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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The late author's UK editor remembers a funny, gracious, kind, demanding, delightful and wise human being and writer of one of the world's great autobiographiesMaya Angelou was one of the world's most important writers and activists. She lived and chronicled an extraordinary life: rising from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Providing cloud-based business management products is Media Services Group’s forte. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has said a bitter dispute with publisher Hachette, which has led to a block on pre-orders, will not be resolved soon. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oscar Dystel, an early pioneer of mass market paperbacks and one-time CEO of Bantam Books, passed away at the age of 101. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you're hoping to pre-order books by J.K. Rowling, Michael Connelly and other Hachette Book Group authors, you'll have to go somewhere besides Amazon.com. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virago Modern Classics has acquired three titles by Joan Aiken for its children’s list.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Image celebrates 60 years; Gary Chapman endows chair at Moody; Cambridge Bibles back to Cambridge; awards and honors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette author Jeffery Deaver among those speaking out against Amazon's decision to stop selling certain Hachette titlesStray punches in a corporate slugfest knocked spectacles from authors noses and left readers with black eyes this week, after Amazon, the online retailer, stopped selling... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Christian self-publisher will acquire a PR firm to enhance its services to authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW will introduce BookLife, a new website for self-publishers, at this year’s BookExpo America. Simultaneously, we are integrating reviews of self-published books into our regular review coverage. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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So, you've written your book. Now what? Find out with 'Publishing 101,' a new ebook from 'Publishers Weekly' that offers a no-nonsense perspective on how publishing works, and what writers can do to make their own projects take off. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crowdfunding, and Kickstarter in particular, continue to make inroads in book publishing, providing financing for everything from one-off projects to support for entire lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nick Hern Books will publish a book from Monty Python member Michael Palin, ahead of the comedy... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPPY award-winners announced, a new kids' imprint at Barbour, a website for all things Amish, the popes in pictures and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Canadian province has been a stealthy focus for French publishers, but its booksellers are also looking towards ParisThe Canadian province of Quebec has about 6 million French-speaking inhabitants. In comparison there are only 4.2 million French-speakers in Belgium. French publishers have... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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France's literary market has great potential, yet big firms remain reluctant to learn the language of international rights tradingSix thousand languages are spoken worldwide, but few have a market for books. French is the fifth-largest language pool, coming after Chinese, English, Spanish and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Publishers’ Association (IPA) and the Federation of European Publishers (... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the APA hands out the prizes at its annual Audie Awards Gala on May 29, actor and narrator George Guidall, who has given voice to more than 1,100 audiobooks, will receive a Special Achievement Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IDW Publishing announced plans to reprint the entire run of classic Parker prose novels, all of which will feature new painted illustrations by acclaimed comics artist Darwyn Cooke. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Subscription ebook service Oyster announced that it has added about 500 new publisher partners and its library of ebooks has increased to more than 500,000 titles, including an expanded partnership with HarperCollins. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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