France’s great comics event, the Festival International de la Bande Desinée at Angoulême, faces serious criticism for being dominated by men.
Authors United’s Divisive Stand on Amazon
In a three-hour program at Washington’s New America Foundation, Authors United points up both its criticisms of Amazon and the challenges of objecting to its position in the publishing marketplace.
Context in Publishing: Perspectives on the ‘Wall of Content’
Has book production outpaced readership and what can publishers do about it? Porter Anderson’s opening editorial for Publishing Perspectives explores this.
To Automate or Not to Automate the Rights Business?
At a Publishers Weekly event in NYC, rights directors and agents discussed how automation and standards would improve the book rights business.
Publishing’s 9/11 as Seen from the UK
UK publishing educator and journalist Kelvin Smith remembers September 11, 2001 and its effect on the book business, as experienced from abroad.
Do Book Reviews Need a Numerical Rating System?
Most book reviews rely on a star system to rate books, but wouldn’t a more precise numerical system be better? By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead editorial Chad Post wonders whether book reviews that offer a clear numerical rating system would be more engaging to readers than reviews that don’t offer a clear “numerical baseline” against which readers can react. …
US Children’s Publishing Embraces Digital Changes
By Helen Gregg On Tuesday, December 7, Publisher’s Weekly and Digital Book World hosted an online seminar (or webinar) called “Children’s Publishing in the Digital Age.” Moderated by PW’s Co-Editorial Director Jim Milliot, speakers included Susan Katz, president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Book Group, Rick Richter, founder of Ruckus Media, and Kate Wilson, founder of UK-based Nosy Crow. Each …
In the Digital World, What is the Future of the Institutional Library?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story looks at life at a prison library. Numerous institutions — prisons, hospitals, law firms, magazines, intelligence agencies — have their own libraries and archives. Increasingly, these are eliminated to save office space and a eliminate what are seen as unnecessary expenses, particularly in an era when seemingly everything can be found via a simple …
Publishers Weekly E-book Rights Panel Focuses on the Financial
By Helen Gregg On September 28, Publishers Weekly hosted a panel called “Know Your E-book Rights,” the first event in its fall discussion series. In Random House’s Café Auditorium, the four panelists -– Neil de Young, Executive Director, Hachette Digital; Paul Aiken, Executive Director, Authors Guild; Lloyd Jassin, attorney; and Scott Waxman, Waxman Literary Agency –- spoke mainly on the …
Random House and Wylie Negotiate New Royalty Rate on Digital Books
By Hannah Johnson There is a new royalty rate in town. Random House and The Wylie Agency have resolved their conflict over e-book rights, and out of this resolution has come a new royalty rate — but it isn’t just a rate, it’s a rate scale. Publishers Weekly uncovered a source at Random House who revealed that RH will implement …