The iPad Unveiled, Google Settlement Deadline Today, and More

by Staff
1.28.10

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today's stories:

The New York Times reported on the potential impact of the iPad on the publishing industry, while the Los Angeles Times investigated the challenge Apple's new iBook store will pose to Amazon. Across the pond, British publishers enthusiastically welcomed the iPad as "the most significant development yet" in the transition towards digital books (Bookseller).

As the Google Settlement deadline arrives today, the chorus of objections can still be heard. J. K. Rowling and a host of prominent British authors are threatening a boycott of Google's new digital library, according to the Times, while the estate of Richard Wright called the settlement "grievously flawed (New York Times)." Amazon also spoke out against it, claiming that the settlement "continues to give Google exclusive rights likely to lead to a monopoly (Wall Street Journal)." 

The Canadian bookseller McNally Robinson has emerged from bankruptcy protection (CBC).

New York's attorney general announced an investigation into the online discount practices of Barnes & Noble and several other online retailers (Publishers Weekly).

Local businesses have stepped in to save Portland's Poetry in Motion program, which puts poems and excerpts on small advertising cards in public buses and trains (OregonLive).

After eight months of deliberation, a university advisory committee recommended that Seattle University's bookstore remain independent, rather than be outsourced to a retail chain like Barnes & Noble (Spectator). 

Jewish Book Week 2010 will kick off next month at the Royal National Hotel in London, featuring nine days of events and a stellar line-up of international authors. 

The Academy of American Poets unveiled the poster for this year's National Poetry Month.