Last updated January 22, 2010
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Author wins award for Best Educational Use of a Social Networking Service
Jim Burke, author of McDougall Littell Literature, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, won the 2009 Edublog Award for Best Educational Use of a Social Networking Service. The award, sponsored by Edublogs Campus (http://edublogs.org/campus/) and Classroom 2.0 (http://www.classroom20.com/) was given to Burke for his creation and management of the English Companion community on Ning. The English Companion Ning, (http://englishcompanion.ning.com/) created in December 2008, boasts more than 10,000 members and serves as a destination where teachers can meet virtually to discuss education issues, ask peers questions and offer best practices for instruction.
The English Companion community was created for high school English teachers and provides a consortium of collaborative opportunities including discussion forums, content sharing, event promotion, professional development topic exploration, blog writing and relationship building with colleagues and peers. Ning is a social networking platform that houses more than 1.8 million Ning Networks and 39 million registered users, and provides people the opportunity to create niche networks that serve as interactive websites formed on common professional goals, hobbies or a variety of other shared interests.
"I am very humbled by the network everyone on the English Companion Ning has helped me create in the last year," Burke said. "While I began it originally to help new teachers, who I felt were not finding their way into the larger discussion about teaching English language arts, it became clear almost immediately that this was something all English teachers — myself included — needed. The award from Edublogs validates the work we have done in the last year and challenges us to do even more in the year ahead."
Maney Publishing launches open access model
Maney Publishing (UK), which publishes scholarly journals in materials science, humanities, and health science, launched a new open access (OA) business model called MORE OpenChoice. The new program currently includes 23 materials science and engineering journals and 15 health science journals. The company plans to expand the program to include humanities journals in the future.
Authors opting for MORE OpenChoice publication will use the submission procedure outlined in each journal’s 'Instructions for Authors.' A paper will be peer-reviewed without prior knowledge of how it is to be disseminated. Once a paper is accepted, authors are notified and offered MORE OpenChoice as a route to publication. Authors will be asked to provide details of any deposit obligations required (e.g. by their funding agencies) to ensure Maney complies with any technical requirements.
On receipt of first proofs, authors will need to complete and return a Copyright Assignment Form and an Article Charge Form to a production editor in order for MORE OpenChoice publication to proceed.
In order to place papers in the public domain via subject or institutional repositories, authors will be charged a flat fee of $2,000. Authors may pay the article charge themselves, or provide billing details of funders who have agreed to pay publication fees. This article charge covers the expense of producing papers in a format suitable to fulfill deposit obligations (e.g. on PubMed Central) foregoing any embargo that would normally be expected. It excludes standard article charges (color printing, offprints, etc) that may apply.
"We have priced our article charge competitively to help to stimulate the OA market and offer our authors real choice," said Gaynor Redvers-Mutton, Maney's Publishing's business development manager, who is leading the open access project. "Our easy and straightforward service for MORE OpenChoice papers will neither favour nor prejudice papers that opt for open access publication. The standards applied through peer-review will be applied uniformly and the published output in all our journals will be of the same high quality."
MORE OpenChoice papers will be published via Maney's online hosting platforms, IngentaConnect and/or Highwire. It will also be published in print if part of the journal offering. Maney will also deposit a copy in repositories nominated by the author.
Click here to view a list of participating journals
For more information about publishing through Maney's MORE OpenChoice platform, click to read their FAQ.
NWU hosting public meeting on Google Settlement Jan. 20 in New York
The National Writers Union (NWU) is holding a public meeting in New York on Wednesday, January 20 at 2 p.m. to update local writers on the pros and cons of the revised Google Settlement Agreement, which has a new opt-out deadline of January 28. The tentative speaker list includes New York Law School professor James Grimmlemann and attorney, author and literary agent Lynn Chu, who served as co-counsel for the NWU, the Association of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and 58 individual authors who objected to the first settlement proposal.
The meeting will be held in the UAW/NWU Conference Room at 256 W. 38th St., 12th Floor, in New York City. The meeting is a collaborative effort of the NWU, the ASJA, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), all three of which oppose the settlement.
