Publishers See Mixed Messages in Paris AI Summit - Publishers Weekly

Why did they expect something different?

Today, Panzer found some news at the Publishers Weekly site about the Paris AI Summit. Yesterday, he told you about the International Publishers Association signing on the statement before the Summit.

  

Jim Milliot's post quotes Maria Pallante CEO of the Association of American Publishers. The Summit did not address the issue of the unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

 

Panzer says, "Doesn't surprise this little kitty."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of cocoa to drink while you read the post.

 

To read the post tootle over to Paris AI Summit 

US Publishers, Authors, Booksellers Call Out Amazon's 'Concentrated Power' in Book Market - Publishing Perspectives

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty found one about U.S. publishers, authors and booksellers groups complaining to the government about Amazon.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association sent a letter to the House of Representatives' Antitrust Subcommittee complaining about Amazon's book selling. According to the letter the three groups believe the way Amazon sells books, ebooks and advertising is unfair to them. In the letter they ask the government to force Amazon to do four things to level the playing field for the three groups' members. Here's a kitty paraphrase in simple terms as best as I can figure out in my opinion of the four things they want: 1) Amazon to stop using the information they've gathered about customers previous purchases to recommend new purchases; 2) Amazon to stop "forcing" the groups' members to buy advertising and then giving the advertisers better placement in customer searches; 3) Amazon not to stop book suppliers from offering rival distributors lower prices and better deals; and 4) Amazon to stop using loss-leaders. There's a link included in the post to the groups' letter to the subcommittee, so you can read it yourself.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you?

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty is so confused by all this; but, that's okay because nobody asked for my opinion anyway."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a quart of tea, three muffins and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Publishers, Authors and Booksellers vs Amazons

Coronavirus Update: AAP StatShot Shows US Book Market in May - Publishing Perspectives

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts, our traveling kitty boy found one about book sales in May.

The post by Porter Anderson quotes extensively from the Association of American Publisher's (AAP) StatShot report. According to the StatShot report a comparison of May 2020 to May 2019 shows a 12.1 percent decline in retail bookstore sales. Not surprisingly, both audio and ebook increased in sales of 20 percent for audio books and 39.2 percent for ebooks. The post includes several charts and graphs showing hardback, paperback, ebook and audio book sales and comparisons for different time periods. Of note, is the fact book returns are down by 45.2 percent over the same time period last year. Bookstores can return the unsold books to the publishers. It's also not surprising, the returns are down as bookstores are closed and there's no one to package and return the books to the publishers. Once bookstores re-open the returns will begin.

It's not a surprise, human. They're closed.

Panzer says, "It doesn't surprise this little kitty that, if the bookstores are in lockdown, book sales are down."

Note: Because of all the charts and graphs, this is a huge post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to AAP StatShot

Coronavirus Shutdowns Weigh on Book Sales - The New York Times

It doesn't make sense to me.

Panzer decided to make a stop at The New York Times site today. There he found an interesting post about book sales in the month of March.

The post by Alexandra Alter says, according to figures released by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), book sales were down 8 percent in March as compared to March of last year. Most of that loss was in educational books for children. Ebooks were down by 5 percent as well. In contrast however, audio books were up by 15 percent.

Panzer says, "Well, with schools closed educational book sales would be down, but I don't understand why ebooks sales were down."

Note: This is a long-medium post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to book sales

Authors Guild, AAP Outraged by IA's 'National Emergency Library' - Publishers Weekly

Today as Panzer entered the Catosphere his poor kitty ears were assaulted by a cacophony of crying, shouting and teeth gnashing. Following all the chaos, took our brave kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts he discovered one about the Internet Archive.

I want to start my own library.

According to Andrew Albanese, the Internet Archive (IA) has declared itself a 'National Emergency Library.' Under this self-declared emergency the company has set up its Open Library as a repository of thousands of unauthorized copies of ebooks. IA is scanning paperback and hardback books and turning them into digital books. The company then makes the books available through their Open Library for download by anyone. The Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the National Writers' Union (NWU) have all protested the copying and dispensing of authors' and publishers' books without permission or payment as copyright infringement. Despite these protests the Internet Archive continues the practice. There are several links in the post, including one to a post by the Internet Archive explaining why they can say they are a library and why it's okay to digitize a book without permission or payment.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I need to see if any of my books are there."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a cup of cocoa and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Authors Guild

Industry Resource Lists: Publishers' Response Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic - Publishing Perspectives

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the quiet of the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about publishers response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

There's no place to get away.

