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Penguin Settles with DoJ • 2012 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees • 2012 BSFA Awards Shortlist • Writing Workshop Applications Open • John Kessel, Elf Princess
PENGUIN SETTLES WITH DOJ
The Department of Justice has announced a settlement with Penguin regarding the e-book pricing antitrust lawsuit brought last spring against five of the ‘‘big six’’ publishers and Apple. Penguin had previously vowed to litigate in court, but decided to settle in order to ease their proposed merger with Random House, which was never part of the lawsuit. A statement from Penguin said it is ‘‘in everyone’s interests that the proposed Penguin Random House company should begin life with a clean sheet of paper.’’ The settlement, which imposes the same basic terms as prior settlements with HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster, still requires the approval of Judge Denise Cote of New York’s Southern District Court. Macmillan and Apple are now the only parties to the lawsuit who have not reached a settlement with the DoJ, and their trial is scheduled to begin June 3, 2013.
2012 PHILIP K. DICK AWARD NOMINEES
The 2012 Philip K. Dick Award nominees have been announced.
Blueprints of the Afterlife, Ryan Boudinot (Black Cat)
Harmony, Keith Brooke (Solaris)
Helix Wars, Eric Brown (Solaris)
The Not Yet, Moira Crone (UNO)
Fountain of Age, Nancy Kress (Small Beer)
Lovestar, Andri Snær Magnason (Seven Stories)
Lost Everything, Brian Francis Slattery (Tor)
The awards are presented annually to a distinguished work of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The winner and any special citations will be announced March 29, 2013 at Norwescon 36 in SeaTac WA. This year’s judges are Bruce Bethke, Sydney Duncan, Daryl Gregory, Bridget McKenna, and Paul Witcover (chair). For more:
2012 BSFA AWARDS SHORTLIST
The 2012 BSFA Awards shortlist has been announced. Best Novel: Dark Eden, Chris Beckett (Corvus); Empty Space: A Haunting, M. John Harrison (Gollancz); Intrusion, Ken Macleod (Orbit); Jack Glass, Adam Roberts (Gollancz); 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit). Best Short Fiction: ‘‘Immersion’’, Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld #69); The Flight of the Ravens, Chris Butler (Immersion); ‘‘Song of the Body Cartographer’’, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz (Phillipines Genre Stories); ‘‘Limited Edition’’, Tim Maughan (Arc 1.3); ‘‘Three Moments of an Explosion’’, China Miéville (Rejectamentalist Manifesto); Adrift on the Sea of Rains, Ian Sales (Whippleshield). Best Non-Fiction: ‘‘The Complexity of the Humble Space Suit’’, Karen Burnham (Rocket Science); ‘‘The Widening Gyre’’, Paul Kincaid (Los Angeles Review of Books); The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn (Cambridge University Press); The Shortlist Project, Maureen Kincaid Speller; The World SF Blog, Lavie Tidhar (chief editor). Best Art: Ben Baldwin for cover of Dark Currents (Newcon); Blacksheep for cover of Adam Roberts’s Jack Glass (Gollancz); Dominic Harman for cover of Eric Brown’s Helix Wars (Rebellion); Joey Hifi for cover of Simon Morden’s Thy Kingdom Come (Jurassic London); Si Scott for cover artwork of Chris Beckett’s Dark Eden (Corvus).
