London
Wednesday 13 april 2016
visit pW and BookBrunch at Stand 6C75
LBF opens on positive note Andrew Albanese and Neill Denny The 2016 London Book Fair officially kicked off with a note of optimism from LBF director Jacks Thomas, who told attendees that after a few years of steady decline, UK book sales were on the rise. “There are definitely glimmers of hope coming out of the UK and Ireland,” Thomas said at the Fair’s opening press conference, with sales for 2015 up 2.6% in Ireland, and 3.7% in the UK according to Nielsen. In addition, UK consumer book purchases are up a solid 5%. Globally, Thomas noted, sales in the US were also on the rise, while continental Europe remained flat. Meanwhile South Africa and China came into the
Fair with booming markets, with South African sales up 18% in 2015, and sales in China up 13%. Thomas also said the data backed reports of a revival in print sales, up 4% in 2015, while ebook sales growth had slowed to 4%, after posting increases of 17% in 2014 and 26% in 2013. Audiobooks were also hot in 2015, up 27%, with three-fifths of those sales in digital format. Some 25,000 visitors are expected at this year’s Fair, including hundreds of exhibitors from over 60 countries. “If you look at a threeyear snapshot, 2013 and 2014 didn’t make for very happy reading,” Thomas said. “We are now going in the right direction.” Her optimism was echoed on
stop press Caroline Michel at Peters Fraser & Dunlop is selling at the Fair a book by Danny Willett, who emerged from obscurity on Sunday to become the first British golfer for 20 years to win the US Masters.
the show floor. HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne said: “The physical retailers are coming back, so I think there is a confidence. There is a confidence in the market, a confidence in books. But it’s not all ‘p’–I want to see an uplift in ‘e’ too.” On Olympia, Redmayne said: “I like Olympia, there was a buzz here from the start today. I got here at 8, it was busy. This part of London works well for the publishing community.” Redmayne’s colleague Lisa Milton, MD of Harlequin, was even more bullish about the Fair: “It’s bloody brillant and you can quote me on that.” Agent Luigi Bonomi said: “The fair is buzzy and positive, there are a lot of deals going on, actually being done here. Frankfurt is a rights follow-up, here it is really happening.” Selina Walker of Century was also happy: “The Agents’ Centre is great, and the Fair is very buzzy with a lot of things happening.”
On day one of the Fair, the Sharjah Book Authority signed a deal with Publishers Weekly to do an international edition of the magazine in Arabic beginning in 2017. Pictured are PW Executive VP and Publisher Cevin Bryerman with Sharjah Book Authority Chairman Ahmed Al Ameri.
inSide: internationaL exCeLLenCe awardS
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tranSLating From the marginS
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LBF PiCture gaLLery
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
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London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2016 The London Book Fair presented its International Excellence Awards, run in association with The Publishers Association and sponsored by Hytex, at a reception yesterday evening sponsored by UK Trade & Industry.
Also hosted on the night was a selection of awards held in association with LBF:
london Book Fair simon master chairman’s aWard Ernest Hecht
Bookstore oF the year Readings (Australia)
Quantum puBlishing innovation aWard Reedsy
literary Festival Flupp (Brazil)
ipa prix voltaire Raif Badawi (Saudi Arabia)
puBlishers Weekly literary translation initiative aWard Words without Borders (US) academic and proFessional puBlisher Auckland University Press (New Zealand) trade children’s and young adult puBlisher Jieli Publishing House Co Ltd (China)
Bookseller adult trade puBlisher Actes Sud (France) china puBlishing & media Journal educational learning resources aWard SuperMemo World sp. z o.o. (Poland) gloBal rights 365 literary agent aWard The Barbara J Zitwer Agency (US)
london Book Fair trailBlazer aWards George Burgess (Gojimo), Clio Cornish (HarperCollins), Nick Coveney (Kings Road), Ella Kahn (DKW Literary Agency), Bryony Woods (DKW Literary Agency) association For puBlishing education dissertation and proJect prizes Veronique Morgan (postgraduate–UCL), Fiona Parker (undergraduate–Loughborough), Amy Ellis (overall– Oxford Brookes) accessiBle Books consortium aWard For accessiBle puBlishing Initiative: Action on Disability Rights and Development (ADRAD) (Nepal) and DK and the DK Braille Concept Development team (UK) Publisher: Elsevier
education initiatives aWard United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) (Sudan)
london Book Fair liFetime achievement aWard Gail, Baroness Rebuck DBE
market Focus achievement aWard Market Focus China (China)
Archer diplomatic
total licensing ip rights across media aWard The Night Zookeeper (UK)
To contact london show daily at the Fair, please visit us at: BookBrunch stand 2A61 Publishers Weekly stand 6C75 Publisher: Joseph Murray BookBrunch Publisher: Tobias Steed Editors: Andrew Albanese, Nicholas Clee, Neill Denny Reporters: Jasmin Kirkbride, Ed Nawotka Project Coordinator: Bryan Kinney Layout and Production: Heather McIntyre Editorial Coordinator (UK): Marian Sheil Tankard
For a Free digital trial to publishers Weekly go to publishersweekly.com/freetrial subscribe to BookBrunch via www.bookbrunch.co.uk or email editor@bookbrunch.co.uk
Jeffrey Archer declined an invitation to disparage Ian McEwan during a speech at the English Pen Literary Salon. Archer drew a distinction between himself, “a storyteller”, and writers whom he described as “well educated, well read and well honed”, with McEwan– whose new novel Nutshell was announced yesterday–the classic example. “I’m not a writer, I am a storyteller, I sit down and write, ‘Once upon a time’ and then I pray,” he said, adding that, “A storyteller doesn’t know what is happening tomorrow–because if I don’t know, you [the reader] can’t know.” Asked later by a member of the audience if he was being disparaging to McEwan, Archer turned to the crowd and asked if anyone else thought he was being disparaging. When no one put their hand up, he said: “He’s arguably the greatest writer in the country. I said he wasn’t a storyteller, please pay attention”, before turning to the next questioner. Earlier Archer said that Harry Clifton, from the Clifton Chronicles, was clearly autobiographical, that “how he goes about his job as a writer, it’s me really”. He added that he produced between 10 and 13 drafts of each novel, and that his favourite book (of his own) was Paths of Glory.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
Translating from the margins The Fair’s Literary Translation Centre, again this year sponsored by Amazon Crossing, is as always drawing big crowds of translators, students, and others concerned with the development and proliferation of translated literature, writes Edward Nawotka. As always, much attention is given to the rights trade in translation for major languages–Spanish, German, and French often being cited as the top marketplaces. But an early panel on Tuesday, “Translating from the Margins”, sought to shed light on advantages of working with underrepresented languages. Deborah Smith, a translator from the Korean responsible for the much lauded English-language edition of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, noted that one of the advantages of working with lesser trafficked languages was a surfeit of high quality books yet to be translated. “Though Korean is a modern country with a deep literature, until recently almost nothing has been published in English.” Others echoed this point. Panelist Mui Poopoksakul said that in working with Thai authors, she had found even the top authors were “very approachable”, and “very grateful” for the interest. Poopoksakul is translating a book of short stories by the Thai writer Prabda Yoon for Smith’s new Tilted Axis Press,
which had its launch just before the Fair on Monday. “This will be the first major work of Thai translated into English and published in the UK,” noted Smith, whose publishing house is focused on bringing works into English from Central and South East Asian languages, including Bengali, Uzbek and Indonesia, among others. Often, the smaller the footprint of the language, the more impactful a translator can be in serving as an ambassador. Moderator Antonia Lloyd Jones said she felt this in her role as a translator of Polish literature, as did Peter Bush as a translator of Catalan and Nicky Harman, who helps run Read Paper Republic–a programme that publishes a new short story translated from the Chinese each week as a showcase of the author’s work. The disadvantages of working with lesser-known languages are myriad, not the least of which is that there is often limited institutional support, in the form of translation grants, and rarely are editors capable of reading the books in their native languages. “This means that you often have to have very long sample translations,” said Smith, “then you have to wait the 12 to 18 months for the acquiring editors to read the samples and make a decision, a period in which you will go unpaid.”
