Pay-back time for publishers: authors forced to return their advances

This week, it emerged that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith was being sued by his publisher to return his advance. From Julian Assange to Amy Schumer, he isn’t alone...Though he’s fallen out spectacularly with his publisher, Seth Grahame-Smith at least has the consolation of joining a stellar club of writers whose deals for much-anticipated books were terminated. It emerged this week that Grahame-Smith, the man behind Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is being sued in the United States for breach of contract by Hachette, which wants half his $1m advance for a two-book deal returned. Hachette claims the second book’s typescript was eventually submitted “34 months” late, and was too short and substandard, “in large part an appropriation of a 120-year-old public domain work” (unnamed, but presumably 1897’s Dracula).Among Grahame-Smith’s new confrères are the 12 non-fiction authors including Elizabeth Wurtzel sued four years ago by Penguin USA, which sought to recoup the advances plus interest for books it said they had failed to deliver; Withnail And I writer-director Bruce Robinson, whose missed deadlines during his 15-year quest to identify Jack the Ripper meant his original publisher cancelled his contract and asked for its advance back (although he found a new one and They All Love Jack appeared in 2015); and the award-winning novelist and poet Vikram Seth, who was at loggerheads with Penguin after it... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook hiding likes and video views could force publishers to shift strategies

Facebook is running an experiment to hide "like" counts and other public-facing social scores in select markets. The social network confirmed Friday that it started hiding like, reaction and video view counts in a limited test across the social network as part of an effort to improve the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-27 20:39:27 UTC ]
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Sol Stein, Publisher, Author and Champion of James Baldwin, Dies at 92

A founder of the publishing house Stein and Day, he also worked with Dylan Thomas, Budd Schulberg and David Frost and wrote more than a dozen books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-09-25 21:47:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #james baldwin #dylan thomas #dozen books


Ronan Farrow, author of 'Catch and Kill,' joins the Times Book Club

Journalist Ronan Farrow discusses "Catch and Kill" and #MeToo revelations on Oct. 22 with the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-09-25 14:00:46 UTC ]
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Authors Guild, AAR File Brief Supporting Publishers in Audible ‘Captions’ Case

The groups argue Audible should be required to "license the rights it seeks to exploit for its profit—just as others must—as required by copyright law and fundamental fairness.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian author Graeme Gibson dies, aged 85; Atwood pays tribute to 'beloved' partner

Canadian author Graeme Gibson has passed away, aged 85, with his partner Margaret Atwood paying tribute to her "beloved" spouse.    Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-18 18:21:20 UTC ]
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Meredith’s Time-Management Problem: The Largest Magazine Publisher Has Some Explaining To Do

Tom Harty sounds like a guy who thought he’d bought a shiny new car, only to find out the engine had been removed right before he wrote the check. And who then failed to report the theft to his insurance company in a timely manner. Earlier this month, the Meredith CEO made some revealing... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2019-09-16 13:41:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #timely manner #magazine publisher


IBPA Backs US Publishers Association in Objections to ‘Audible Captions’

The IBPA has filed a complaint with Audible on behalf of 27 independent publishers that object to Audible Captions functionality. The post IBPA Backs US Publishers Association in Objections to ‘Audible Captions’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-09-11 03:13:25 UTC ]
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Authors Guild backs AAP’s Audible lawsuit

The Authors Guild is supporting the Association of American Publishers (AAP) as the organisation sues Amazon’s audiobook company Audible over a new speech-to-text feature.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-27 10:51:31 UTC ]
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Study: How Today’s News Publishers Can Use Data, Best Practices, and Test-and-Learn Tactics to Build Better Pay-Meters

The past half-decade has seen a digital subscription renaissance in the news publishing industry. Publishers are increasingly recognizing a market Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-08-13 17:00:55 UTC ]
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NBA dials back late starting times to help boost East Coast ratings

The NBA is kicking the tires on a new scheduling initiative designed to give East Coast hoops fans a reprieve from having to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to keep tabs on the league’s Western Conference superstars. Beginning this season, the NBA is slashing the number of nationally... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-08-13 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #high demand #nielsen


Elaine Kendall, author and former L.A. Times book critic, dies at 91

Author Elaine Kendall was a longtime book critic for the Los Angeles Times. She died in Montecito at age 91. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-08-12 22:46:20 UTC ]
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Penguin to publish Salinger works as e-books for first time

Penguin Books UK is publishing all four of J D Salinger’s works as e-books for the first time, as part of celebrations marking the centenary of his birth. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-12 05:42:10 UTC ]
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Formerly Self-Published Italian Author Lands Netflix Series

Netflix will produce a new series titled 'Zero,' an Italian-language show based on the work of 27-year-old Antonio Dikele Distefano, a formerly self-published Italian author whose books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies since he signed with Mondadori. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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7 Books About Past Decades That Feel Like Traveling Back in Time

The Amazon review for my debut novel was glowing, including words like “compelling” and “fun.” And then there was this: “If you love historical fiction, you’ll love The Last Book Party.” Say what? How could my novel, which is set during the 1980s—a decade of my own youth—be historical fiction?... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-08-01 11:00:53 UTC ]
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Publishers May Be the Ones Paying for Web Browsers’ Privacy Measures

Being an online publisher has never been more difficult. Web browser providers have pared down on ad-targeting capabilities in recent years, adding to publishers' struggles to monetize traffic and attempts to reduce reliance on third parties. Now Google is taking user privacy a step further,... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-07-29 21:22:56 UTC ]
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Why the ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Author Went Back to Prison

Piper Kerman, whose experiences and memoir inspired the Netflix prison dramedy, now works with inmates in correctional facilities. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-26 10:00:07 UTC ]
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Why the ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Author Went Back to Prison

Piper Kerman, whose experiences and memoir inspired the Netflix prison dramedy, now works with inmates in correctional facilities. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-26 10:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #piper kerman #memoir inspired #correctional facilities #memoir


PRH publishes gender pay gap nine months early and unveils plans for parental leave

Penguin Random House has revealed its gender pay gap figures nine months early with a largely unchanged balance sheet but with a new initiative which sees all new parents at the company given the opportunity to take 12 months off from next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-24 23:00:06 UTC ]
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US Publishers Association and Authors Guild Renew Support for CASE Act

The US Senate Committee on the Judiciary has a markup session scheduled for the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act on Thursday (July 18). The post US Publishers Association and Authors Guild Renew Support for CASE Act appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-07-16 02:09:29 UTC ]
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Procter & Gamble, a U.S. soccer sponsor, backs the women’s team's fight for equal pay: Monday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up here. What people are talking about today Procter & Gamble’s Secret deodorant brand, an official sponsor of U.S.... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-15 10:00:00 UTC ]
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