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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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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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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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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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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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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Publishers encouraged by Waterstones revival

Waterstones has passionate booksellers who are “handselling again”, breaking début novelists and “building careers”, according to publishers.  Chief executives and sales directors of publishing houses have spoken to The Bookseller following the release of the chain retailer’s annual results (to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH shifts consumer social media to Penguin brand

Penguin Random House is to use the Penguin brand for its consumer activity across social media, The Bookseller has learned. From the end of tomorrow (4th February), the various Penguin social media channels will carry news about "books and authors”, with corporate news to be shared on Penguin... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Salman Rushdie Novel Coming in September

Random House has acquired 'Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights,' a new novel by Salman Rushdie, set to pub in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six jobs to go as Egmont USA closes

Six Egmont employees will lose their jobs at the end of the month following the closure of the US office, the company has confirmed. The company also said it will publish its spring 2015 list and books will continue to be available via Random House, but it did not say what would happen to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mehta pays tribute to Master

Sonny Mehta has paid tribute to former colleague Simon Master [pictured], who died suddenly last week, with Mehta telling The Bookseller he felt “extremely privileged to have known him”. Master died on Friday (16th January) while on holiday, at the age of 70. He was formerly deputy group... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Serial killer thriller for Michael Joseph

Michael Joseph has acquired a thriller about a woman who survived an attack by a serial killer. Publishing director Maxine Hitchcock bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Black-Eyed Susans, and one other untitled thriller, by Julia Haeberlin from Rachel Kind at Random House in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon Master dies

Former Random House group deputy chairman Simon Master died suddenly on Friday (January 16th). Master, who was 70, died while on holiday. Master was deputy group chairman for Random House from 1989 to 2004 and previously worked at Pan, where he was editorial director, publishing director and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors speak out against ethnic and cultural stereotyping

Writers believe that the publishing industry still views them largely through a prism of ethnicity, but industry insiders say that there is no pigeonholing based on race. Authors told The Bookseller they are still defined by their racial identity for marketing purposes and receive more success... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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