12/6/12: Hot Updates & Titillating Tidbits for a Cold NYC Day

(From PR Newswire; GalleyCat) Harlequin, ever the innovating operation, has joined forces with Cosmo to launch novella length erotic romance, Cosmo Red Hot Reads. A joint endeavor, the series launches with two original ebook titles a month, in May, 2013 by “some of Harlequin’s bestselling authors”. No surprise, the Cosmo release references “if you picked up Fifty Shades of Grey then this is the book series for you.” I’m just wondering if HQ is now rethinking their abandonment of their print Spice line of erotica. Could be they jumped the gun and may reanimate it? Time certainly seems ripe.

As a New Yawka, I get and religiously read the NY Times, including the Sunday Book Section. After a series of changes, half the section now consists of a plethora of convoluted and confusing bestseller lists. But wait! They’re not done yet! Publishers Lunch reports today that they’re divvying up the children’s bestseller lists. There’ll now be at least 2 – one list each for middle-grade and YA. Seeing how YA is one of the hottest (the hottest?) genres going these days, I can see the impetus. Still. One needs a degree in actuarial type stuff to figure it out.

Bill Bryson discovered some (alleged) heinous skullduggery (is there any other kind?) by a former agent and is dragging the guy to court. Here’s to your victory Bill. It’s tough enough being an author without having to don a mask and cape to fight for truth, justice and royalties. Let’s hear it for all those terrific agents, too, who do great work and don’t rob their clients.

You might want to pick up the December 10 issue of Time Magazine. On page 44, “The Next EL James?” “The $ .99 Bestseller” article plunges into a discussion starting with the RT Conference, a J. A. Konrath presentation, and various self-publishing ins and outs. The article focuses primarily on Amazon’s self-pub arm, but touches on the pricing conundrum and DOJ suit, and details the successes and travails of a couple of authors of erotic romance, one up and comer, and another you may know well, millionaire author of über steaming tales, Bella Andre. Definitely a must-read for any author, especially if you’re contemplating the indie pub route.

If you’re considering your New Year’s Resolutions for 2013, and they include networking at a writers’ conference, there are dozens to choose from. Digital Book World opens its doors in NYC from January 15 – 17. The Liberty States Fiction Writers one-day Create Something Magical conference in New Jersey falls on March 16, 2013 (I’m a member, so allow me to tout this group’s greatness. Definitely a great investment and here’s the link www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/conference/). Writers Digest East Conference runs April 5-7 in NYC (no word on a WD West time or place yet). RT Book Reviews Conference gets underway in Kansas City from May 1-5. Make sure you check out regional conferences in your area, everything from Christian Writers, Comic Cons, and mystery and romance writers’ conferences. More listings coming soon!

And speaking of romance writers, the incredible ladies Leanna Renee Hieber, Hope Tarr and Maya Rodale and book blogger and all around delightful gent, Ron Hogan, several years back launched their beauteous brain child, Lady Jane’s Salon. This one-of-a-kind and only romance reading series in Manhattan, was an instant hit. So much so that there are now satellite Lady Jane’s proliferating all around the country. Check out their site to see if there’s one in your neck of the woods. The NYC group meets the first Monday of every month, at Madam X, 94 West Houston Street. The small donations go to women’s charities and the events are wonderful, fun evenings of romance readings by authors of every type. http://www.ladyjanesalonnyc.com/.

I couldn’t let the opportunity go by to regale you all with my recent experience at the NYC BDSM Club, Paddles, where Lori Perkins, editor of 50 Writers on 50 Shades of Grey held forth with two panels of authors who’d contributed to the collection. The panels were incredibly provocative, and the speakers wonderfully erudite, funny, and gave lots of perspectives on the 50 Shades phenom (love it or hate it). And provocative wasn’t the word for the – ahem – hands on S&M demonstration by a Dom and his submissive. I’m betting everyone in the audience had a little tingle as we witnessed the flogging – and more. They were smart and gracious and gave the audience great insight into the D/s mentality and the BDSM lifestyle.

