Penguin Pulled into ASI Controversy

What a smart ploy by the lawyer community to wait until Author Solutions, Inc (ASI) became part of Penguin before filing this suit. Or maybe it's just circumstance and not calculated timing. ASI was bought by Pearson PLC (the company that owns Penguin) in July 2012. A previous GITP post had noted that ASI was under investigation.  And now--Class Action Law Suit. 

Part of the suit states that

"Author Solutions also fails to take diligent care of its authors' works, making numerous and egregious publisher errors - errors made by the publisher, not the author. These errors include errors on book covers, in addition to various typographical and formatting errors. In fact, Author Solutions profits from its own mistakes. Aggressive sales techniques ensure that these errors are corrected only for a fee of several hundred dollars. Even though, as a matter of policy, Author Solutions promises to correct publisher errors for free, it rarely does...."

It will be interesting to see this play out.

Publishers: Did You Know?

It's a well-known fact that most of the major publishing houses have consolidated and merged and rearranged themselves many times over. This has affected magazines as well as book publishers; many of the controlling holding companies are not in the U.S.

Simon & Schuster, is an exception. Founded in New York City in 1924, S&S is currently owned by CBS. Still headquartered in NYC, it is a bastion of fiction and nonfiction, producing more than 1000 titles a year from 35 different imprints, including Pocket Books, Scribner, Atria, Fireside, Touchstone, and Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Baen Books is a more recent stalwart of American publishing. It was founded in 1983 when a huge reorganization of Simon & Schuster was underway. S&S approached Jim Baen with an offer for him to head up the S&S science fiction line (Pocket Books division). Baen, however, had different plans. He obtained financial backing from some friends and proposed to start a new company named Baen Books. The deal was done and, at the beginning, Simon & Schuster handled the distribution.

Unfortunately, many of the book publishers we have taken for granted as being American-owned and run no longer hold that distinction.

• Houghton Mifflin Company, founded in Boston in 1832, is now HMH (Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt), with the company having purchased Harcourt (formerly Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) in 2007. Several mergers and buyouts have ensued and HMH is now owned by Education Media and Publishing Group (EMPG), an international holding company registered in the Cayman Island. HMH is a leader in the educational publications marketplace. NOTE: Although primaries in EMPG are from Ireland, one of the major investors is Guggenheim Partners, a U.S. investment corporation.
• Alfred A Knopf, Inc founded in 1915, was purchased by Random House in 1960. Random House also bought Doubleday, and now there's a KnopfDoubleday company under the RH umbrella. It's a publishing consortium of its own, with a half dozen or so imprints. Random House, Inc. has been owned since 1998 by the German mega-media company, Bertelsmann.
• The Free Press was founded in 1947, became an imprint of Simon & Schuster, was sold in 1960 and merged into the Macmillan Publishing Company. Macmillian, founded in London, opened its first U.S. offices in 1969. It is now part of the large German holding company, Georg von Holtzbrinck. MacMillan's American publishers include Farrar Straus and Giroux, Henry Holt & Company, Bedford/St. Martin’s, Picador, Roaring Brook Press, St. Martin’s Press, Tor Books, and others.

The publisher umbrellas have a wide span, with most of the imprints belonging to three or four houses. Along with S&S, Random House, Harper-Collins, and Penguin Group (USA) produce the majority of books we see on commercial bookshelves across the country. Former independent companies have become imprints: Farrar Straus, Henry Holt, Little Brown; and some have vanished (Fawcett, Carol Graf, Arbor).

But there are plenty of small and Indie publishers. Check out the Wikipedia page to see the more than 500 companies that are competing with the big guys.

The Big Get Bigger

Maybe.
A merger of Penguin and Random House is in the works. If successful, the new corporation could control nearly 25% of the book sales in the UK and U.S. 

Good?
Bad?

Hmm.

Book Industry Info 6 July

Amazon expansion continues, particularly in their Publishing Arm, as they have made a strong bid to acquire all the titles from Dorchester Publishing.

