Thursday News: New Potter-world ebooks, Rolling Stone lawsuit, Wattpad + ads, and early photo retouching

JanetPublishing NewsAdvertising / beauty standards / defamation lawsuit / Harry-Potter / History / photography / retouching / Rolling Stone / wattpad5 Comments

And the New Harry Potter Books Keep Coming – Those of you who interpreted Rowling’s comments about the end of Harry Potter books narrowly were clearly right to do so, since just yesterday, three new Potter-world ebooks were announced. Apparently the cash cow is still making regular deliveries.

As per an announcement on Wednesday, fans can expect even more from the author: three new e-books about Hogwarts will be released on September 6, including Power, Politics, and Pesky Poltergeists;Of Heroism, Hardship, and Dangerous Hobbies; and Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide. Given that Rowling has long seemed unwilling to put the wizarding world behind her for good, constantly offering new tidbits on Twitter or in interviews, this news shouldn’t be surprising. But after the Cursed Child debut, she made a point of saying that the play would, in fact, be the end of Harry’s story. – The Atlantic

Federal judge leans toward jury trial in Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit over U-Va. rape article – The infamous Rolling Stone article on “Jackie,” a student who described being gang raped at a fraternity party as a University of Virginia freshman is far from over. Although the magazine ultimately retracted the story, UVA Associate Dean Nicole Eramo, who handled campus sexual assault cases, filed suit alleging defamation and portraying her “as callous and indifferent to allegations of a gang rape.” Eramo is asking for more than $7.5 million, and it appears that a federal judge is going to allow the case to proceed to a jury trial, despite Rolling Stone‘s request for a dismissal. If Eramo is declared a public figure, the bar for a successful defamation claim is significantly higher.

Both Eramo and Rolling Stone filed motions for summary judgment in July; both parties have asked U.S. District Court Judge Glen E. Conrad to decide whether or not the case should move to trial in the fall.

After five hours of court proceedings on Friday, Conrad said that aspects of the case likely will move forward to a jury trial. . . .

Conrad said in court that he will issue an opinion soon but indicated that he is likely to side with Eramo on certain issues and will leave it up to a jury to decide the outcome. – Washington Post

Wattpad writers to boost income through ad revenues – Oh, look; Wattpad authors can wedge ads between story chapters to generate income. Will this redefine what it means to be a “professional writer”?

“The dynamic Wattpad community is unlike any other social platform. It’s the interconnected community of storytellers and audiences that makes the Wattpad Futures program a viable income source for writers,” said Wattpad’s co-founder and c.e.o. Allen Lau. “Readers have always encouraged their favourite storytellers with messages, comments, and votes. Now, they can support Wattpad writers in a way that increases the writer’s income, without having to pay out of pocket.”    – The Bookseller

8 Odd Beauty Standards in Turn-of-the-Century Photographs – A definite example of ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same,’ this post chronicles the extent to which late 19th and early 20th C photographs were hand re-touched to conform to then-current standards of beauty. Although some of those standards are truly head-shaking (as ours will be to future generations), it’s also pretty amazing to see how extensive some of the alterations were (and to realize that ‘beautification’ technology is hardly limited to this era)

Unlike today, when YouTube videos and fashion magazines promise to help you fake prominent cheekbones with contouring, turn-of-the-century retouchers saw prominent cheekbones on women as a flaw to be minimized. “The hollow or angular [cheek] expresses more of the masculine or muscular,” Clara Weisman argued. The Complete Self-Instructing Library agreed, noting, “The cheeks which present a quite full and round outline, are usually the most pleasing and tend greatly toward beautifying the face. Men’s faces, which are usually quite muscular, are, as a rule, more hollow or angular.”

As roundness was considered feminine, retouchers would lessen the degree of shadow under a woman’s cheekbone by shaving away at the negative. The 1901 photographic guide Finishing the Negative advised that “In the case of ladies, it is safe to err on the side of over-roundness,” while The Complete Self-Instructing Library warned, “A high cheek-bone suggests more of the animal nature in the individual; a lower cheek-bone, which gives by far more beauty to the face, denotes mildness of character and a more congenial nature.” Sharp, prominent cheekbones imply too much forcefulness of character to be considered attractive on women, it was thought. – Mental Floss

Janet

isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnʼt know, didnʼt think about, or didnʼt feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

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