Two Senators Sponsor Act to Prevent Online Piracy

Those authors alarmed about the problem of online piracy will be interested in the efforts of Senators Leahy and Tillis. Their SMART Copyright Act “aims to reform the relationship between online service providers and content creators by promoting the use of ‘standard technological measures’ that would, theoretically, help prevent infringing material from being reuploaded to the service after it is removed.” Many groups support the legislation; some oppose it. Unfortunately, “the bill faces an uphill climb against both the tech industry and other legislative priorities.” Full article:  https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/03/21/understanding-the-smart-copyright-act/

Literary news from Ron Charles, The Washington Post:

This will certainly have an adverse effect on the publishing world, especially self-publishers!

As Douglas Adams would say, “Don’t panic.” But we may be running out of paper. And this time it’s not just toilet paper. A recent report in The Washington Post warns, “Book publishers, dogged by paper shortages and shipping delays, are pushing fall releases into early next year” (story).  

Ingram, a major book distributor, issued a statement noting that “the book industry, like all physical goods industries, is experiencing Covid’s negative logistic impacts due in large part to labor and supplies shortages and transportation issues.” The company warned of “a perfect storm brewing.”

The ongoing economic effects are being felt by readers around the globe in strange ways. For instance, with millions of people stuck at home, meal deliveries have soared, forcing book publishers to compete for paper with pizza box manufacturers. 

Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt tells me that reprints of popular books are of special concern because they’re driven entirely by customer demand and so are harder to predict. “This is where the paper shortages, and all the other supply and logistic disruptions, may cause delays and even an inability to reprint at all,” Daunt says. “In truth, printer capacity in the U.S. for domestic printing has fallen short of peak needs for several years now. This year seems certain to be worse.” (Brace yourself!)

The "Big Five" May Soon Become "Big Four"!

At some time next year Bertelsmann, the media conglomerate that already owns Penguin Random House, will in all likelihood purchase Simon & Schuster for $2.17 billion. The proposed sale is, however, "subject to regulatory approval." 

Such a move can only make things more difficult for authors and agents, particularly new talents struggling to "break in." The Authors Guild has spoken out against the proposed transaction, and News Corp, which owns HarperCollins, also voiced opposition. It remains to be seen whether the U. S. Department of Justice will take a position.

Full article: https://apnews.com/article/stephen-king-publishing-john-irving-media-jonathan-karp-89ec475bd7783fea199a378c60261f8b

More Bad News for the Publishing Industry, but … ?

John Merrick has recently written a fascinating piece for Tribune: “Radical Publishing in a Pandemic.” I was particularly intrigued by one solution, even though it would never fly in the USA: “ … the Norwegian government guarantees sales of 1,000 copies of any title that passes certain quality, with those copies then distributed to the country’s many free-to-access public libraries. In doing so, the scheme has provided a lifeline for many publishers — there are many publishers in the UK and US who would be only too glad of 1,000 sales of their new titles every year.”

The article addresses the plights of radical presses and small presses, and how the very survival of “independent” publishing hangs even more precariously in the balance. Worth reading:

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/05/radical-publishing-in-a-pandemic

We Actually DO Judge a Book by Its Cover!

The BBC ran an interesting article today: "Book design has become more important than ever – but what makes an iconic jacket, asks Clare Thorp." The piece discusses the importance of a cover that catches the reader's eye. Two thoughts come to mind, both relevant to the industry today:

(1) << The emergence of ebooks posed a threat to physical books a decade or so ago. But publishers fought back, making books that were more beautiful to look at and to hold than ever before. Fonts got bolder, colours brighter, paper more tactile. There was embossing, foil, cloth bindings and elaborate end papers. Bookshops also became spaces to spend time in, not just to shop, with books presented as objects of desire on curated table and window displays. >>

Of course, one must ask how much the perceived "threat" of digital publishing actually influenced the developments discussed below. That point aside, we must also concede that while ebooks can similarly utilize striking covers, only hard copy can address the other concerns. 

(2) The apparent need for a "great" cover also emerges as yet another obstacle for the self-publisher. There was certainly a time when people might procure something "decent" at a reasonable cost through sites like https://www.fiverr.com/. However, it seems as though writers may need to budget considerably more money for artwork in the years ahead. 

It has become increasingly difficult for new authors to break through to the "Big Five," and many now self-publish via Amazon, Ingram, Lulu, or other such services. Moreover, the more successful writers must reportedly spend up to half their working time on "marketing and promotion," often paying hefty fees along the way. Overall prospects for many have become more and more bleak, and an article like this, stressing the apparent importance of a powerful, eye-catching cover, offers no hope for relief in near future. 

