Industry & Advocacy News
August 18, 2017
Our round-up of key news affecting authors. In this week’s edition: Net Neutrality activists launch billboards, recipes inspired by your favorite works of literature, and more…
Net Neutrality Activists Launch Crowdfunded Billboards Targeting Key Members of Congress During August Recess
FightForTheFuture.org
The advocacy group Fight for the Future released a series of crowdfunded billboards targeting lawmakers who have come out in support of the FCC’s plan to gut net neutrality. The billboards come on the heels of the massive July 12th day of action, and arrive just in time for the August Congressional recess. The billboards aim to send a strong message to representatives contemplating support for the FCC’s plan to repeal net neutrality. These representatives’ commitments are currently being tracked through a “congressional scorecard” on BattleForTheNet.com.
Novel Recipes: Wonton Soup from The Joy Luck Club
The Guardian
In an ongoing literary recipe series, Kate Young of The Guardian cooks up recipes inspired by her favorite works of literature. The latest: wonton soup inspired by Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club: Ginger, mushrooms, wontons, and, in the words of Amy Tan, some “delicate sprigs of cilantro floating on top.”
Despite Turmoil, Charlottesville Indie Vows to Serve Community
Publishers Weekly
New Dominion Bookshop, an independent bookstore that has served Charlottesville, VA since 1924, has reopened for business after the tumultuous weekend there. Julia Kudravetz, the store’s manager, told Publishers Weekly on Monday afternoon that the bookstore’s employees are “reeling” from the weekend’s violence. The shop will resume regular hours after shutting down early on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and Sunday.
New York Times Opinion Editor Testifies in Palin Defamation Lawsuit
Politico
In a defamation lawsuit filed by Sarah Palin, the editor of a discredited New York Times editorial testified that he failed to consult the paper’s previously published reports before he rewrote the piece. The editorial originally stated a PAC associated with the former Alaska governor had distributed a map displaying crosshairs targeting several members of Congress. The piece was later corrected to read that the crosshairs targeted the members’ districts, not the representatives themselves. The Times filed a motion to dismiss the case, and, in an unusual order, Judge Jed Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York requested the testimony to help him decide whether or not to dismiss.
HarperCollins Gets Global and Physical
With ebook sales static, the Big-Five publisher has doubled down on both international expansion and domestic print distribution. To bolster the latter, HC CEO Bryan Murray told Publishers Weekly, the publishing house will focus on helping independent bookstores grow and placing titles in retail chains other than bookstores.
Theater Concedes Violating Copyright Clause, Closes “Judas” Play
San Francisco Chronicle
After playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis issued a cease-and-desist letter to San Francisco’s Shelton Theater for cutting his script to the play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, the playhouse has shut down its production of the show, conceding its cuts were done without the playwright’s permission and in violation of copyright law.
Photo credit: Courtesy: Fight for the Future
