Philip Pullman argues that authors are being shortchanged on ebook loans

Few people understand the magic of libraries better than Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, but all is not well when it comes to digital lending. As the soon-to-be president of the Society of Authors, Pullman is leading the charge against publishing houses that may be shortchanging writers on ebook loans. In a letter to major publishers like Random House and Bloomsbury, Pullman argues that selling ebooks to libraries as single sales rather than licenses costs authors up to two-thirds the income they receive from print loans. The Society's brief calls for the industry to reconsider existing models for compensation so that writers can continue producing books with which to line library shelves. After all, without authors, there would be no books, and as Pullman himself wrote, "Without stories, we wouldn't be human beings at all." Filed under: Misc Comments Via: The Guardian, The Telegraph Source: The Society of Authors (PDF) Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Sales of Self-Published 'Rabbit' Sleep Book Top 29,000

After selling roughly 300 copies prior to last week, self-published picture book 'The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep' moved more than 29,000 print copies in the week ended August 23. It's also rumored that the book were acquired by Random House for seven figures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morel to retire from Penguin France

Jean-Luc Morel, sales manager for Penguin in France, is to retire from the company after 25 years. Morel’s last day will be 22nd September. In the coming weeks he will hand his work over to existing members of the Penguin Random House international sales team: Pauline Konink, sales manager for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Liz Perle, 59

Perle, who served as publisher of William Morrow, among other top level positions across publishing houses, died August 20 at the age of 59, after living with breast cancer for more than eight years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vending Machines to Dispense Free Kids Books

Jet Blue, Random House and Mary Pope Osborne are giving away free kids books through a program that places book vending machines in underprivileged neighborhoods. The post Vending Machines to Dispense Free Kids Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S Launches Pop Culture Site

Simon & Schuster imprint Touchstone has created Glommable, a site that will curate content from Internet personalities and authors from across publishing houses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Loses E-book Appeal—Now What?

Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 2–1 margin, affirmed Judge Denise Cote’s 2013 finding that Apple orchestrated a 2010 conspiracy with five major publishers to fix ebook prices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier hires Parkin

Bonnier Publishing has appointed Kate Parkin as executive director of adult publishing. Parkin will be responsible for publishing and management across the division’s adult imprints and will report to fiction chief executive Mark Smith. She joins Bonnier from her role as fiction publisher at... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese publishers crack the top 10 as STM remains staunch

The changing nature of the worldwide book industry is sharply demonstrated in the upper echelons of the 2015 edition of the Global Ranking of the Publishing Industry: for the first time, publishing houses from outside Europe and North America have cracked the top 10. Both the groups—Phoenix... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Web Will Either Kill Science Journals or Save Them

More than 50 percent of academic papers published are owned by five major publishers. The post The Web Will Either Kill Science Journals or Save Them appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Social Media Properties Gain at Licensing Expo

Editors and licensing acquisition executives from publishing houses including Lerner, Bendon, Candlewick, Random House, and others are among the attendees roaming the show floor at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, which runs June 9-11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European commission to investigate Amazon's ebook dominance

US tech sector’s problems with Brussels deepen as competition chief focuses on allegedly restrictive contract clausesThe European commission has launched a competition inquiry into Amazon’s dominant market position in ebooks, as Brussels steps up its scrutiny of US tech groups. The EU’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Southwest to Offer Kobo E-books Inflight

Passengers flying on Southwest Airlines will now be able to access frontlist ebooks, as well as excerpts from frontlist titles, from major publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Ratings Council Issues Interim Guidance for Mobile Viewability, Adds a Not-Quite-Viewable Category

The Media Rating Council has issued interim guidance on what it takes for ads on mobile devices to be considered "viewable" and introduced a new category of mobile ad between "viewable" and "not."Advertisers and web publishers use viewability standards to determine whether ads that were served... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DC Debuts Line of Super Hero Graphic Novels, Merchandise for Girls

In a new venture targeting girls ages 6-12, DC Comics is teaming with Random House, Mattel and Lego to release a multifaceted line of print and digital content and merchandise based on its female superheroes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Goebbels estate sues Random House Germany

The estate of Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s minister for propaganda during the Second World War, is suing publisher Random House Germany for using an extract from his diaries. The biography Goebbels, published in Germany in 2010 under the Siedler imprint, is by Peter Longerich, professor of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Losing Your Illusions About Selling Ebooks On Your Own Site

Deborah Emin of Sullivan Street Press discusses the challenges of selling ebooks from her own web site and why she moved to using an ebook distributor. The post Losing Your Illusions About Selling Ebooks On Your Own Site appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Deen Inks Deal with Hachette

Celebrity chef Paula Deen--who was dropped, amid scandal, by Random House in 2013--has a new deal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Dr Seuss heads for US bookstores

Random House Children's Books US will this July publish a recently discovered Dr Seuss book. What Pet Should I Get? features the brother and sister characters introduced in Seuss’ One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and is about a child’s excitement over selecting a pet. The book will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Dr. Seuss Book "What Pet Should I Get?" Sounds Like A BuzzFeed Quiz

WTF LOL! The siblings from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish are back in business.Nearly 24 years after his death, Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel) still has a few more rhymes to drop on the masses: Random House will publish Seuss's What Pet Should I Get? on July 28 with two more books to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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