According to Porter Anderson's post, to address the impact of Covid-19 on the publishing and bookselling industries the Publishers Association (PA) of British publishers and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) of American publishers have stepped forward. Both organizations have created pages on their site making information available to and about publishers and booksellers. The Publishers Association page even lists agencies and locations where publishers, booksellers and individuals can access funding for businesses impacted by Covid-19. The Association of American Publishers page lists the help publishers are making available to schools, teachers and students impacted by Covid-19. The post includes links to both organizations' pages.

Panzer says, "That virus thingy is really causing trouble everywhere."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to publishers resource pages

Settlement Terms Revealed (Mostly) in Audible Captions Litigation - Publishers Weekly

Only thing hidden is the money.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a quick stop at the Publishers Weekly site. He's really happy he did, because the big news is the settlement in the Audible Captions case.

According to Andrew Albanese, Judge Caproni has agreed to accept the lawsuit agreement between Audible and the seven original publishers and the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Judge Caproni wanted the two sides to agree on how much of the settlement would be unsealed. The unsealed portion of the document is how much the public gets to see. Now that the document is available, there doesn't appear to be anything in there which wasn't already known, except the amount Audible paid to the publishers and the AAP. There are several links included in the post.

Panzer says, "This little kitty was beginning to think the case would never be settled."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and three muffins for today's reading. If you plan to follow all the links, bring a thermos of tea and twelve muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Audible Captions

In Captions Settlement, Audible Will Not Use AAP Member Content Without Permission - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping and cheering outside the Panzermobile. Following all the hullabaloo took our inquisitive kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he found the post about the Audible Captions lawsuit that was causing all the noise. Panzer has been telling you about this lawsuit since it started.

It had to end that way.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, the lawsuit by the American Association (AAP) against Amazon's Audible's Captions feature has been settle. Audible has requested the settlement agreement be sealed by the court. This means nobody can see the settlement except Audible and the American Association of Publishers members involved in the lawsuit. However, the Publishers Weekly post contains information from the proposed permanent injunction filed with the court which isn't under seal. According to that information Audible won't be using their Captions feature on any AAP members material without the copyright holders permission. There are several links included in the post to other information and to previous posts about the lawsuits. One of the links goes to the proposed settlement from which the post gets some of its information.

Panzer says, "The Publishers Weekly post has some other interesting information toward the end too."

This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a gallon of tea and eight muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to Audible

To read Panzer's last post about the lawsuit, tootle over to Captions

AAP: US Students Spending on College Materials Down 23 Percent in Fall Semester - Publishing Perspectives

With Mom cleaning the house for Christmas company, Panzer decided to clean the Panzermobile. While vacuuming the floor, he discovered a wadded up post under the pilot's seat. Smoothing it out our fastidious kitty discovered it was a post from the Publishing Perspectives site about college students textbook buying habits.

According to Porter Anderson's post at the Publishing Perspectives site, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) reports US college students are spending less on textbooks and course materials. Spending for the Fall 2019 semester is down 23 percent from last year. Although some students still buy new or used textbooks, others are renting their textbooks, or subscribing to digital textbooks (for an unlimited time or a limited time) and getting online homework answers. The last third of the post quotes extensively from college professor Tim Wu, who advocates for the use of textbooks from free sites.

Only five days until Christmas.

Panzer says, "Textbooks are so expensive how do publishers expect students to pay for them?"

Note: This is a h-u-g-e post. Bring a pitcher of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to US college students

US Publishers and Alliance Back Congressional Letter on Copyright Restatement - Publishing Perspectives

I need some dark and a nap.

We're all still recuperating from the Christmas light decorating party day before yesterday. We told you it's a neighborhood contest. What's His Name likes a contest and gets into the Christmas light contest every year. We have lights on the gutters on the roof, around the windows, the door, the fence, the bushes in the front yard, and along the driveway. (Don't worry they're all LED lights.)