The awards will be voted on by members of BSFA and the British Annual Science Fiction Convention (Eastercon). Winners will be announced during the 2013 Eastercon, March 29 – April 1, 2013 at the Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford. For more:
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WRITING WORKSHOP APPLICATIONS OPEN
The application period for the six-week Clarion writing workshop is open from December 1, 2012 through March 1, 2013. The six-week workshop will be held June 23 through August 3, 2013 at the University of California, San Diego. Instructors include Andy Duncan, Nalo Hopkinson, Cory Doctorow, Robert Crais, Karen Joy Fowler, and Kelly Link. For more information, or to apply:
Clarion West’s application period is also open from December 1, 2012 through March 1, 2013. The workshop will take place June 23 through August 2, 2013, in Seattle, Washington. Instructors will be Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Justina Robson, Ellen Datlow, and Samuel R. Delany, the 2013 Susan C. Petrey Fellow. For more information, or to apply:
The Odyssey workshop application period is now open; early admission applications were due January 31, 2013, and regular applications are due April 8, 2013. The workshop will be held on the campus of Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, June 10 through July 19, 2013. Planned guest lecturers include Jack Ketchum, Patricia Bray, Adam-Troy Castro, Holly Black, and editor Sheila Williams. The 2012 Writer in Residence is Nancy Holder. For further application details:
The Viable Paradise submission period will open January 1, 2013 and close June 15, 2013. The workshop will be held at the Island Inn on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, October 13-18, 2013. Instructors include Elizabeth Bear, Steven Brust, Debra Doyle, Steven Gould, James D. Macdonald, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Sherwood Smith. For further information:
For advanced students, the Taos Toolbox ‘‘Master Class’’ in SF/fantasy writing began taking applications on December 1, 2013. The workshop will take place July 28 - August 10, 2013 in Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress are the instructors, with special lecturer Melissa Snodgrass. For more:
The Shared Worlds workshop for teen writers (grades 8 through 12) is open for applications, and will be held July 21 through August 3, 2013 at Wofford College in Spartanburg SC. Instructors will be Nathan Ballingrud, Holly Black, Rose Fox, Will Hinmarch, Kathe Koja, Ann VanderMeer, and Jake Von Slatt. For more information, or to apply:
JOHN KESSEL, ELF PRINCESS
John Kessel with “ring”
In late 2012 John Kessel made the mistake of posting online a declaration that, ‘‘I know the world does not care, but nobody could pay me enough money to go see The Hobbit. Well, maybe someone could, but nobody is going to.’’ His challenge was accepted: Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, publisher of Bull Spec, organized a fundraiser for the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund, promising Kessel-related rewards for various levels. At $250, Kessel would go see Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in a theater by the end of 2012. At $750, he would eat the Hobbit-themed ‘‘Ring Burger’’ at Denny’s before or after viewing the film. At $1,000, he would dress as the wizard Gandalf while seeing the movie – and at $2,500, he would dress as royal elf Galadriel. The uppermost goal was reached within a week, with gifts from 65 donors.
John Kessel as Galadriel
Kessel followed through, as promised, on December 20, 2012. He said, ‘‘I need to thank all of the people who pledged to the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund in order to make this humiliation possible. You have done some real good for a worthy cause, and you should be proud of yourselves when you are not feeling ashamed for putting me through this. There will be photos and videos, I am told, and I must say, with all due modesty, that I am stunning in white.’’ We invite you to judge that for yourself from the accompanying photos.
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THE DATA FILE
Reclaiming Copyrights • Jay Lake Fundraisers • E-books Up, Print Down (But Not Out) • US Book Sales by Region • Bestsellers of 2012 • PW’s Bestselling Publishers • World SF Travel Fund • Publishing News • Announcements • World Conventions News • Awards News • Bookstore News • Magazine News • Financial News • International Rights • Other Rights
RECLAIMING COPYRIGHTS
A provision in the Copyright Act of 1976 allows authors who entered into publishing contracts beginning in 1978 to take back control of their copyrights. The clause, intended to protect authors who were unaware of the future value of their works or who made deals the
y later came to regret, allows writers or their estates to take back control of works starting 35 years after contracts were signed. The provision applies to contracts signed after 1977, so contracts signed in 1978 are eligible to be voided starting this year. The process is rather complex: copyright holders have to serve ‘‘legally sufficient’’ termination notices to the contract holders and to the Copyright Office, drafted according to specific legal requirements and sent within a specific time frame. (This should provide lots of gainful employment for intellectual property lawyers.) This Copyright Act provision supercedes all written agreements, which means that authors of perennial backlist titles (and their heirs) have a powerful bargaining position – they can reclaim control of their works, seek to negotiate more advantageous terms with existing publishers, or find better deals with other houses. With every passing year, more titles will become eligible for this position, which should lead to interesting times for publishers.
JAY LAKE FUNDRAISERS
Two fundraising events were recently held related to SF author Jay Lake’s ongoing struggle with colon cancer, one to directly assist with medical funding and the other supporting a documentary film about Lake.
