Writer Beware Archives - Page 27 of 30 - SFWA - The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association

The UK’s Society of Authors Issues Guidance on Ebooks

By VictoriaStrauss / December 17, 2009

Given Random House’s recent claim on electronic rights in older contracts, Macmillan’s recent announcement that it will be issuing “enhanced ebooks” simultaneously with some of its hardcover releases (and charging even more than for the hardcovers), and the thorny rights and payment issues raised by the rapid expansion of the ebook market, this seems an especially relevant piece of news: the UK’s Society of Authors has issued guidelines on ebook licensing and royalties for authors and agents.

Authors Guild Statement on Random House’s Rights Grab

By VictoriaStrauss / December 15, 2009

I received the statement below this morning from the Authors Guild. I’m not happy with the Authors Guild these days, because of the debacle of the Google Book Search Settlement. But I agree with their position on Random House’s recent attempt to claim electronic rights on backlist titles whose contracts do not include a grant of those rights.

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One Week, Two Big Pieces of Ebook News

By VictoriaStrauss / December 15, 2009

Last week, the publishing world was abuzz with news that Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins intend to delay the release of ebook versions of most of their hardcover titles by three or four months, rather than releasing the ebooks simultaneously with hardcovers…

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Hudson Audio Publishing

By VictoriaStrauss / December 11, 2009

Victoria Strauss examines Hudson Audio Publishing.

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Author Solutions CEO Responds to Harlequin/Nelson Flap

By VictoriaStrauss / December 7, 2009

Kevin Weiss, President and CEO of Author Solutions Inc., has issued a video statement addressing the responses by RWA, SFWA, MWA, and NINC to ASI’s recent partnerships with commercial publishers in launching pay-to-publish divisions.

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Mystery Writers of America Delists Harlequin

By VictoriaStrauss / December 4, 2009

Today, Mystery Writers of America announced its Board’s unanimous decision to remove Harlequin and all its imprints from MWA’s list of Approved Publishers, effective immediately, as a result of Harlequin’s recent rollout of DellArte Press, a pay-to-publish division.

Publishing Technologies, The SFWA Blog, Writer Beware

Blurred Distinctions: Vanity Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

By VictoriaStrauss / December 2, 2009

Of the many issues highlighted by the recent launch of pay-to-publish divisions by two major commercial publishers (Harlequin Enterprises’ DellArte Press–nee Harlequin Horizons–and Thomas Nelson’s West Bow Press), one of the most interesting, to me, is how blurred the distinction between self-publishing and vanity publishing has become.

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New Name for Harlequin Horizons: DellArte Press

By VictoriaStrauss / November 24, 2009

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware True to its promise, Harlequin has ditched the Harlequin Horizons name. It’s now

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And Speaking of Vanity Publishing…

By VictoriaStrauss / November 24, 2009

…heeeeere’s Tweetbookz!

Tweetbookz will turn your tweets–those 140-character electronic messages about what you had for breakfast this morning or maybe something more interesting or important, but either way, quickly written and just as quickly forgotten–into Real Paper Books. That’s right. Your evanescent 140-character pearls of prose (or not) can be enshrined for the ages in softcover or hardcover.

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From Novelists Inc. Issues Position Statement on Vanity Publishing

By VictoriaStrauss / November 23, 2009

Last week, RWA, MWA, and SFWA all issued official statements condemning Harlequin Enterprises’ new self-publishing division, Harlequin Horizons. Now Novelists Inc. has weighed in, with a position statement on vanity publishing and the risks that arise when brand name publishers add vanity publishing divisions.