I’m wrapping up my year as President of the NYC Chapter of Romance Writers of America. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to working as Past President with the incoming Board of Directors for 2013. Are you a writer of romantic fiction in or around NYC? Well, golly gee, how come you aren’t a member? Check out the Chapter Website (undergoing renovation as we speak, but up and running) for upcoming Chapter meetings and see what we’re all about. Don’t be afraid to depend on the kindness of strangers – we won’t be strangers for long, I guarantee it! http://rwanyc.com/.

I had a chance recently to sit in on a CLE presentation (for lawyers to keep up with the legal eagle game; no floggers involved) on the recently decided Authors Guild v. Hathi Trust copyright case. Have you read the Copyright Act? Did you know that an author (or photographer or any rights holder) does not have absolute right to their material? Fair use is the principle that allows others to use your material under certain legally delineated guidelines – but note that many a lawsuit has been waged over how to interpret those guidelines and it is a thorny issue, my child. I gleaned fascinating information on the convoluted issues of copyright and I continue to learn a tremendous amount about intellectual property in general. This presentation followed on the heels of one concerning fair use and social media. Do you read the teeny weeny fine print on those terms of use on the various social media you are on? If you haven’t you’d better start. Learning what these sites are doing, and how to avoid putting your material in jeopardy would be a mighty smart move.

As a little cerebral tidbit for the day, in case you also haven’t given a gander to the Constitution lately, here’s from Article I, Section 8: The Constitutional Provision Respecting Copyright:

“The Congress shall have Power . . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Investors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”

And speaking of lofty legal topics – I discovered a great blog by NYC lawyer Mark Fowler. If you’re interested in keeping abreast of legal type issues and discussions, add it to your favorites: www.rightsofwriters.com

On that note, with a hidey-hidey-ho, here’s to a brilliant, sunny Thursday. Write happy, write smart!

Law & Writers - How Much Do You Know?

“The path you walk will be thorny, my son, through no fault of your own!” Maria Ouspenskaya to the Wolfman.

Our path as writers can be truly thorny, too. The publishing world is changing like a nervous chameleon and we have to keep up with all these changes if we want to keep our careers from running afoul of monstrous mayhem. You’ll need to educate yourself to make sure your career is on track and you are maximizing your investments of time, effort, talent and money.

One of the trickiest areas to navigate is the legal arena. It can be tough on the best day, in the best circumstances. But as more and more authors opt to publish with digital publishers – the majority of whom don’t require an agent to get “in the door” – they are doing so without the benefit of knowledgeable agents (or publishing lawyers) to help them understand the contracts they are signing, to advise if the terms are “industry standard” or somehow aberrant, and to clue them in to the potential adverse effects when something goes wrong.

On a lot of RWA and other writing loops I’ve encountered discussions of the confusion over publishing contract terms (as well as a lot of erroneous “facts”). Likewise I’ve seen a lack of understanding of what is standard in our industry. And the proliferation of publishers has left some authors contracting with operations that are not operating as efficiently – and in some isolated cases, as ethically – as they could be. Then there are the day to day legal issues writers are faced with which are often misunderstood or ignored completely.

The only way to make sure you are on an even keel is to get as much education as you can from reliable sources. And even then, you need to be able to recognize when you are simply in over your head and need professional guidance. You take a chance on missteps that may adversely impact your career, and just make you an unhappy camper if you don’t have this self-knowledge.

So to get an idea of how much you know – or don’t – check out the following questions having to do with things legalistic and contractual:

- What is the difference between an option and non-compete provisions?

- Give an example of a case of material breach of a publishing contact.

- What legal concept covers passing a living author’s work off as your own?

- True or False: You can use song lyrics in your story as long as you give appropriate credit.

- Do you have any recourse when signing a publishing contract if you do not want the publisher to include another author’s ads in your book?

- What does it mean if a work is “in the public domain”?

- Can you copyright a book title?

- When can you trademark a book title?

- What is “Fair use”?

- Give an example of when an author might be required to return an advance.

- Give two examples of when rights in a book might revert back to an author.

- True or False: The following subsidiary rights always belong in total to the publisher –
o Book club sale
o Foreign rights
o Audio rights
o Dramatic rights
o Merchandising rights

- An “advance” paid to an author is (choose the correct choice):
o A signing bonus
o An advance against any royalties an author might make on sales
o A portion of guaranteed income on sales of a book

- What is a “work-for-hire”?