The ‘‘Sequence a Science Fiction Writer’’ fundraiser at medical charity site youcaring.com raised funds to sequence Lake’s entire genome in hopes of creating a more tailored treatment for his specific cancer. Rewards for the fundraiser included public ‘‘acts of whimsy,’’ performed by some of Lake’s friends in the SF community, including authors Tobias S. Buckell, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jim C. Hines, Scott Lynch, Elizabeth Bear, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, Cherie Priest, John Scalzi, Patrick Rothfuss, and Neil Gaiman. Those acts include Scott Lynch & Elizabeth Bear performing a sock puppet show of one of Lake’s short stories; Cherie Priest presenting a steampunk/goth fashion show for pets; and Neil Gaiman performing ‘‘a cover from the Magnetic Fields album 69 Love Songs whilst accompanying himself on the Ukulele.’’ The fundraiser ends in mid-February 2013, and as of this writing has reached nearly $43,000, well in excess of the initial $20,000 goal. Get more information and donate here:
The second fundraiser is in support of a documentary being filmed by Waterloo Productions about Lake’s struggle with cancer, entitled Lakeside. After Lake’s prognosis took a turn for the worse, the company began a Kickstarter campaign to ‘‘continue filming, bring in more crew, and fund the expanded post production.’’ That fundraiser ends February 8, 2013. You may visit and donate at:
E-BOOKS UP, PRINT DOWN (BUT NOT OUT)
According to a study by the Pew Research Center released in December 2012, reports of the demise of print books have been greatly exaggerated. The annual study on book-buying and -reading habits reports that 89% of regular readers (age 16 and older) read at least one printed book in the previous 12 months, while only 30% read at least one e-book during that time. The number of adults total – not just regular readers – who have ever read an e-book rose to 23% from 16% the year before.
Most Americans do still read, at least a little: 7% of adult Americans read one book in the previous 12 months, 14% read 2-3 books, 12% read 4-5 books, 15% read 6-10 books, 13% read 11-20 books, and 14% read 21 or more books – leaving 25% who read no books at all, down from 28% in the 2011 survey (not a statistically significant change). People most likely to read e-books are those with college or advanced degrees, those in households that earn more than $75,000 annually, and those aged between 30 and 49.
E-book borrowing is up slightly at libraries, to 5% from 3% last year. Awareness that libraries lend e-books has increased, too, with 31% of those surveyed being aware of that fact, up from 24%.
E-book readers are increasingly popular. The number of Americans who own an e-reader or tablet computer increased from 18% in late 2011 to 33% a year later. About 25% own a tablet computer, up from 10% the year before, and 19% own dedicated e-readers, up from 10% in 2011.
These figures come from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, which surveyed 2,252 Americans age 16 and older from October 15 – November 10, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 2.3%. For more:
US BOOK SALES BY REGION
According to Nielsen BookScan, print sales declined by 9% in the US compared to 2011. The sharpest declines were on the coasts, with sales down 13% in both the Pacific states and in the Northeastern states. Mid-Atlantic and Mountain states declined by 11%, East North Central and South Atlantic by 9%, and West North Central by 7%. The South Central region declined only 2%. Despite the sharp decline in sales, the Pacific states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington) still sold the most books, with more than 121 million units. The South Atlantic states, encompassing all the East Coast states from Delaware down to Florida (plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) was a close second with 120 million units, and the Mid-Atlantic states sold 95.5 million. Only 40.5 million books sold in the West North Central section. Most of the decline in print sales came from cities (down 11%) and suburbs (10%), while the decline was slower in rural areas (6%).
BESTSELLERS OF 2012
Book sales tracking service Nielsen Bookscan has released figures for 2012 in various categories. Unit sales in adult categories mostly declined, with science fiction down 21% over 2011 and fantasy down by 28%. Romance did well, increasing by 35%, while adult fiction overall declined by 11%. Children’s/YA publishing did better, with a decline of only 2%. (Keep in mind that Bookscan is estimated to track about 75% of print sales, and doesn’t track e-book sales at all.)
There were few titles of genre interest in the adult fiction top 10, though the four top slots were taken by installments in the Fifty Shades of Grey erotica series by E.L. James from Vintage (which began life as online Twilight fanfic). J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy (Little, Brown) came in at #6 with 590,272 copies sold.