Towards ‘books that write Rosoff on Trump and plots themselves’ At the Quantum conference on Monday, keynote speaker Nick Bostrom argued that we were on the cusp of the leap to true artificial intelligence. And, thereafter, the leap to artificial superintelligence was a short one, and 20 years in the future we may be empowered to, essentially, live for ever–or bring on the apocalypse. Yesterday,in the first session in the Interactive Theatre, Guy Gadney, CEO and Founder of To Play For, and formerly of The Project Factory, offered a less sensational view. Nevertheless, he said that technology was beginning to emerge that would create “a new publishing form”. Presently, this tech is best displayed in the form of apps that interact with audiences in real time, using “chat bot” technology. Gadney, who was instrumental in the development of the popular Sherlock app, said that authors and publishers were perfectly positioned to create interactive books in which characters reacted differently to individual readers. It might be seen as extension of the “put me in the story” personalisation trend that has taken hold in children’s books. He cited The Suspect, an interactive app in which a user engages in a rapid-fire Q&A with an avatar of a suspected criminal seated in a virtual interrogation room at a police station. The twist? The suspect knows things about you, the user, gleaned from your social media feeds, and reacts to your questions and interacts with you personally. “Essentially, a live relationship can be built between characters and readers,” Gadney said. As yet, “The books won’t write themselves”, said Gadney. But “the relationship with the readers and characters can do!”
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Speaking at LBF days after winning the Astrid Lingren prize, Meg Rosoff, explaining how her writing played with the idea of normality and abnormality, made a clear reference to Donald Trump’s sanity. “I grew up with a strong sense that in life the goal was to be normal: that normal people do this, but I came to be attracted to the abnormal–but that is in fact normal,” Rosoff said. “The average American is standing in front of a lunatic in a toupee shouting ‘USA, USA’.” Interviewed by Rowan Pelling at the English Pen Literary Salon, Rosoff also took issue with the need for plot. “Plot is what people fall back on if they don’t know how to write properly,” she argued. This did not apply to Anthony Horowitz (“for whom I have enormous respect”); nevertheless, “He doesn’t access the deep dark place that I come from.” She often consults fellow writers about plot–“I do think about plot a great deal. Most of the time I think, ‘Why can’t I work this out?’” She revealed she was toying with an idea for an adventure story based on a small boy who has an ice cream van and wants to be a spy: too small to see over the counter, he listens in on conversations. However: “I’m not sure I can write mystery, and I need someone to do the plots for me.” She described her current book, Jonathan Unleashed (Bloomsbury), as screwball comedy, and said that a key character, Greeley, was partially based on “a shrink” she used to see in New York, “who sees the world more clearly than you do. I am still resonating with the things he said to me 30 years ago.”
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
LBF rights round-up–day 2 William Collins UK and William Morrow US are to publish HIDDEN FIGURES: THE STORY OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN WHO HELPED WIN THE SPACE RACE by Margot Lee Shetterly, represented by Mackenzie Brady Watson of New Leaf Literary & Media. A film version starring Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner and Kirsten Dunst, with music by Pharrell Williams, is slated for release early next year. The book tells the little known true story of NASA’s coterie of African-American female mathematicians who calculated the crucial flight paths that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Joseph Zigmond at Wm Collins said: “Margot Lee Shetterly has written a thrilling account that rescues from obscurity a group of gifted, resilient women and their extraordinary endeavour.” Juggernaut Books has pre-empted India rights to the memoirs of the former head of McKinsey worldwide, Rajat Gupta, who was charged in the largest insider trading case in United States history. As well as running McKinsey, Gupta chaired the Advisory Board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. But after a high-profile and lengthy trial in 2012 he was found guilty and sentenced to two years in jail. He was released earlier this year, continuing to maintain his innocence. Juggernaut said that the book was “candid, compelling and poignant”. Suzie Dooré at the Borough Press has pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights (exc Canada) in two books by Cherise Wolas, from Kerry Nordling at St Martin’s Press. St Martin’s Flatiron Books will publish in the US. The first novel in the deal is THE RESURRECTION OF JOAN ASHBY (summer 2017), about a short story writer who marries and has children despite her youthful intentions, and who experiences a betrayal “of Shakespearian proportions”. It is Dooré’s first acquisition for Borough Press. Wolas is a writer, editor, lawyer, and film producer whose movies include the SXSW Audience Award winner Darkon. Atlantic UK and Viking US have bought Elaine Castillo’s AMERICA ISN’T THE HEART (spring 2018), a novel spanning three generations of a Filipino family. James Roxburgh at Atlantic won a three-way
auction for UK and Commonwealth (exc Canada) rights through Emma Paterson at Rogers, Coleridge & White. Roxburgh said that the novel was “thrillingly sensual in its rendering of food, smells, make-up and making out, and it is deeply impressive on balancing the quotidian with the extraordinary”. Paul Engles at MacLehose Press has signed THE PRESIDENT’S GARDENS by the Iraqi writer Mushin al-Ramli. MacLehose Press has world rights (excluding Arabic and Italian) in a two-book deal direct from the author. The President’s Gardens, which was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2013, is the tale of life in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, spanning three decades from the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War to the aftermath of the American invasion. The English translation is by Professor Luke Leafgren. Simon Taylor at Transworld has signed THE ODIN EXPERIMENT, the debut novel by Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Surrey University, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific. Al Khalili’s previous books include the bestselling Life on the Edge. Transworld has UK, Commonwealth and exclusive Europe rights from Conville & Walsh’s Patrick Walsh, and will publish in Bantam Press hardcover in summer 2017. The novel is about three scientists’ efforts to save the Earth from disaster. Al-Khalili outlined the plot to Taylor at lunch: “To say I was transfixed is an understatement,” the publisher said. Louise Haines at 4th Estate has bought world rights from Ed Victor in THE FORTNUM & MASON COOKBOOK (September 2016), to be written by Tom Parker Bowles. It is described as “the first comprehensive cookbook in Fortnum & Mason’s 300-year history”. Louise Haines at 4th Estate has signed UK and Commonwealth rights in Kyo Maclear’s BIRDS, ART, LOVE, DEATH, the sale of which to Scribner US and Doubleday Canada featured in yesterday’s round-up. Haines won the book in a hotly contested auction conducted by Carolyn Forde on behalf of Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists. The book is “an outstanding meditation on life, love, creativity, death and birds”.
