Dec 4 2009
On rare occasion, I come across a novel that seems so rich, so sumptuous, and so sublime, that I am afraid to reread it. The first reading experience is so close to perfect that I don’t think anything can equal it. Such was the case with Judith Ivory’s Black Silk. When I first read the(…)
Oct 20 2009
Barnes and Noble is launching its Nook today. Some people are saying it will be in stores this weekend for hands on fondling. It’s certainly one of the best of the latest crop of devices with its dual screen nature. The lower half appears to be a touchscreen LCD which will allow faster browsing of(…)
Jul 12 2009
Introduction In 2003 Google announced it had begun scanning books. Its goal was to create a digital library of every piece of printed work that has been put in fixed form. It was, and still is, a noble goal. Google placed these scanned books in a database and made them searchable. On the side of(…)
Jun 10 2009
According to the Alliance for Arts in Canada, publishers are rewriting contracts to require authors to “opt in” to the Google Book Settlement. Is anyone seeing this in the US, UK or other publishers? Please check in (you can do so anonymously). In other Google Book Settlement news, the Department of Justice is sending out(…)
Jun 4 2009
An anonymous author, JD California, sold his manuscript to Nicotext, a Swedish publisher who owns UK-based Windupbird Publishing. 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye is billed as an unauthorized sequel to “Catcher in the Rye.” It’s written in the same style and features the same main character: Holden Caulfield. JD Salinger has not published(…)
Apr 30 2009
Two important pieces of news have developed about the Google Book Settlement. First, the court has granted an extension on filing papers for opting out of the settlement. Prominent authors like Patricia Briggs and Kresley Cole and Meljean Brook have opted out but I also know that major agents have advised their authors to NOT(…)
Apr 19 2009
UPDATE: Most people think this is a hoax/rumor. And at the Twilight Lexicon, they have a statement from Summit Entertainment: ““This rumor is certainly NOT true. Please let your readers know." Heidi Stanton, a former college roommate of Stephenie Meyer, claims that Twilight and its progeny may be plagiarised from a short story that Stanton(…)
Apr 19 2009
The big news on the tech/book blogs is the impending approval of the Google settlement. May 5, 2009, is the final date for filing objections to the Google Settlement. Google Print went live in October 5, 2004. At that time, Google had scanned over 100,000 books to be part of its GoogleBookSearch program wherein it(…)
Mar 18 2009
Last week, Amazon sent a DMCA takedown notice to MobileRead requiring MobileRead to stop hosting, or even linking to, a kindle script that allowed users to buy mobipocket books at other retailers and load those mobipocket books onto the Kindle. The unique thing about the kindle script was that it did not remove any DRM,(…)
Feb 19 2009
Borders has filed a motion to dismiss in the lawsuit filed by Ellora’s Cave. The motion to dismiss mentions, among other things, that the number of returns EC incurred was due to EC’s own failure to provide full shipments. Instead, EC engaged in a practice of short shipments. From the Motion to Dismiss: It is(…)
Feb 4 2009
Victor Cretella, a Maryland lawyer, sued David Kuzminski, editor of “Preditors and Editors” for defamation. The statements that Cretella sued over were postings Kuzminski made at the Absolute Write forum. The statements stated that Cretella was engaged in extortion, a crime, and that he had engaged in conduct that could be sanctioned by a disciplinary(…)
Jan 6 2009
Steve Vander Ark and Publisher Rapoport are having the last laugh. Rowling sued to enjoin the sale of the first iteration of the Harry Potter Lexicon. Judge Patterson issued a thoughtful (although I disagreed with the lack of emphasis on the market issue) opinion and VanderArk used the opinion as a guideline and rewrote much(…)
Oct 30 2008
Socialite Tatiana Boncompagni wrote Gilding Lily which Gawker described as full of drivel. Her second book, Hedge Fund Wives, is the subject of a lawsuit filed by Tatiana against her sister for “allegedly stealing her next manuscript.” The sister claims that they were a writing team. NY Post via Galley Cat. Send to Kindle
Sep 11 2008
Right to Write is an organization which helped to defend Roger Rapoport, one of the Defendants in the suit brought by JK Rowling to prevent the publication of the Harry Potter Lexicon The Right to Write Fund will also establish an educational repository and serve as a clearinghouse focused on fair use and other First(…)
Sep 8 2008
JK Rowling won a copyright suit against Steven Vander Ark and RDR Books with the district court enjoining the publication of the competitor's encyclopedia and reference guide along with $6,750 in damages. The court found that the Lexicon used too much of the original creator's work to be considered fair use although reference works in(…)
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