Complete article: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200604-the-best-book-covers-in-history?ocid=global_culture_rss&xtor=ES-213-%5BBBC News Newsletter%5D-2020June4-%5Bculture%5D

A Legal Battle of the Sort Was Almost Inevitable; "Fan Fiction" Faces Legal Hurdles

Those of us who write justifiably take umbrage when someone plagiarizes our work. On the other hand, sometimes a resultant lawsuit may raise issues far larger than those initially presented by the litigants.

The article below arose in the "wolf/kink" genre, hardly as widely read as, let us say, Alex Haley's Roots, which itself resulted in a celebrated plagiarism trial, substantial settlement, and Haley's "acknowledge[ment] and regrets that various materials from The African, by Harold Courlander, found their way into his book, Roots."

Nevertheless, the issue of plagiarism -- or perhaps partial plagiarism -- is at least somewhat similar. 

I think one paragraph summarizes the problem: << “In fan fiction, the sharing of tropes and story parts and plot lines is free flowing,” said Anne Jamison, a fanfic expert and associate professor of English at the University of Utah, who was skeptical of the notion that Omegaverse tropes could be copyrighted. “There’s a blurry line between what is specifically yours and what is somebody else’s.” >>

This notion has prompted reflections on my novel, Trojan Dialogues: The Memoirs of Diomedes. The work is set during the Trojan War. The Mycenean Greeks use Helen's "theft" by Paris as a pretext for initiating hostilities. Hector slays Patroklus; Akhilles slays Hector; a horse somehow contributes to the destruction of Troy. Those element are familiar, though certainly not "tropes." Moreover, my narrative is absolutely unique in the way so many plot lines are developed. Nevertheless, one might ask whether some contemporary author who had treated the same material a few years earlier -- e.g., Marion Zimmer Bradley (cf., The Firebrand) -- could have accused me of stealing her ideas. With the Trojan War, the answer is easy: of course not! With wolf-kink? We shall await the outcome.

The article is in many ways more legal than literary in nature, and the genre is one with which I am altogether unfamiliar. I must append that in classical music one finds a staggering number of variations written by one composer on the theme(s) of another. However, it remains to be seen how freely writers of fan fiction can continue to use the material of others. 

https://dnyuz.com/2020/05/23/a-feud-in-wolf-kink-erotica-raises-a-deep-legal-question/

A Quick Overview of the "Big Five" Publishers

As most people are by now aware, we are down to a "big five," along with a number of smaller presses. The latter, of course, get far less attention from booksellers, reviewers, and traditional marketing/promotion outlets (e.g., radio talk shows), but they remain part of the "traditional publishing" route, as opposed to the self-publishing options (digital and hard copy via Amazon, Ingram/LightningSource, Lulu, et al.). 

The "big five" are the following: Penguin Random House (Penguin, Dutton, Putnam, Random House, Alfred A. Knopf, Doubleday, Crown, etc.), Simon & Schuster ( S&S itself, plus Poseidon, Pocket, et al.), HarperCollins (which includes also Harlequin and others), Macmillan (along with St. Martin's Press and more familiar houses), and Hachette (Little, Brown & Company and other imprints). Details about these are explained in this marvelous graphic: http://almossawi.com/big-five-publishers/.

Another interview published: Anais Chen (baroque violin)

This "news" is actually rather dated by now, but Stay Thirsty Magazine published "A Conversation With Violinist Anais Chen" several months ago. She is a remarkable talent, and I very much enjoyed chatting with her! Here's the link: https://staythirstymagazine.blogspot.com/p/chen-conversation.html

Is This the Last Word on Literary Fraud?

The following article ran in the BBC News on 26 April 2019. Of course, some of the gender-fluid pronouns render the text somewhat problematic. For example: << Knoop says not: they claim to be naive about what they were doing. “At the time I don’t know if I understood it as being performance art,” they say, though they admits that “performance is very adrenalising and it becomes a thing where you go out and look for that feeling." >>

Yes, you read that correctly. It's political correctness vis-a-vis gender identification, although only selectively, even within the same sentence[!]; "they admits," since "they" is [presumably??] singular, but the preceding verb is conjugated as plural within the same sentence: "they say"!