CCC teams with Sheridan
John Whittingdale, Minsister for Culture, Media and Sport, toured the London Book Fair yesterday and stopped by the BookBrunch stand to meet the winners of the inaugural Trailblazer Awards. From left to right: Stephen Lotinga, CEO PA, Ella Kahn and Bryony Woods (Diamond Kahn and Woods Literary Agency), John Whittingdale MP, Nick Coveney (Kings Road Publishing and Blink Publishing of Bonnier Publishing Group), Clio Cornish (Harlequin),Tobias Steed, Publisher, BookBrunch and Eric Green, CEO BookBrunch. George Burgess (Gojimo) was unable to attend.
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The Copyright Clearance Center has announced that it has expanded its RightsLink OA solution to enable publishers to offer physical reprints and ePrints to their authors directly through the RightsLink platform, via a partnership with print services provider Sheridan. Jennifer Goodrich, Director of Product Management at CCC, said that adding the ability to order reprints into the existing author workflow enabled publishers to offer a streamlined and consistent experience for their authors, from preproduction through post-production. With four US-based production facilities, Sheridan is a leading provider of print, publishing services and technology solutions to publishers, associations, university presses, and cataloguers.
london shoW daily
Wednesday 13 april 2016
Scenes before the opening
Olympia awaits the 2016 fairgoers
The Quantum conference YA panel: (from left) Saara Tiruaniemi, Aissetou N’gmo, Ashleigh Gardner, Deirdre Sullivan
James Daunt of Waterstones in conversation with Stephen Page of Faber
Conference Chairs: Alison Jones and on her left Bill Thompson
Nick Bostrom gives the conference keynote
The scene at the October Gallery as Atlantic held its pre-LBF party
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
indie bookstore revival Last year was a strong year for indie booksellers. Andrew Richard Albanese caught up with American Booksellers Association (ABA) CEO Oren Teicher to talk about the challenges that still lie ahead. AA: Some good news for indie booksellers last year–can we call it a comeback? OT: Yes, there has been a Oren Teicher resurgence of indie bookstores, both in terms of sales and in ABA membership numbers. And one of the most significant trends we’re seeing is that more existing stores are selling to new owners. Not only do we benefit from the energy new owners bring, but this also reinforces that when bookstore owners get ready to retire, they don’t have to just shut the doors–there is an exit strategy. AA: What are some of the challenges facing US indies? OT: Well, there are some substantial issues. For example, there is the movement to raise the minimum wage in many communities across the country. While booksellers generally don’t oppose minimum wage increases, it’s not like a grocery store where you can just pass on the costs to the consumer, because publishers set book prices. So when wages go up, we have to figure out how to absorb that cost. Also, in these slightly better economic times, there is upward pressure on real estate. And of course there’s Amazon, and the shift to online shopping. But that said, publishers now clearly appreciate that they need bricks-and-mortar stores to survive–as we need publishers to survive. AA: ABA has unveiled an independent report on the impact of Amazon on local communities, and has debuted a “localism” toolkit. Tell us about that. OT: Yes, the ABA has created a new package to help booksellers get the message out of the importance of localism. We’re just trying to put tools in the hands of stores to communicate to consumers, the media and elected officials about the true economic cost of Amazon. Yes, shopping online is convenient, and often cheaper, but what the report quantifies is how much tax revenue local governments lose as a result of online shopping, and how many jobs. We don’t want people to stop shopping online, but we can educate people about the cost to their communities. AA: On the subject of Amazon, you’ve joined with Authors United in calling for an antitrust investigation. And, any thoughts on Amazon’s physical bookstores? OT: We believe that Amazon’s power in the book business is not good for consumers, and that the antitrust laws provide a framework to investigate their practices. So, we will continue to work with Authors United to press that point with the Department of Justice. As to Amazon’s physical stores, I have no idea what their plans are. But we are going to focus on what we do–our entrepreneurial spirit, and knowing our communities. Amazon is of the size that you can’t ignore what they do. But we are going to focus on doing what we do. ■
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In 2015, following the sudden collapse of pioneering subscription ebook service Oyster, questions abounded about the viability of the model–this despite positive feedback from publishers and customers alike on the model. Andrew Richard Albanese caught up with Trip Adler, CEO of Scribd, the largest Trip Adler provider of subscription ebooks in the US, to talk about the company’s growth, and the future of subscription reading.
AA: Tell us about the state of subscription ebooks, postOyster. Is your business growing as you’d expected? TA: Scribd is doing well, and growing as expected. It’s difficult for any new business to break into the book subscription space, given the high costs of publisher payments and the high cost of user acquisition. But Scribd started from a unique spot, because we began with 90 million monthly users visiting our library of 80 million user-contributed documents. AA: And, more generally, what’s your take on the state of ebook subscriptions overall? TA: It’s still early days. But as a model, it’s popular with consumers. If you look at the video space, you have Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime and more than 100 more subscription services. If you look at music you have Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal and dozens more. So I look forward to growing the market similarly for subscription reading. AA: You recently tweaked your model a bit, creating a sort of hybrid model with limited and unlimited offerings. Tell us the benefit of that? TA: We’ve found that Scribd attracts a wide range of readers. The vast majority read three books or less per month. They value selection more than anything. Some readers we’ve seen would read 100 books per month. They value the unlimited nature of the service. Our hybrid model allows us to deliver value to all types of readers while supporting publishers and building in a profit margin for Scribd. AA: In the years since you launched your subscription ebook service, what have you learned about your readers? Does anything stand out to you in terms of their habits or preferences? TA: One thing I learned is just how diverse readers are. For example, romance readers are very different from non-fiction readers who are very different from comic book readers. We have readers who span across nearly every age range, demographic, location, education level, type of job, etc. Designing a product for such a diverse group of people is an exciting challenge. But one commonality is their interest in discovery; we have found that
WedneSday 13 april 2016
ge opportunity readers are willing to try new genres that they likely wouldn’t have tried under the retail model. I’m proud that we are changing reading behaviour, and driving new forms of discovery and distribution for publishers.
