Deadline to Act on Google Book Settlement Is 1/28/10

Authors, publishers, and organizations:

A reminder that Thursday, January 28, is the deadline for you to act regarding the Google Books Settlement. The court needs to have your individual position on the record TOMORROW (a 1/28 postmark works) so it can be represented in the February 18 fairness hearing on the whole deal.

Your options are to (1) opt in and make a claim, possibly getting some money; (2) opt out of the settlement (of course that means no settlement money) in an effort to preserve your rights; or (3) do nothing, which will result in your receiving no settlement money and implicitly giving Google irrevocable rights to use your works in certain ways.

I hope you find this resources roundup helpful:

• Official settlement page.
• Recent webcast/workshop on the settlement, featuring a moderated panel representing various entities and viewpoints.
• Authors Guild resources page.
• National Writers Union FAQs on the issue.
• Statement opposing the settlement from Richard Wright's estate.
• Support for the settlement from the families of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie.
• Open Book Alliance's third-party analysis of the settlement. (OBA is calling for the settlement to be scrapped.)
• U.S. Copyright Office opposition to the settlement, as presented to Congress.
• Ursula K. Le Guin's call to exempt the United States from the settlement.
• Informative article in New York Review of Books.
  

This is a complicated issue, and I know people that are opting in, opting out (my choice), formally objecting, and doing nothing.

What are you doing? Care to share?

Tomorrow may be your last chance to act on your opinion.

Want Book Covers to Accurately Reflect Content?

A quickie post to point you toward a petition created by Multiculturalism Rocks blogger Natalie Mvondo, in which supporters let publishers know they want a book cover to accurately depict the actual main character featured in the story.

I recommend cruising to Natalie's January 19 post and following her embedded links to get a good sense of the issue and recent happenings.

Authors Guild to Host Google Book Settlement Teleconference

As many readers know, the Authors Guild has been tracking and reporting on all things "Google book settlement" for about a year — and this Thursday, August 13, they're hosting a free teleconference on the topic for authors and agents. It takes place at 3:00 pm Eastern.

Find more information and sign up for the call here. For links to all relevant issues pertaining to the case, click here.

The New CWIM Is Here!

My intrepid postwoman just plopped a fat 'n' fresh copy of Alice Pope's 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market on my doorstep!

It looks great. No, I haven't read the whole thing. (It just came, remember?) And I probably won't. (Not a reasonable goal, really.) But I did want to pop in to give this edition a big thumbs up.

It's always a great resource for market info and insightful articles from industry pros. This year, though, I'm thrilled to see the new feature of access to an online database of all the markets listed in the book. I don't buy this resource every year (last edition purchased: 2003), but that little bonus makes me very, very happy — and it will likely turn me into an annual customer. (Smart move, publisher!)

Free, Vicarious Pass to the Bologna Children's Book Fair

I have always wanted to attend the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the world's leading event dedicated to children's book/product publishing, rights, and licensing.

A few of my titles have made publisher-booth appearances, but, sadly, nobody has ever been interested in having me (read paying for me to) tag along to do author signings or provide complimentary valet services for harried exhibit staff. Not even after I've explained that I'd studied Italian film in college (so I know several Italian words!) and thought my professor, who lives just a short high-speed train trip away in Milan, would surely make good on his 20-year-old invitation to drop in — with whomever I might be traveling — for a spot of vino and a wealth of insider tourist tips. Harrumph.

This year's Fair is in its second full day, and I'm enjoying Craig Virden's PW-sponsored blog Bologna By Day and Night. On it, Craig serves up candid impressions of the atmosphere and goings-on. Take a peek for yourself — and I'll see you at the Fair!

Award Winners' Circle

Has the weekend started yet? No? Dang.

While you wait, enjoy these articles about a few of this week's big kid-lit award winners:

ALA press release about Laura Ingalls Wilder winner Ashley Bryan

All Things Considered article and audio interview with Coretta Scott King Author winner Kadir Nelson

The Brown Bookshelf interview with CSK–John Steptoe winner Shadra Strickland

Just One More Book podcast interview with Newbery winner Neil Gaiman

NYT review of author-illustrator Uri Shulevitz's Caldecott Honor Book

PW interview with Neil Gaiman

PW piece on Caldecott winner Beth Krommes

Reading Rockets video interview with Kadir Nelson

SLJ interview with Newbery Honor Book author Kathi Appelt

Teenreads.com profile of Newbery Honor Book author Jacqueline Woodson

It's Newbery Day, 2009

The 2009 ALA Midwinter Conference is in full swing in Denver right now, and this morning was IT for ALA's Youth Media Awards, such as the Newbery, Caldecott, Geisel, and more.

