He’s died, after a battle with cancer. openDemocracy.net has published a moving list of his columns. What a man.
Daily Archives: April 26, 2010
Random House cedes some e-Rights to Styron family
From today’s NYTimes.
Because e-books were not explicitly mentioned in most author contracts until about 15 years ago, disputes have arisen about who has the right to publish digital versions of older books. But along with other publishers, Random House, which releases Styron’s works in print, has said that clauses like “in book form” give it exclusive rights to publish electronic editions. In a letter to literary agents in December, Markus Dohle, chief executive of Random House, the world’s largest publisher of trade books, said authors were “precluded from granting publishing rights to third parties” for electronic editions.
But in a statement last week Stuart Applebaum, a spokesman for Random House, said the company was continuing talks with many authors or their estates about publishing e-books of their older works. “The decision of the Styron estate is an exception to these discussions,” he said in an e-mail message. “Our understanding is that this is a unique family situation.”
Mr. Applebaum added that Random House had released e-book editions of two titles by Styron published after electronic rights clauses had been added to contracts. “We are hopeful future discussions with his family members will eventually result in additional e-book publications,” Mr. Applebaum said.
People in the publishing industry said Random House’s apparent acquiescence in the Styron case could lead to a flood of other authors or their estates moving e-books to separate digital publishers.
Yep.
Quote of the day
If the iPad were a British party leader would it be:
a. Nick Clegg, because it’s new
b. David Cameron, because it’s shiny
c. Gordon Brown, because it displays the symptoms of severe control-freakery?
Answer: d., all of the above.
From John Lanchester, who has just bought an iPad.
Politicians and people v MSM
Rory Cellan-Jones, the BBC’s admirable Tech expert has a puzzling post on his blog in which he claims that:
So far, it’s been a much better election for the mainstream media – or the “MSM” as they’re described by an often contemptuous blogosphere – than you might have expected. The bloggers hoped they would boss this campaign, breaking stories, setting the mood, and leaving the flat-footed old media types trailing in its wake.
But the newspapers, and in particular the broadcasters have proved far more influential, with the TV debates dwarfing every other aspect of the campaign.
He then goes on to tell a story about a Tory candidate, Joanne Cash, who took exception to an article about her in the Sunday Times by a journalist named Camilla Long. But instead of grinning and bearing it, Ms Cash hit back on Twitter. Rory also cites the way in which the Labour ex-minister, Tom Watson (a formidable twitterer btw) immediately rebutted on his blog an incorrect story about him in a national newspaper.
Rory thinks that these examples illustrate the way in which online media make things different this time. And of course, at one level he’s right. But IMHO they’re just trivial examples and suggest that he’s missing the bigger picture.
Also, on a pedantic note, I’d like to see some evidence for his assertion that denizens of the “contemptuous” blogosphere “hoped they would boss this campaign, breaking stories, setting the mood, and leaving the flat-footed old media types trailing in its wake”. I can’t remember any blogger expressing such sentiments. Or have I just been missing a meme?