These are just a few of some basic questions an author should know the answers to before she signs any publishing contract, and, in fact, as she moves forward to becoming a published author. Do you know the answers? If you do, congratulations you savvy professional, you! Are you scratching your head and wondering if MAYBE you THINK you know a few of the answers? Then you need more knowledge. This business can be unforgiving if you inadvertently err.

Make sure you are making the most of your career – and not mistakenly putting yourself in jeopardy. Familiarize yourself with the basics. Recognize that contracts are not static, and are changing incredibly fast, as the business changes. “Industry standards” are changing by virtue of changing technologies (not just digital publication, but enhanced eBooks and what they mean, what “out of print” now means and how it continues to evolve). And new opportunities can also present new dangers.

I have worked as an assistant in entertainment law, including publishing, for over 20 years. I freely admit I continue to learn new details every day – and I urge everyone to seek out this knowledge to protect yourself and make the most of publishing success. I am not a lawyer, but I’ve been listening to enough situations where authors have gotten mired in difficulties and frustration because they didn’t know enough – and didn’t know they needed to know more.

Don’t let that happen to you!

Farewell To A Great Man & A Wonderful Author

Milton T. Burton, aged 63, passed away in his sleep on December 1, 2011 at 3:30 am after a brief illness.

Simple words to say that my best friend, a man of incredible literary talent and immense curiousity, compassion, knowledge and joy, has left my life.

His renewed literary success, which began with 2005's The Rogue's Game and the subsequent The Sweet and the Dead, gave us last year's The Nights of the Red Moon and his stellar anthology of Southern noir tales, Texas Noir which was published by Down and Out Books in 2011.

It will be a posthumous release, The Devil's Odds, however, in February 2012 and his last contracted book, Mortal Remains, I guess is up in the air.

A wealth of output in a few short years from this Texas native who received critical acclaim for all his writings.

I loved, and will miss him, as a wonderful person. But beyond our personal relationship, was our relationship as writers. And not just myself, but dozens of writers have had the great pleasure of meeting Milton and participating in discussions with him, and we have all come away better writers for it. He was unfailingly supportive to those of us who were his friends. He encouraged our literary ambitions, bought our books and touted them on his blog, Obscure Destinies, and had gruff sympathy for the rejections many of us incured.

He wrote from his soul. He put everything into his books, from political leanings, to romance, to his outlook on man's inhumanity to man, his reverence of women and respect for lawmen. His characters were deftly drawn - the best of men had flaws, and the worst had redeeming qualities. There was humor and thrills, sadness and poignant recollections of bygone Texas times.

I have all his books and will cherish them now that he is gone. For anyone unfamiliar with his writing, you'd be well advised to pick up all of them. They teach many lessons about story craft and characterization. But most of all they teach that a great story can only be great if your heart is in the telling.

Milton's heart was always in the tale. He was a true bard and I will mourn his marvelous stories.

To his friends and family, and his beloved grandkids, he was a friend, father and grandfather. To the world at large? He was a writer of the highest order.

He will be sorely missed.

Godspeed, dear man.

A Month of Exhausting Changes - Here's Your Daily Requirement of Publishing News

Looking to surf the publishing industry tidal wave these days? The business is moving at the speed of a molecule in a particle accelerator, and getting faster and more complicated by the nanosecond. These changes cover everything from who you sell your book to (if you sell it at all or rather pub it yourself!) to how to market it, to how it is distributed, what the laws are and how you can be read.

As an example of the sound and fury, I pulled together a “highlight reel” of digital industry news from a single month’s worth of Publishers Weekly issues. Grab a life preserver and hold on tight. This is going to be quite a ride!

October 17, 2011

PW reported on sales results from the 2nd quarter of the year. Shifts in “Channel Market Share (in dollars)” showed trade bookstore chains dropped to 27.3% share from 30.6%; non-traditional and independent bookstores’ sales rose by 1.7%, and .5%, respectively. No surprise, “e-commerce” market share rose to 37.0% from 27.6%, overtaking by 10 percentage points sales at large chains (though as with everything else, nothing is what it seems – the closing of Borders’ stores may well have upped the digital numbers). And shifts in market share in various formats (by unit) showed paperback down 7.3%, hardcover down 4.7% and digital up 10.5% for the quarter.

