Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi caused a buzz all over Italy with the October release of a new book about him.
Excerpts from Donne di Cuori (Queens of Hearts), written by Italian journalist Bruno Vespa, appeared in Italian papers, making headlines with Berlusconi's comments on the sex scandal that led his wife to seek a divorce.
Vespa is the host of Italy’s most popular TV talk show, "Porta a Porta," on which Berlusconi often appears. It was on that show that Berlusconi first talked about his alleged affair with an 18-year-old and how it had affected his marriage. "I've never had a relationship with her," Berlusconi says of the teenage Neapolitan model, Noemi Letizia. "It is only slander."
The billionaire media mogul has said the Italian media are the reason his second wife and mother of three of his five children, Veronica Lario, asked him for a divorce.
Lario cited Berlusconi's attendance at a birthday party for the 18-year-old, as the reason for seeking a divorce.
Berlusconi, Italy's longest-serving prime minister, told CNN that his friendship with the young woman and her family were "relationships which have a right to privacy."
Lario also accused Berlusconi of choosing starlets and showgirls as European parliament candidates and of consorting with young women.
About those female parliamentary candidates, Berlusconi says in the book he chose "only women with a career profile that was of morally, intellectually, and culturally high standards."
There have also been widely reported allegations that Berlusconi went to parties with paid “escorts.”
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
NPR gives Kingsolver’s 'The Lacuna' less than stellar review
According to Maureen Corrigan of National Public Radio, Barbara Kingsolver’s first new novel in nine years, The Lacuna, “feels altogether vacant.”
Prepublication interest in the book was unusually fierce for a work of literary fiction.
Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target engaged in a price war against booksellers over the blockbuster fall/early winter releases, including the Kingsolver book. Almost all of the blockbuster books in question are works of genre fiction - suspense and horror stories by the likes of James Patterson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Grisham. The Lacuna is the only literary novel caught in the sales skirmish.
According to Corrigan, “Kingsolver deserves kudos, if only because she seems to be single-handedly keeping consumer zest alive for the literary novel. I wish I could say she also deserves kudos for writing a spectacular work of fiction, but to tell you the truth, it's just - at best - so-so.”
"Lacuna" refers to a gap or something that's absent. The thing missing from the book, says critic Corrigan, is an engaging main character. The book’s hero, Harrison Shepherd, is an accidental onlooker to history buffeted by other people's plans and passions.
The novel’s passive protagonist, Harrison, is born in the U.S. to a Mexican mother who is eternally on the prowl for a richer husband. In 1929, when Harrison is 12 years old, his mother snags a big Mexican landowner, and she takes her son to live on her lover's estate. Adrift, Harrison spends his days swimming and learning how to cook. When he runs into the artist Frida Kahlo at the local market, Harrison goes home with her and puts his dough-rolling skills to use by mixing plaster for Kahlo's husband, the muralist Diego Rivera.
Eventually, Lev "Leon" Trotsky moves into the household, and Harrison becomes his secretary as well as a witness to Trotsky's assassination by one of Stalin's agents. Later, as a young adult living back in the States, Harrison is targeted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities because of his past association with revolutionaries. Harrison keeps a diary of all this, which is published posthumously and composes the novel.
Prepublication interest in the book was unusually fierce for a work of literary fiction.
Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target engaged in a price war against booksellers over the blockbuster fall/early winter releases, including the Kingsolver book. Almost all of the blockbuster books in question are works of genre fiction - suspense and horror stories by the likes of James Patterson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Grisham. The Lacuna is the only literary novel caught in the sales skirmish.
According to Corrigan, “Kingsolver deserves kudos, if only because she seems to be single-handedly keeping consumer zest alive for the literary novel. I wish I could say she also deserves kudos for writing a spectacular work of fiction, but to tell you the truth, it's just - at best - so-so.”
"Lacuna" refers to a gap or something that's absent. The thing missing from the book, says critic Corrigan, is an engaging main character. The book’s hero, Harrison Shepherd, is an accidental onlooker to history buffeted by other people's plans and passions.