Notwithstanding my editorial reservations, I think the last paragraph offers a great summary of the "literary" world today. Here's the link: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190424-revisiting-jt-leroy-americas-greatest-literary-scam?ocid=global_culture_rss&ocid=global_bbccom_email_26042019_culture.

Fiction, Alternate Personalities, and Related Topics

I have recently stumbled across some interesting entries on the blog of Kenneth A. Nakdimen, M.D. The first (19 February 2019) asks, "Do Fiction Writers Have Alternate Personalities," and cites a study by Marjorie Taylor: http://multiplewriters.blogspot.com/. The same site also has a five-part series (through 20 February 2019) on Aldous Huxley's "Personality and the Discontinuity of the Mind." 

*****

On a related and not altogether dissimilar note, I have had dreams in iambic pentameter. Indeed, the entire story-line of my one-act version of Hamlet came to me in that manner, along with some of the verse. Perhaps more intriguing is the vast amount of musical material that his been similarly "dictated" to me during dreams. Of course, I do not believe this is a manifestation of multiple personality disorder. . . .

Another Interview With Joshua Bell

Earlier this month, Stay Thirsty Magazine released "A Conversation with Joshua Bell about the Virtual Violin." Here is the url:
https://staythirstymagazine.blogspot.com/p/joshua-bell-virtual-violin.html

Publish or Self-Publish: Another Perspective

Ros Barber offers a sobering, less optimistic view of publishing and self-publishing. She correctly notes that in order to self-publish successfully – i.e., work via Kindle, CreateSpace, et al. – one must devote far more time to promotion than writing. Indeed, she points to a potential 90:10 ratio. On the other hand, she is also one of the lucky few able to get contracts from UK publishers. Interesting reading: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/mar/21/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way 

Recommended Fiction

I have recently read two wonderful works, Paul Beatty's The Sellout and Robert Coover's Huck Out West. I enjoyed both so much that I felt obliged to post brief five-star reviews on Amazon.

I sincerely hope Beatty's splendid effort does not slide into the "Black literature" category. It is truly wonderful "literature," above and beyond the ethnicity of the author and most of the characters. The author even mocks political correctness; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn becomes The Pejorative-Free Adventures and Intellectual and Spiritual Journeys of African-American Jim and His Young Protege, White Brother Huckleberry Finn, as They Go in Search of the Lost Black Family Unit, while the "N-word" morphs into "little black euphemism." Suffice it to say things only improve from there, and not before we are instructed by one more choice adage: "People eat the shit you shovel at them"!

Coover breathes new life into the saga of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher. We can almost hear him channeling Twain's voice through Huck's sympathetic portrayal of the plight of the Native American peoples. He also develops a new character twist, as Tom clearly succumbs to the notion of "manifest destiny," which Huck simply refuses to swallow. As I note in the Amazon review, there is an ugly irony in the timing of this book, since the Trump administration will clearly ignore the rights of the Lakota. Lovers of Twain will be delighted by Coover's opus, while those who have yet to discover that giant should feel motivated to read his greatest works.

Article on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Published -- and Accessible

"An Interpretation of Eliot's 'Prufrock'" has been published by Literary Arts Review.

Update, 1 January 2018: Originally a subscription publication, LAR is now free and online, and I am able to provide the hyperlink to my own copy:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzVwCY1K_iuYVHNyNVcybmhEMEU

Of course, this interpretation is non-scholarly and quite personal, but I feel it has definite validity. Enjoy!

Short Story Published!

My short story, "Bach's Last Composition:  A Fantasy," appeared in the September, 2016 issue of Literary Arts Review Magazine  (LiteraryArtsReview.com).  The publishers also embedded the second movement of my Sonata for Violin and Clavier in D Minor, Op. 4.  My article on Eliot's "The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is slated for release next month.

Update, 1 January 2018: Literary Arts Review Magazine became a free publication, so I can post the following link to the story:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B30ATaX80nodU1RzVmp2M3pHVEk.

A Book (and Story) with "Movie" Potential!

I have recently completed (and very much enjoyed!) Goddess, Kelly Gardiner's novel based on the life of Julie d'Aubigny (aka La Maupin).  In her short life (1673-1707) she was a swashbuckling swordswoman, opera singer, duelist, and the lover of various prominent men and women in France.  Julie ran afoul of the law on numerous occasions, most notoriously for setting fire to a convent (for which she was tried in absentia and sentenced to the stake).