Science fiction bestsellers were: #1 Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Tor), 100,387. #2 Ready Player One, Ernest Cline (Broadway), 50,593. #3 Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, James Luceno (Del Rey), 31,543. #4 The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (Del Rey), 27,220. #5 Star Wars: Apocalypse, Troy Denning (Del Rey), 26,140. #6 Dune, Frank Herbert (Ace), 25,532. #7 A Rising Thunder, David Weber (Baen), 25,348. #8 Halo: The Thursday War, Karen Traviss (Tor), 24,936. #9 Halo: Glasslands, Karen Traviss (Tor), 24,932. #10 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (Ballantine), 24,120.
Romance had: #1 Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James (Vintage), 6,345,387. #2 Fifty Shades of Darker, E.L. James (Vintage), 3,833,550. #3 Fifty Shades Freed, E.L. James (Vintage), 3,441,362. #4 Fifty Shades Trilogy Box Set, E.L. James (Vintage), 787,271.
Children’s fiction was dominated by genre titles. #1 The Hunger Games (paperback), Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 2,809,857. #2 Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 2,611,680. #3 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 2,302,461. #5 The Mark of Athena, Rick Riordan (Hyperion), 704,695. #6 The Hunger Games (hardcover), Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 651,538. #7 The Hunger Games (movie tie-in edition), Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 631,050. #8 The Hunger Games Trilogy Box Set, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 598,952. #10 The Serpent’s Shadow, Rick Riordan (Hyperion), 440,353.
Audio bestsellers included #4 The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 43,936. #6 Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 31,858. #7 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), 28,083. #8 Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James (Random House Audio), 22,336.
PW’S BESTSELLING PUBLISHERS
Publishers Weekly published a breakdown of their 2012 bestseller lists by company (covering titles that appeared in the top 15 of the hardcover and paperback lists). Random House was in the lead, with 103 hardcover bestsellers for a total of 430 weeks, making up 27% of the year’s bestsellers (down 4.4% from the year before). In paperbacks, Random House had 64 bestselling titles over 501 weeks, for 35.1% of the share, up 2
.3% from 2011. Penguin – soon to be merged with Random House – came in second with 78 hardcover titles over 247 weeks for 15.5% (down .3%), and 70 paperbacks over 281 weeks, for a 17.7% share (down 2.1%). Simon & Schuster was third, with 59 hardcover bestsellers over 229 weeks, a 14.4% share (up 3.3%), and 32 paperbacks over 133 weeks for an 8.4% share (down 1.3%). HarperCollins was fourth, with 54 hardcover titles over 167 weeks, a 10.5% share (up 2.3%), and 29 paperbacks over 99 weeks, a 6.2% share (down 2.6%). Hachette came in fifth with 50 hardcover bestsellers over 221 weeks, a 13.7% share (down 2.3%), and 48 paperbacks over 266 weeks, a 16.7% share (up 3.8%). Macmillan was the last of the Big 6 with 32 hardcover bestsellers over 117 weeks, a 7.4% share (up 0.3%), and 25 paperbacks bestsellers over 76 week, a 4.8% share (down 2.2%). Hyperion, Harlequin, and Kensington also had multiple bestsellers on the lists.
WORLD SF TRAVEL FUND
This year’s recipients of the World SF Travel Fund, which allows one or two international persons involved in SF/F/H to travel to the US for a major genre event, are authors Csilla Kleinheincz of Kistarcsa, Hungary and Rochita Loene-Ruiz of the Netherlands. The board consists of Lauren Beukes, Aliette de Bodard, Nnedi Okorafor, Ekaterina Sedia, and Charles Tan. For more infromation, contact co-administrators Lavie Tidhar or Sean Wallace at
PUBLISHING NEWS
Macmillan (parent company of Tor and St. Martin’s Press) has changed its agency pricing agreements, negotiating new contracts with all but one of its online retailers (which will presumably change when their contract is up for renegotiation). The new terms basically follow the ‘‘agency lite’’ approach approved by the US Department of Justice, removing ‘‘most-favored nations’’ clauses and limits on pricing, and allowing retailers to discount individual books priced at $13.99 or higher by up to 10%. Despite falling in line with the DoJ’s preferences, Macmillan still intends to go to trial to defend against the DoJ’s allegations of antitrust violations in e-book pricing.
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