Further fueling the digital bonfires, Amazon announced the launch of its latest imprint, 47North, for sci-fi/fantasy/horror titles. 47 joins Montlake Romance and other genre imprints that put Amazon into direct competition with their most powerful adversaries, traditional publishers and the remaining big trade chain/publisher, B&N. This is the latest of the major changes in publishing that began with digital publishers challenging the traditional houses as e-book sales began to take off. After the trad pubs got their digital ducks in a row as another format for print titles, we saw them next begin to set up their own digital imprints to capitalize on the trends – what started with Harlequin and Carina Press was just the tip of the iceberg. We saw Avon Impulse launched this summer and . . .

October 24, 2011

. . . PW reported the launch of InterMix, the digital arm of Penguin imprint, Berkley/NAL. Like Avon Impulse, and Amazon’s Montlake, InterMix will produce genre fiction, including romance. For romance authors, this continues to expand the arena of possibilities for publication – while at the same time it creates a quagmire. Digital publishers with one set of royalty rules, different publication schedules and distribution networks, traditional publishers with their own structure for print and evolving business model for ebook formats of print titles, and now traditional publishers with all-digital arms – in many cases of they are not competitive (royalty rate wise) with the digital publishers, but still bear the cachet of being a “real” publisher, in some minds. How do you educate yourself about the pros, cons, dangers, and differences? Beyond the choice in publishers, what are the differences for you, as a career author? Is it about the money, the prestige, the exposure?

Then, there’s an entirely different arena that every author needs to know about, the . . .

October 31, 2011

. . .public library system. This issue of PW focused on the libraries, their influence with publishers, and their importance to authors. In tough times, library offerings can be very meaningful to authors when people can’t buy books, but they can borrow them and discover new authors. Did you know libraries spend billions on books? Authors can still be very successful by creating a new reader fan base – provided their books are on the “shelves”. Digital publishing hasn’t caught the library system off guard. They jumped immediately onto the bandwagon and quickly began offering digital books (yes, Virginia, there is an app for that!). But this is yet another rocky road to travel. How libraries will acquire e-books outside the traditional catalogue, the logistics of licensing digital copies, and the jockeying by publishers to get as big a piece of this new pie as they can. Macmillan, for example, playing greedy and cutting the number of “loans” allowed per digital title, ended up having their titles boycotted by libraries in both formats (and the trickle down impact of these negotiations hits the author head on). We are witnessing the rule book being re-written and until the ink is dry, we authors are all in the tumult together. From Patron Profiles, a new Library Journal quarterly survey & report, a telling figure: Library patrons read 47 books per year, compared to an average of 27 of all responders. Of this ongoing survey, says Library Journal Executive Editor, Rebecca Miller: “If they’ve (publishers) ever doubted the role of libraries in launching an author, this will set them straight. In turn, librarians get new insight into what their patrons want and need. And they are getting many of their hunches confirmed: that library users are avid readers, listeners and talkers, and that the library is an important part of a rich ecosystem of cultural exchange that is seamlessly connected to the marketplace.”

November 7, 2011

And speaking of being in the thick of things - Amazon was in the thick of a heated debate after the debut of their virtual “lending library”. Seems the titles being offered for free, to members who’ve paid a subscription fee to Amazon – with murky arrangements still unclear as to how, and how much, royalty is paid to the requisite publishers of said titles – were all offered up unknown to most of the publishers whose books are represented. (Another situation destined to impact the original creator of the product: You, the author.) As with so much of the digital arena, here’s another area, too, where evolving legal and ethical concerns impact authors. On top of the ever-shifting royalty rates (and differences between publisher-offered digital titles and those sold through third-party vendors), the conundrum of “out-of-print” and free downloads and piracy, though the thorny issue of Google “orphan” scanning is apparently now dead, there’s the issue of how and where your books are being made available by “legitimate” operations. Is your publisher aware? Are you aware? Are you being served? Or screwed?

And keep in mind that digital just keeps getting bigger. Witness this issues’ report of August Sales – Adult hard down 18.2%, Adult paper down 18.4%, Mass market down 29.6%. Electronic: UP 144.4%.