The novel’s passive protagonist, Harrison, is born in the U.S. to a Mexican mother who is eternally on the prowl for a richer husband. In 1929, when Harrison is 12 years old, his mother snags a big Mexican landowner, and she takes her son to live on her lover's estate. Adrift, Harrison spends his days swimming and learning how to cook. When he runs into the artist Frida Kahlo at the local market, Harrison goes home with her and puts his dough-rolling skills to use by mixing plaster for Kahlo's husband, the muralist Diego Rivera.
Eventually, Lev "Leon" Trotsky moves into the household, and Harrison becomes his secretary as well as a witness to Trotsky's assassination by one of Stalin's agents. Later, as a young adult living back in the States, Harrison is targeted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities because of his past association with revolutionaries. Harrison keeps a diary of all this, which is published posthumously and composes the novel.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Agassi reveals that he used crystal meth 'for a year or so'
Andre Agassi used crystal meth periodically for "a year or so," the eight-time Grand Slam champion revealed in an interview with People magazine to publicize his forthcoming book.
In his upcoming autobiography, Agassi admits he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test - a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he "unwittingly" took the substance.
"If you're going to tell your story, you owe it to yourself to tell it honestly," Agassi told the magazine.
New excerpts published in advance of the book’s release also reveal Agassi wore a hairpiece that nearly fell off at the 1990 French Open (the tennis star's brother was sent running around Paris to find bobby pins to keep Agassi's disintegrating spiked-mullet weave from coming off his head before the match in the 1990 French Open); became jealous during ex-wife Brooke Shields' appearance on "Friends"; and how Shields put a photo of Steffi Graf - now married to Agassi - on the refrigerator for motivation to get in better shape before their wedding.
Agassi also explains how he and Shields begin dating shortly after Christmas 1993 and connected by sharing their experiences with pushy parents. He also reveals that he stormed off the set of "Friends," because he became jealous when Shields had to lick actor Matt LeBlanc's hand.
"Have some more hand. I'm out of here," wrote Agassi, who said he consulted Shields on the book.
In his upcoming autobiography, Agassi admits he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test - a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he "unwittingly" took the substance.
"If you're going to tell your story, you owe it to yourself to tell it honestly," Agassi told the magazine.
New excerpts published in advance of the book’s release also reveal Agassi wore a hairpiece that nearly fell off at the 1990 French Open (the tennis star's brother was sent running around Paris to find bobby pins to keep Agassi's disintegrating spiked-mullet weave from coming off his head before the match in the 1990 French Open); became jealous during ex-wife Brooke Shields' appearance on "Friends"; and how Shields put a photo of Steffi Graf - now married to Agassi - on the refrigerator for motivation to get in better shape before their wedding.
Agassi also explains how he and Shields begin dating shortly after Christmas 1993 and connected by sharing their experiences with pushy parents. He also reveals that he stormed off the set of "Friends," because he became jealous when Shields had to lick actor Matt LeBlanc's hand.
"Have some more hand. I'm out of here," wrote Agassi, who said he consulted Shields on the book.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Carrie Prejean goes on Larry King to promote book, then won’t talk
Former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean scheduled an appearance on the “Larry King Live” show on CNN on Nov. 11 to promote the book that was ghost-written for her, then pitched a fit and refused to talk when she didn’t like a King question or the listener call-in that followed.
Prejeanhas been at the center of a number of controversies since her title was taken away, an event she blames on liberal opposition to her belief in Christianity.
She threatened to leave the interview with Larry King on Veterans Day, going so far as to remove her mic and sit in silence on her satellite set in Washington.
Prejean was on the show to promote her (ghost-written) new book, Still Standing, which she told King was for Americans who believe their beliefs are under attack and was written to address the double standard that she believes conservative women face from liberal media who “get away” with targeting them.
After discussing the book’s slant, and whether she disclosed the solo sex tape she’d made as a teenager for her then-boyfriend, the subject turned to why she settled a lawsuit she had filed with the pageant when the issue of religious discrimination was so important to her. Prejean said she was not allowed to speak about the confidential mediation and agreement. King pressed her to explain why she couldn’t talk about her motive for the settlement, and she said he was being “inappropriate.”