AA: Some of the publishers I’ve spoken to believe subscription really helps them, especially in marketing the backlist. But others have said they don’t see the value. What’s your pitch to publishers who are still reticent to engage with readers through subscription? TA: All the publishers that have put books on Scribd have kept their books on Scribd, and the vast majority has increased their catalogues over time. These publishers appreciate that we are driving reads of their backlist titles, as well as awareness of key authors and series, while providing additional revenue, often for titles that were producing little or no revenue before. The pitch is: there is nothing to lose. Remember, we pay publishers each time a book is read. And the publishers who work with us quickly see that we help them distribute and monetise books in new ways. AA: On the trade book side, we’ve seen ebook sales from the major publishers dip. I don’t pretend to know exactly why that is, other than to say that the ebook market is still young, and evolving. What’s your take? TA: The digital reading market is huge, and it will only get bigger. There’s no reason why it can’t be as big as the market for digital video and digital music. This will, however, require innovative thinking and risk-taking from everyone in the industry. I think there are a few potential reasons why ebook sales from the major publishers are seeing a dip. The most common perceptions are that consumers are spending less time reading and more on other types of media; or that people are reading more print books; or that ebook prices are too high relative to other forms of media. I think all of those are plausible. In video and music, the majority of digital revenues are now through subscription, and not à la carte sales. In 10 years, digital sales for video and music will likely be 90% subscription. I think it’s obvious that the way to drive sales of digital content is through a subscription model, and I encourage the publishing community to embrace it. AA: The data we’ve seen is that digital audio is surging in popularity; do you see this as well? TA: Absolutely. Audiobooks are a popular genre on Scribd, and our audiobook subscriber numbers continue to grow. It’s a good example of how technology is adapting to the needs of the reader. Today’s consumer is multi-tasking more than ever, and audiobooks allow readers to enjoy great books while on the go. Our members especially appreciate that we offer books and audiobooks together in one product, and in one subscription. AA: What’s coming up for Scribd? TA: Our plan right now is to continue focusing on
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data making it big for publishers As publishers remake themselves into information providers for the Digital Age, they ought to reconsider whether their sole product is the content they sell, writes Christopher Kenneally. Indeed, says Grace Hong, Vice President of Strategic Markets & Development and General Manager of Learning Solutions for Wolters Kluwer’s Tax & Accounting business unit, publishers ought to head for the new marketplace that Big Data has opened. Chris Kenneally “From a product standpoint and from a customer standpoint, it’s about deeply understanding how information can provide value to the customer,” Hong told me in a recent “Beyond the Book” podcast interview. “We are not only mining the customer data that currently exists,” she explains, “it’s really about how to create value through asking the right questions.” At Wolters Kluwer’s Tax & Accounting, customer usage data told a familiar story, Hong explained–the researchers the company served were growing ever more impatient for answers. In the traditional paradigm, professional publishers like Wolters Kluwer were busy developing
research products to meet this demand. Yet, it was obvious to Hong that the customers simply preferred Google. “Our customers were increasingly going to Google for answers on tax,” Hong says. “So we made a pretty bold move at the end of 2014, where we said, OK, we’ve been hearing this for years. Instead of fighting Google, why don’t we integrate with Google? So we developed a plug-in enabling search side-by-side with our databases and Google results. This made a huge difference in overall retention, in overall search volumes and product usage overall. That was a big success for us.” Data, clearly, is not just for engineers anymore. We exist in a world of data. Myriad points of information are recorded constantly on smartphones and laptops, watches and Fitbits. For businesses and individuals, all this captured data helps inform decisions, everything from where we eat and what we eat, to how to reach customers and satisfy their demands, including for books. And when data travels on a two-way street, information can shape the conduct of customer and provider alike.
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Take for example, research by Boston College Professor Sam Ransbotham, who points to the data exchanges at the heart of ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft. “Historically you would walk into a taxi and take that taxi. The taxi driver would never see you again, and you would never see the same taxi again. That’s a one-time game where Grace Hong each of us has an incentive to act poorly towards the other person,” Ransbotham described in a recent “Beyond the Book” interview. “But in the sharing economy, this game is now repeated. You’re not just taking a ride with a ride-sharing service once; you’re probably going to take it multiple times. That creates a history. Meanwhile, that ride-sharing service is going to pick you up several times. That creates a history, as well. It’s that history that I think changes things.” For publishers, digital downloads directly from the internet can eliminate the traditionally foggy nature of customer data like a cataract operation can improve cloudy vision. And that change
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has the potential to transform publishing from a factory where information is made like shoes into a service able to recommend information to the right reader at the right time. “Before, publishers had to filter through multiple stages [of data provided by intermediaries],” Ransbotham says. “With each one of those Sam Ransbotham stages, just like in a game of ‘telephone’ [‘Chinese Whispers’], the data would get murkier, and more and more uncertain. Now, a publisher may know the individual reader, and not only that, but also whether that person read through page one, page two, page 10, read it to the end, read it in one sitting, read it in 40 sittings, read it three times or four times,” Ransbotham notes. “That is a phenomenal amount of behavioural data that people just had to guess about before.” ■ Christopher Kenneally hosts Copyright Clearance Center’s podcast series, “Beyond the Book.” On Thursday (from 11.30am to 12.30pm), the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) sponsors “The Data Dilemma” with Haralambos Marmanis, Chief Technology Officer of CCC, and guests Sybil Wong of Sparrho and Jim Bryant of Trajectory.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
The Write stuff Back for another year, the Write Stuff competition will see six authors pitch their books to a panel of literary agents in Author HQ on Thursday. Nicholas Clee caught up with last year’s winner, Sanjiv Rana, before the Fair.
NC: How did you hear about the Write Stuff and what made you decide to enter? SR: I had been working on my novel for a few months, but was nervous about the idea of having to search for an agent once the novel was finished. A friend told me about the Write Stuff on the day that was the deadline for submitting an entry. A chance of an in-depth meeting with a reputed agent was what I was looking for and I submitted my entry within a couple of hours. NC: You have a background in publishing and journalism. Did this help you when you had to pitch your novel? SR: I do write for a living as a journalist, although the ability to produce coherent copy does not necessarily make one a creative writer. But my job as an editor does require the ability to present an idea in a crisp and precise manner within a specified word limit. That helped with the pitch as the point was to present the crux of the novel within a span of two minutes.
