeting between DOGE staff and IMLS leadership.” […]

Independent bookstores in France are protesting the influence of Hachette Livre’s conservative owner Vincent Bolloré. Bolloré’s Vivendi bought control of Hachette parent company Lagardère in 2023. Bookstore owners say it’s impossible to boycott the publisher completely, since they are largest publisher and book distributor in the country. But the protest campaign has included cutting back on Hachette Livre titles, stocking them on lower shelves, and a “bookmark rebellion” in which people “hide bookmarks inside paperbacks in large commercial stores with messages such as ‘boycott Hachette.'”  Le Pied à Terre, an independent bookshop in Paris, has started limiting orders of books from […]