King then went to a caller, at which point Prejean turned to someone off-camera and whispered “We’re gonna have to leave,” and began removing her mic so she could not hear the caller - a gay pageant fan from Detroit. “I think that you are being extremely inappropriate right now, and I’m about to leave your show,” Prejean said, as King tried to figure out what was happening. She eventually put her mic back on, and he cut to commercial. She said she threatened to leave because she was told she would not be taking calls from viewers – although call-ins are a major part of all Larry King Live shows.
Flashing back in time, Prejean spent the eve of losing her Miss California crown talking to Dr. James Dobson about how Satan tried to tempt her with the question about gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant. Prejean told Dobson, “…I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, ‘Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people… you need to witness to them and you need to show that you're not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.’"
In another controversy, TMZ revealed how badly she had lied about the topless photos she had allowed. She took not only more than one, but when she was older than 17, despite her claims to the contrary.
Web site thedirty.com keeps finding more semi-nude photos of Prejean. The site found old photos of her with alleged hook-up Michael Phelps, whom she supposedly met in Las Vegas. Phelps denied a relationship
Officials from the Miss California pageant sent a blunt message to Prejean before she settled the lawsuit filed on her behalf. The production company filed a cross complaint against Prejean, demanding, among other things, that she return the $5,200 the pageant fronted her for her breast augmentation (boob job).
Prejean claimed in her lawsuit that the Miss California people "conspired to get rid of her" when she said on the "Today" show that she would rather be "biblically correct than politically correct." Reps for Miss California USA had previously explained that she was fired for missing appearances she was supposed to make for the organization and for not getting clearance to do extracurricular activities.
To prosecute the lawsuit she later settled out of court through mediation, Prejean hired Charles Limandri, who acted as general counsel to the National Organization of Marriage when the group spearheaded the California ballot initiative to include the marriage definition in the constitution (Proposition 8), promotion of which was largely funded by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons.
NOM used footage from the Miss USA 2009 pageant in an anti-gay marriage commercial. The commercial uses Carrie Prejean's pageant response to the gay marriage question as a selling point for the ad.
Obviously not included in the commercial are stills of Prejean promoting a “Miss Spider Woman” Halloween costume for comic books and graphic novel publisher Marvel.
Prejean is currently being featured on several costume websites modeling outfits that could easily be worn by a stripper. She took the job modeling the Women of Marvel costume line before the costumes were released for sale in 2009. The photos are from ComicCon 2008 in Atlanta.
In her new "tell-all" book, Prejean dedicates an entire passage to "pornography," writing: "Unfortunately, pornography has become mainstreamed - it rushes at us through big screens, portable screens; soft-core porn is on mainstream TV cable stations, hard-core porn is just a mouse click away on the internet, and the envelope of what seems acceptable seems to get pushed farther and farther as more and more people are exposed to this material. The result is that girls grow up in a culture where it is hard to have an innocent, healthy, normal view of themselves, how they should behave, how they should act, and how they should dress."
Prejeanhas been at the center of a number of controversies since her title was taken away, an event she blames on liberal opposition to her belief in Christianity.
She threatened to leave the interview with Larry King on Veterans Day, going so far as to remove her mic and sit in silence on her satellite set in Washington.
Prejean was on the show to promote her (ghost-written) new book, Still Standing, which she told King was for Americans who believe their beliefs are under attack and was written to address the double standard that she believes conservative women face from liberal media who “get away” with targeting them.
After discussing the book’s slant, and whether she disclosed the solo sex tape she’d made as a teenager for her then-boyfriend, the subject turned to why she settled a lawsuit she had filed with the pageant when the issue of religious discrimination was so important to her. Prejean said she was not allowed to speak about the confidential mediation and agreement. King pressed her to explain why she couldn’t talk about her motive for the settlement, and she said he was being “inappropriate.”
King then went to a caller, at which point Prejean turned to someone off-camera and whispered “We’re gonna have to leave,” and began removing her mic so she could not hear the caller - a gay pageant fan from Detroit. “I think that you are being extremely inappropriate right now, and I’m about to leave your show,” Prejean said, as King tried to figure out what was happening. She eventually put her mic back on, and he cut to commercial. She said she threatened to leave because she was told she would not be taking calls from viewers – although call-ins are a major part of all Larry King Live shows.
