Authors are protesting Amazon's e-book policy that allows users to read and return - NPR

Today, Panzer made a trip to the NPR site. There our illustrious kitty traveler found a post about Amazon's ebook return policy.

 

Why are you stealing from authors?

According to the post by Deanna Schwartz, authors are upset by Amazon's ebook return policy. The policy allows readers to purchase an ebook, keep it for a week, return it, and get a refund. The policy allows readers to legally (by Amazon's standards) steal an author's work and royalty payments, by reading the ebook in the seven days, returning it and getting the reader's money (the author's royalty payment) back. Several authors are quoted describing their experiences with lost royalties, including one author who owed Amazon money because of the reader refunds. The post contains several links, one of which goes to a petition to have Amazon change the return policy for ebooks.

Panzer says, "This little kitty didn't know people were just treating Amazon like a library."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea, a muffin and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading. If you follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon ebook returns

Authors Guild Petition to Close the National Emergency Library - Authors Guild

When Mom wasn't looking Panzer checked her email account and found an email from the Authors Guild about the Internet Archive's (IA) National Emergency Library. Panzer has posted about the Internet Archive and its National Emergency Library before.

It make this little kitty so angry.

According to the email Mom got, the Authors Guild has put together a letter to the Internet Archive asking them to close the National Emergency Library. Some of the reasons listed in the letter are that the National Emergency Library isn't a library at all it is a piracy site instead. This is because the site is committing copyright infringement by having authors' copyrighted works for free download without the authors' permission and without payment to the authors. After you read the letter there's a place at the top to the right to add your name and email to submit your name to the letter. (Be sure to click Submit.)

Panzer says, "It's not a library! Libraries don't steal the books!"

To read and sign the Authors Guild's petition tootle over to Open Letter
To read Panzer's previous post about the Internet Archive's National Emergency Library (with other links included there), tootle over to Internet Archive

Libraries Take E-Book Lending Fight into Antitrust Territory - Copyright and Technology

Today, Panzer decided to make a stop at the Copyright and Technology site. With a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive, traveling kitty found one about the libraries' on-going fight with Macmillan and other ebook publishers. Panzer told you about the problems which brought about this dispute last week.

Bill Rosenblatt's post addresses the American Library Association's (ALA) problems with access to ebooks from the major publishers. Publisher Macmillan announced earlier this year it would start a two month embargo on libraries' access to new ebooks. Since Macmillan's announcement the ALA complained to the publisher, started a library patrons' petition and most recently sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee. The Committee is investigating antitrust/anticompetition allegations against major corporations. In the letter to the House Judiciary Committee the ALA also presented the fact Amazon doesn't make its books available to libraries. In his post, Mr. Rosenblatt points out Amazon does allow Prime members to have access to, "check out," read ebooks and then "return" them. There are so many links included in this post, that this little kitty gave up counting them.

My head is starting to hurt.

Panzer says, "This fight is just getting more and more complicated."

Note: This is long, long post. Bring a cup of tea, a cup of hot cocoa, and three muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links included in the post, bring a thermos of tea, a thermos of cocoa, and two dozen muffins.

To read the post tootle over to libraries e-book lending

To read Panzer previous post about the letter to the Judiciary Committee, tootle over to Congress

Librarians Launch National Campaign to Oppose Macmillan's Library E-book Embargo - Publishers Weekly

Today as Panzer was sweeping the mats in the Panzermobile, he found a wadded up post under the passenger seat. Spreading it flat, our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was from the Publishers Weekly site about publisher Macmillan's library embargo.

According to Andrew Albanese's post, the American Library Association (ALA) has started a campaign to convince publisher Macmillan to lift the ebook embago against libraries. Part of the campaign is an online petition for library supporters to sign. Panzer told you a few days ago about Macmillan's new policy not to allow libraries to buy copies of the publisher's new ebooks until two months after publication. There are several links included in the post, including one to the petition and one to the ALA's new book club.

It's simple.  Macmillan is a bully.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This kitty wonders, if library patrons don't buy any of Macmillan's books until after the embargo is over, maybe the publisher would end it sooner."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a large size travel mug of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post bring a thermos of tea and half a dozen muffins. If you plan to read Panzer's previous post and follow the links in it, bring an extra gallon of tea and six muffins and six chocolate chip cookies.

To read the post tootle over to Macmillan's library ebook embargo

To read Panzer's earlier post tootle over to Macmillan

Smashwords: A Call to End the Cuban Book Embargo

Leave me out of it. I have no opinion.

Today Panzer made a stop at the Smashwords Blog. Our intrepid traveling kitty found a post there about U.S. and Cuban relations and what some consider the continuation of an unfair embargo on "books."

According to the post by Smashwords founder Mark Coker, he and others in the publishing industry have started a petition asking the U.S. government to lift the Cuban embargo. The post lists several of the publishing industry supporters of the move which writers will be familiar with including Publishers Weekly, Smashwords, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster and several others. The post includes a link to the petition.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty doesn't get mixed up in politics. Today's post is for humans who do."

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post. You'll need a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to Smashwords: A Call to End the Cuban Book Embargo

Amazon's Book Review Policy - Part 2

Panzer got woken up from his afternoon nap today by yowling and hissing. When our big brave explorer kitty got the Panzermobile fueled up and out into the Catosphere, he discovered the noise was coming from the Indies Unlimited site.

Panzer found a guest post by Brenda Perlin whose ebook review got rejected by Amazon. In an email to Ms. Perlin it was stated Amazon's rationale was that the reviewer "rules" say no reviews for authors/persons you know are accepted. Amazon determined she knew the author/person the review was for and so the review was rejected. Our kitty boy posted about a similar ebook review rejection earlier this week. According to this Indies Unlimited post, a petition has been started to get Amazon to change their review policy.

I'm busy. Leave me out of it.

Panzer says, "I'm not taking sides in this new war with Amazon. I've got other work to do right now ... like take a nap ... and eat ... and take a nap. You know important cat work."

Note: The post isn't that long. but the comments section is. So ... if you plan to read the comments, you will need a h-u-g-e cup of tea.

To read Brenda Perlin's post, tootle over to Amazon reviews
To read Panzer's post from earlier this week, tootle over to book review policy