Salman Rushdie tells the AP via e-mail about Sherry Jones’s THE JEWEL OF MEDINA: “I am very disappointed to hear that my publishers, Random House, have canceled another author’s novel, apparently because of their concerns about possible Islamic reprisals. This is censorship by fear, and it sets a very bad precedent indeed.”AP
No Potter Film Tie-in This Year
Warner Bros. has decided not to release their film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this November, debuting it on July 17, 2009 instead. Warner president Alan Horn says the film would have been ready as scheduled but they want to take advantage of the “relative dearth” of big films next summer (as a result of the production lag from the writers strike). “It feels like we have an opportunity in the summer,” Horn said. As the LAT notes, “the shift in schedule is already roiling Potter fans, who are among the most intense devotees in contemporary pop […]
Wikipedia Dropped from Agent's Suit
In Barbara Bauer’s lawsuit alleging defamation and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage against 22 plaintiffs, a judge has dismissed the Wikimedia Foundation from the case, citing the Communications Decency Act.Ars Technica
Fall Children's Indie Next List
1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (illus.)2. Masterpiece by Elise Broach3. Hate That Cat: A Novel, by Sharon Creech4. Impossible by Nancy Werlin 5. Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley 6. Bats at the Library by Brian Lies 7. Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery, Jean Cassels (illus.)8. Madam President by Lane Smith 9. The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan 10. My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath Click for comments and age-specific […]
Random House Canada Chairman John Neale Retires
Neale, chairman of RH Canada since 1999 and a publishing industry veteran of over 30 years, will retire at the end of this year. A private reception to celebrate his career with Random House of Canada will be held in Toronto on September 30th. Random House Canada Brad Martin said in a statement: “John Neale is one of the great leaders in Canadian publishing. He has made an invaluable contribution to the industry, and has built a great company that my colleagues and I are proud to be a part of.”
Steinbeck Copyright Battle Now in Penguin's Favor
The long-running battle over control of John Steinbeck’s estate, and specifically the copyrights to early works such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, has shifted once again. Reversing a 2006 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Owen that awarded the copyrights to Steinbeck’s son Thomas and granddaughter Blake Smyle, the 2nd Circuit of the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that Penguin, along with the estate of Steinbeck’s third wife Elaine, hold the rights on the grounds that a 1938 notice purporting to terminate publication rights was superceded by a 1994 agreement. “Because the termination right provided […]