Flashing back in time, Prejean spent the eve of losing her Miss California crown talking to Dr. James Dobson about how Satan tried to tempt her with the question about gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant. Prejean told Dobson, “…I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, ‘Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people… you need to witness to them and you need to show that you're not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.’"
In another controversy, TMZ revealed how badly she had lied about the topless photos she had allowed. She took not only more than one, but when she was older than 17, despite her claims to the contrary.
Web site thedirty.com keeps finding more semi-nude photos of Prejean. The site found old photos of her with alleged hook-up Michael Phelps, whom she supposedly met in Las Vegas. Phelps denied a relationship
Officials from the Miss California pageant sent a blunt message to Prejean before she settled the lawsuit filed on her behalf. The production company filed a cross complaint against Prejean, demanding, among other things, that she return the $5,200 the pageant fronted her for her breast augmentation (boob job).
Prejean claimed in her lawsuit that the Miss California people "conspired to get rid of her" when she said on the "Today" show that she would rather be "biblically correct than politically correct." Reps for Miss California USA had previously explained that she was fired for missing appearances she was supposed to make for the organization and for not getting clearance to do extracurricular activities.
To prosecute the lawsuit she later settled out of court through mediation, Prejean hired Charles Limandri, who acted as general counsel to the National Organization of Marriage when the group spearheaded the California ballot initiative to include the marriage definition in the constitution (Proposition 8), promotion of which was largely funded by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons.
NOM used footage from the Miss USA 2009 pageant in an anti-gay marriage commercial. The commercial uses Carrie Prejean's pageant response to the gay marriage question as a selling point for the ad.
Obviously not included in the commercial are stills of Prejean promoting a “Miss Spider Woman” Halloween costume for comic books and graphic novel publisher Marvel.
Prejean is currently being featured on several costume websites modeling outfits that could easily be worn by a stripper. She took the job modeling the Women of Marvel costume line before the costumes were released for sale in 2009. The photos are from ComicCon 2008 in Atlanta.
In her new "tell-all" book, Prejean dedicates an entire passage to "pornography," writing: "Unfortunately, pornography has become mainstreamed - it rushes at us through big screens, portable screens; soft-core porn is on mainstream TV cable stations, hard-core porn is just a mouse click away on the internet, and the envelope of what seems acceptable seems to get pushed farther and farther as more and more people are exposed to this material. The result is that girls grow up in a culture where it is hard to have an innocent, healthy, normal view of themselves, how they should behave, how they should act, and how they should dress."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Palin launches new book with interview on Oprah Winfrey Show
Former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin launched her memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life," with a pretaped appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Nov. 16, a day before the book was officially released.
Audience for the worldwide broadcast of the interview was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
Palin discussed what life has been like for her and her family since being rocketed into the national spotlight.
Before the scheduled appearance on Oprah, Palin spoke on Nov. 6 at a Right to Life event in Milwaukee, Wis. At that appearance, her team mandated that no reporters were allowed. According to CNN, laptops, cell phones, cameras, and anything else that could potentially be used as a recording device were banned from the auditorium. Tickets to the event were $30.
Palin reported in financial disclosures made public on Oct. 28 that she received $1.25 million from publisher HarperCollins as "retainer for book" before she resigned as governor in July. If sales of the book permit her to earn back the advance, she could profit further. Initial press run for the book is 1.5 million copies.
Palin dodged Oprah's questions about her intentions for 2012. However, NBC News, in covering the interview, noted that 50 percent of Americans do not think Palin qualified to be president.
Audience for the worldwide broadcast of the interview was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
Palin discussed what life has been like for her and her family since being rocketed into the national spotlight.
Before the scheduled appearance on Oprah, Palin spoke on Nov. 6 at a Right to Life event in Milwaukee, Wis. At that appearance, her team mandated that no reporters were allowed. According to CNN, laptops, cell phones, cameras, and anything else that could potentially be used as a recording device were banned from the auditorium. Tickets to the event were $30.
