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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HarperCollins UK's June virtual Romance Festival was a success; this week SF publisher Gollancz is hosting a festival combining online Q&As with real life events. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“Guantanamo Diary” will be published simultaneously around the world on Jan. 20, 2015, as part of an international campaign to free Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Gitmo prisoner and author of the memoir. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A signing with singing; astronomer/priest honored with Carl Sagan Medal; romance writers recognize winners; a book tour in Amish country; Christian fiction conference coming up. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China's self-publishing portals are offering writers access to vast audiences and earning them staggering royalties, and turning some into multi-millionaires. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The tussle between Amazon and the publishing conglomerate has been raging since spring. Heres an update on the fightA corporate boxing match broke from the ring and swelled into all-out rumpus last weekend, as readers and authors took sides in Amazon and Hachettes fight over the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has acquired an account of life at Guantanamo Bay by one of its prisoners, Mohamedou... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Frankfurt Book Fair will organize a two-day self-publishing and author program at the 2014 fair this year, aimed at an international audience. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Carnegie UK Trust is starting a new £200,000 project to help expand the role of public... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has started what it is calling the HarperCollins Promotional Fund (HCPF), a program which will provide additional funds to help independent retailers market HC books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin has defended its decision to use an image of a doll-like young girl on the cover of a new edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eoin Purcell, formerly editorial director of New Island Books in Dublin, has been appointed to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Julian Gough is using Kickstarter to part-fund a writing research trip to Las Vegas. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling authors George R.R. Martin and Chuck Palahniuk and director Quentin Tarantino, along with their respective comics publishers Avatar Press, Dark Horse, and Dynamite Entertainment, generated a lot of attention at the recent Comic-Con International about their forthcoming comics projects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has made new additions to its publishing teams in the company's New York and London offices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the Canadian Copyright Modernization Act was passed in 2012, publishing associations were happy with certain aspects of the legislation, including its antipiracy measures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran publishing consultant Bruce Harris advises publishers to get out of warehousing and fulfillment and into their own branded bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Technology’s profit and revenue have been significantly hit in the second... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Compared to Google and Facebook, Wikipedia is remarkably tight-lipped when it comes to requests for user data.Although Wikipedia is one of the largest websites in the world, it receives relatively few requests from government agencies for user information, especially compared to companies like... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lia Ronnen has been appointed publisher of Workman imprint, Artisan. Ronnen replaces Ann Bramson, who will now acquire books across Workman imprints in the newly created role of executive director, special projects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Silvertail Books has signed a book of business lessons from British... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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