If we take a quick look at the core ingredients -- a powerful woman, brawls and duels, passionate affairs (heterosexual and lesbian), triumphs on stage, etc. -- the tale surely lends itself to film.  From what I have learned, the character did make her way to two cinematic ventures.  However, Julie, Chevalier de Maupin (2004) distorted the historical narrative almost beyond recognition, while Madamigella di Maupin (1966) strayed even farther afield.  I hope one day the actual life of this remarkable woman will catch the fancy of some director.

Of course, the cinematic rendition is one thing; the literary may be quite different.  I must commend Gardiner for a wonderfully understated and extremely sensitive presentation.  The narrative indeed unfolds in a manner consistent with its device:  a deathbed confession to a priest.  This is a beautiful novel with powerful writing, artistically strengthened by what is left unsaid.  Brava!

J. K. Rowling Shares Galbraith's Rejection Letters

In a gesture she maintains was made "for inspiration, not revenge," the Harry Potter author uploaded a number of rejection letters garnered by The Cuckoo's Calling, a murder-mystery novel published under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith.  My earlier post (16 July 2013) offered some thoughts on that subject!

Many of Rowling's seven million-plus Twitter followers undoubtedly had a good laugh.  If a few editors and publishers have egg on their faces, so much the better.

The complete BBC article can be accessed through this hyperlink:  http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35899243?ocid=global_bbccom_email_25032016_top+news+stories.

Article About Meredith Wild Underscores Realities of Contemporary Publishing World

Alesandra Alter’s article, “Meredith Wild, a Self-Publisher Making an Imprint,” appeared in The New York Times last Saturday, 30 January.  Above and beyond the wild successes achieved by Ms. Wild, the piece presented some updates about the state of publishing today.  Here is one of the highlights:

<< As independent authors grab a bigger slice of the e-book market, digital sales by traditional publishers fell by 11 percent in the first nine months of 2015, according to data gathered from more than 1,200 publishers by the Association of American Publishers.

Last year, a third of the 100 best-selling Kindle books were self-published titles on average each week, an Amazon representative said. Some analysts attribute the dip in publishers’ e-book revenue in part to the glut of cheap self-published books, which often sell for as little as $1. >>

A number of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) products actually sell for 99 cents, a price that seems most attractive to “impulse buyers.”  Admittedly, many of these “bargain basement” products are of poor quality, yet at the same time a number are quite good.  I should certainly like to think some of the titles on my author’s page deserve that description.

Of course, most authors garner little more than the satisfaction of seeing their books “out there.”  It is easy enough to publish on Kindle, yet very few titles actually sell.  Indeed, one must acquire unique skills to market and promote digital titles successfully (a trick I certainly haven’t learned). 

The bigger issue, however, is that the New York literary mafia remains a closed door to most writers.  Without the necessary contacts and/or “credibility” – to say nothing of the author’s “platform” (a term loosely used to encompass websites, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter accounts) – most writers will never get any consideration, while a number of mediocrities are awarded huge contracts. 

The article can be viewed at:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/business/media/meredith-wild-a-self-publisher-making-an-imprint.html?partner=IFTTT.

Link to "Bach's Last Composition: A Fantasy"

My short story, loosely based on the death of J. S. Bach before he could complete The Art of Fugue, is still available as a free download on Lulu.com (cf., blog post of 6 September 2015, below).  However, it is also accessible here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B30ATaX80nodU1RzVmp2M3pHVEk/view?usp=sharing.

I hope readers enjoy it!

Amelia Bassano as "Key Collaborator in the Shakespearean Works"?

This fascinating argument is developed in John Hudson's recent article, "Amelia Bassano Lanier:  A New Paradigm."  While initially inclined to reject the notion without much deliberation, I must confess that I found the argument quite intriguing and far more plausible than those put forward for any of the other "usual suspects" (e.g., Bacon, de Vere, Marlowe, et al.).

So many little details arise in support of Hudson's hypothesis, including the following:  (1) Amelia was the mistress of the Lord Chamberlain, who became patron of the Lord Chamberlain's Men shortly thereafter.  (2) Several of her relatives held prominent posts related to both set design and music.  (3) Dedications to The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis went to the Earl of Southampton, a neighbor and close friend of Amelia.  (4) Ben Jonson (who claimed to know the author of the plays) strangely compared said author to a "matron" in the First Folio.  Finally, (5) unlike most of the other "suspects" (with Marlowe perhaps the most notable exception), Amelia was an accomplished and published poet.

It's a long article with far more than the above, and well worth perusal.  Those interested can find it here:  http://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/wp-content/uploads/Oxfordian2009_Hudson_Bassano.pdf.