Best of BTB: Altmetrics Under The Microscope

Aug 23, 2015 | Best of VOC, News

Scientific research seeks answers to questions large and small – from the composition of atoms to the age of the universe. While scientists, funders and institutions may value research for its own sake, they are practical, too. The answers that research yields can...

“Secretive” Amazon Brings Out The Worst

Aug 21, 2015 | News

What do the capitalist titan Jeff Bezos and communist kingpin Kim Jong-Un have in common? Very likely, they have absolutely nothing in common, but we will never know because both Amazon and North Korea are kingdoms of secrecy. This week, owing to a lengthy New York...

A Textbook Case of Copyright Infringement?

Aug 14, 2015 | News

Three leading education publishers have brought a copyright and trademark infringement suit against a U.S.-based textbook reseller for allegedly importing and selling “pirated” foreign editions of popular textbooks in the U.S. market. Filed in...

Mystery Author Flees Publisher

Aug 7, 2015 | News

Authors discontented with their publishing deals are nothing new. Mark Twain enjoyed jabbing at publishers like a kid tossing stones. He said once that robbery of a publisher wasn’t a crime and was even rewarded in heaven with two halos. This week, a particularly...

Authors Reject “Forever” Contracts

Jul 31, 2015 | News

True love, if you’re lucky enough to find it, lasts forever. So do diamonds, and even some tattoos. And for trade book authors, there are the contracts they sign with publishers. Earlier this week, the Authors Guild released the fourth installment of its Fair Contract...

More Books From Harper Lee, Please

Jul 24, 2015 | News

In a week when Go Set A Watchman broke sales records, the book business might want to celebrate. Then again, it might not. Harper Lee’s second novel lay unpublished for more than 50 years. When it finally appeared, readers swooped upon the tale of Scout and Atticus...

Watchman Heats Up Summer Sales

Jul 17, 2015 | News

Many bestsellers are surprise hits, appearing almost out of nowhere to dominate and saturate. The latest blockbuster, though, was a guaranteed smash from the day this past winter when its publisher announced the title. Go Set a Watchman is only the second novel from...

Appealing Apple Loses Again

Jul 10, 2015 | News

Courtrooms figure prominently yet again in the latest book world news, while one innovative online service struggles to balance costs and customer demand. In New York City, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 2–1 margin, affirmed Judge Denise Cote’s 2013 finding...

Librarians And Copyright

Jun 26, 2015 | News

The annual conference of the American Library Association opened this week in San Francisco, and many attendees may have their eyes on the job board. Earlier this month, James Billington, the 86-year-old librarian of Congress, announced he would retire after 28 years....

Altmetrics Under The Microscope

Jun 21, 2015 | News

Scientific research seeks answers to questions large and small – from the composition of atoms to the age of the universe. While scientists, funders and institutions may value research for its own sake, they are practical, too. The answers that research yields can...