Books & Business 5/22

I’m editing my fingers off lately, but I wanted to pass along a couple of things…

From Guardian Unlimited: Authors and agents have been waiting nervously to see if a big publisher would attempt to grab hold of the long tail. This week Simon and Schuster in the US has emerged as that publisher, with a new provision in its contracts to retain copyright in all works that exist in its electronic database – whether or not the work remains in print. The company will no longer have to hold copies in its warehouse to qualify as the publisher of those works. The Authors Guild is advising authors not to sign.

Writer Beware had something to say about it, too.

From The New York Times: When predicting which candidate is likely to win an election, what a movie will make at the box office or how much the price of oil will fluctuate, the guesses of a crowd can be remarkably accurate. But can crowds predict whether a book will succeed? That is the hope of the founders of Media Predict (www.MediaPredict.com), a virtual market beginning today [5/21], and Simon & Schuster, a publisher that plans to select a book proposal based on bets placed by traders in the new market.

From Alice’s CWIM Blog: Guide to Literary Agents Editor Chuck Sambuchino will kick off his GLA e-newsletter tomorrow [5/23]. “The purpose of this is newsletter,” Chuck says, “is to keep readers updated on news, tips and great resources around the Web, regarding literary agents, screenwriting agents, writers’ conferences and writing opportunities in general.” To sign up visit the GLA page. If you’d like to see sample, click here. The newsletter will be biweekly.

Early Ink opens its doors. Here what they’re about: People have a bounty of one–stop options on the Internet to find out about recently released and upcoming movies and music, but book lovers generally get the short shrift. We decided to end that by building an all–in–one online gateway for readers to find out about new and upcoming books from multiple publishers in all genres. At the same time, Early Ink is a place for authors and publishers to advertise, promote and offer previews of their upcoming titles to millions of readers, librarians and booksellers around the world. We want Early Ink to be your first stop for the scoop on your next book to buy or borrow. On every page you’ll find all the details on titles about to hit stores—from price and cover art right down to publisher and ISBN. Plus, you’ll get a list of themes, a brief summary and a full excerpt direct from the book to whet your appetite. Learn more at their site.

From IMDb News: While most media companies, fearing copyright suits, discourage the general public from submitting unsolicited scripts and program ideas — and indeed usually return such submissions or discard them — Mark Cuban, the owner of HDNet, said on his website Monday that “one of the fun things” he does at the channel is reading ideas for new shows. Cuban, who also owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, gives this advice to anyone wanting to submit an idea to him: “I don’t need to be pitched another cooking, poker, pimp my whatever, American Idol knockoff, nor do I want to hear another ‘compete for a Mavs roster spot’ or ‘business plan competition idea.’ What I would like to read are original show ideas. So post them if you got them.”

From the New York Times: It’s taken 12 years, three authors and one rejected manuscript, but tomorrow [5/17]will be another day when “Rhett Butler’s People,” the second sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” is published this fall. Less a conventional sequel than a retelling from Rhett Butler’s point of view, the new book, to be published by St. Martin’s Press in November, is written by Donald McCaig, a former advertising copywriter turned Virginia sheep farmer who has written well-reviewed novels about the Civil War.

From USA Today: Don’t call Mikhail Baryshnikov an author, even if that’s his name atop the cover of Because…, a new children’s picture book illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky. Don’t even call Baryshnikov a collaborator. “I’m more like Vladimir’s sidekick,” he says. “It was mostly his idea. He did most of the work. I bitched about it.” Baryshnikov, the world-famous ballet dancer, actor and choreographer, acknowledges that “I can’t write to save myself.”

I’m so glad these people get book deals.

Also from USA Today: Oprah Winfrey says she was “stunned” to learn her father plans to write a book about her. Winfrey told New York’s Daily News that she laughed when one of her assistants told her the newspaper was calling to ask about a book Vernon Winfrey was writing. She says she called him and it turned out the report was true.

Clinging by Varying Thicknesses of Thread to Relevance:

From the NY Times: After more than 50 years American Heritage, the magazine that furnished not just the minds but, in its original hardcover format, the dens of generations of American history buffs, is suspending publication, its editor, Richard F. Snow, said last week.

From Cognitive Daily: Lots of news outlets are buzzing about a new stand-up treadmill workstation. The idea is that you work standing up for part of the day, walking at a very slow pace, burning calories but still getting just as much done.

From Science Daily: Researchers at Miami University think they know why you can remember some peoples’ names but not others’. They’ve shown quantitatively that certain names are associated with certain facial features. Which person would be inclined to call Bob, and which Tim? An entire lecture hall of students chose the bearded man as Tim and the round-faced man as Bob. (Credit: Photos copyright For example, when people hear the name “Bob” they have in mind a larger, round face than when they hear a name such as “Tim” or “Andy.”

From the Chicago Tribune: It’s like an iTunes for poetry — and it’s free!Professors at the University of Pennsylvania are offering recordings of contemporary poets’ work to the public through an online audio archive of digital downloads, without charges or fees. “It’s unprecedented within poetry,” Charles Bernstein, an English professor and the site’s co-director said, calling it the “first and the biggest site of its kind.”

The U of P collection includes “MP3 sound files of rare poetry recordings of Ezra Pound, as well as a set of his previously unknown private recordings made in 1962-1972. Download HERE.

From The Chronicle Journal: More novelists turn to comic books.

Paris Hilton decides to write a tell-all about the horrible food in jail and the lack of couture prison garb.

President Bill Clinton writes a Crossword Puzzle.

You can now read letters to and from Charles Darwin–almost 5000 of them–online.

Not Really Relevant to Writing AT ALL…but Interesting to Therese:

The teaser trailer for The Golden Compass has been released.

Trump “quits” NBC after they cancel the Apprentice, but FOX may be on hand to hire him up. Meanwhile, Seinfeld jumps from the roof of a hotel in Cannes…these events are, I believe, unrelated.

Can cocoa prevent tooth decay? We’ll be sure to stay on top of this one.

Finally, from National Geographic News: High-protein, low-carb dieters take note: The billions of cicadas emerging from the ground this month in the midwestern U.S. are a healthy alternative to that bacon double-cheeseburger without the bun.

Marsha’s back tomorrow with a new post, so stay tuned.

Write on, all.