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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Online Retailers, E-books Gained in 2012

At Publishers Weekly’s May 8 discussion series on trends in consumer book-buying, held at the offices of Random House in New York City, Carl Kulo, U.S. director of Bowker Market Research, highlighted the major shifts that took place in 2012 in such key areas as sales by format and by channel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Distribution: Random House and Quirk Renew

Random House Publisher Services has announced a multi-year extension of its sales and distribution partnership with Quirk Books, which began in January 2011. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ripley biography coming, believe it or not

Random House will be publishing the biography of Robert Ripley, the man who wrote the original... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Distribution: RH, Candlewick Renew

Random House announced a multi-year extension of its distribution partnership with Candlewick Press, which will continue to be distributed by Random House in the U.S. and Canada. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ePubDirect to Manage Random House’s Int’l Ebook Distribution

Random House has appointed ePubDirect to manage distribution of ebook assets and provide retail support for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House creates online narrative game

Random House is launching a debut author with a new free-to-play online narrative game, Black... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin/Random merger approved

The merger between Penguin and Random House has been approved by the EU. The European Commission... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House merger cleared in Europe

The merger between Penguin and Random House has been approved by the EU. The European Commission... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House Updates BookScout: FB Friendly and Ready to Go

Random House has recently updated its BookScout app that allow it to sync up with Facebook’s improved timeline and About page. Can it capitalize on Goodreads/Amazon discontent? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Century acquires Five Days Left at auction

Random House has acquired a debut novel called Five Days Left by Julie Lawson at auction. 

... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book Is Dead, Long Live the Book

Publishing houses are Germany's intellectual backbone. For many years, they created a culture of literary abundance and generated healthy profits. But in the age of Amazon, ebooks and self-publishing, they could be facing demise. Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2013-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Geithner lands book deal, release scheduled for 2014

Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has a book deal.Mr. Geithner has an agreement with Crown Publishers, an imprint of Random House, Inc. Crown announced Thursday that Geithner's book, currently untitled, is scheduled for 2014.Mr. Geithner plans a "behind-the-scenes" account of the... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RH US alters controversial terms for digital lists

Random House US has adjusted its proposed terms for authors with Random House's new digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three indie bookstores file lawsuit against Amazon and Big Six publishers

The stores charge that secret agreements made between the publishers and Amazon give Amazon the advantage in selling ebooks, but some industry observers find flaws in their logic. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books in Translation: It’s Time for Others to Join the Fight

The publishers of UK's Stork Books argue that major publishers and the media in the UK and USA underestimate the audience for translated books and are making a big mistake. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rebuck and Mackenzie make Woman's Hour's top 100

Random House c.e.o. Gail Rebuck and author J K Rowling are both among the top 20 most powerful... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple adds Breakout Books to the iBookstore to spotlight the self-published

As glad as we are that digital bookstores let authors skip the usual gatekeepers, that doesn't help much if they can't get noticed. Apple is giving those self-publishing writers more of a chance to shine with the launch of a permanent Breakout Books section in the US iBookstore. The section... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Distribution: Random House, Verso Agree

Verso Books and Random House Publisher Services have agreed to partner, beginning July 1, 2013. RHPS will provide exclusive sales and distribution across all print and digital formats in North America for Verso's 80 titles per year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google backs French digital publishing innovation initiative with €60 million incentive

Google's long had a contentious relationship with France. But it seems the Mountain View-based company has come up with a way to squash that problem: by throwing money at it. Taking to the company's official blog today, Chairman Eric Schmidt announced the creation of a €60 million Digital... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Development Group Quietly Pads Slate

Random House has Random House Films. Macmillan has Macmillan Films. And Penguin? Although the house has been low-key about the ways it has begun to dip its corporate toes into film production, and Hollywood, it, too, is making inroads there. One way is with Penguin Development Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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