News Headlines for July 9

Hi Ya'll,

We're following the shocking law which, in effect, bans children's books printed prior to 1985. This is not a hoax. The American Library Association is working with the government's Consumer Products people to see exactly how they must comply. The law, which went into effect this February, is ill-defined. Read this and more at Authorlink.com

News Headlines
Thursday July 9, 2009
Updated every Thursday

• Fate of Book Ban in Hands of New CPSA Chair
• Hachette Supports Amazon Text-to-Speech
  
• Penguin UK Reorganizes, Downsizes
• J.D. Salinger Wins Copyright Battle
• 2009 London Book Fair Calls for Entries

Disturbing News About Children's Book Law

Children’s Book Burning a Shocking Law

Editor’s Note: In 2008 Congress passed a Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which has the effect of requiring the destruction of any children’s book published before 1985, due to trace elements of lead in the printed inks. When we first read this report we thought it was a hoax. Unfortunately, it is true. Selling or giving books published before 1985 technically can result in a $100,000 fine. According to the blog, Bardhaven, <http://bardhaven.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/burning-books/> a child would have to totally consume several dozen whole books to be endangered by lead content in the inks. Though presumably not the law’s original intent, the edict would obliterate centuries of literary thought and history. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s enforcement arm has said for the time being it will not prosecute violators, until the law is further clarified. However, that moratorium apparently runs out in February 2010 (about seven months from now). Read more about this alarming issue on the American Library Association’s wiki headlined Lead in <http://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php/Lead_in_Books%3F> Books Background on the issue can be found on the ALA site.

READ THE FULL STORY ON AUTHORLINK.

Publish Post

Lots of other news just posted, including a video interview with David Ebershoff, author of THE 19TH WIFE. Visit our main page.

New Learning Library Gives Writers Access to Biggest Names in Publishing

Santa Barbara/Fresno, CA/Dallas, TX (Authorlink News, June 3, 2009)--WritersEducation.com, (WE) a new online multimedia library of lessons, courses and insights from top publishing pros, will launch the beta version of the site on June 2, 2009. WE will feature instruction by such distinguished authors, editors and agents as Ray Bradbury, Gayle Lynds, Christopher Moore, Bob Mayer, Bonnie Hearn Hill, New York editor Stacey Barney, literary agent Andrea Brown, and many more.
WE, a sister site to Authorlink.com, is sponsored in part by America’s leading writers’ conferences, including the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Yosemite Writers conference and others, as content partners. Marcia Meier, SBWC executive director, and Nene Casares, Yosemite executive director, have taken the lead in extending their conference content to the digital world.
The WritersEducation.com mission is to provide writers with the power to connect share and grow with the digital publishing community. Attendees at participating conferences will be given the added advantage of free or discounted access to the new writing library.
“While there is no replacement for face-to-face conferences, our online and on-demand writing courses and lectures are the next best thing to being there,” said WE CEO Doris Booth. “WE gives writers at every level of expertise a low-cost way to tap into some of the best writing instruction available, anytime, and almost anywhere. Conference attendees can continue to refer to valuable conference sessions and other information for years to come.”
WritersEducation.com will provide quick access to on-demand video and audio lessons and lectures, live courses, private mentoring, and important white papers and articles about the changing publishing industry. Pre-recorded on-demand content ranges from 5 minute mini-lessons to 90-minute lectures. Most on-demand items will feature FREE five- to-ten-minute previews. Live webinars run four to six weeks.
“WE gives writers the chance to learn and keep learning from the best authors, editors, and agents in the business—names we all know and revere—without leaving their homes, and forever after.” said Booth.
Using the latest state-of-the art Drupal technology, WE is priced with today’s tough economy and the shift to a digital environment in mind. The site will allow users to easily access content (some as low as little as $1.99), and to sign up for live, interactive on-screen webinars. Though on-demand content cannot be shared or downloaded, users will have perpetual access to the courses they buy, giving them the ability to access writing help anytime, anywhere. Later in the site’s development, users will also build “credits” for referring friends who make purchases on WE, and some pages (though initially not the Flash videos) will be accessible from some smart phones.
The site was developed by Dallas and Washington, D.C.-based Authorlink partners Doris Booth and Daniel Unger, together with Flash designer Jay Carbon. “The publishing industry has moved to a sophisticated digital environment. The new WritersEducation.com site fills a need for writers to obtain professional guidance from industry leaders,” said Booth, CEO of Authorlink.
“Our leading-edge technology will allow us to deliver educational content in a more productive way than ever,” said Vice President and Webmaster, Daniel Unger.
Users can glance at a calendar of events, check their time zones, visit and comment through the site’s blog, subscribe to news feeds, and join Authorlink’s growing Facebook and Myspace sites, with more than 5,000 friends. Authorlink, the parent site, attracts about a half-million visitors per year. Among the WritersEducation.com content types will be:
On Demand: On Demand lessons are pre-recorded audio and video lectures. Users can access audio and video lectures anytime, day or night, as often as they like for up to 60 days. Lessons are priced as low as $1.99, but average $9.99.

Live Courses: WritersEducation.com live classes are webinars which include audio, two-way interaction and often video as well. These classes are taught by publishing professionals who have been invited to join our site as instructors. Course prices begin at $169, with single webinars at $89.

Private Mentoring: Real-time online private webinar meetings include audio, two-way interaction, and often video as well. Choose the coach and the editorial focus that’s right for you. Mentoring sessions start at $125 for an hour-long session. A one-time introductory consultation is also available at $49.

White Papers: Written articles to help users enhance their writing and find agents and publishers for their work. Users can access and print articles and book excerpts for as long as they like after purchase, some free or as low as $1.99.