Over the past few months just about every aspect of the publishing industry has begun to morph. Successful, traditionally publisher authors breaking with their publishers, taking back their backlist rights and self-pubbing them, along with new titles, to great success. We’ve seen: ebook millionaire author Amanda Hocking go traditional (for huge advances) and option her self-pubbed series to one of Hollywood’s premier fantasy filmmakers; the first million digital copies sold authors, and perhaps most telling and disruptive, the first “big book” titles to sell more in digital than they did in print (after the industry got over the concern of simultaneous release cannibalization of the latter format by the former). Need more to convince you digital’s the word? Writers’ Digest already had self-pubbed (or “indie pubbed, the hip new term for independent authors) awards, but now PW has added the PW “Select” quarterly edition that (for a price) lists self-pubbed titles and provides extensive review of same. And while PW had hard, mass, trade and audio book sale bestseller lists, not yet jumping on the bandwagon as the NY Times did with its convoluted new bestseller lists (paper, digital, combined and more), will it be long in coming?

With the major players in the technological end providing better, faster, and cheaper gadgetry to read upon, digital is destined to keep growing. Industry insiders can only guess at how long digital will soar, when it will begin to level off – or if it will. With Amazon’s Kindle e-readers and tablets giving Apple’s iPad a run for the money, with Barnes & Noble and their latest releases – cheap dedicated e-readers along with a B&N tablet to compete with the big 2 (and don’t forget all the other technology entities working on their own gadgets and apps and software for readers and digital books) it certainly seems that there is one guarantee: If you, as an author, are not keeping abreast of this revolution, you will be left behind, left out of the running behind authors who have educated themselves to ensure their best sales, best venue, and their equitable treatment as a vital member of the business community that is publishing.

Kowabunga, dudes!

Psst: A quick tip!

Do not forget your local public library! Talk to the librarian about their acquisition process and how you can enhance your visibility (RWA "Romance Sells" catalogue, for one). Know how you and your librarian can work together to your mutual benefit. Can you hold a reading or panel discussion there? Offer a workshop? Getting readers to the library helps them, and when they stock your books it helps you!

Librarians have ferociously embraced the digital revolution as well and are generating apps that can allow you to download to your e-reader books via the library system.

Libraries have been helping us learn, read and enjoy books all of our lives. Now with funding issues they are struggling for theirs.

Support your local library (and librarians!)!

And because I'm a slacker, here is MORE Publishing NEWS!

With the ups and downs of the stock market, the wild weather (here in the NE, anyway with 10 inches of rain on Sunday), and a similar level of upheaval in the publishing industry, here are few new stories to flesh out the day:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White will be transformed into a film directed by Ray Kay, a music video director. (Is it just me or does it seem as though the film biz is betting the farm on YA paranormals?). I have to wonder, though about the choice for screenwriter. Adapting the novel will be Mitch Klebanoff. His credits (as per Variety) include “Beverly Hills Ninja” and “Disorderlies”. Don’t strike me as the kind of film normally pitched to teen women, huh?

When it comes to book-to-film successes/failures, however, count The Help a huge success. In particular the performance of Viola Davis, who (in my opinion) truly carried the movie and anchored it in the bitter reality, particularly in comparison to some of the more light-hearted moments in the film.

Of course, with Harry Potter now wrapped up, the Twilight saga set to take its final bows on screen, and no other series “hot” you can bet your OWN farm that the film folks are scouring the countryside looking for likely candidates to put the ka-ching back in their cinematic coffers.

Also from Variety (a perk of my day job), there was an article that discussed film advertising. For those of you wondering about advertising on-line for your books, note that the film industry spending on internet advertising rose from 89.1 million in 2008, to 115 mill in 2009 and up to 142 million dollars in 2010. So they are obviously thinking it is worth the bucks (though in film they are still far more heavily into TV and print ads). Certainly no one can ever tell you (with any certainty) which advertising works better than another. Really, they can’t. But if every industry, business, arena is heavily into internet? Have their own blogs, Twitter accounts and Facebook pages? Pretty convincing to me that social media is – if it isn’t already – going to be where it’s at to get your message out to the public.

