Tuesday LINKS Sasquatch publisher on Amazon, Mo Willems talks pigeon, the Stranger garners a Pulitzer
April 24, 2012
It’s Tuesday once again and here’s your smorgasboard of linky goodness.
Crosscut: A local book publisher laments Amazon’s impact
When book publishers suffer financially it is art that suffers first. Forced to cut back due to sagging revenues, publishers start trimming editors and artists, and reluctantly ask authors for reductions in royalties. Yet a presence on Amazon is a must for every author’s book. Should a publisher withdraw a book from availability on Amazon, they will surely suffer the wrath of its author. But many of these same authors fail to see that Amazon’s low pricing puts a stranglehold on the publishers and ultimately on the author’s earnings.
Last weeks links covered the the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple, Macmillan and Penguin for e-book price fixing, but if you wanted to understand even more you can read a great primer written by Jane Little on monopolies and antitrust law that is clear, readable and uses small words — I like that.
Dear Author: Antitrust Primer for the Publishing Price Fixing Lawsuit
The purpose of the antitrust law is to promote competition with the underlying maxim that competition creates the best product at the lowest price for the benefit of the consumer. Some economists argue that the focus on consumer welfare in antitrust laws harms competition and business. For instance, increased prices redistributes wealth from the consumer to amongst the producers and that is economic neutral outcome but because antitrust laws have focused on what is best for the consumer, an economic neutral outcome that pushes more money from the consumers’ pockets to that of a producer is a disfavored result.
npr books: A Rival for Pigeon in Willems’ New ‘Duckling’
For a certain set of readers, one need only say the word “pigeon” to set off a frenzied outburst of delight. Pigeon is the star of a series of best-selling children’s books, including The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog! and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! He’s not much more than a stick figure with two circles for eyes, but he can still get huffy and display all the melodrama of a 4-year-old.
Pigeon’s creator is Mo Willems, whose latest book, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? co-stars Pigeon’s oh-so-adorable little web-footed friend. Pigeon isn’t mentioned in the title of the new book, a situation he does not appreciate. Willems tells NPR’s Renee Montagne that while his books are funny to young readers, they’re often a tragedy for poor Pigeon. “On the first page, I think, Pigeon says, ‘I do not like the look of that title.’ “
Also from npr’s sciencey blog
KRULWICH wonders: Little Red Riding Hood Gets A 21st Century Attitude
She’s been visiting grandma since 1697, when her story was first published in a French anthology of children’s stories. Now we have a 21st century version, but before we go there, here’s a little review:
Little Red Riding Hood–First Version
Little Red Riding Hood–Unchewed Version
Little Red Riding Hood–Psycho Version
Little Red Riding Hood–Feminist Version
Little Red Riding Hood–Ladies Room Version
Pulitzer Prizes Winners for 2012
There wasn’t an award for fiction given this year but if you want to read the 3 nominees here they are:
The Pale King – David Foster Wallace
Swamplandia! — Karen Russell
Train Dreams — Denis Johnson
Eli Sanders of the Stranger awarded Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
If you’d like to read Mr. Sanders award winning entry it’s here:
the Stranger: The Bravest Woman in Seattle
The prosecutor wanted to know about window coverings. He asked: Which windows in the house on South Rose Street, the house where you woke up to him standing over you with a knife that night—which windows had curtains that blocked out the rest of the world and which did not?
posted by jim
