News Roundups

News Roundup, February 10, 2023

News Roundup

February 10, 2023

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In this week’s edition: A tentative deal at HarperCollins, base pay increases at Macmillan and Hachette, librarians discover thousands of new books are in the public domain, and more.

Striking HarperCollins Workers Reach Tentative Agreement with Publisher
The New York Times
Following a three-month strike, a tentative deal—including wage increases and a one-time bonus—has been reached by the publisher and union.

Macmillan Raises Starting Salaries to $47,500
Publishers Weekly
On Wednesday, Macmillan Publishers announced that it would increase its entry-level base salary from $42,000 to $47,500. The news comes a week after a similar increase from $45,000 to $47,500 by Hachette Book Group.

What Is Happening in Publishing?
Book Riot
The short answer is: a lot. Book Riot recaps recent developments in the publishing industry, including the strike at HarperCollins and leadership changes at Penguin Random House.

Florida Claims About AP African American Studies Are False, College Board Says
Tampa Bay Times
The College Board said it still hasn’t been told how its new AP African American studies course violates Florida law in a letter to the state Department of Education. It also said that changes to the course had nothing to do with complaints from Governor Ron DeSantis.

Librarians Are Finding Thousands of Books No Longer Protected by Copyright Law
Vice
Researchers at the New York Public Library have been reviewing copyright registrations for works published between 1923 and 1964, when rights holders were still required to renew copyrights. The library says that between 65 and 75 percent of reviewed books did not have their copyrights renewed and are now part of the public domain.

ChatGPT is a Blurry JPEG of the Web
The New Yorker
Sci-fi writer Ted Chiang offers a helpful analogy for understanding how artificial intelligence processes language.

Women’s Prize to Launch Annual Award for Women’s Non-Fiction Writing
The Guardian
The U.K.’s prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction will be joined by a new award for nonfiction beginning in 2024.