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NC: What did you decide to focus on when pitching? Did you tell the story, try to come up with an arresting formula (“This is Midnight’s Children meets The White Tiger”), or talk about what motivated you to write–or use all of these elements? SR: I focused more on the story and the underlying themes of karma and nirvana within “The Insignificance of Good Intentions” (insignificantintentions.com). But I used other elements as well. I started off talking about my motivation, which came from my days as a reporter interviewing prison inmates. I also talked about the main protagonist’s voice, which is cynical and darkly funny, and similar to The White Tiger. But my focus was on the story of the naïve romantic who loses his faith when he ends up in prison on a false charge. NC: Describe your experience at the competition. Was it nerve-wracking? SR: I was somewhat nervous about a “Dragon’s Den”style event, where my idea could be torn apart by judges, as happens on TV. Writers can be quite emotional about their work and vulnerable to criticism. But the organisers were aware of such realities and the whole process was very cordial. Any criticism offered was quite constructive. Presenting your idea in front of a large audience can be daunting. My having to make presentations as part of my job gave me a slight edge. Anyway, it is worth remembering that no one knows your novel the way you do. You are the expert. NC: What was the immediate result of winning? SR: It was a huge confidence-booster to find all agents interested in representing me. It gave wings to my writing. I
Wednesday 13 april 2016
From left: Alison Jones, Mark Lucas, Sanjiv Ran, Toby Mundy, Orna O’Brien and Lorella Belli
had been struggling with a bit of a writer’s block before the event, which simply vanished during the following weeks as I wrote like a man possessed, averaging 10,000 words a week.
NC: What have been the longer-term effects? SR: While friends and family had always appreciated my creative writing, I never took myself too seriously and the dream of writing a novel had just been a vague ambition for years. But winning the contest provided the affirmation I needed. Finishing the novel is no longer an open-ended proposition. I have agreed a specific deadline with my agent and seeing the novel in print is my firm intention.
NC: You’re represented by Toby Mundy. How did you two find each other? SR: Toby was part of the judging panel, but I wasn’t aware until the results were announced that the winner would get the chance to choose an agent from the panel. That was a very pleasant surprise. But having to make the choice was difficult. While all agents on the panel were reputed figures and I would have gladly signed on with any of them, I chose Toby because of his experience with my type of novel. We share a great rapport and his advice has been invaluable. While it is the writer who creates the novel, the expertise of a person who has spent decades in the publishing industry is what makes the novel an entity worth consideration by a publisher. NC: What news of the novel? Has it changed from the one you pitched? SR: The basic plot and the main themes within the novel remain the same. But the scope has expanded and new characters added. I have thought a lot about the main character’s arc and things that were once puzzling me have fallen into place. Toby’s advice has helped in making the plot tighter. Finishing the novel has taken longer than I earlier imagined, but the first draft should be over by June. I will keep updating through insignificantintentions.com and @SanjivRanWriter. I hope to get it published before LBF 2017. ■ The Write Stuff takes place on Thursday, from 2pm to 4pm in Author HQ. Sanjiv Rana will be interviewed at the start of the event.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
Book aid: inspiring readers This year will see the beginning of a many of them, the future isn’t nearly new programme from library as bright as it should be due to a lack development charity Book Aid of books and resources. International, writes Jessica Faulkner. Inspiring Readers is a school-based More school places programme that aims to improve the Since the Millennium Development reading opportunities of a quarter of a Goals were set, many countries in million African children though the Africa have made great strides in their provision of book cupboard libraries provision of primary school places. in primary schools. This however means that classrooms The programme will benefit more are more crowded, there are more than 300 primary schools–giving each Children from the Chipata Open School , Zambia pupils for every teacher and resources, school 1,250 new books (including locally published titles), such as reading books, are stretched more than ever. which will help children not only learn to read but learn to In the countries where Book Aid International works, in love reading. The scheme will be run from the local public Southern and Eastern Africa, almost none of the primary libraries’ Children’s Corners (set up by Book Aid schools have a library and sharing one old, out-of-date International) and will allow children to access reading book between ten children is common. books in their schools, as well as using and enjoying the Fundraising for the programme began late last year and services of the local library. Training will also be provided the first sets of books have already been sent. Inspiring for librarians, teachers and head teachers to help engage Readers will officially begin in Kenya in May this year children with reading in the classroom. (supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery) and Children under 15 make up 40% of Africa’s population the next phase in Cameroon will follow in the autumn. The and are key to the future of the continent. And yet, for programme is designed to last for four years and the charity hopes to be able to expand it to Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
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Almost all the books sent by Book Aid International to African libraries are donated by publishers. Through this model, the charity is able to supply new, up-to-date books that are especially relevant for study. For Inspiring Readers to be a success, Book Aid International will need to source more than 350,000 new books that are relevant for primary school-aged children. Samantha Thomas Chuula, Book Aid International’s Head of Programmes, said: “As enrolment in primary school has increased in Africa, more and more children are learning to read. But without books in the classroom, children have no opportunity to develop their reading skills and discover the joy of reading for themselves. We hope to change that through our Inspiring Readers programme, but we can’t do it alone. We need the support of publishers, who are so crucial to our work, to ensure that children in African schools can access the books that can help them progress through their education and shape their own futures.” Without a decent supply of books, the issue is not only that children struggle to learn to read. They are also denied the opportunity to explore the world through books, to find the stories, information and knowledge that could change their lives. ■ If you would like to find out more about how you can support the Inspiring Readers programme, contact info@bookaid.org (www.bookaid.org/inspiringreaders) or visit Book Aid International’s stand at the London Book Fair: 4A13.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
shakespeare: a cultural connection point As new cultures around the world get to know and understand Shakespeare, exciting new contexts emerge in which his work can flourish, take on new significance, and empower people, writes Will Kemp. The British Council’s (BC) major collaborative programme, “Shakespeare Lives”, is working with the UK’s cultural and education sectors, and government departments, including the UK’s GREAT marketing campaign and UKTI, to present the modern, dynamic culture that is the UK today, and create opportunities for increased understanding and cooperation between the UK and the world. Shakespeare is an ideal vehicle for cultural relations, because his work explores themes that are still relevant today across the world and his works have been translated into more than 100 languages. So his capacity for bringing people together is not limited to the English-speaking world, and can spark exchange in education, society and the arts across all sorts of borders–he inspires writers, filmmakers and performers internationally, and is studied by more than half of the world’s school children. We’re calling the whole programme “Shakespeare Lives” to reflect an ambition to explore what Shakespeare means in diverse cultures today. A key event in the programme is a “global moment” involving a BBC pop-up channel with 24 hours of Shakespeare, Shakespeare-themed Queen’s Birthday Parties,
and public and VIP film screenings around the world, funded by the GREAT Britain campaign. We are also holding an on-going digital mass-participation project, “Play your Part”, inviting people all over the world to upload clips of themselves reciting Shakespeare, to encourage people to support the work done by Voluntary Services Overseas in education.
