ePublishing Week in Brief – July 29th to August 3rd, 2013
ePublishing Week in Brief – July 29th to August 3rd, 2013
US seeks tighter control over Apple in e-book case
Apple Inc is headed for a showdown with the US government and dozens of states, which on Friday urged that tough new restrictions be imposed on the company for illegally conspiring to raise e-book prices.
People walk past the Apple logo at the Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York. Photo: AFP/Timothy A. Clary
The changes proposed by the US Department of Justice and 33 US states and territories are designed to stop Apple from committing further antitrust violations after US District Judge Denise Cote said on July 10 Apple had a “central role” in a conspiracy with five major publishers to raise e-book prices.
In a court filing, Apple called the proposed injunction a “draconian and punitive intrusion” into its business that would hurt consumers and competition, and was “wildly out of proportion” to the harm it was meant to address.
“The resulting cost of this relief – not only in dollars but also lost opportunities for American businesses and consumers -would be vast,” it said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/CorporateNews/US-seeks-tighter-control-over-Apple-in-e-book-case/Article1-1102643.aspx
Fake Swedish blurbs seem like good marketing to Russian publisher
Eksmo, a Russian publishing company, wanted to toutTsvet Boli Krasny(“Red is the Color of Pain”) as a Swedish detective novel in the tradition of Steig Larsson.What’s the best way to give a Russian book the Larsson treatment?
First, you give the author a Swedish-sounding pseudonym, like “Eva Hansen,” and package the book with a sexy cover. Why not make up a bunch of praise from Swedish publishers that don’t exist? And then print 20,000 copies.
http://www.mhpbooks.com/fake-swedish-blurbs-seem-like-good-marketing-to-russian-publisher/
Publishers ‘Must Wake Up’ To Digital Future
Traditional publishing models have been turned on their head by technology and the industry must recognise that, says one author.
Video: Swipe: Latest Technology News
Publishers need to “wake up” up to the digital revolution which is happening within the literary world, a successful e-book author has told Sky News.
Polly Courtney said an increasing numbers of authors are choosing to move away from the traditional routes into print and are instead controlling their own digital distribution online.
“This self-publishing model is relatively new but it’s growing so quickly and it’s cannibalising the market.
“Most authors are at least considering, if not doing, most of the publishing themselves,” she explained.
Feral Youth, which focuses on the 2011 London riots, is the author’s latest release. For this book she chose to leave her former publishers, HarperCollins, and instead self-publish.
How Do Literary Agents Fit Into The New Book Publishing Ecosystem?
So, what do you do? Best first move is to get an agent. Agents know editors. They have a track record of getting work bought and published by publishers. Publishers trust agents to bring them the good stuff. If an agent likes your manuscript, it’s no guarantee it will get published but it’s better than the alternative. The only drawback is that agents take a 15% cut of whatever you make, which is fine because, hey, you wouldn’t make much if anything without one.
The alternative? If you can’t get an agent, then you can send your manuscript into a publisher along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, which will likely be used to send it back to you with a pre-written rejection letter — if you’re lucky. Most likely you won’t hear from the publisher at all. In very few cases, a summer intern will come across your masterpiece in the “slush pile” (made up of agent-less manuscripts like your own) and love it like you do and champion it to her boss, likely an assistant, and maybe, just maybe it will see the light of day.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/08/02/how-do-literary-agents-fit-into-the-new-book-publishing-ecosystem/
Prodigy of Mobb Deep is starting a new venture in book publishing.
Although Prodigy is known for his spot in the rap game, he’s familiar with other avenues of business. Having launched a clothing line this past year, he’s continuing to diversify with the launch of a publishing imprint. This isn’t something completely new to P though, having written two books himself. In 2011 he released “My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep’sProdigy” and this Summer he returned to literature with “H.N.I.C.” a fictional novella he wrote with Steven Savile.
Prodigy’s book imprint, Infamous Books, takes on the same name as his clothing line. The imrpint will focus on publishing crime and urban literature. The Mobb Deep member’s own novella tells the story of a young man who is trying to leave a life of crime behind, but gets pulled in for one last job.
Gunter New Publisher of AmazonCrossing
Jeff Belle, v-p of Amazon Publishing, announced Sarah Jane Gunter as the new publisher of the AmazonCrossing imprint, which publishes translations of foreign language books, effective September 1.
“Sarah Jane is a long-time Amazonian with much international experience, most recently at our European headquarters in Luxembourg and at Amazon.fr in Paris,” said Belle. “Her passion for books, languages, translations and building new things will further AmazonCrossing’s mission of bringing more books to more readers in more languages around the world.”
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/58531-gunter-new-publisher-of-amazoncrossing.html
Dundurn Press Buys Canadian Thomas Allen Publishers
Toronto-based Dundurn Press is acquiring Thomas Allen Publishing, the publishing arm of Thomas Allen & Son, which is refocusing on its core distribution business.
Kirk Howard, president of Dundurn Press, told PW the acquisition was exciting for his company. “It’s an impressive list that Thomas Allen has put together,” he said, noting that it includes 126 titles — six 2013 titles and its backlist.
Although Thomas Allen only established its publishing program in 2000, returning to the venerable company’s original 1916 mandate to publish books of distinction and merit, under the guidance of its founder editor Patrick Crean, it achieved a lot of critical acclaim with many award-winning titles, including Scotiabank Giller Prize winners in 2002 and 2011.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/58512-dundurn-press-buys-canadian-thomas-allen-publishers.html