"All writers need to be fully aware of the settlement's provisions in order to make informed decisions," said NWU President Larry Goldbetter. "Writers have a second chance, regardless of whether you received official notice or what you did about the original settlement proposal. This is especially important with the new 'opt-out' date set for January 28."
A second meeting will be held in San Francisco, but no date has been set yet.
SOTA Writing Retreat April 15-18
Sisters of the Academy Institute (SOTA) will be holding a Writing Retreat, “Building a Scholarly Writing Community for Black Women," April 15-18, in Columbiana, Alabama. The deadline for registration is January 25. The number of registrations is limited to 25.
The purpose of this "process and product driven weekend with a networking twist" is assist SOTA members and other sisters within the academy with their writing endeavors – including dissertation, manuscripts, or articles. Based on individual research interests, sisters are placed in writing circles that consist of 3-4 other women and facilitated by a senior scholar. Participants have the responsibility of working with their writing circles and facilitators to create draft documents prior to attending the culminating retreat in April. During the intensive weekend retreat, participants complete writing and prepare presentations with the support and motivation of their writing circle members and all other symposium attendees.
For details and registration, visit http://sistersoftheacademy.org/retreat01.htm; or Dr. J. Celeste Walley-Jean at jeanettewalley-jean@clayton.edu.
Will Apple Tablet Finally Solve E-Reader Woes for Textbooks?
Great article on The Wall Street Journal's blog about Coursesmart's view of how Apple's new tablet computer, set to launch in a few months, will impact e-textbooks "Dreaming Up Textbooks on an Apple Tablet": Click here for the article
Jan. 14 Webinar: Coaching Early Career Researchers
Emeritus Professor Alan Johnson will present unique insights into how early career researchers can help advance their career with a few efficient, effective, and well-planned steps during a January 14, 2010 (2 p.m. EST) webinar hosted by Elsevier. Register here
TAA ED quoted in Inside Higher Ed
TAA's Executive Director, Richard Hull, was quote in an article in Inside Higher Ed about the Amended Google Settlement Agreement's exclusion of academic authors from the Book Rights Registry.
Hull said that while TAA has never formally discussed the exclusion of academic authors from the registry, he agreed with the libraries’ complaint. “Academic authors who write journal pieces or monographs published by university presses are not in the business for royalties, they are in the business for promulgating ideas and sharing them widely,” he said. “So to the extent that the issue interest is subsumed to the profit motives of Google, and not to the intellectual sharing of ideas of academics, the interests of academics are not being well-represented.”
Read the full article at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/12/18/google
Blog shares info about permissions
A blog by Anne Wallingford, "May I Have Your Permission, Please?" contains some great information about why authors need to obtain permission to use copyrighted work, and how to ask for permissions. http://permissionsplease.today.com
Intellectual property attorney explains changes to Google settlement
On December 10, intellectual property attorney, Lois Wasoff explained in detail the most noteworthy changes to the Google Settlement Agreement, and assessed their potential impact on rightsholders and their works as part of the Copyright Clearance Center's ongoing Authors Guild, AAP, Google Settlement Seminar Series. Listen to the podcast
Copyright law expert reviews Amended Google Settlement
Additional Information: PDF Downloads: Related TAA articles: Authors Guild, AAP file amended Google Settlement Agreement |
The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) interviewed intellectual property attorney Lois Wasoff on November 18, five days after Google, the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild filed an Amended Google Settlement Agreement. In the interview, Wasoff highlights the most noteworthy changes, and explains in brief their potential impact on rightsholders and their works. Listen to the interview: Click here
Amended settlement agreement granted preliminary approval
Additional Information: PDF Downloads: Related TAA articles: Authors Guild, AAP file amended Google Settlement Agreement |
The Amended Google Settlement Agreement, filed by Google, the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild on November 13, was granted preliminary approval by U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin on November 19. The Court also approved a Supplemental Notice that highlights the changes from the original Settlement Agreement. This Supplemental Notice will be distributed on December 14, 2009. The deadline for filing objections, and the opt-out deadline is January 28, 2010. The final settlement hearing will be February 18, 2010.
