Anyone who has been taking advantage of Amazon's liberal return policy regarding e-books could soon be in for a shock. That's because following discussions with the Authors Guild, Amazon has agreed to block automatic returns on digital books that are more than 10 percent read. Currently, the problem for authors on Amazon is that customers can return e-books online anytime within seven days of purchase no matter how much content has been consumed. That means if you can you read a book in less than a week, you can simply return it when you're done for free, resulting in a loss of profits for the author. However, under the new policy which is scheduled to go into effect sometime before the end of the year, Amazon will begin blocking automatic returns on e-books that are more than 10 read, which will then need to be reviewed by a representative to ensure that the return is genuine. The Authors Guild says the goal is to create a deterrent for people who abuse Amazon's current policy and to prevent people from treating Amazon's e-book marketplace as an ersatz library. Issues with Amazon's e-book return policy date back more than a decade, but had recently come under fire again after lifehacks about the company's guidelines began circulating online. And according to NPR, in some cases, abuse of the company's return policy even resulted in some authors having negative earnings balances, which typically happened when customers returned an e-book after the creator had been paid out... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2022-09-23 19:10:20 UTC ]
The Authors Guild and other artists’ groups say that it's unfair to train AI algorithms on their work without permission. Tech companies generally argue that it counts as “fair use.” Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-12-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the course of two months from its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT exploded in popularity, from niche online curio to 100 million monthly active users — the fastest user base growth in the history of the Internet. In less than a year, it has earned the backing of Silicon Valley’s biggest... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-30 14:00:50 UTC ]
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Over the course of two months from its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT exploded in popularity, from niche online curio to 100 million monthly active users — the fastest user base growth in the history of the Internet. In less than a year, it has earned the backing of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-30 14:00:50 UTC ]
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Among the week's headlines: the Alabama Public Library Service suggests moving on from the ALA's Library Bill of Rights; an Arkansas librarian recently fired for defending the freedom to read has no regrets (and a lawyer); lawmakers in Massachusetts consider a new library e-book bill; and Barack... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The reader was reading an e-book in a café. Whenever he arrived at a sentence that other readers had highlighted, a pop-up notification would display how many times it had been underlined. The reader had come to dread this feature. No matter what genre of novel he was reading, the same type of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-27 08:00:31 UTC ]
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“Roughing the Princess,” an erotic e-book inspired by an actual relationship, veered too close to reality for many of Taylor Swift’s fans. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-25 13:45:13 UTC ]
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If you’ve got a story to tell or advice to give, an eBook is a compelling avenue to share with the world and maybe even make a little money. You don’t even have to work all that hard thanks to My AI eBook Creation Pro. Powered by ChatGPT, this eBook creation tool takes all of the pain... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-10-23 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Latino authors across Los Angeles are taking advantage of the resources offered by local libraries to jump-start their careers. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-11 16:59:02 UTC ]
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Sponsored: On September 13, Bookwire's 'All About Multi-Format Publishing' program will look at digital publishing developments. The post Bookwire Stages ‘Shaping the Future of Digital Books’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-31 17:46:41 UTC ]
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Earlier this year, Adelaide Books owner Stevan Nikolic promised the Authors Guild he would act to fix numerous complaints lodged against his company. That promise has mostly gone unfulfilled. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A magistrate judge in New York has once again recommended that a lawsuit accusing the Big Five publishers of colluding with Amazon to fix e-book prices should be dismissed. But in a twist, the court found that a monopolization claim against Amazon should proceed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The new program utilizes GPS-based “geo-targeting” to show readers the books that have been banned in their area, making e-book versions available to borrow digitally. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood, James Patterson and Suzanne Collins are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies. ... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-07-18 21:52:26 UTC ]
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James Patterson, Suzanne Collins and Margaret Atwood are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2023-07-18 20:54:45 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2023 is almost here, but you can still snag some early deals before the two-day shopping event begins in earnest. We've rounded up the best early Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you'll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-10 18:45:44 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2023 is a few days away on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-09 13:05:03 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2023 is a few days away on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-07 14:29:48 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2023 is one week away on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-04 12:48:53 UTC ]
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Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2023 will begin on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-30 15:20:45 UTC ]
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On June 25, the ALA, AAP, ABA, Authors Guild, and others reaffirmed their commitment to the landmark “Freedom to Read” statement. We look back at our 1953 reporting on its publication. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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