HarperCollins and Fox News Band Together to Create Ground Zero Book

You read that headline right, kids.  Fox News and HarperCollins have forged an unholy alliance to tug at your heartstrings by creating an "enhanced" ebook about the rebuilding of Ground Zero just in time for the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  Titled "Rise of Freedom: The New World Trade Center," the ebook will contain text, photographs and video from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith.  [insert joke about how it will honor Bush and only be allowed to be checked out 26 times here]

I have a couple of problems with this gross exploitation that is being called an "enhanced ebook."  First, fuck anyone who tries to make money off a national tragedy this close to the anniversary.  All that information, epecially public broadcasts, should already be released for free or at least proceeds should go to a charity.  Second, the title is retarded.  "New World Trade Center" says that they are creating a new building to serve as a world trade center.  That just ain't true and taints the memory of the buildings.  Finally, this rebuilding is on-going.  To put the book up now, before completed just smacks of an incomplete venture that they will use to make more cash as they update later.

Does it matter that Fox News and HarperCollins are the figures in this story?  Outside of easy jokes, no.  This is a gross example of the exploitation we will see in the coming weeks.

huffingtonpost

Apple Sued Over eBook Pricing and Kindle Gets Advertising

The face of evil.

Apple and five publishing companies have been hit with a class action lawsuit by the firm Hagens Berman over ebook price fixing.  The lawsuit claims that Apple, HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Group Inc. and Simon & Schuster Inc. conspired to illegally fix prices of ebooks and shut down the competition created by Amazon's lower priced ebooks.

Anybody feel like this is just a big advertisement for Kindles?  Oh, Kindle ebooks are so cheap that the big boys had bring us down.  Why can't we all be friends?  Those big meanies are trying to stop us from giving you the best prices around.  So cheap in fact that we feel crazy.  We must be crazy.  We are giving the site away!  So come on down to Crazy Larry's Amazon eBookland and we'll have us a good old time.

Also, you know the folks over at Google Books are loving this.  Their main completion are having a slap fight while they just put out their first eReader. Of course, they could feel left out.  This is the first major ebook court battle that they have not been apart of.

AppleInsider
ZDNet
DetNews
Wired

Crazy Librarian Attempting to Help Libraries

Andy Woodworth might look like your average American.  I am sure he has hobbies, interests, a fascination with members of a sex and probably likes pie.  Most people seem to like pie.  But what makes Andy so different is his petitions for change.  See, Andy advocates for libraries.  By shining a light on such controversial issues as the "Harper Collins 26 Check Out Rule" and "Why Doesn't Ben & Jerry's Have a Library Flavor," Andy does something not outright American: he cares.

But does this library fanboy care too much?  When Library 2.0 came out, was he excited until he realized its convoluted plot and wooden acting under performance and distance from patrons would drag down his memories of watching Star Wars going to the library with his mom?  Does Andy know the obsession with which he clings?

I GO HOME EVERY DAY SMELLING LIKE BOOKS!!!

And... God help me... I love it...

Read more about Andy and his wonderful cause here.
People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor!

"I Can Read" Digitally

The beginner reader series from Harper Collins "I Can Read" is being brought into the digital market.  The series will be available on the Apple iBookstore and the Nook Bookstore sometime soon. [GalleyCat]

Also announced are a new line of nonfiction "I Can Read" Titles, including "Dummies Guide to Angry Birds," "How to Hack Mommy's WoW Account So She Will Feed You," and "CSS and HTML Coding with Visual Basic."

Rule 26: A Digital Media Internet Law

Inspiration struck early this morning as I wrapped my head around the concept of licencing of digital media.  There are no rules.  None.  There are only the haves and the have-nots.

Haves

This is why, in the spirit of Rule 34 and the Internet Rules in general, I propose a set of rules for labeling digital content behavior.  The first of which is:

 Rule 26*:  If a cheaper version exists, some jerk will try to charge more for it.

Let me know if you have any other rules we should put into play, we have 1-25 and beyond to fill. #rule26 on Twitter to support your library's eRights.

*inspired by the limit Harper Collins is placing on... you know all this

Librarians Go All Newsies on Harper Collins

Okay, so maybe not exactly "Newsies" but librarians around the libriosphere are calling for a boycott on Harper Collins until the publisher agrees to their demands.  If you will remember from my earlier post, the big HC placed a 26 checkout limit on all ebooks and that make librarians angry.  And you would not like them when they are angry.  They get all hivey.

How shall this story end, eh?  Big dance number?  The greedy publisher crumbling to the demands?  Godzilla?  We shall see.  I will keep you posted unless I get bored with the whole thing.  Then I will photoshop a bun on the Hulk.

Check out the USA Today article covering the whole thing.

Harper Collins Make Librarian SMASH!

More like "Treasury of Lies!" Ptoo!

Harper Collins Publishing announced this week that it will limit lending of its ebooks in libraries and other venues to only 26 times.  Man, librarian's got pissed, says Techeye.  I really am upset by this, but as of right now my library is a member of the Waitansee tribe as far as ebooks go, so it does not directly affect me.  However, I can place myself in the shoes of others due to my over-active imagination and wit (or lack ther of).  Let's see how Brenda from Reference and Dave from Tech Serv discuss this problem:

Brenda

Hey, Dave.  Look, I have some bad news about all those Harper Collins ebooks you just bought for the library on that grant you have been working on for weeks.

Dave

What kind of bad news?  I mean, it can not be that bad.  I mean, we used all that government money that I worked so hard to get to help out our patrons who are also in dire financial conditions.  We even used the cash to buy ereaders to check out so our patrons can carry an armload of books in just one tiny bit of plastic, helping them out even more.  What could be wrong with all that help and goodness?  Isn't life grand?

Brenda

Oh, Dave, this is going to upset you.

Dave

It is okay, Brenda.  Just let me know what you are thinking on this lovely sunny day.  Can you hear the birds?

Brenda

But I don't want to spoil your mood.

Dave

Well, you are almost doing that right now.  You are making me angry.  You wouldn't like it when I am angry.

Brenda

That's... that's kinda messed up.  Maybe we should have some other people around.

Dave

I was just kidding, what did you want to tell me?

Brenda

Harper Collins has limited the amount their ebooks can be lended to 26 times.

Dave

DAVE ANGRY!! DAVE SMASH!

Brenda

Dave, calm down!  They'll see reason, its okay.

Dave

DAVE NO CALM!! DAVE BREAK LITTLE EBOOK READER!!! HARPER COLLINS BAD!!!!

Brenda

Oh, God, he's loose!  Someone call the police!  Dave... Dave is on a rampage.  Oh, it will take months to reshelve all those!

Fin