Some of this year's distinguished honorees include:

Newbery Medal
Neil Gaiman for The Graveyard Book

Newbery Honor Books
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

Savvy by Ingrid Law

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal
Beth Krommes, illustrator of The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

Caldecott Honor Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

Coretta Scott King Author Award
Kadir Nelson for We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books
The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis

Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper **This was one of my absolute favorites this year. Stunning writing, stunning art.**

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Floyd Cooper for The Blacker the Berry, written by Joyce Carol Thomas

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Before John Was a Jazz Giant written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls

The Moon Over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Michael L. Printz Award
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Theodor Suess Geisel Award
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
Ashley Bryan

Congratulations to all the honorees! For a full list of the 2009 awards, check the ALA site for updates later today.

Fellow writer/blogger Darcy Pattison has put up a poll to see how interested writer-types have found today's news. Did you watch the webcast or track the awards on Facebook (that's what I did)? Or are you reading about the awards here? (Lucky you if you were in the room — I've witnessed the awards announcements with my own eyeballs once in the past, and that was exciting!) Click on over to Darcy's blog to take the poll.

Also, just for fun, here's a fresh AP piece with author Neil Gaiman's reaction to winning the Newbery this morning.

Authors Guild v. Google Lawsuit Settled

Some of you may know that the Authors Guild filed a class-action suit against Google in September 2005 after Google started scanning millions of books and offering the texts online. Some of the works were in the public domain, but many were still under copyright protection. (Google did not seek to secure reprint or electronic-distribution permissions.)

Today, the two sides have announced a settlement deal ($125 million) that will pay a small fee (up to $60 for an individual book) to publishers and authors whose copyrighted works have been scanned without permission. The possibility of future payments exists too.

Today's email from AG president Roy Blount Jr. says "Far more interesting for most of us — and the ambitious part of our proposal — is the prospect for future revenues. Rightsholders will receive a share of revenues from institutional subscriptions to the collection of books made available through Google Book Search under the settlement, as well as from sales of online consumer access to the books. They will also be paid for printouts at public libraries, as well as for other uses."

The settlement also means that readers can still get online access to gazillions of printed works — so this settlement is a win-win for everyone.

New LJ Column: Teen Reads

I know I've been AWOL for a bit, but that can't be helped. (Well, I suppose it could be helped if pushing the PUBLISH POST button triggered a paycheck. But that's not how this blog rolls. Dang!)

Popping in today to share a new column called "35 Going on 13: Teen Books for Adults" hosted at the Library Journal site and written by librarian Angelina Benedetti (from somewhere in my local library system).

I like the premise because not only are the lines between YA and adult fiction getting blurrier and blurrier, but — as Benedetti points out — some adult readers simply enjoy indulging in a good teen read.

New Children's Bookstore in Seattle

The new children's-lit focused Mockingbird Books will celebrate its grand opening this coming Sunday, August 31, in Seattle.

This is great news for the area after losing two stores just this year (Seattle's All for Kids and Issaquah's Lilypad).

I plan to swing by soon to take a look and buy a book or 12.

55,000 Young Readers Have Spoken!

The Children's Book Council announced the recipients of the first annual Children's Choice Book Awards yesterday. Around 55,000 children nationwide selected their favorite author, illustrator, and books:

Author of the Year
J. K. Rowling for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Illustrator of the Year
Ian Falconer for Olivia Helps with Christmas

Books of the Year
Grades K–2: Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Kevan Atteberry
Grades 3–4: Big Cats by Elaine Landau
Grades 5–6: Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee

Congratulations to all the winners!

"A great nation is a reading nation"

That quote launches the Children's Book Council's Web pages detailing the history of Children's Book Week (May 12-18 this year). Since 1919, kids, families, classrooms, libraries, and booksellers have been celebrating Children's Book Week by participating in author events, in-home reading parties, read-a-thons . . . and really just about any type of reading-themed activity you can conjure.

Since 1974, the CBC has teamed with the International Reading Association to sponsor the Children's Choices program, in which thousands of children select their favorite current books. This year — for the first time ever — the voting process is open to all kids. Voting categories include Favorite Book for Grades K–2, Favorite Book for Grades 3–4, Favorite Book for Grades 5–6, Favorite Author, and Favorite Illustrator. Each category winner will receive a Children's Choice Book Award.

Visit this year's Children's Book Week Online for all the details, including a list of nominees, fun activities to try at home or in class, and an online kids' voting form that teachers, librarians, and booksellers can submit.