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Textbook database improves access to students with print-related disabilities
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) launched a new comprehensive national online database to make it easier and quicker for students with print-related disabilities, such as blindness or dyslexia, to obtain the alternative textbooks they need for their college courses.
The AccessText Network, developed in conjunction with the Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) at the University of Georgia, has more than 300,000 textbook and novel titles available in alternative formats for students with disabilities. More than 650 colleges and universities have enrolled to participate in the system.
“Before AccessText, students with disabilities often waited weeks or even months for these alternative textbooks, sometimes getting their materials only after their classes were well underway,” said Tom Allen, president and chief executive officer of AAP, whose higher education member publishers donated almost $1 million to fund the non-profit venture. “Now, the AccessText Network is streamlining the permission process and facilitating quick access to content for these students. It has leveled the playing field, setting students with disabilities on a course for success from their first day of class.”
Christopher Lee, director of AMAC at the University of Georgia, which operates the AccessText Network, said the new network is fulfilling orders for students in about four days on average. “And every day we’re adding more textbook titles and signing up more schools to participate, making us more effective for both disability service providers and students,” Lee said.
Since going live Aug. 24, the AccessText Network has fulfilled more than 3,000 requests for alternative format textbooks.
“Textbook publishers are dedicated to helping all students succeed, and we are proud to see the AccessText Network help make college education a reality for thousands of college students with disabilities,” Allen said.
The AccessText Network is being funded through donations from publishers Bedford/St. Martin's, W.H. Freeman, and Worth Publishers; Cengage Learning; CQ Press; McGraw-Hill Education; W.W. Norton; Pearson; Reed Elsevier Inc.; and John Wiley & Sons.
Authors Guild, AAP file amended Google Settlement Agreement
Here's the statement issued by the Authors Guild, AAP, et al.: "In October 2008, a broad class of authors and publishers, the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and Google announced a settlement agreement that will unlock access to millions of out-of-print books in the U.S. and give authors and publishers new ways to distribute and control access to their works. Over the last two months, we've carefully reviewed the submissions filed with the Court, including that of the Department of Justice. We've made a number of changes to the agreement to address concerns raised, while preserving the core principles of the agreement. We look forward to seeking final settlement approval so that readers, authors and publishers can enjoy its benefits." On Nov. 14, 2009, the National Writers Union released the following statement from President Larry Goldbetter: “The proposed revised settlement of the Google Books copyright infringement lawsuit fails to address the concerns of several writers’ organizations and many American writers, and allows Google to get away with violating writers’ constitutionally protected rights. While the new proposal might appear to answer some objections, it still offers American writers a pittance for their already-scanned books, still requires writers to ‘opt out’ of the Google Books program, and still interferes with author-publisher contractual relationships." TAA released the following statement: "TAA supports the amended settlement agreement drafted by the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and Google. While the Google Book Program and its settlement will have little or no impact on scholarly journal and book authors or textbook authors whose publishers own the copyright to their works, it will provide textbook authors with out-of-print books new ways to distribute and control access to their works. It will also provide an opportunity for authors who hold the rights to their work to get compensated by Google for copying their works. The settlement gives authors a choice to opt-in or opt-out of having their books included in the Google Book Program, and the amended agreement extends the time in which to make that decision. While the agreement is not perfect, we feel it represents the best option for our members who hold copyright to their intellectual property."
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Google Inc., the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers filed an amended version of their Google Settlement Agreement on November 13 in response to discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice and objections to the original settlement agreement.
The amended agreement narrows the settlement class, creates a separate overseer of unclaimed works, and extends the deadline for book digitization payments.
The class has been narrowed to authors and publishers of works registered in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the U.K. Each would have an author and publisher seat on the Book Rights Registry Board. These countries were chosen, according to the amended agreement, because they have contributed the largest number of English-language works to American libraries.