Follow WritersEducation.com at Twitter, Facebook, Myspace,, WE Blog

Ingram Goes Pure Digital

In our news roundup this week: Ingram Book Group Restructures for Digital Trade. May be good for authors.Read the full story in our center news column at Authorlink.

Also catch the story about Borders Books,whose sales have dropped more than 12% in the first quarter. Yikes!

Bertlesmann Revenues, Profits Fall in First Quarter

Gütersloh (Authorlink News, May 12, 2009)--Against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, Bertelsmann, the international media group, started the new fiscal year with a decline in revenues and earnings, but was able to partially offset the effects of advertiser and consumer reluctance. Bertelsmann is the parent company for Random House in the USA.

Revenues from continuing operations totaled €3.5 billion for the first quarter of the new fiscal year (ended March 31, 20090), down from €3.8 billion year on year. The first-quarter operating EBIT was €115 million after €253 million the previous year, while the Group’s net income came to €-78 million (Q1/2008: €35 million). The period under review stands in contrast to a strong first quarter of 2008, which – unlike this year – included the advertising-intensive Easter holidays.

The coming months will continue to be dominated by strict cost discipline at Bertelsmann, to minimize the impact of the crisis on the Group’s business. Positive stimulus comes from the services business, which reports growing demand for outsourcing services. Bertelsmann continues to expect that the global economic crisis will put a strain on the economy and on the company’s business prospects. For the full year, Bertelsmann expects revenues and operating profit to decline. The degree of year on year change will depend on the intensity and duration of the economic downturn.

Economic debt amounted to €6,716 million at March 31, 2009 (December 31, 2008: €6,627 million). Bertelsmann has issued €750 million in bonds since the beginning of the year to further strengthen its liquidity.

Bertelsmann is an international media company encompassing television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), media services (Arvato), and media clubs (Direct Group) in more than 50 countries. Bertelsmann’s claim is to inspire people around the world with first-class media and communications offerings – entertainment, information and services – and occupy leading positions in its respective markets. The foundation of Bertelsmann's success is a corporate culture based on partnership, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and corporate responsibility. The company strives to bring creative new ideas to market and create value.

Gompertz to Head New S&S Digital Publishing Unit

NEW YORK, NY (Authorlink News, April 22, 2009)—Mark Gompertz, publishers of the Touchstone/Fireside imprint at Simon & Schuster, has been named to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Digital Publishing. The announcement was made by Carolyn K. Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster.

“Simon & Schuster has always been a leader in digital publishing. But to become a truly 21st century publishing company, we must incorporate a digital sensibility into our daily and long-range thought processes, and throughout our entire organization, “ said Reidy. “Our digital efforts cannot be viewed as taking place separately from the rest of our business. As a step toward accomplishing this, I have recently charged each of our publishing units with creating non-traditional projects on a regular basis, and our supply chain team with integrating digital book production into our production and distribution workflow.”

In his new job, Mark will lead and facilitate S&S’s digital publishing efforts, bringing an editorial perspective to work with the company’s imprints, authors, agents, sales and marketing as it develops new business models and new forms in which its content, both original and previously existing, can be exploited digitally.

“As we explore these new digital formats, complications will inevitably ensue, and Mark will help all of us at Simon & Schuster, as well as our authors and our accounts, to find solutions to these complex issues,” added Reidy. “His job will also entail originating and acquiring digital content, developing policies, working out processes, and educating and informing us so we can all learn as we seek new revenue streams. “

Mark brings to the position a lifetime’s worth of editorial and publishing experience. He has since 1993 been the publisher of Touchstone Fireside, and last year added responsibility for Howard Books to his purview. Under Mark, Touchstone Fireside more than doubled in size before it was reconfigured and expanded into hardcover publishing. It has impressively taken Philippa Gregory from book club favorite in paperback original to the status of major hardcover bestselling author. And it has achieved success with titles ranging from the acclaimed works of Ursula Hegi to recent New York Times
bestselling pop culture titles such as THE BRO CODE and NATURALLY THIN by Bethenny Frankel.
As well, Mark is a classic early adapter. Whether it is a DVR, a PDA, or the most recent cell phone or iPod, you can count on Mark to be the first person you know to have the latest in personal technology. I’m sure that this eagerness to embrace the new will serve Mark and Simon & Schuster well in this new position.

Mark will work side by side with Ellie Hirschhorn and the Simon & Schuster Digital staff, whom we rely on for business development; to identify and develop new digital products; to keep us abreast of the latest in cutting-edge technology and online behavior and trends; to build the distribution infrastructure and new SimonandSchuster.com that has made us leaders in the field; to create the overarching digital marketing and syndication programs with external partners that bring our content to the widest possible universe of digital platforms; and to help us to navigate the complex issues raised by new and unfamiliar technologies. They will also work with Mark to flesh out and execute our digital publishing plans. Ellie’s team does a superb job leading our efforts in this arena, and they will continue to use their expertise in the fast-changing digital world, beyond the borders of the publishing industry, to make possible the innovation that will keep us in the forefront of today’s publishing.

Mark’s replacement at Touchstone Fireside will be announced shortly. Please join me in congratulating Mark on his new position.

Pulitzer Announces '09 Prize Winners

NEW YORK, NY (Authorlink News, April 20, 2009)--The Pulitzer Prize Board today announced its 2009 winners in Letters at Columbia University. Authors from Random House, Inc. won three of the five Pulitzer categories:

Fiction: OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)

Biography: AMERICAN LION: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham (Random House)

General Nonfiction: SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon (Doubleday)

Other winners in the Letters category were:

Drama - Ruined by Lynn Nottage

History - The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed (W.W. Norton & Company)

Poetry - The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press)

In the eleven years since Random House, Inc. came together as a merged company eighteen of our books have won Pulitzers--a feat unmatched by another trade-book publishing company.