Science Fiction Writers of America Outraged Over Hydra Contract

When we purchase books, many of us probably never think about all the legal things that go on behind the scenes when a book gets published. Last week, however, the Science Fiction Writers of America were up in arms about a new contract idea from Random House that affects their science fiction e- imprint, Hydra. They are not happy, and Random House doesn’t seem to see the problem.

Traditionally, in simple terms, writers are paid an advance from the publishing company as payment for their work. The publisher assumes all costs for printing, binding, distribution etc., and the book is put on the shelves. As the book begins to sell, the publisher is paid until all their costs are recouped and the advance they gave the author has been recovered, and then the author begins to share the profits with the publisher. If costs are not recovered because a book doesn’t do well, an author might never see any more money other than their advance.

With this new model, there are differences because of the fact they are an e-imprint (which means no binding etc., but includes different costs such as digital marketing), but they’ve also switched up all the rules. An author picked up by Hydra will have to cover all the costs and will be paid no advance. That means, Random House might decide to pay their editors $5000 if they feel it is necessary, and their marketing team $8000 if that’s what they believe they need in order to make the book successful.  The author has no choice in the matter and must shoulder the costs.  Then, when the book starts selling, both author and publisher share the royalties.  The argument is that the publisher is taking a chance on the author by giving them the opportunity and providing them with the best people in the business, and yet they both get to reap the rewards right from the start.

It seems like it might be an interesting way to do business, and one which some authors would jump at the chance for. But wait…….

The catch is that the author now also loses all rights to their work, too...indefinitely. The publisher asks for all rights, in all forms, for the life of the copyright (which could work out to be 70 years or more after the death of the author). You can see why people are upset.

Last week, there was much uproar over the whole idea, and Random House replied with their own letter to the Science Fiction Authors of America to try to make them see the light. I’m not sure it worked.  It might be more work and cost more money and maybe not net the author the same residuals, but it’s looking like self-publishing might be the way to go to avoid the massive copyright problems. You can read the Random House letter here to see for yourself.

The real problem with this new model, if accepted, is that it might be game changing for the business. What if paper books went the same way? Many authors wouldn’t be able to afford the costs of producing the books and would be forced to release in ebook format only.  If other imprints follow this new direction, the world of publishing is changing, for good or not. Will this be the direction ebook publishers have been longing for since their inception? We’ll have to wait and see.

Will They Take Your Books?

Recently, a Norwegian woman claimed Amazon wiped every book from her Kindle (remotely) and closed her account without a satisfactory explanation.  Amazon has always said they have the right to close user accounts when they feel someone has violated their agreement with the books they’ve purchased.  While many of us have faced similar problems with email or social media accounts after someone tried to access these accounts falsely, Amazon claims they looked into this and have associated her account with another one which had previously been blocked. I’m sure if someone looks into this further and decides her account was closed without merit, all of her books could be reloaded to her Kindle. Simple.  But it brings up some interesting questions about Amazon and the Kindle and the rights they have over eBooks.

After reading this article on the matter, it becomes clear that purchasing electronic books does not give us ownership over those books, only usership…if that’s a word. We can use the books the way we are supposed to (which means, read them), and hopefully not use them in other ways deemed improper.  When you purchase an actual hardcover book, you’re agreeing to the same things, really. You pay the money for the book,which is your agreement to the copyright that you will only read the book and not reproduce the book in any public format (without permission, of course).  Does that mean that no one has ever photocopied pages from a book to use in a presentation or assignment?  Probably not.  But what can booksellers do about that?  They can’t come back to a person who bought a book in their store and demand the book back simply because they heard the person read chapters out loud, for example, in public. Once they sell the book, it is up to the person who purchased it to follow the rules.

So how did Amazon KNOW  this person violated some part of their agreement? It makes me very uncomfortable to think that they are monitoring users through their Kindles somehow. We hear about this all the time with computers. It’s bad enough to think that someone knows your every move online, but to think that someone is keeping track of your reading is somewhat worse, isn’t it? And while the aspect of Amazon being able to upload books to a new Kindle after one is lost or stolen is marvelous, maybe there really should be better safeguards, such as a password, as was stated in the above article.

It’s possible that there’s much more to the story and why this person’s account was closed and her books revoked. In fact, I’m sure of it. But it sure gets you thinking about how something as simple as reading a book could possibly bring about an invasion of our so-called privacy.

What do YOU think?

Do You OverDrive?

While the majority of our patrons still come in to get books, many people are also taking advantage of the free eBooks and Audiobooks available at the OverDrive website. And with the upcoming holiday season upon us, we expect that usage to grow. So what are people reading on? It seems that eReaders are still very popular, but now people are expanding into the tablet format, so we’re excited to see where that goes.