Rather than including unclaimed works under the purview of the Book Rights Registry, an independent fiduciary approved by the court would be solely responsible for decisions regarding unclaimed works.
Unclaimed funds would be held for 10 years, rather than the five stated in the original settlement agreement, and any unclaimed funds after that time would be distributed to charities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia as determined by the court.
Future business models have been pared down to three: individual subscriptions, print-on-demand, and digital downloads. All would need to be approved by the Book Rights Registry and all rightsholders prior to use. Ad-supported previews, consumer online editions, page-fees for print-outs from public access terminals, and institutional subscriptions would remain the same.
The deadline for receiving payments for books already scanned by Google prior to the original settlement agreement has been extended to March 31, 2011. The deadline for opting out of the settlement and removing your works from Google’s database is March 9, 2012.
The amended agreement is still pending court approval. No date has been set.
View a copy of the Amendment Settlement Agreement: Click here
Read the Authors Guild's digest of the major amendments to the agreement: Click here
Authors royalties may be affected by Cengage suit against Houghton Mifflin
Additional Information: PDF Downloads: Related TAA articles: |
Stephen E. Gillen, an intellectual property attorney with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, said that Cengage Learning's $20 million lawsuit against Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for losses it said it incurred from HMH's unauthorized international college textbooks sales could represent a potential $3 million in lost royalties to authors.
"Although the complaint is not specific about how that amount was calculated, if it represents lost domestic sales of copies of college books then it also represents a potential $3 million in lost royalties to authors of those books (assuming a 15% domestic royalty rate)," he said.
Cengage filed suit against HMH on November 9, claiming the company dramatically increased its sales of college textbooks to international resellers, particularly to those who were known to redistribute textbooks back into the U.S. illegally. Cengage claims that starting in the summer of 2007, when HMH was marketing its business for sale and just before the closing date on its acquisition of HMH, the company’s international sales of college textbooks more than doubled compared to sales made during the same time in 2006. This was contrary to their agreement that HMH would only make international sales "in the ordinary and normal course of is college textbook business," said Cengage.
Baker & Taylor partners with Gale to distribute elite e-books
Baker & Taylor, Inc., a worldwide distributor of print and digital books, and Gale, part of Cengage Learning, have partnered to distribute the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) e-book collection. Baker & Taylor, the first wholesaler to sell the GVRLplatform, will distribute GVRL – including Literature Criticism Online and Gale Directory Library – in the academic and public library markets. "This partnership continues our long-term strategic initiative to provide our customers with the content they need in the format of their choice," said George Coe, President of Library & Education at Baker & Taylor. For more information about these Gale products, visit www.gale.cengage.com.
Cengage Learning files suit against Houghton Mifflin for improper foreign sales
Additional Information: PDF Downloads: Related TAA articles: |
Cengage Learning filed suit in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York against Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), for $20 million in damages, claiming the company dramatically increased its sales of college textbooks to international resellers, particularly to those who were known to redistribute textbooks back into the U.S. illegally.
According to the suit, filed November 9, HMH’s foreign sales activity “deprived Cengage Learning of the ability to make sales in these artificially saturated foreign markets to legitimate resellers and/or resulted in a flood of these textbooks back into the U.S. College textbook market—severely decreasing Cengage Learning’s sales in the U.S. market and consequently undermining the business acquired by Cengage Learning.”
Cengage purchased Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on November 30, 2007, at which time, Cengage had allowed HMH to continue to sell its college textbooks in the international market prior to the closing date on the sale, as long as those sales were “in the ordinary and normal course of its college textbook business.”
The suit states that HMH “had no right to make (and was expressly prohibited from making) those...sales in a manner that would be outside the ordinary and normal course of HMH’s college textbook business.” Dramatically increasing its sales to international resellers with known propensities to improperly sell those textbooks back into the U.S. Market culminated in a “significant spike in sales just prior to the close of the acquisition,” claims Cengage.
