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 has set up a global publishing programme, HarperCollins 360, which aims to make... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are confident that the draft Primary National Curriculum Programmes, released earlier... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#released earlier
AA Publishing has frozen commissions for new overseas travel guides, and will work with more... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the Association of American University Presses prepares to celebrate a milestone 75th birthday at its upcoming annual conference in Chicago, June 18–20, university press leaders are sure to have a long list of birthday wishes. Even the AAUP’s own conference description refuses to soft-pedal... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#long list
Google and French publishers and authors have officially ended six years of legal wrangles with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Inc.'s effort to digitize the world's books inched forward Monday, as the search giant said it had struck deals with French authors and publishers that end six years of litigation and open the way to sell out-of-print French books online. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google has struck a deal with two French organizations representing authors and book publishers, ending years of litigation. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Though results aren't what they used to be, sales still spiked for the first pick. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The erotica trend sparked by Fifty Shades of Grey looks set to sizzle all summer, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The pros and cons of DRM have been a hot topic at this year's BookExpo America, with at least... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing and long-running book-maker Avalon now has more in common than rhyme schemes. The pair have struck up a deal to publish over 3,00 titles from the publisher's back-catalogue, broaching its romance, mystery and western genres. It'll be the first time that these books will be... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New figures suggest that recent growth in the self-publishing market has led to the first... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The romance with the printed word shows no signs of abating. Despite the rapid growth in ebook sales in recent years, print book output in 2011 grew by 6%, to 347,178 titles, compared to the prior year. The preliminary numbers released Tuesday by bibliographic database Bowker are "the most... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The number of traditionally published print books rose 6% in 2011, to 347,178, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday morning by Bowker. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's gospel-singer mom, has sold a book about her late daughter to HarperCollins Publishers, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Ms. Houston, who is 78, met with publishers in New York in April to pitch them on the project, according to a report in The... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rielle Hunter, who had an affair with John Edwards and later gave birth to their daughter, has written a book titled "What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me.'' Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Making journals free after a six-month embargo period would lead to libraries cancelling... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House Children's Publishers UK and Transworld Publishers have appointed Total Media to handle their online media planning and buying. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2012-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has acquired a debut novel, On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, which was self-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jean Craighead George was a leading writer of novels about nature for young readers. One of her best-known works was the Newbery Medal-winning 'Julie of the Wolves.' After children's author Jean Craighead George revealed that she wanted to write a book about a girl who talks with wolves,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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