Palin reported in financial disclosures made public on Oct. 28 that she received $1.25 million from publisher HarperCollins as "retainer for book" before she resigned as governor in July. If sales of the book permit her to earn back the advance, she could profit further. Initial press run for the book is 1.5 million copies.
Palin dodged Oprah's questions about her intentions for 2012. However, NBC News, in covering the interview, noted that 50 percent of Americans do not think Palin qualified to be president.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Major book shows upcoming on 2010
January
Jan. 10-12/ Christian Trade Show Association International's Marketsquare – Atlanta Airport area.
Jan. 13-14. IVBS -Inspirational Value Book Show - January, Nashville, TN. www.ivbshow.com
Jan. 15-19. The American Library Association's Midwinter Conference - Philadelphia, PA. www.ala.org
March
March 12-15. Shortened National Association of College Stores CAMEX show in Orlando, Fla., reduced to four days from its traditional five. Under the new schedule, the trade show and educational panels will overlap somewhat on Saturday, March 13.
March 26-28. Spring Book Show - Atlanta, GA. Cobb Galleria Centre - Renaissance-Waverly Hotel. SBS is one of the largest remainder and bargain book shows in the world. www.springbookshow.com
March. Bologna Children’s Book Fair- Bologna, Italy.
April
April 19-21. London Book Fair - www.londonbookfair.co.uk
May
May 17-20. The Museum Store Association's Retail Conference & Expo
National Stationery Show. New York City.
May 25-27. BookExpo America - www.bookexpoamerica.com
June
The Australian Booksellers Association's - Melbourne.
The American Library Association - Anaheim, CA.
Printers Row Book Fair
The International New Age Trade Show West - Denver, Colo.
July
June 24-29. American Library Association's Annual Conference. Some 2,000 seminars and events as well as a huge trade show.
June 27-30. CBA/The International Christian Retail Show, St. Louis, Mo. www.christianretailshow.com
June. The National Association of College Stores Conference. www.nacs.org
August
August 20-21 (tentative). The Great American Bargain Book Show (GABBS) - Boston. Hynes Convention Center. www.gabbs.net
August. The New York International Gift Fair – www.nyigf.com
August. New Orleans-Gulf South Booksellers Association.
Jan. 10-12/ Christian Trade Show Association International's Marketsquare – Atlanta Airport area.
Jan. 13-14. IVBS -Inspirational Value Book Show - January, Nashville, TN. www.ivbshow.com
Jan. 15-19. The American Library Association's Midwinter Conference - Philadelphia, PA. www.ala.org
March
March 12-15. Shortened National Association of College Stores CAMEX show in Orlando, Fla., reduced to four days from its traditional five. Under the new schedule, the trade show and educational panels will overlap somewhat on Saturday, March 13.
March 26-28. Spring Book Show - Atlanta, GA. Cobb Galleria Centre - Renaissance-Waverly Hotel. SBS is one of the largest remainder and bargain book shows in the world. www.springbookshow.com
March. Bologna Children’s Book Fair- Bologna, Italy.
April
April 19-21. London Book Fair - www.londonbookfair.co.uk
May
May 17-20. The Museum Store Association's Retail Conference & Expo
National Stationery Show. New York City.
May 25-27. BookExpo America - www.bookexpoamerica.com
June
The Australian Booksellers Association's - Melbourne.
The American Library Association - Anaheim, CA.
Printers Row Book Fair
The International New Age Trade Show West - Denver, Colo.
July
June 24-29. American Library Association's Annual Conference. Some 2,000 seminars and events as well as a huge trade show.
June 27-30. CBA/The International Christian Retail Show, St. Louis, Mo. www.christianretailshow.com
June. The National Association of College Stores Conference. www.nacs.org
August
August 20-21 (tentative). The Great American Bargain Book Show (GABBS) - Boston. Hynes Convention Center. www.gabbs.net
August. The New York International Gift Fair – www.nyigf.com
August. New Orleans-Gulf South Booksellers Association.
Do celebrity endorsements help sell books?
