Apple Files Second Appeal, John Steinbeck’s Google Doodle, and More
An author faces the threat of arrest after asking to protest; writing fiction helps a start-up; Ralph Ellison’s portrait unveiled in Oklahoma; and other news.
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Tags: writers rights
Writer Recounts Visit by Terrorism Task Force, Sherman Alexie Novel Removed From Classroom, and More
The DOJ outlined proposed business practices for Apple in the wake of its e-book lawsuit; a New York City public middle school removed a Sherman Alexie novel from the classroom; Zadie Smith speaks with the Guardian’s book club podcast; and other news.
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Scott Turow on the Death of the American Author, Return of Nazi-Looted Books, and More
The New York Times interviews Jason Merkoski, the leader of the team who built Amazon's first Kindle; Chilean authorities have exhumed Pablo Neruda to test his remains for poison; Anne Margaret Daniel details how F. Scott Fitzgerald reacted to the first film version of The Great Gatsby; and other news.
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Delay Sought for Google Settlement
Four days after the Department of Justice recommended that a federal court in New York City reject the proposed Google Book Search settlement, the parties involved are asking for time to amend the agreement. The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, with support from Google, filed a motion yesterday seeking to postpone a hearing originally scheduled for October 7.
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PEN American Wins Amazon Grant
PEN American Center, the U.S. branch of the international literary and human rights group, announced yesterday that it has been awarded a twenty-five-thousand-dollar grant by Amazon. The money will support PEN’s Freedom to Write Program, which advocates on behalf of imprisoned or persecuted writers worldwide, as well as its Campaign for Core Freedoms, which opposes censorship in the United States.
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Google Settlement Debate Intensifies
Both opponents and supporters of the Google Book settlement are closing ranks as the September 4 deadline for court filings approaches. This week saw attacks on the deal from the Open Book Alliance—a group comprising Amazon, Microsoft, and Yahoo, among others—as well as sharp criticism from the Urban Libraries Council. Meanwhile, Sony filed documents on Wednesday praising Google’s massive book-scanning venture as a boon for consumers.
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Authors Guild Clashes With Agency Over Google Settlement
As the extended deadline for the Google book settlement approaches, industry professionals still disagree about how the massive book-scanning project will affect authors. After one of the country’s largest agencies issued a memo last week advising its clients to opt out of the deal, the Authors Guild, which supports the settlement, released a rebuttal on Monday. The Guild will host an open conference call tomorrow afternoon to address what it calls “a series of erroneous conclusions” drawn by the agency.
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Steven Isenberg Named Director of PEN American
PEN American Center, the U.S. division of the world’s oldest literary and human rights organization, yesterday announced the appointment of Steven L. Isenberg as executive director. Isenberg, a professor, lawyer, and former publisher, will replace Michael Roberts, who stepped down in June after eleven years in the position.
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Author at the Center of Salinger Lawsuit Defends Book
The author sued earlier this month by J. D. Salinger for usurping rights to The Catcher in the Rye has come forward with a defense of what Salinger called a "rip-off, pure and simple" of his classic novel.
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