Remember, this vote is for KIDS ONLY!

Seattle's All for Kids Bookstore to Close

All for Kids, Seattle's premier independent children's bookstore, will close at the end of June. Owner Chauni Haslet has been a strong presence on the Seattle literary scene—not to mention a perpetual champion of the book, the author, and the young reader—for 25 years.

Haslet told Publishers Weekly and the Seattle P-I that it is simply time for her to move on, citing as decsion-making factors the need to step away from her extreme workload and the constant stress of keeping the store afloat. Theoretically, a buyer could come forward and keep the store open. But that scenario does not sound at all likely.

Personalized Classics? Huh?

I noticed an item on this in PW the other day but just got around to checking it out. Golden Books (a division of Random House) is partnering with SharedBook to offer customers the opportunity to buy personalized copies of the Golden Book classic The Poky Little Puppy by Janet Sebring Lowrey.

I mistakenly assumed at first that you'd be able to insert a child's name — and who knows what else — into the actual text of the book. And given the nature of this book, I thought "How on earth does that work with no child characters?" But, thank goodness, I was totally wrong. The personalization comes only in the form of a customized dedication page to which you submit a message and photo. Then SharedBook prints and ships your special copy.

Okay. Not as bad as I feared. I can see some appeal, I guess. But the standard-size Golden Book version costs $4.99 and a personalized copy sells for $25 (I didn't click through the whole process, so there may or may not be an added shipping charge).

Even for the same purchase price, I'd still prefer a nice bookplate or handwritten note.

Edited to add: 100th post!

2008 Newbery Winners Announced

2008 Newbery Medal Winner
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz

See the 2008 Newbery Honor books here.

2008 Caldecott Winners Announced

2008 Caldecott Medal Winner
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

See the 2008 Caldecott Honor Books here.

2008 Coretta Scott King Awards Announced

This year's Coretta Scott King Awards for outstanding works of children's literature by African-American authors and illustrators were announced this morning at ALA's Midwinter meeting in Philadelphia.

The 2008 author award went to Christopher Paul Curtis for Elijah of Buxton. The 2008 illustrator award went to Ashley Bryan for Let It Shine.

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent went to author Sundee T. Frazier for Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It.

Additionally, two Illustrator Honor Books were named: The Secret Olivia Told Me by N. Joy/illustrated by Nancy Devard and Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillon.

See the ALA's press release for full details.

Congrats to all the winners!

McGraw-Hill Education Downsizing . . . Again

Another educational publisher eliminating in-house jobs, centralizing management, and shifting focus. Sigh. Read the PW article for details.

Jon Scieszka Named First National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

Today's the day that the Library of Congress finally named its inaugural National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. I've been waiting to see who it might be since I first read about it in May.

The new Ambassador is the terrific author Jon Scieszka. My favorite titles of his are — so far — The Stinky Cheese Man, Math Curse, and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Hilarious. I'm hoping to read his 2007 book Cowboy and Octopus soon.

Here's an excerpt from the Goodman Media press release emailed straight to my inbox a few minutes ago:

"Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has appointed children’s book author Jon Scieszka as the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The position was created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.

“ 'The Library of Congress has long provided free, primary-source educational material for K–12 on the Internet,' ” said Billington. 'The position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is a natural extension of that role. Jon Scieszka will be an articulate emissary, promoting reading and literature among young people, which are important for the health and creativity of our democratic society.'

“ 'Jon Scieszka’s platform will spotlight the diversity and breadth of children’s literature available today and in so doing present a solution to what can be done to change the state of reading in this country,' said Robin Adelson, executive director at Children’s Book Council."

You can read the entire release at the Children's Book Council site.

I think they've made a wonderful choice.

Multiplatform Kids' Series Coming to Bookstores, Toy Stores, and Web Sites Near (or Accessible By) You

Stand-alone children's books are so century-before-last.

Publishers Weekly is reporting that Scholastic is developing a multiplatform middle-grade adventure series called The 39 Clues. Each book will be penned by a different author, with Rick Riordan writing the first (I love his Percy Jackson series).

Here's what makes the series "multiplatform":

• 10 books published over the course of 2 years
• collectible cards
• online game
• more than $100K in prizes

Whew! Readers will use the different platforms to solve clues that lead to the satisfaction of cracking a good mystery (and, I'm assuming, the satisfaction of winning a licensed ancillary product).

The games begin September 9, 2008. Should be an interesting ride to watch. Don't even try to tell me that a TV or movie series is not already in the works for 2010. Because I wouldn't believe it.