Hot genre watch: While vampires rule the night, lots of different paranormal and supernatural types are seeing press these days. From weres and shifters to demons, gods, fallen angels, wizards and all manner of other, will the publishing trend follow the film trend that is seeing lots and lots of fairy tale retellings and super hero vehicles? There are a few out there, but I’m betting that folks who can find a new twist on a Grimm tale can stand out in the crowd. And seriously, folks, if you want your romance hero alpha, why not give him the power to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Guaranteed to make a heroine’s heart go pit-a-pat, no? What genre(s) are YOU seeing emerge these days?

And speaking of romance genres, the formerly taboo World War II era seems to be slowly, quietly creeping into a bookstore near you. While espionage and military thrillers set in the 2nd World War have always been popular, the success of Pam Jenoff’s The Kommandant’s Girl and her subsequent novels have paved the way for other women’s fiction novels that rely heavily on the romance. After The Postmistress we saw Kristina McMorris’ Letters From Home, Lisbeth Eng’s In The Arms of the Enemy and the popularity of novels like Sarah’s Key, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Soldier’s Wife, and Next To Love among others, along with high-profile non-fiction WWII coverage, could a burgeoning new genre of historical romance be far behind?

There has been some sad news of late, as well, including the recently reported death of Debbie Macomber’s son Dale, and the passing of the luminous L. A. Banks following a valiant battle against cancer. The romance community once again showed their true spirit and organized numerous benefits to help Ms. Banks and her family during a most difficult time.

The mantle of late crime novelist, Robert B. Parker, beloved author of the Spenser and Jessie Stone novels, as well as his western novels will now be borne by other authors picking up the storyteller’s job. Three authors will each carry on a torch of the respective series.

Others who passed away in recent days include sci-fi author William Sleator, fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones, and some publishing stalwarts, including 92 year old Ruth Cavin, a 22 year Thomas Dunne veteran, with 900 edited books in her career.

And I just know you're all asking, "So, how’s digital doing?" Publishers Weekly reported that the AAP and Book Industry Study released their comprehensive report that shows e-book sales “across all categories” “accounted for 5.8% of industry revenue”. Because of digital, trade unit sales actually rose. They were “driven by a 215.5% increase in book sales during the period of the study, 2008-2010. Looks healthy to me.

Pretty much the big story of the day, week, month – right now – is self-publishing. It all started with successful authors taking back their back-list rights and self-pubbing older titles. Then came the push with authors self-publishing new titles. And with the uber-deal garnered by million dollar self-publishing phenom Amanda Hocking from a traditional print house, it seems as though every story in every venue is all about self-publishing. Writers Digest had self-pub contests. Barnes & Noble started up Pub It, their self-pub arm. And I’m thinking Smashwords is having a field day with the crowd rushing their virtual doors. When Publishers Weekly took the step to have special issues devoted to coverage and review (for a price) of self-published (or as I’m hearing these days “indie” published) titles I’ve pretty much decided they’ve been anointed as another option for the eager author. The caveat being that if you don’t treat your self-published book like a business endeavor that requires outlay of funds, professional consultation and an acknowledgement that you, no matter how talented you are as a write, cannot do it all and do it all well -- well, you may well be disappointed in the outcome.

And where would the biggest story of the day be without the perennial news topic? In between the publisher and the self-publisher there’s the new “publisher” on the block: Amazon. They’ve begun their genre-specific imprints to publish titles digitally. They started with AmazonEncore, added Montlake Romance, their romance imprint, and their fifth imprint was Thomas & Mercer, a mystery line. Is it just me or is Amazon looking a little bit like the Manchurian Candidate of books? Especially since they are offering a number of their new titles for the Kindle for … get this … free. Not to mention that industry biggie Larry Kirshenbaum opened Amazon’s first NY office. Is that shaking I hear the nervous knocking knees of the big 6?

Well, I’d like to give you a quick list of some of the interesting new releases reviewed by PW, but other than on-line I can’t read them because for some reason my PO isn’t delivering my pricey subscription. 2 weeks and counting. Grrrr.

