Sifton has a long piece in The Nation with a wide sweep of publishing history to try and make sense of the present: “When I first got a publishing job almost half a century ago, my elders and betters in the trade regularly worried about The Future of Books, even though manuscripts continued to pour onto our desks. They worried, too, when firms changed ownership….” “What now? Publishers are battening down, and chain stores are struggling, having staked so much on nationally merchandised dreck, having committed themselves to imitating the look of the big indies but never quite matching their […]
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Alarms on ePiracy
Though the torrent sites would appear to have had limited pirating of books, the rise of document-posting sites like Scribd and Wattpad and services that make it easier to upload and share large file like RapidShare are seen as enabling a rise in book piracy online. Hachette Book Group ceo David Young says “It’s exponentially up.” He adds, “Our legal department is spending an ever-increasing time policing sites where copyrighted material is being presented.” Wiley says they employee three people to search for unauthorized copies and issue takedown notices. On the other hand, though, you could also see it as […]
Judge Extends Google Settlement Deadlines by Four Months
Judge Denny Chin postponed the key dates for the settlement agreement in the Google Book Search case by fourth months. The deadline to opt-out of the settlement entirely is extended to September 4, as is the deadline for objections and amicus briefs. The fairness hearing will be held on October 7. A new party has entered the scene as well. Yesterday a group of academic authors represented by Pamela Samuelson at the Berkeley School of Law had requested a six-month extension of the deadlines.
GBS Settlement Parties Request Delay
The plaintiffs and Google have filed a motion asking the judge to postpone the May 5 deadline for opting out of the proposed Google Book Search settlement agreement for two months, saying they “believe [it] would benefit the class by allowing it more time to consider its right and options.” The parties took this action after a group acting on behalf of some authors–including representatives of the Steinbeck and Philip K. Dick estates–wrote to Judge Denny Chin and filed a motion of their own on Friday asking for a four-month postponement. But the litigants say in their letter that they […]
Little, Brown's New Look
For the first time in more than seventy years, Little, Brown and its children’s division have new logos, created by typographer and graphic artist Lance Hidy:
Random's "More Selective" Acquisitions
NPR’s story on blockbuster book deals from earlier this week was pretty standard fare, but we did take note of the moment when Random House Publishing Group spokesperson Carol Schneider said, “we’re acquring fewer books.” Asked for more information, she told us, “There are no specific numbers or formula involved here–we’re simply being more selective in all categories–literary, commercial, blockbuster.”NPR