There are always questions about what is available on the OverDrive website. While it’s not exactly like purchasing an eBook or audiobook online, where you get whatever book you want within seconds, there are many advantages to it.  Think of it as an extension of the library you visit in person–you can still get most of the books you want, but you might have to wait a few weeks if someone already has your book out.  Here are a few updated facts:

Right now, there are over 35, 000 titles available on OverDrive.  That includes eBooks, audiobooks, as well as music and video (which our library does not offer at this time, I’m afraid.) There are 26, 225 eBooks alone. While some bigger libraries offer extra copies to their patrons, Carleton Place has only single copies of each eBook available to borrow. Think of it like us purchasing books for our building–we wouldn’t buy 13 copies of a popular book because we simply wouldn’t have room on our shelves for everything.  And each copy that we own pays out royalties to the author and publisher etc.  If we purchased multiple copies of eBooks, we’d still have to pay for each copy so the authors etc., would earn their money.  While it seems like it should be something we could have an endless supply of (after all, it’s digital, it’s just a file…why couldn’t we have multiples on backup), we find that the waiting lists move fast and people can generally wait to read/listen to a book.

The people are OverDrive tell us that at any one time, 35 – 40% of the collection is out. That’s amazing when you think of it! And now, you can have up to 10 items on your holds/checkout list.  This is double what they used to offer, so it helps keep you in the loop.  Less time coming back to place holds and more time reading!  We love it! If you’re getting frustrated trying to find an available title to take out, don’t forget to try the “Advanced Search”.  You can choose your preferred genre, author and type of eBook, then select “show only titles available” and it will show you a list of items you can take out right now!  Fantastic, right?  If you’re having trouble with that, please drop by the library and we can show you how it’s done on one of our computers.

While many people are getting tablets, this requires some knowledge of your device (how to access WiFi etc), and a few easy steps to download the OverDrive app. Then,it’s as simple as getting an Adobe ID and the books drop right into your app. If you’re still using your computer to access eBooks, you might notice that Adobe Digital Editions has changed its layout as well.  They’ve made it easier for people who are sight impaired to use their screen readers (devices that read the books to them). So, while the look might have changed with Adobe Digital Editions 2.0 version, it still acts the same when reading your eBooks on your computer or transferring them to your device. Again, if you need any help, drop into the library and we can assist you.

It’s an exciting time for library users, and your new devices (for the most part) will work great on OverDrive. Don’t forget, you still need a library card and a PIN.  Drop in and we can get you started!

Five Library Things

The library is a constantly forward-moving institution, even though many people don’t think of us in that way.  We aren’t just books and card catalogs anymore.  We’re technology and books and people. It’s always changing.  So, for today’s blog post, I’ll talk about Five Things that We’re Doing at the Library Today.

#1.  Blog posts, Twitter & Facebook

If you’re reading this, you might know we’ve been blogging for almost five years.  That’s a lot of posts. Not only do we blog to keep you up to date on things going on in the library, but we also aim to entertain and educate.  Our posts are about language, books, reading, writing and so much more. It’s something we enjoy doing, and it has made a real mark for us as a Public Library.  And for the last few years, we’ve also had a Facebook page and we’ve added our thoughts on Twitter. We’re looking into expanding our online presence into Pinterest and other social networking sites in the future, so keep your eyes here for more information.

#2. We’re adding to our Genealogy Room.

Did you know we have a Genealogy room where we keep local history, microfilm and many bits of information about Carleton Place and the people who have lived here?  We have a dedicated computer where you can search Ancestry.com for a few hours, or you could use the microfilm machine to search through old issues of the Carleton Place Canadian and more.  Order in a microfilm from Library and Archives Canada to do more focused research on your family tree or ask us how to get started.  We have a quick quiz to help us help you focus on what you’re looking for.  And we’re always adding to the room, getting more local history documented in book form or on disk, so ask us what we have available.  Even if we don’t have it ready now, it might be in the works!

#3.  Expanding Our Collections

Did you know we don’t actively purchase paperbacks?  We rely solely on the donations from our generous patrons who drop off their gently used new books and allow us to add them to our shelves.  You’ll always see new books, whether it’s in fiction, non-fiction or in the children’s area.  We put  more than 150 new books each month into our collection, which also means that we have to constantly clean our shelves of older books to make room (otherwise, we’d be bursting through the doors!). You can often find “new” books on our sale table, so don’t forget to check for a great deal when you come in!

