Writing-Publishing News-and More!

Some news you find here will be culled from many sources around the 'Net, in print publications and through the grapevine--you may already know about it--may not, but hopefully you will learn something new, to be worth your time. And you may also encounter a mini op-ed or two when the news just begs for it... look for the "Editor's Choice" (EC) articles.   News of the Writing World and Beyond:     EC Amazon’s mighty roar pierces publishing jungle Excerpt from Publishers Weekly: “Over the last year, BookSurge has been trying to cut into the market share of pod leader Lightning Source and is using the selling clout of Amazon to generate more business. ‘I feel like the flea between two giant elephants,’ said the head of one pod publisher… for publishers that don't use BookSurge for pod, they can still use Amazon's Advantage Program (which works on a consignment model) or third party vendors to sell their pod books.”   However, the debate is raging about whether or not Amazon is violating America’s trade restriction laws. As one PW contributor mentioned, isn’t that what Ingram has been doing with Lightning Source for years? I spoke my piece on the Publishers Weekly website. What about you? What do you think? Is Amazon out of line by flexing its monopoly-type muscles?   Send your comments to info@WomenWritersWorldwide.com--this affects all of us.   *****************************   More News:   -     Wal-Mart cuts 1000 titles from magazine racks In a massive magazine rack purge, Wal-Mart ousted more than 1,000 titles. With the retailer being responsible for generating more than 20 percent of all retail magazine sales in the U.S., it's not surprising that the publishing industry is going to be hurting from this move. Though few major publishers were spared, Meredith Publishing* seemed to be hit the hardest; their cut titles include Better Homes & Gardens, Fitness, and Ladies Home Journal. Some say, however, that the purge will actually help magazines that do survive the cut, giving them more visibility on the shelves. (Writersmarket.com, January, 2008)   -     Meredith Corp. restructures, eliminating 35 positions Meredith Corp. is combining its special interest magazine and media and newsstand business divisions with its Meredith Books division. The new unit is called Meredith Retail. Most of the jobs eliminated as a result of the restructuring were at Meredith Books, including editorial. (Writersmarket.com, January, 2008)   -     Real Simple magazine launched its first wedding planning guide Real Simple Weddings is "The 160 page guide divided into three sections--Your Plan, Your Ceremony and Your Reception--and features strategies for creating a budget, choosing a location, assembling the guest list and managing the wedding party." It's not yet clear how often this will be published; it will likely depend on the spin-off's success. Real Simple has been gradually expanding its brand into other platforms, which already includes international editions, a syndicated newspaper column and a television show. (Writersmarket.com, January, 2008)   -          It’s too bad authors are making a bad name for themselves—and the rest of us:           Editor's choice, Sat 9 Feb 2008, 04:30 PST Just this last week (02/09/08)  two stories appeared internationally, involving plagiarism/copyright infringement. One in a recent best-selling book, Spanish Nobel prize-winning writer Camilo José Cela; the other tainting a 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Wallace Stegner's novel, Angle of Repose. With the gossip surrounding Shakespeare and a few decades of high profile journalistic pilfering, I suppose we have to face the fact that authors are human too. But what a sad commentary on the integrity of humans in general. Both stories can be found at http://www.artsjournal.com/publishing.shtml. (Camilo José Cela, February 5, 2008, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/spains-nobelwinning-novelist-cela-stole-passages-for-his-book-778029.html; Wallace Stegner, February 4, 2008, http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-fradkin3feb03,0,3911722,full.story.)