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For the journalists--a dire prediction was reported in The Atlantic: Fifteen years from now, 90% of the news stories will be written by--algorithms. With many of the newspapers I've recently read, I think that would be an improvement, especially if the technology can edit!

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Improvements have already started in Barnes & Noble's electronic division since Microsoft invested bunches in the program. It's not just on the stock market, either. Already sales reports have increased, and there's a bit more author/BN interaction, including an affiliate program. BN also plans to expand nook stores including adding foreign markets.

 

All this seems positive, to me; how about you?

Publishing Publishers

Did you know there were two AVALONs? There’s the Avalon Publishing Group, established in 1994, which includes the imprints Avalon Travel Publishing, Carroll & Graf Publishers, Marlowe & Company, Nation Books, Seal Press, Shoemaker & Hoard, and Thunder’s Mouth Press.

And there’s Avalon Books, primarily producing romance, westerns and mysteries...Well, there was Avalon Books. This month, Amazon Publishing has acquired more than 3,000 backlist Avalon titles that will be republished under Amazon’s West Coast Imprints.

Did you know Amazon has imprints?

June Events for Readers and Writers

These are a few interesting writers conferences and conventions happening in June.
The list of U.S. Science Fiction Cons for June is quite extensive; check this link to see many of them.

5-7 June 2012
BookExpo America 2012
Jacob Javitz Center
New York City, NY

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7-8 June
Eighth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference
Clarksville, Tennessee

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8-10 June
5th Annual National Black Book Festival
Doubletree Hotel
Houston, Texas

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12-16 June
Western Writers of America Convention
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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14-17 June
Children's Writers and Illustrators Conference
Corte Madera, CA

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17–18 June
88th Australian Booksellers Association Conference and Trade Exhibition
Sidney, Australia

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18–20 June
Association of American University Presses Annual Meeting
Chicago, IL

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22-25 June
American Library Association Show 2012
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, CA

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28-30 June
2012 Jackson Hole Writers Conference
at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts
Jackson Hole, WY

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Be Productive

Another Ripoff?

Read the WRITERS BEWARE recent post about a new self-publishing venture.
The article's conclusion, although addressing PW specifically, says the basics for authors who are considering any self-pub schemes: "...As it is, authors who choose PW Select Plus are signing up--and paying--for a service based only on a very broad description, which lacks many of the specifics authors should carefully evaluate before signing up for any self-publishing option."
In other words--Get All The Facts!!

Amazon Kicking Up Dust

Another brouhaha brewing. This time around the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Borrow books for free, says Amazon (if you have Amazon Prime). However it seems some publishers are upset by this.

Here's a the skinny in a good overview from the LA Times.

KindleTag Misuse

A lot of conversation ensues about Amazon's decision to remove tags from Kindle pages. Tags--you know, those descriptive one to two word entries that are supposed to refer to what's in the book. Blogger calls them "labels"; the Internet search calls them "keywords." Whatever, Amazon has removed them from the Kindle pages, and they aren't available for indie authors to use on the publishing page.

An overview of this can be found at Taleist; and I agree, there have been a lot of bad practices regarding tags, including authors tagging each others' works that they haven't even read. I've also noticed bad tagging practice over at netgalley.com where publishing houses give their titles all sorts of tags that don't apply. Using "romance" is almost across the board by many houses, since they feel that's a hot item. "Thriller" is another. Unfortunately, the plan backfires with me, as I'm not interested in romances or thrillers; I see those tags and move on.

It's a shame the system has been misused so abundantly that Amazon has changed the format. It is also a shame that publishers and indie authors can't be satisfied that the descriptions of their work will draw in readers. With so many other social media and networking ways to promote a book, misusing tags seems silly.

Another Kindle Innovation

It costs $25.00 less than a regular Wi-fi Kindle, but it now has ads! Would you buy it? Amazon is betting many will, since the ads include store coupons and special offers. This will be interesting marketing strategy.

the $114.00 Kindles are in pre-order now—available 1 May.

