11/8/09 Writing and Publishing News

This Week’s Writing and Publishing News


Where the law and literature meet:

Amazon prohibits you from keeping a backup copy of your e-books: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/08/amazon-kindle-licence-orwell

Bibles seized in Malaysia for referring to god as allah: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h_JZndmsH5NF0aMpr9tG4hLmR63QD9BKPIEG0

Agent doesn’t like net amounts received: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-i-dont-like-net-amounts-received.html

An argument that Wal-Mart’s price war isn’t predatory pricing: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/jamessurowiecki/?xrail



More headlines:

Supermarkets launch Christmas season price war: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article6907891.ece

Women left off PW’s top ten book list despite numerous awards for women this year: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/women-authors-left-off-list-of-the-years-top-10-books-1817009.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/05/women-writers-excluded-books-of-the-year

Publishing is a bright spot in a dismal economy: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/05/book-publishing-gives-an-unexpected-silver-lining-to-dismal-corp/

Hachette gains are good news for struggling parent company: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6705533.html

S&S has best quarter of the year: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6705825.html?rssid=192

Wikipedia is written/edited by 80% male, 65% single, 85% childless, 70% under 30. Are we surprised at all?: http://bostonreview.net/BR34.6/morozov.php

Should old writers just fade away?: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/08/roth-lessing-tolstoy-greene-shakespeare

PEN’s prison writing program: http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/152

SCRIBD features prominently in : http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/152  

Child media prodigies: http://gawker.com/5398868/six-child-media-prodigies-you-should-fear/gallery/




Since I just wrapped up a disparate impact case, and since disparate impact is under fire as an anti-discrimination law, I thought I’d share this story. Disparate impact says even if an employer seems neutral, like a height requirement or a test, it discriminates if it has a negative impact on a particular group. Back in the 60s and early 70s, police departments still had height requirements. Those got thrown out under disparate impact because they had an adverse impact on women. The woman who took down the Ft. Hood shooter by running into the line of fire was only 5’4”. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07police.html?_r=1

Doesn’t this prove that we really don’t have a person to waste? How many more would have died if we hadn’t changed the law? And yes, the change benefitted short men as well. Let’s not rush into the New Haven Firefighters bandwagon and toss out a good law that has helped so many get equality at work.