Yes indeed. Recent research has shown that celebrity endorsements can have a positive influence on the credibility, message recall, memory and likeability of a promotional piece as well as a positive influence on purchase intentions. One beta test in 2009 showed that celebrity-endorsed advertising prompted a 13.5 times greater conversion rate for viewers on the internet.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Germany’s Herta Müller: portrait of winner of 2009 Nobel Prize in literature
Germany’s Herta Müller wins 2009 Nobel Prize in literature
The 2009 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Herta Müller. A Romanian-born novelist, essayist and poet, Müller writes in German. She was praised by the judges for depicting the "landscape of the dispossessed" with "the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose." Her work is far better known in Germany than in the U.S.
BBC News reported that " Müller, born in 1953, is renowned for her depiction of the harsh conditions under Nicolae Ceausescu's regime… Her first collection of German language short stories, published in 1982, were censored in Romania. Müller 's initial works were smuggled out of the country, while in later years she was awarded several literary prizes, including Dublin's Impac Award in 1998."
Perhaps her best-known work is Herztier, published by Reinbek bei Hamburg in 1994. An English translation by Michael Hofmann entitled The Land of Green Plums was published in the U.S. by Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt & Company in 1996.
The Guardian featured a detailed look at her life and career, noting that her "latest novel Atemschaukel (Everything I Possess I Carry With Me) was published in August of this year, and follows a 17-year-old boy who is deported to a Ukrainian labor camp. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called it 'phenomenal, moving and humbling novel, perhaps the most memorable read of the autumn.’” In Atemschauke, Müller depicts the exile of German Romanians. “That’s her life motto, to break the silence about the dictatorship in Romania… and its consequences on people, and she wants to give the silence a voice,” Sigrid Loeffler, a German literary critic, said on German Public Radio.
The 2009 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Herta Müller. A Romanian-born novelist, essayist and poet, Müller writes in German. She was praised by the judges for depicting the "landscape of the dispossessed" with "the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose." Her work is far better known in Germany than in the U.S.
BBC News reported that " Müller, born in 1953, is renowned for her depiction of the harsh conditions under Nicolae Ceausescu's regime… Her first collection of German language short stories, published in 1982, were censored in Romania. Müller 's initial works were smuggled out of the country, while in later years she was awarded several literary prizes, including Dublin's Impac Award in 1998."
Perhaps her best-known work is Herztier, published by Reinbek bei Hamburg in 1994. An English translation by Michael Hofmann entitled The Land of Green Plums was published in the U.S. by Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt & Company in 1996.
The Guardian featured a detailed look at her life and career, noting that her "latest novel Atemschaukel (Everything I Possess I Carry With Me) was published in August of this year, and follows a 17-year-old boy who is deported to a Ukrainian labor camp. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called it 'phenomenal, moving and humbling novel, perhaps the most memorable read of the autumn.’” In Atemschauke, Müller depicts the exile of German Romanians. “That’s her life motto, to break the silence about the dictatorship in Romania… and its consequences on people, and she wants to give the silence a voice,” Sigrid Loeffler, a German literary critic, said on German Public Radio.
The Google lawsuit – what’s it all about?
At issue is the right to scan and make available online millions of books, including out-of-print and in-the-public-domain works.
Most importantly, Google could digitize the so-called "orphan works" - books that are still copyrighted although the author is dead, the heirs are untraceable, or the publisher no longer exists and no one can find the clear holder of rights to the work.
Companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon, but also consumer groups and professional associations, have filed complaints with the U.S. District Court opposing a settlement reached by Google with the Authors' Guild and the Association of American Publishers to create the Google Books Registry.
In October, Judge Denny Chin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is set to review the settlement and hear both sides.
The agreement was the result of a lawsuit brought by authors and publishers in 2005 on Google's effort to scan millions of library books. Last October, Google proposed paying $125 million for copyright infringements, and its former foes turned into new friends. 1`, Open Book Alliance
Google began digitizing books in 2004. Google has now already digitized more than 10 million books, and the Google Books Search service boasts partnerships with some of the world's most renowned libraries, such as Harvard, Oxford, the New York Public Library and the Bavarian State Library in Germany.
As part of the $125 million agreement under review, Google would have the right to scan out-of-copyright and out-of-print books, or copyrighted works from cooperating authors and publishers within the United States.