But on the subscription front, for all you authors out there, especially the folk who attended RWA National in NYC and grabbed a free copy of the Library Journal publication? It’s got a new subscriber discount coupon inside, and having perused this magazine, I can tell you it is a definitely worthwhile investment for keeping up with the industry and one of the pillars of books: Librarians. They buy books, people. Don’t forget them!

Short & Sweet

Class Action suit filed against Apple and numerous "big 6" NYC publishers for the agency model, over the pricing of e-books, claiming Apple & the pubs are "in voilation of a variety of federal and state antitrust laws, the Sherman Act, the Cartwright Act and the Unfair Competition Act". I was fairly sure it would only be a matter of time . . .why do I sense Amazon's presence lurking behind the scenes? Being it is a "class action" suit anyone who bought e-books for what they consider to be an unfair price are invited to join in. I sense yet another judicial donneybrook looming.

Valiant author Leslie "L.A." Banks succumed to cancer. Her imagination and beautiful smile and soul will be missed.

Washington Post has eliminated their book editor. The book section will remain, WP says. Oh really? We'll believe it when we see it. I'm holding out faint hope that they do - and that the last bastion of book review in newsprint, the NY Times, doesn't follow suit.

Borders has gotten court approval to auction off their intellectual property. Guess you don't need a shopping bag, huh?

Books A Millions has open arms for Borders employees, an upbeat note for all those ladies and gents now scrounging for work.

The bestseller list game is a wild and wooly one. Every list is put together from different sales sources. USA Today has added Costco book sales to their compilation which also includes Amazon, B&N, BAM, as well as Sony Reader Store and Kobo. Since non-traditional book sellers are the new big thing, it will be interesting to see who follows suit, especially with Borders now out of the picture.

For those romance authors who did not attend RWA's 2011 National Conference in NYC, or who didn't sit in on the Spotlight on Avon, Avon spent the entire session focused on their bright and shiny new e-imprint, Avon Impulse. The digital only line has attracted a lot of attention from would-be authors for Avon, one of the largest publishers of romance among the big traditional houses. Be forewarned however, if you submit to Avon, you will either get a response that they are interested - or you'll get nothing. If they are not interested, there isn't going to be a response at all. This smacks of disrespect, in the publishing business, where I'd like to think we are equal partners in the process. Guess I'm alone in that thought. I've heard rumors of another house doing similar, but haven't gotten a confirm on who that might be.

In addition to Carina Press (HQ digital imprint), and Avon Impulse, Ballantine Dell has an e-imprint launching too. Seems like they've got their finger in the wind and are climbing on the e-book wagon.

"The Help" will be the subject of a court hearing next week when they hear the case of the woman who claims she is the model for the maid in the book. This will be an important case both for authors and the film community - since the movie based on the book opened Wednesday to glowing reviews. Will that mean $ in compensation? Will it mean authors need to be more diligent in disguising those characters drawn from real life? We'll wait and see!

What's the hottest genre going? YA paranormal. Can I borrow somebody's teenager? (Don't rush the podium, parents!).

And speaking of RWA - Romance Writers of America for those unfamiliar with the largest non-profit organization for authors and aspiring authors of romance fiction - the jungle drums are beginning to beat from chapter to chapter and loop to loop with grumbling of dissatisfied members. Rising prices for membership, hints of changes of member status and the ongoing debate over the validity of authors' digital publication are apparently particular bones of contention. Some members are opting to give up their membership in National, despite their fondness for local and on-line chapters, because they simply can't see they are getting their money's worth. With luck RWA will address these concerns, particularly the new President stepping up in October.

Oh, and one last thing. If you have been following the market, it's obvious the world is in flux, financial speaking. But while the publishing industry is watching the numbers crawl downwards for every aspect of print, what's not going down? You got it. Digital.

The numbers are in for e-books: 2010 saw $838 million in sales. And that ain't chump change, folks.

And on a personal note, I'm looking forward to attending the NYC Chapter of RWA's Golden Apple Awards in September. The chapter is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year and at the September 15 event we are honoring: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lifetime Achievment Winner (and moving National Conference speaker); Author of the Year, Elizabeth Kerry Mahon, author of "Scandalous Women", Editor of the Year Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks, Publisher of the Year - Grand Central and Agent of the Year Kate Folkers.