The six finalists for the prize–with the winner to be named October 6–are: A S Byatt, The Children’s Book (Chatto and Windus)J M Coetzee, Summertime (Harvill Secker)Adam Foulds, The Quickening Maze (Jonathan Cape)Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate)Simon Mawer, The Glass Room (Little Brown UK)Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger (Virago) Release
FTC Says Google Books Should Have Privacy Plan–and Google Posts One
The Federal Trade Commission said in a letter to Google on Thursday that the company should be “limiting secondary uses of data collected through Google Books, including uses that would be contrary to reasonable consumer expectations.” David Vladeck, head of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, wrote that “we also agree that it is important for Google to develop a new privacy policy, specific to Google Books, that will apply to the current product, set forth commitments for future related services and features, and preserve commitments made in the existing privacy policy.” Separately, FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz said “the Google Books […]
Appeals Court Hears Salinger Argument; One Judge Calls New Book "Dismal"
The Second Court of Appeals heard arguments on Thursday in the appeal of Judge Deborah Batts’ pre-publication blocking of Fredrik Colting’s 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye. Judge Guido Calabresi made it clear that he thought Colting’s book was a “rather dismal piece of work if I may say so.” Calabresi did question Salinger’s attorney as to “whether the lower court judge might need to hear more evidence because the case relates to the First Amendment.”AP
Florida Attorney General Sues Writer's Literary Agency and Robert Fletcher
The state’s crimes division “received more than 175 complaints from around the world claiming Fletcher and his associates, who claimed to act as literary agents and publishers, allegedly collected money from victims anxious to see their work published.” The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief as well as full restitution. According to the suit, “few books were ever sold as a result of the efforts of Fletcher’s companies.” He “used more than 20 websites and related companies to collect funds from potential authors, but misled victims about fees, costs, and promised results.” The filing asserts that “usually each prospective author was good […]
October 2009 Indie Next List
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette WallsHer Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey NiffeneggerThe Children’s Book: A Novel by A.S. ByattGoing Away Shoes: Stories by Jill McCorkleJuliet, Naked: A Novel by Nick HornbyThe Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover BartlettStardust: A Novel by Joseph KanonAmerican on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig FergusonStitches: A Memoir by David SmallThe Brutal Telling: An Armand Gamache Novel by Louise PennyA Quiet Belief in Angels: A Novel by R.J. ElloryGenerosity: An […]
Google Case: Objection Deadline Moved to Tuesday
Due to “scheduled maintenance” in the Federal Court’s electronic filing system that starts this afternoon at 2 and goes until 8:00 am on Tuesday, September 8, Judge Denny Chin has postponed the deadline for filing objections to the Google Books Settlement and amicus curiae briefs until 10:00 am on the 8th. Note carefully, there is no indication in the judge’s order of a change in the Friday opt-out deadline itself (rightsholders opt out through the settlement web site).