The Open Book Alliance opposes the settlement. Co-founder Peter Brantley says that "with Google granted a monopoly to unclaimed works, it would exercise a monopoly over subscriptions for the most comprehensive collection of books available."
Most importantly, Google could digitize the so-called "orphan works" - books that are still copyrighted although the author is dead, the heirs are untraceable, or the publisher no longer exists and no one can find the clear holder of rights to the work.
Companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon, but also consumer groups and professional associations, have filed complaints with the U.S. District Court opposing a settlement reached by Google with the Authors' Guild and the Association of American Publishers to create the Google Books Registry.
In October, Judge Denny Chin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is set to review the settlement and hear both sides.
The agreement was the result of a lawsuit brought by authors and publishers in 2005 on Google's effort to scan millions of library books. Last October, Google proposed paying $125 million for copyright infringements, and its former foes turned into new friends. 1`, Open Book Alliance
Google began digitizing books in 2004. Google has now already digitized more than 10 million books, and the Google Books Search service boasts partnerships with some of the world's most renowned libraries, such as Harvard, Oxford, the New York Public Library and the Bavarian State Library in Germany.
As part of the $125 million agreement under review, Google would have the right to scan out-of-copyright and out-of-print books, or copyrighted works from cooperating authors and publishers within the United States.
The Open Book Alliance opposes the settlement. Co-founder Peter Brantley says that "with Google granted a monopoly to unclaimed works, it would exercise a monopoly over subscriptions for the most comprehensive collection of books available."
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Judge sets Nov. 9 deadline for amended Google book deal
A federal judge has set a Nov. 9 deadline for submitting a revised agreement in the battle over Google Inc.'s effort to get digital rights to millions of out-of-print books.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set the deadline after a lawyer for authors told the judge that Google and lawyers for authors and publishers were working around the clock to reach a new deal by early November.
A $125 million agreement was being renegotiated after the U.S. government said it seemed the existing agreement would violate antitrust laws.
The original deal was announced by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google and the publishing industry last October to resolve two copyright lawsuits contesting the book scanning plans. (See stories below.)
Michael Boni, a lawyer for authors, told the judge that the new agreement would contain amendments to the original deal to make it more acceptable to the U.S. Justice Department, which had questioned its legality.
William F. Cavanaugh, a deputy assistant attorney general, told the judge that the Justice Department has been in continuing discussions with the parties.
However, he said the government was not yet aware of what the final deal will look like.
He said he expected "meetings in the near term to go over whatever their proposal is."
Cavanaugh asked that the judge give the government a week to 10 days after any deadline for objections to be submitted for the Justice Department to prepare its analysis of the new deal.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set the deadline after a lawyer for authors told the judge that Google and lawyers for authors and publishers were working around the clock to reach a new deal by early November.
A $125 million agreement was being renegotiated after the U.S. government said it seemed the existing agreement would violate antitrust laws.
The original deal was announced by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google and the publishing industry last October to resolve two copyright lawsuits contesting the book scanning plans. (See stories below.)
Michael Boni, a lawyer for authors, told the judge that the new agreement would contain amendments to the original deal to make it more acceptable to the U.S. Justice Department, which had questioned its legality.
William F. Cavanaugh, a deputy assistant attorney general, told the judge that the Justice Department has been in continuing discussions with the parties.
However, he said the government was not yet aware of what the final deal will look like.
He said he expected "meetings in the near term to go over whatever their proposal is."
Cavanaugh asked that the judge give the government a week to 10 days after any deadline for objections to be submitted for the Justice Department to prepare its analysis of the new deal.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Pirates post purloined copies of new Dan Brown novel on Web
You can buy The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown as a Kindle ebook for $9.99 at Amazon.com. Or, if you’re not quite honest, you can download a free pirated copy from an online site such as RapidShare, Megaupload, Hotfile and other file-storage sites.
Those pirated copies are blamed for being at least partially responsible for declining hardcover sales.
The Association of American Publishers estimates that hardcover sales in the United States declined 13 percent in 2008 versus the previous year. This year, hardback sales were down 15.5 percent through July versus the same period of 2008.