With all those lights outside shining in the windows, Panzer can't get any sleep, so he only took a short trip into the Catosphere this afternoon to the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts, our sleepy kitty found one about the copyright restatement project.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) has joined the Copyright Alliance (CA) protesting the American Law Institute's (ALI) copyright restatement project. The "restatement" would be a rewording (rewriting) of the federal copyright law. Currently released information shows the ALI seems to support big corporations' interests instead of the creators of the material. Since copyright is a federal law, some members of Congress sent a letter to the ALI posing questions concerning the ALI's intentions.

Panzer says,"Who gave these humans the power to do that?"

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post.. Bring a gallon of cocoa and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Association of American Publishers

AAP StatShot for September: Modest Gains in the US Market - Publishing Perspectives

Mom still has turkey from Thanksgiving.

Panzer was cleaning out the console between the pilot's seat and the passenger seat in the Panzermobile, when he found a wadded up post in the cup holder. Flattening it out our fastidious kitty discovered it was a post from the Publishing Perspectives site about US book sales for the month of September and the whole year.

According to Porter Anderson's post, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) has released their StatShot report. According to the report, overall the U.S. book sales for the year are up 4 percent over last year. The rest of the post is divided into three sections comparing September sales of 2019 to 2018. The sections are US Trade Publishing, US Trade in Terms of Format, and Overall Publisher Revenue. The sections cover audiobooks, ebooks, and trade books (adult, YA, children etc.).

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The numbers show sales are up for the year and for the month of September. Interesting."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a quart of warm cocoa and a three muffins for this reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to AAP StatShot

Statement on Flawed Theory of "Controlled Digital Lending" - AAP Newsroom

Today, Panzer found a statement issued by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) about Controlled Digital Lending (CDL).

They're stealing the food from my dish.

The release by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) addresses the issue of the Internet Archive's "Open Library" and Controlled Digital Lending (CDL). The AAP has joined the Writers' Union of Canada, the Authors Guild and the Society of Authors in protesting the Internet Archive's "Open Library" copying and dispensing authors' and publishers' work on the internet without the copyright holders' permission. The Internet Archive does this without compensation to the affected authors and publishers.

Panzer says, "There has to be a way to stop the Internet Archive and their copyright infringement."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Association of American Publishers

To read the post about the Writers' Union of Canada tootle over to Writers' Union of Canada

To read the post about the Authors Guild and the Society of Authors tootle over to Authors Guild and Society of Authors

E-book Sales Up in May, for First Time in in (suc) Two Years - Publishers Weekly

I'm feeling better.

Panzer is feeling a little better today. He decided to do some cleaning in the Panzermobile. Our recovering kitty boy found a wadded up post under the passenger seat. Smoothing out the post he discovered it was from last week's trip to the Publishers Weekly site and is about ebook sales in May.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, the trade publishers group Association of American Publishers (AAP) announced in a press release that for the first time in two years ebook sales showed an increase. The 2.4 increase was for the sales in May 2017 over May 2016. The AAP based the increased sales figures on information provided by the 1,204 reporting publisher members for the Statshot program.

Panzer says, "Umm ... It's only one month. Let's wait for June before you start celebrating."

Note: This is a shortish post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to e-book sales

2015 U.S. Book Publishing Revenue Flat: Print Sales Rise as Ebook Sales Decline - Book Business

Panzer was just tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted and shaken by the sounds of crying and wailing. Our big brave kitty boy followed all the moaning to the Book Business site. There he found the source was a post about declining ebook sales.

Don't worry. It's just a craze.

According to the post by Ellen Harvey quoting from the Association of American Publishers' annual report, ebook sales comparing 2014 and 2015 are down. While that was happening, print book sales increased for the same time span. So what happened? For one thing, adult coloring books happened. Between the 2014 and 2015 time span is when the adult coloring book craze took off. Adult coloring books have to be printed books, so a jump in print book sales. The post includes charts  covering sales revenue and volume as well as genre breakdowns.

Panzer says, "So ... Adult coloring books are responsible for the turn around in print book sales. Humans are such an interesting species."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a glass of milk and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to print sales