The suit points to HMH’s past history of international sales as proof, which show that starting in the summer of 2007, when HMH was marketing its business for sale and just before the closing date on the acquisition of HMH, the company’s international sales of college textbooks more than doubled compared to sales made during the same time in 2006.
(Cengage Learning, Inc. vs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1:09-cv-09305-RWS, Filed 11-09-09 in United States District Court Southern District of New York)
Tele-Workshop Dec. 1: ‘Writing, Procrastination and Resistance: How to Identify Your Funk and Move Through It’
Kerry Ann Rockquemore, an associate professor of African-American Studies and Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and author of The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul, will be presenting a tele-workshop on “Writing, Procrastination and Resistance: How to Identify Your Funk and Move Through It” on December 1 from 8-9:30 p.m. EST. The cost for the tele-workshop is $100 per person. Graduate student rates are $50. University of Illinois at Chicago faculty, graduate students or post-doctoral fellows can register for free. Register: Click here
Google Settlement Amendment to be filed Nov. 13
Additional Information: PDF Downloads: Related TAA articles: Amended settlement agreement granted preliminary approval |
The attorney for the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the The Association of Research Libraries, informed U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin on November 9, 2009 that it plans to file its motion seeking preliminary approval of the Amended Google Settlement Agreement by Friday, November 13, 2009. The judge had set the date for filing the amendment as November 9, but the plaintiffs’ attorney Michael J. Boni said they need additional time to file the motion.
DeepDyve offers research rental service
Sunnyvale, California-based DeepDyve (www.deepdyve.com) recently launched a research rental service that provides researchers with access to a database of more than 30 million scientific, technical and medical articles for as little as $.99 per article. DeepDyve offers free search and preview, automatically displays a list of suggested articles based on a user’s profile, and links to related content with every search result and article page. The company is offering a free 14-day trial.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to offer 100% recycled textbooks
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, which publishes textbooks for pre-K-12 grades, is printing its Go Math! Textbook series using one hundred percent recycled material. Already being offered in Florida, Go Math! will be available nationally in spring 2010.
Go Math!, for grades K-5, is the first series of its kind to receive the “Green Edition” seal, which certifies that the company used environmentally responsible manufacturing and distribution processes to produce and deliver the series from author to reader.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt estimates that over the life of the Go Math! adoption in Florida alone, green textbooks will save 40,000 trees and eight million gallons of water, reduce air emissions by 3.8 million pounds, and eliminate one million pounds of solid waste.
The “Green Edition” seal represents a stringent and unprecedented standard of environmental stewardship for the book publishing industry. To receive the designation, publishers must not only demonstrate a commitment to recycled paper, but also modify production processes and the supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint of their product.
In the case of Go Math!, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt manufactured all student editions in domestic plants governed by U.S. environmental laws, significantly minimizing shipping resources and the total carbon footprint. The carbon footprint calculation is based on the life of the textbooks and is determined by the Environmental Defense Fund metrics. The Company also adhered to “Green Edition” standards by using post-consumer recycled fiber to produce the series, which saves trees as well as reduces energy use, water consumption and landfill waste commonly associated with end-of-life textbooks.
"We are thoroughly committed to providing teachers and students with curricula that support student achievement and success, and to doing so in an environmentally responsible way," said Mike Lavelle, K–12 president, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. "School districts across the county have expressed that environmental stewardship is a priority, so we will continue to build our Green Edition content to provide more sustainable solutions nationwide."
The Go Math! recycled textbook series represents only one example of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s dedication to environmental stewardship. Additional Go Green company initiatives include:
- A 2009 purchase of an estimated 40,000,000 lbs of 100% recycled paper for use in a variety of workbooks across the product spectrum
- A movement of new sample packs to recycled corrugate
- Increased use of soy-based inks
- Elimination of foam from packaging materials and instead offering environmentally friendly solutions such as recycled plastic bubble packs and recycled kraft paper
- Virtual sampling of products to replace most paper sampling
- Save-a-Tree campaign to provide participating classrooms with trees to plant
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