Total e-book sales, though up considerably this year, remain a small part of the overall book market, at $81.5 million, or 1.6 percent of total book sales through July.
Adam Rothberg, vice president for corporate communications at Simon & Schuster, says: “Everybody in the industry considers piracy a significant issue, but it’s been difficult to quantify the magnitude of the problem. We know people post things but we don’t know how many people take them.”
Free file-sharing of e-books will most likely come to be associated with RapidShare, a file-hosting company based in Switzerland, says its customers have uploaded more than 10 petabytes of files to its site - more than 10 million gigabytes - and that it can handle up to three million users simultaneously. Anyone can upload, and anyone can download; for light users, the service is free.
RapidShare does not list the files - a user must know the URL in order to download a document. But anyone who wants to make a file widely available simply publishes the URL and a description somewhere online, in a blog or a discussion forum, and Google and other search engines notice. No passwords protect the files.
Those pirated copies are blamed for being at least partially responsible for declining hardcover sales.
The Association of American Publishers estimates that hardcover sales in the United States declined 13 percent in 2008 versus the previous year. This year, hardback sales were down 15.5 percent through July versus the same period of 2008.
Total e-book sales, though up considerably this year, remain a small part of the overall book market, at $81.5 million, or 1.6 percent of total book sales through July.
Adam Rothberg, vice president for corporate communications at Simon & Schuster, says: “Everybody in the industry considers piracy a significant issue, but it’s been difficult to quantify the magnitude of the problem. We know people post things but we don’t know how many people take them.”
Free file-sharing of e-books will most likely come to be associated with RapidShare, a file-hosting company based in Switzerland, says its customers have uploaded more than 10 petabytes of files to its site - more than 10 million gigabytes - and that it can handle up to three million users simultaneously. Anyone can upload, and anyone can download; for light users, the service is free.
RapidShare does not list the files - a user must know the URL in order to download a document. But anyone who wants to make a file widely available simply publishes the URL and a description somewhere online, in a blog or a discussion forum, and Google and other search engines notice. No passwords protect the files.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Eli and Peyton Manning boost Scholastic ClassroomsCare Challenge
There's a football/schoolmatch-up this fall and millions of kids across the U.S. will benefit
Top names in education and in football - Scholastic Inc. and Super Bowl MVPs Eli and Peyton Manning - are joining forces and inviting America's teachers and students, along with several key charity partners, to join them in bringing more than one million books to kids in need across the U.S. via Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare program.
The ClassroomsCare program has been successful in distributing more than nine million books since 2001 to kids in need through charity partners like Reach Out and Read and Save the Children.
This year, Scholastic will also be coordinating with the Mannings' youth charities, including the Peyton Manning PeyBack Foundation and The Eli Manning Children's Clinics.
Scholastic will also be publishing a new picture book, Family Huddle,
featuring America's most famous football family, the Mannings.
ClassroomsCare is an annual challenge to the one million classrooms that use Scholastic Book Clubs. Participating classes read 100 books, triggering a donation of books from Scholastic Book Clubs to ClassroomsCare's charity partners. The books are then donated throughout the year to kids in preschool to middle school who in many cases would not otherwise have books of their own.
Top names in education and in football - Scholastic Inc. and Super Bowl MVPs Eli and Peyton Manning - are joining forces and inviting America's teachers and students, along with several key charity partners, to join them in bringing more than one million books to kids in need across the U.S. via Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare program.
The ClassroomsCare program has been successful in distributing more than nine million books since 2001 to kids in need through charity partners like Reach Out and Read and Save the Children.
This year, Scholastic will also be coordinating with the Mannings' youth charities, including the Peyton Manning PeyBack Foundation and The Eli Manning Children's Clinics.
Scholastic will also be publishing a new picture book, Family Huddle,
featuring America's most famous football family, the Mannings.
ClassroomsCare is an annual challenge to the one million classrooms that use Scholastic Book Clubs. Participating classes read 100 books, triggering a donation of books from Scholastic Book Clubs to ClassroomsCare's charity partners. The books are then donated throughout the year to kids in preschool to middle school who in many cases would not otherwise have books of their own.
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