Literature programmes The British Council has three major literature programmes. Our “Great Feast of Languages” sees the BC partnering with Shakespeare’s Globe Education and Writers’ Centre Norwich to hold workshops across the world in languages ranging from Arabic to Romanian, Polish and Brazilian Portuguese. The aim of the workshops is for translators to come together to work with leaders in their field, and local actors, to produce new translations of well-known Shakespearean texts, and see how they would work as theatrical performance. The translators form new connections, and gain new insights into the translation process in general, as well as the challenges presented by Shakespeare. Through our “Sonnet Exchanges” programme we have supported two publications. In the Arden Bloomsbury and King’s College London’s On Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 30 contemporary UK poets including Jo Shapcott, Imtiaz
Wednesday 13 april 2016
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Dharker and Don Paterson have responded to Shakespeare’s sonnets. The Poetry Archive has recorded 10 of these poets reading their and Shakespeare’s poems, and put them on its website. This provides a platform for UK poets to work with poets from other countries to produce responses to the sonnets which will resonate with the local culture. We have also supported Hay Festival and &OtherStories’s Lunatics, Lovers and Poets, published this month. On the strength of the coincidence that Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same date (though not the same day), six English-language writers have written stories inspired by Cervantes, while six Spanish-language writers have done the same with Shakespeare. A programme of events is planned across the Spanish-speaking world with writers from this anthology, and Rhidian Brook will be in discussion with Daniel Hahn, one of the editors of the anthology, today (at 4.00pm in the English PEN Literary Salon). Further programme highlights include “Shakespeare Reworked”, a funding programme for UK artists in theatre, dance and music to develop new collaborations with international
counterparts; and recent productions of Shakespeare are being made accessible to audiences around the world through digital streaming and screening events.
Education Our work in education includes a new teachers’ pack developed in partnership with RSC Education, which explores identity and citizenship through Shakespeare–already in schools across the UK. While our MOOC (free massive open online course) on Shakespeare moves into its second run on 18 April. Through the course of 2016, Shakespeare will be featuring on Moscow Metro carriages, in theatre workshops in South Sudan and in a film festival in Malaysia. By the end of 2016 close to 500 million people will have engaged with Shakespeare in one way or another through the “Shakespeare Lives” programme. No other cultural figure has a comparable global reach or the capacity to forge connections between people of the world, at a time when they have never been more needed. ■ Will Kemp is the Shakespeare Lives Programme Assistant for the Literature and Music departments at the British Council.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
Tackling the diversity challenge The lack of diversity in the creative industries is under the spotlight, writes Emma House. This ranges from Hollywood’s lack of recognition of BAME (black, Asian and non-white minority ethnic) actors, to the lack of diverse characters on television, and a lack of diversity across the board in publishing. Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, has taken a particular interest in the matter and there is now a subgroup of the Creative Industries Council Emma House that is looking to a measured goal by 2020 on improving diversity in the creative industries. We are definitely seeing more willingness to tackle the issue of diversity in our industry–reflected in the number of organisations signed up to the EQUIP charter (run by the Publishers Association (PA) and Independent Publishers Guild)–but, despite this willingness, employers are often unsure how to make it happen. First steps might include only offering paid-for internships and ensuring they are widely advertised, or accepting CVs without data that may lead to unconscious bias; some companies are going one step further and providing training for staff on unconscious bias.
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There are however a wide range of organisations ready to help the industry improve diversity, and the PA is working with many of them to point publishers in the right direction. To give you a flavour, here are three examples. Creative Access is a successful charity established in 2012 with the aim of tackling the under-representation of people from BAME backgrounds working in the creative sector. With the support of the Government, Creative Access has placed more than 500 young people in fulltime, paid internships across the creative sector. In publishing alone, through Creative Access more than 90 young people have undertaken internships in publishing companies and 85% of those have secured employment in the sector. Inclusive Minds is a collective for everyone with an interest in inclusion and diversity in books; it works with writers, illustrators, publishers, library professionals, teachers, booksellers, book organisations, children and parents to bring about change. Inclusive Minds helps literature festivals to develop more inclusive programmes and provides many children’s publishers with consultancy services so that their lists are as inclusive as possible. Spread the Word runs an annual programme of mentoring, workshops, masterclasses and events across London, often working in partnership with publishers, libraries, festivals, agents and literature organisations. In 2005, Spread the Word published the Free Verse report, which asked why so few new Black and Asian poets were being published in the UK. This ultimately led to the Complete Works–a mentoring scheme for Black and Asian poets–being set up. Spread the Word also commissioned the 2015 Writing the Future: Black and Asian Authors and Publishers in the UK Market Place report. Encouragingly, the public is also being introduced to writers from diverse backgrounds. The recent Barelit Fest featured exclusively writers of colour, with most of the events sold out. We hope to see the festival returning next year. Bookshops and publishers got heavily involved in #diverseDecember, pointing consumers towards books from BAME authors in the run-up to Christmas. And we are seeing a number of publishers dedicated to bringing translated literature, and writers of diverse backgrounds, to UK readers; the wonderful Bibi Bakare-Yusuf has now set up Cassava Republic Press in the UK, with Dulwich Books recently hosting an event with Cassava-published Nigerian writers. And other steps are being taken towards inclusive publishing: Penguin Random House has issued its Creative Responsibility manifesto; Profile Books has committed to paying all employees the London Living Wage; Nosy Crow is actively seeking submissions from BAME authors; and HarperCollins has a dedicated Diversity Forum. Willingness now needs to turn into concrete action, if we are to achieve a measured goal by 2020 alongside our creative industry colleagues. The PA’s upcoming diversity booklet will help publishers achieve this action. ■ Emma House is Director of Publisher Relations at the PA.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
Creating a mobile presence for libraries To set the record straight, I am not a believer that ebooks will destroy publishing and print reading, writes Tom Mercer. But I do see digital reading and digital audio becoming an ever-growing part of how readers will consume books. Print books will always have a special place for readers and provide a way to stop looking at a screen. Since I believe books and reading will continue to be widely popular for the foreseeable future, I also believe that the local public library will not only continue to be a place people can go to borrow physical items, but will Tom Mercer continually evolve as a vital hub at the heart of a community. So what has digital lending done to transform public libraries? It started to make the library more mobile and this trend needs to continue in order to engage the library user of the future. Today a library’s online presence is usually designed with the desktop in mind, with online catalogues being a key feature of that web presence. The online catalogue represents a tool perfectly designed for research and discovery of every item a library offers, but it’s a tool uniquely situated for usage on a desktop. However, as we look around we can easily see people are spending more and more time with their smartphones and
