Those who take on the global industry that traps research behind paywalls are heroes, not thievesNever underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more than any government to tackle one of the biggest rip-offs of the modern era: the capture of publicly funded research that should belong to us all. Everyone should be free to learn; knowledge should be disseminated as widely as possible. No one would publicly disagree with these sentiments. Yet governments and universities have allowed the big academic publishers to deny these rights. Academic publishing might sound like an obscure and fusty affair, but it uses one of the most ruthless and profitable business models of any industry.The model was pioneered by the notorious conman Robert Maxwell. He realised that, because scientists need to be informed about all significant developments in their field, every journal that publishes academic papers can establish a monopoly and charge outrageous fees for the transmission of knowledge. He called his discovery “a perpetual financing machine”. He also realised that he could capture other people’s labour and resources for nothing. Governments funded the research published by his company, Pergamon, while... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Computers are both a blessing and a curse when it comes to getting work done. They make it so much more efficient to create the next great novel or balance the books than doing the same task on paper. But they are also a distraction machine, tempting us with Netflix streaming, Facebook, YouTube,... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The sequel to late author Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy will go on sale in the UK in August. The book, which is entitled That Which Does Not Kill in Swedish, was penned by David Lagercrantz and will go on sale in at least 35 countries, said Swedish publisher Norstedts. A spokesperson for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Radical publisher Zed Books is to publish extracts from Yanis Varoufakis' The Global Minotaur as a free ebook tomorrow (28th January), after the author's appointment as finance minister of Greece. Varoufakis has been given the post by new prime minister Alexis Tsipras, following the electoral... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobrow's first app launches with seven titles, with plans to add two more per month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat has introduced a new feature which allows its users to view articles, images, and videos from a variety of publishers inside the company’s messaging application. It’s called Discover, and it’s a major depar ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faith-based films panel at Sundance; awards and honors; peaceful new book club; NIV celebrates 50 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton is to publish a booklet to tie in with The Great Comic Relief Bake Off. Costing £2.50, at least £2 will be donated to Comic Relief on every copy of the booklet sold. The booklet will include 14 recipes, an introduction from Mel and Sue, and advice for readers on how to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Organizers of the Jaipur BookMark estimate the Indian book market is worth $20 billion, while noting that ebook sales were down 20% this past year. The post Jaipur BookMark Estimates Indian Publishing Worth $20 Billion appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran author Warren Adler offers a reality check for would-be authors who believe fame and fortune is just a book away. The post So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A quintet of editors from Argentina and Mexico discuss the boom and future of independent publishing in Latin America. The post How Alliances Bolster Latin American Indie Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Although the blizzard bearing down on the Northeast was not as intense as meteorologists had predicted, the Big Five are taking the tack of many companies: shutting down offices and encouraging employees to work from home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Perspectives is looking for a hard-working intern interested in journalism, media and book publishing to work from our office in New York City. The post Editorial & Production Internship at Publishing Perspectives appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Angry Birds creator Rovio is moving into the YA publishing sector with a new pirate adventure series. Storm Sisters is described as a “high action pirate adventure with a female twist”. It tells the story of five girls, aged 11 to 17, who sail the seas in 1780s looking for clues to why their... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Fickling Books (DFB) is to publish the paperback edition of the Costa shortlisted Running Girl. DFB has acquired the paperback rights to the book from Penguin Random House and publication is scheduled for June 2015. Running Girl, written by Simon Mason, was nominated for the 2014... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week on the Digiday Podcast we give the digital media world a reality check. The post Digiday Podcast Ep 2. Make or break time for VC-backed publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller reports that Saqi Books will be resume its English-language publishing program with plans to release as many as ten titles per year. The post Saqi Books Will Once Again Be Publishing in English appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yellow Kite, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, has acquired a memoir and lifestyle guide from yoga instructor and Instagram star Rachel Brathen, titled Yoga Girl. Emily Robertson at Yellow Kite bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Philip Sane at Lennart Sane Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Embeddable player and video storefront allows publishers to sell and rent videos from their sites. The post Vimeo, Publishers Partner on VOD Service appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The CEO of Publishing Technology offers his five predictions for academic publishing in 2015, including porous paywalls and the rise of the SAMPC countries. The post Five Academic Publishing Predictions for 2015 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German literary publisher Suhrkamp Verlag has completed a reorganisation it started almost two years ago, with a “stable financial and legal framework” for the publishing house now in place. As part of the changes, Ulla Unseld-Berkéwicz, chairman of the board of Suhrkamp, will withdraw from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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