Emergency Aid for Creators Affected by the Los Angeles Fires
As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to impact our community, we want to share some aid resources that may be helpful during this challenging time. The Authors League Fund, our sister organization, provides emergency financial assistance to struggling writers.
How many outlets do you have for your books? Here are interesting facts:
- Looking at Tsutaya Bookstore in Nagoya, Japan, you’ll see why Japan ranks third in the world for reading, following only India and Israel.
- Japan encourages its people to read. During the years 1688–1704, their publishing system produced up to 10,000 books per year.
- Western culture flourished, so the Japanese translated famous works for educational purposes and built free libraries to serve the public.
- Nowadays, Japan publishes 43,000 new books a year. The print run for each title can reach millions of copies.
- On average, a Japanese person reads more than ten books per year and is known to carry books to read wherever they go. While traveling, they visit bookstores with the intent to buy, unlike travelers from other countries who consider shopping and dining as their main vacation activities.
How Neil Gaiman’s Publishers Have Responded to the Sexual Misconduct Allegations
His agents and publishers have been slow to address the accusations, although HarperCollins, Marvel, and W. W. Norton confirmed they do not have future books planned with the author.
Accusations of sexual assault were first made against Gaiman in July 2023. Gaiman said, “As I reflect on my past—and as I re-review everything that actually happened as opposed to what is being alleged—I don’t accept there was any abuse.”
Most of his usual publishers say they do not have any of his works under contract. A few have severed ties with him.
Authors Guild Files Lawsuit Against Book Bans in Colorado School District
The Authors Guild, the NAACP, and individual plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit on December 19 against the Elizabeth School District in Colorado for removing nineteen books from school libraries based on their content and viewpoints, most of which are primarily feature works by or about people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The board directed librarians not to order any new books for school libraries, banned classroom libraries entirely (causing teachers to cover their book collections with brown paper or take them home), and prohibited students from sharing books with each other in school. It switched from Scholastic to SkyTree Books, a vendor that promised book fairs without any LGBTQIA+ content, Critical race theory, foul language, explicit content, or dark magic.
Books Inc. Files for Voluntary Reorganization Under Chapter 11
Samantha Smith Joins Little, Brown, and Company as VP, Publisher for James Patterson