tablets, which means less time with their desktop computers. Furthermore, if we take a look at the Nielsen Total Audience Report for the fourth quarter of 2015, we find some interesting facts. Americans aged 18 and above spent 8 hours and 24 minutes each week on their smartphone using apps, while they spent on average only 5 hours and 9 minutes using a desktop for the internet. While those numbers already show a preference for smartphones over desktops, let’s look at the 18-24 age group. That group spent an astonishing 11 hours and 15 minutes on their smartphones each week, compared to only 4 hours and 18 minutes on a desktop. That’s over twice as much time on their smartphones using the internet than on a desktop. As we all know, interactions and usage on smartphones and tablets are very different from desktops. Media is presented in smaller, more bitesize pieces, typing and searching is less popular, but browsing and quick messages are ideal. So what this really represents is a fundamental shift in how people discover the world around them. Quality mobile engagements will become the key, not only to libraries, but all institutions in the future. In libraries, these future mobile experiences need to offer convenient print selection and print recommendations, along with the opportunity to collect books at a local pick-up location. It means libraries will have ebooks, digital audiobooks and print all discoverable in novel new interfaces designed for mobile. Right now, more often than not, library smartphone apps represent scaled-down versions of the desktop experience, whereas what’s actually needed is a full re-imagination of what it means to interact with your library on a mobile device. It’s about much more than just helping users discover content, it’s about offering an engaging and enjoyable experience, one that’s compelling enough to get users to open the library app as well as clicking on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube. When a customer’s favourite app is from their local public library, then libraries will have cemented their place in the digital future. Working at Bibliotheca, I have the unique opportunity to talk with librarians on a regular basis, not only about the digital experiences they offer their customers, but also about what they are doing in their physical space as well. One of our goals is to bring the library closer to customers and make it far more accessible for users. One of the most effective ways libraries can safeguard their futures is by exploring digital lending platforms and mobile technologies, interacting with library users in the physical and digital worlds they occupy. The modern day public library cannot afford to neglect its print catalogue nor ignore the way content consumption is changing, swinging evermore towards mobile devices. I’m pleased to say we’ve witnessed some extremely positive results from public libraries who are experimenting with hybrid models, which embrace mobile, and I’m convinced that if more libraries adopt this approach, more will stay open. ■ Tom Mercer is the Director of Digital Products at Bibliotheca.
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
authors Guild refocuses On 4th April, the US Supreme Court was expected to announce whether it would hear the Authors Guild’s final appeal in its long-running legal challenge to Google’s library book scanning programme–only that didn’t happen. Mysteriously, the case was absent from the Court’s order list, meaning the Guild will have to wait a little longer to learn the case’s fate. But even if the Court surprises observers and decides to hear the appeal–an outcome most observers say is not likely–the Guild is moving on to new battles. First filed in 2005, two years before Amazon launched the Kindle and the modern ebook market–the Google Books case was a by-product of fear–fear that authors and publishers felt over digital piracy, and fear about the intentions of Google. A decade ago, Google’s scan plan captivated the publishers at the London Book Fair. The reaction now: disbelief that the case is still not over. In its Supreme Court briefs, attorneys for the Authors Guild stress that the lower courts’ holdings represent “an unprecedented judicial expansion of the fair-use doctrine that threatens copyright protection in the digital age”. But that argument has failed to gain traction in the courts; indeed, Judge Denny Chin’s 2013 decision in the case reads like an endorsement of Google’s scanning (he called the project “an invaluable research tool” in which “society benefits”). And, Chin’s ruling was upheld on appeal.
But the work of the Authors Guild has now shifted, and over the last year it has refocused its efforts on matters more pressing to its members than whether readers can view out-of-print books. Among the digital issues on the Guild’s agenda is a “fair contract” initiative that seeks to engage publishers on revising book contracts for the digital age. This includes shorter licence terms, and a higher standard royalty for ebooks. The Guild is also looking to the legislature: in a letter to Congressional leaders last summer, Guild officials proposed replacing the current “Notice and Takedown” regime authorised by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) with a “Notice and Stay Down” provision. In essence, requiring ISPs to filter their networks for “all infringing copies” or risk losing their “safe harbour” immunity from claims of infringement. And, finally, the Guild is lobbying antitrust regulators at the US Department of Justice to investigate Amazon. Working with Authors United, the group organised by author Douglas Preston, the Guild argues that Amazon’s dominance and its “heavy-handed” behaviour is affecting “the free flow of ideas in our society”. All of those proposals face opposition from various quarters. But in 2016, the key battles have shifted, from the courts to the legislature. ■
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
how publishers saved copyright Jon Baumgarten argues that publishers must speak up, loudly, again for copyright Neither copyright law generally nor publishers’ interests in the subject have ever been insulated from technological change; indeed in many ways non-archaic copyright law was born in techno-revolution with the invention of movable type. Relatively more recently, beginning in the 1960’s the then-new technology of reprography–the advent of new and increasingly inexpensive and widelyavailable copying machines–burst onto the copyright scene worldwide and emphatically Jon Baumgarten drew the justifiable concern of publishers. Yes; here we are, almost two decades into the 21st century’s still-evolving digital world, and I have the temerity to speak of… photocopying! Yet I hope to assure you that I am not mad, overly nostalgic, or starved for a subject of discussion.
Technology and copyright The first point is this: photocopying dramatically marked the emergence of characteristics that have continued as
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clear hallmarks of tension between technology and copyright law, most certainly including that of the digital and internet eras. In brief summary, these emblems include decentralisation of copying (pervasive unlicensed copying arising from decisions made separately by large numbers of individuals and organisations); increasingly cheap and readily accessible copying outside a pressing facility or “plant”; simple reproduction of entire copyright works and substantial portions; “private” and internal copying having the cumulative market impact of mass copying; and the responsibility of intermediaries that might be held legally responsible for end-user copying. The corollary point is this: during this earlier period, publishers, acting individually, and in their national and multi-national associations, vigorously and at no small cost took the lead–in courts, legislatures, agencies and world forums–in effectively preserving copyright law from the forceful, concerted challenge of those who would have readily sacrificed its protections and societal value to the seductive convenience and promise of technological progress.