#4.  Preparing for Summer Programs

Even though it’s only May, we’ve been preparing and thinking about our summer programs since about February.  A lot of work goes into the process, and we hope the kids enjoy it when the time rolls around.  This summer is no exception. We’re in the process of hiring our summer student and getting our decorations and programs ready.  It’ll be different this year, with posters and booklets aimed at both the middle grade readers and our youngest set (based on our Ready for Reading program).  It’s going to be a fun summer, with lots of crazy events and programs.  Keep watching in mid-June for our summer Calendar.  Just imagine what we’ll be doing this summer!

#5. Keeping up with technology

Yes, we’ve had eBooks and audiobooks available at the library for a while now, but you probably didn’t realize that we are constantly learning.   With the development of many new devices, our initial training has had to be expanded.  We’ve offered a workshop early this year to help new eBook users and we have a kids workshop in the works as well. While many people are still trying to work their way around the idea of eBooks, we’re here to help with the questions.  It isn’t easy, and with the development of wireless devices, it makes downloading eBooks both easier and trickier at the same time. Hopefully, the publishing companies will continue to work out ways to allow libraries to offer eBooks to their patrons and more authors and publishers will make their books available.  We’d love to have every book available to our patrons whenever they want it, but for now, placing holds and making wish lists will have to do.  It’s an exciting process and just another way we can offer books to the public. We’re looking forward to seeing where this will go in the future!

So, you can see, we always have plenty of new things on the go at the library. It’s an exciting place to work!

But how do we find out about them?

Ebooks.  Either you love them or you want to pull your hair out when dealing with them.There seems to be no in between. You might think, as a library, we’d hate the idea of eBooks, but we don’t. In fact, we’ve embraced them as just another part of the advancement of libraries. Do we have many patrons who read eBooks?  Of course!! And some only came to the library once—to get a PIN—and now download eBooks from home without ever stepping back into our building.  We love those people just as much as the patrons we see on a daily basis. It’s just a different aspect to our work.

EBooks are gaining ground in our society. Authors who might previously have gone the traditional publishing route are taking to publishing eBooks. Traditional fiction might not be so difficult to find, but what about those great books being offered covering a variety of science topics.  Where do you find them?  How do you know which ones are good? Download the Universe has the solution!

It all started in early January of this year when a group of scientists and writers gathered at a meeting called Science Online and decided they needed one outpost to successfully market the new science eBooks.  And so Download the Universe was born.  Their mission is to give readers of science the inside track on extraordinary new eBooks that will rival any print books out there. (Just think….the information can be kept current, along with additions if there are new developments.  You can do this with an ordinary book on a library shelf!)

And the topics are wide ranging, but always fascinating!  For instance, there’s a new eBook called Controlling Cancer : A Powerful Plan for Taking on the World’s Most Daunting Disease by Paul Ewald.  It explores the idea of cancer being caused by viruses. Ewald argues that there are already many cancers known to us that are caused by viruses, such as cervical cancers being caused by HPV (human papillomavirus). Why not explore the idea that  infections are the basis of cancers that otherwise seem randomly caused? 

 Or maybe you’re more interested in reading a book called, The Elements, by Theodore Gray.  With beautiful photos of each element, simply presented but rich in detail, this book is a stunner and one that has already reached high acclaim in print form.  It’s interesting to note that this isn’t sold as an eBook, but rather as an app, so that the “reader” can fully appreciate the concept of learning about the elements in a new way. Genius. It’s more about sharing information than offering a book to a few people.

So, if you’re interested in science and you’d like to know where to find the best new eBooks out there, keep Download the Universe in your Favorites. This might be the wave of the future. As non-fiction books slowly go the way of the dinosaurs ( non-fiction in libraries, especially for the younger crowd, isn’t desired as much with so much information available online now), eBooks might take the place of print books, and actually improve how we read our information.

Will you download any of these ebooks?

Out with the old….

We’re getting back into a normal schedule here at the library. The Christmas decorations are coming down……

….and we’re getting ready to put up some new colours.

While we aren’t running storytime this week, we’re taking registrations for our new session next week. Call us and sign up your 2-5 year old for either Wednesday, January 11, or Thursday, January 12 from 10 – 11am.  We’re going to be full for both sessions, so call as early as possible to avoid disappointment!

And if you’re one of those people who got an eBook reader over the holidays, don’t forget we’re having a workshop next week to go over some of the basics of ereaders, ebooks, the OverDrive website and more.  It’ll be a general info workshop, aimed at getting everyone a little more familiar with the idea of ebooks, but hopefully everyone will come away with a few tips and tricks to make downloading ebooks easier. Call us to register for Wednesday, January 11 from 7 – 8pm. Hurry, spaces are limited!

Drop by this week to pick up a book to get started on one of your New Year’s Resolutions.  We have lots of great books on diets, exercise, relaxation and more. Or if you’re looking for something to keep the kids occupied, don’t forget we have plenty of DVDs to choose from.

Hope to see you this week!