Tidbits 03-08-2011

In March 2011 Angry Robot Books will be accepting submissions from unagented authors for the first time. Angry Robot Books publishes cutting-edge SF and Fantasy. Check out their bookstore

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1 through 31 March, everyone is encouraged to bid on a book. Proceeds from this literary auction will help the Red Cross. Something new every week. Check the site to see lists of items/titles and more.

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Big Romance publisher Avon has jumped into the e-book marketplace with its digital branch, IMPULSE. e-books and POD only will come from this shop; existing Avon authors are already in the mix, but submissions are not discouraged.

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Don't forget, now through 12 March is Read an e-book Week. Many authors are offering discounts and freebies, this week only. Check the e-book sites for more info.

eReaders More Than Entertainment

With all the pros and cons, discussions and recriminations regarding eReaders, it's important to realize their use beyond the middle-through-upper-class use for entertainment. The international organization World Reader (WR) sees them as a viable outreach to developing nations’ education programs.

In the recently-begun a cooperative with Ghana, Kindles are now in the hands of hundreds of students. Although the WR program was developed by a former Amazon.com exec, other eReaders are also being tested for this type of use and WR administrators are hoping for the development of a more-rugged implement that will withstand the rigors of in-school application.

Impractical? I think not. One eReader, at a cost of less than $150.00 U.S., can hold thousands of titles. Twenty printed books would cost more than the device; the initial investment to provide Internet service would be the biggest outlay and with the eReaders, each child would have their own copies of valuable information. World Reader is also working with the Ghanaian councils to have Ghanaian authors’ works produced in ebook form. Not only will students have educational tools, but cultural offerings as well—a good incentive for reading.

This should be inducement for eReader companies to toughen up their products and go for a new marketing scheme. Barnes and Noble, whose textbook branch already provides the company with important revenue, could flourish in this setting.

We need to start looking at the eReader innovation as more than an entertainment gadget for affluent techy urbanites. The potential is there for so much more.

Related Articles: Wall Street Journal Mashable Green Curb

Will the Quality BeThere?

The online Author/reader site Author's Den is now offering POD production at its Book Factory and while they offer a cost calculating guide, they only compare themselves to Lulu. Odd, when there are so many PODs out there.

So far, there is no indication that editing or layout services will be offered. Only three book sizes are available: 6" x 9", an odd 7.5" x 7.5" and 8.5" x 11". They allow a minimum of 150 dpi for photos (300 dpi is minimum printer standard). And, of course, you have to join Author's Den to utilize this new feature.

It is another option for self-publishing, but with track records in place for many other companies, AD's Book Factory will have to prove up to compete as a top-quality producer.

Interesting ASI Development

This could have some innovative benefits.

Author Solutions, Inc has now partnered with Principal Entertainment with a goal to turn books into films and TV projects. They are creating a film and media department to handle this. Details at Deadline Hollywood

Self-publishing Concerns

In a previous post, the umbrella companies of major publishing houses were listed. Merging has also occurred in the self-publishing market. Although many of the subsidy publishers are listed independently—especially in ads on other Web pages—many are the subheads to a larger company. This has changed some of the features the bought-out companies originally had.

A large Umbrella in this new scheme of things is Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI), which is owned by Bertram Capital. ASI has become the world leader in the fastest-growing segment of publishing. ASI brands include iUniverse (acquired by ASI in October, 2008), AuthorHouse, Wordclay, Trafford Publishing (acquired by ASI in April 2009), Xlibris (acquired by ASI in January 2009), Palibrio (for Spanish language books), Inkubook as well as AuthorHive (for marketing).

ASI also has partnered with several trad publishers who are creating their own self-publish imprints. Those are Thomas Nelson (WestBow Press), Harlequin (DellArte Press), Hay House (Balboa Press).

All this seems to fit a recent quote from a Wall Street Journal article about Internet mega-sites: "Over the long haul, competition has been the exception, monopoly the rule." Although the article focuses on Google and Facebook, it also applies to the publishing industry.