Setting precedents In the United States, by way of example, the “Photocopying Cases” were a series of court decisions that imposed reasonable, meaningful limitation on the fair-use doctrine (the area of lawful, though unlicensed, copying) in lawsuits brought by publishers. These cases established precedents that became critical to then, to later, and to very current litigation and policy debate over copyright and new technology. Notably, these precedents quickly grew into foundational and much-cited principles for all copyright industries, and in many countries, not just for publishers or in the US. They included: sustaining the relevance of impaired actual and potential licensing income to offset fair use; declaring the need to consider the market impact of cumulative, widespread unauthorised use, not just the actions of a particular defendant; rejecting the notion that socially productive uses must be considered fair; eliminating purported justifications for “internal” and “private” copying; dismissing theories that an infringer’s conduct was lawful based on the character of downstream use by that defendant’s customers; eliminating claims to per se fair use for certain copying contexts; and affirming other principles–along with very explicit, powerful recognition by influential courts and jurists of the importance of strong protection of publishers’ copyrights to social, scientific and technologic progress. Continues on page 28 g
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f Continued from page 26
US fair-use doctrine
Yet, today, beginning in the United States, these principles are in considerable danger. This is due to several court decisions, including the well-known Google Books case, that have largely ignored and undermined, if not silently overruled, the earlier precedents. In large (and partly falling prey to the seduction of technology that authorities, at the prompting of publishers, earlier and rightly avoided), these decisions greatly expand the notion of fair use to the detriment of authors, publishers, other copyright owners and the public interest. Importantly, these decisions are not one-off, sui generis, or otherwise unique to Google Book’s purportedly singular scale of effort, as some have suggested. If left unchallenged or at least unquestioned, they will undoubtedly find their way around the world into all emerging “mass digitisation” deliberations; influence trade agreement and treaty interpretations, and negotiations; infect national attempts to restate or review copyright laws generally; and intrude into consideration of even many mundane and previously infringing cases (such as those of intra-organisational copying and commercial copying services), and will not be easily dislodged.
I said “beginning” in the US particularly because of growing inquiry worldwide into supplementing or replacing various national-specific exemption and fair-dealing laws with the so-called more “flexible” doctrine of American fair use. It is probable that the proponents of this approach have not yet recognised, deliberately fail to take into account or explain, or actively seek to capitalise upon the drastic expansion of fair use and the consequent erosion of copyright seemingly now emerging in the United States. The apt adage for policy makers undertaking such inquiry should be this: “Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it!” But whether in the connection with such inquiries or other contexts, cases and forums, it is critical that the world publishing community once again rises vigilantly, prominently and loudly to the task of preserving a vibrant and vital copyright system from onslaught based on the false premise of incompatibility between technology and literary property. ■ Jon Baumgarten, now retired from the law firm of Proskauer Rose, was a prominent US copyright litigator and adviser for more than four decades. He was General Counsel of the United States Copyright Office during the critical period in revising US copyright law, and for many years served as Copyright Counsel to the Association of American Publishers.
Friday 15 April
Growing Up With Bob Hoskins: Rosa Hoskins discusses her moving memoir Soho House, Dean St (5pm)
Remembering the times they shared together, join Rosa Hoskins in conversation with Larushka Ivan-Zadeh about her memoir, It’s All Going Wonderfully Well, a revealing portrait of one of the country’s best-loved actors, and a moving story of a close bond between father and daughter. For tickets and BookBrunch Subscriber 25% discount go to: https://www.bookbrunch.co.uk/page/lbsw
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Wednesday 13 april 2016
Us and Cuban publishers sign historic pact Has the last vestige of the Cold War have done things one way… but the finally begun to thaw? In a signing dynamics of Cuba are changing and ceremony held in February at the we need to act differently if we are Havana Book Fair, Publishers Weekly to continue our publishing system.” V-p and Publisher Cevin Bryerman Guerra noted that print readership and Combined Book Exhibit President in Cuba is shrinking, with readers Jon Malinowski signed a historic clamouring for more choice. Yet, memorandum of understanding with even with limited internet access, she officials from the Cuban Book Institute, said, Cuban children are constantly committing both parties to promote on their phones and computers. “cooperation and understanding” “Digital books are still a dream in Signing the memorandum (12 February), with (from left) between the US and Cuban publishing the President of the Cuban Book Institute, Zuleica this country,” she said, “but the Romay Guerra, Cevin Bryerman and Jon Malinowski. industries, writes Calvin Reid. readers are ahead of us.” The pact came during a historic visit by a US publishing The memorandum of agreement accomplished several mission, organised by Combined Book Exhibit and Publishers things–most notably, it calls for the continuing presence of Weekly. The US contingent included representatives from an American delegation at the Havana Book Fair, while also roughly 40 publishers, including HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, laying the groundwork to eventually bring Cuban book Quarto, World officials, publishers and authors to BookExpo America, Book, Albert beginning in 2016 in Chicago. But despite the goodwill and Whitman, Fox inspiration American publishers took from the trip, obstacles Chapel and remain. The US trade embargo remains, which bars US others such as companies from transacting business in Cuba. the Association But on that score, US publishers have organised an effort to of American lobby the US government to lift the embargo on books, an idea Publishers. The first floated by Smashwords CEO Mark Coker–who said he mission brought would like to see every Cuban writer published. A petition was American circulated in recent weeks asking the US government to end publishers face the book embargo; to date, the petition has 10,000 signatures. Visitors to Havana Book Fair to face with their Although the actual market opportunity in Cuba may not be counterparts in the Cuban publishing community, as well as as large as other Spanish-speaking territories, opening the Cuban thousands of Cuban readers–setting the stage for continued market remains an important priority for US publishers, given engagement, and the resumption of diplomatic ties. the history between the two nations. Quarto USA President and The US mission sponsored a number of panels and CEO Ken Fund called the Cuba mission a “rare and extremely programmes on site at the Havana Book Fair, including a day important moment” that will start US publishers “on a path with of professional presentations by Cuban books officials, who our Cuban counterparts that can only bring a positive impact to provided a candid assessment of the state of Cuban publishing bringing Cuban authors to the US and US authors to Cuba.” ■ and the challenges it faces. “We need a system more in line Another trip is currently being planned. Publishers who would like to attend with what our people want to read about,” Cuban Book should contact cbryerman@ Institute President Zuleica Romay Guerra told the American publishersweekly.com or jon@combinedbook.com. publishers, adding that Cuba is going through a crisis. “We
Ryan Dreher, Calvin Reid, Claribel Ortega and Jon Malinowski and 16 bags of books from US publishers that had to be brought to the Havana Book Fair
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John Quatrrocchi of Albert Whitman, his wife and Tina Jordan of the Association of American Publishers in a classic car
A bookshop in old Havana
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