The new ASI conglomerate has standardized contracts and created several changes in author services and rights. For instance, some of the distribution perks (to Amazon and Ingrams) have been curtailed unless a stiff fee is paid. More importantly, at Xlibris, iUniverse and Authorhouse, the publisher owns the authors' files after creation, even though the author paid to have them created (this includes payment for editing service as well as formatting). If authors upload their own cover art—it's all owned by the publisher; the author has to pay another fee to get back these files. Hence, if authors decide to take their books elsewhere to republish, or if they didn't sign-up for ebook production and want to do that themselves, these files, now owned by the company, are off limits to them without paying a fee; if authors don't like the costs, it a different cost of new cover and often re-editing.

The Writers weekly Web site, which is associated with the DIY publisher Booklocker, has run a pod price comparison.. Here are pointed out the many author rights circumvented or lost in the new contracts that come from the ASI buyout. Books and Tales also has a page for a quick comparison of high-visibility POD companies.

Mark Levine, who wrote a book on self publishing lists many of the POD publishers, but he doesn't give information—encouraging you to buy his book for answers. :-\

Many sites listed in the search engines haven’t been recently updated and don’t have information on the mergers, buyouts, etc., and how those have affected the services. None of the DIY pulisher sites GITP visited had information about who owned the files. This prominent monopoly trend shows how this DIY segment of the publishing industry is growing, changing and becoming as hard to negotiate as trad publishing.

Help for Indy Bookstores

The decline of bookstores is an escalating situation, and the Indy bookstores are just as vulnerable (or more so) as the big guys. But here's an effort to do something to reverse the situation--at least for indies. Schools, book groups, and individuals are encouraged to visit independent bookstores as a Cultural Heritage project. It's called Bookstore Tourism.

The brainchild of Larry Portzline, this unique approach has been written up in Kirkus Review, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and other national venues. I first read about this in 2005, and the program is still going. That's hopeful.

Ebook Sales

Many reports have come out about the rise in eBook sales, especially in this 3Q of 2010--a jump of more than $30 million wholesale since 2Q!

Interesting fact: the $119.4 million reported is probably only a third of actual sales. The report by Association of American Publishers (AAP) and International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF); are compiled from data from "approx. 12 to 15 trade publishers", and only in the US. These figures do not include indy authors, who are retailing their eBooks independently, nor the many small presses that produce eBooks.

That’s a lot of $ flowing on Internet sales.

IPPY Awards

Independent Publisher, part of the Jenkins Group, has run award programs for more than a decade. Each year, these awards have increased in prestige and credibility.

IPPY: for the best indie-published books of the year, in 69 categories., 11 regions, and 12 Outstanding Books of the Year. Axiom: for business books Living Now: to honor the year's best "lifestyle" books that help readers attain healthier, more fulfilling, and productive lives. Moonbeam: designed to honor the best children’s books, authors and illustrators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.

Entry guidelines and information are always available on the site. IPPY, AXIOM and LIVING NOW are currently seeking submissions. Moonbeam will be early next year.

CONS--Are You Involved?

In North America, November seems to be a month of many CONS. SFCons, that is.

Here's the granddaddy of them all, PHILCON: 19 - 21 November Philcon 2010 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Philcon is hosted by The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, and is the oldest Science Fiction convention in the U.S, with the first held in 1935.

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society has been around since then, too. In 2009, psfs ran a news release, saying they were changing the organization name, but it doesn’t seem to have happened. One of the early "instigators" way back when—Ray Bradbury.

One of the Newest CONS is SFContario. Coming up 19 – 21 November, this is the first year for this gathering at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Toronto.

Other November CONS

ICON 35, 5 – 7 November, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Tucson 37 12 – 14, November, Tucson, Arizona
OryCon32, 12 – 14, November, Portland, Oregon.
LOSCON37 (A celebration of Urban fantasy , Steampunk and SF Noir), 26 – 28 November, Los Angeles

A worldwide list of most CONS can be found at Wikipedia.

National Book Awards

Finalists for the National Book Awards were posted a few weeks ago. Categories are Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. Visit the Web site to see if your favorite author is involved.