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Nigerian book leader shot dead| ENUGU, Nigeria, August 29, 2002 -- A leading Nigerian book person, publisher and author Chief Victor Nwankwo, was gunned down and killed in front of his house. Nwankwo had been active amid the savagery in Nigeria to promote cultural development. Authorities offered no immediate explanation for the hit-and-run killing. Nwankwo was leaving for Harare to be honored for his work on behalf of African publishing. He was managing director of Fourth Dimension Publishing, the major privately owned publishing house in the country. He himself was a novelist and nonfiction author. He was a past president of the Nigerian Publishers Association and founder of the African Publishers Network. |
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Chemistry software wins ComputED award
EDDIE WINNER
Bryan Sanctuary |
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| SAN DIEGO, California, August 25, 2002 -- The ComputED Learning Center awarded is Eddie recognition to the multimedia software that Bryan Sanctuary created to accompany the fourth edition of Physical Chemistry. The software, issued by Sanctuary's Multimedia Inc., of Montreal, was cited as "innovative, user-friendly and content-rich" and"appropriate for use by educators to augment the classroom curriculum and improve teacher productivity." The Eddie is formally known as the Education Software Review Award. Keith Laidler. John Meiser and Sanctuary are the authors of Physical Chemistry, published by Houghton Mifflin. |
| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Hudson T. Hartmann (agriculture), Dale Kester (agriculture), University of California, Davis, Fred Davies (agriculture), Texas A & M University, and Robert Geneve (agriculture), University of Kentucky, wrote the seventh edition of Hartmann and Kester's Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (Prentice Hall). |
 | Stephen B. Oates (history), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Charles J. Errico, (history), Northern Virginia Community College, wrote the eighth edition of Portrait of America (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Debbie Rusch (Italian), Boston College, Marcela Doménguez (Italian), Pepperdine University, and Lucía Caycedo Garner, (Italian), University of Wisconsin, Madison, wrote Imágenes (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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Bookstores disturbed at subpoenas| WASHINGTON, August 24, 2002 -- The president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Chris Finan, said he was deeply disturbed by the Justice Department's refusal to a Congressional call for information on its monitoring of patron and customer records at libraries and bookstores. Government agents have used subpoenas allowed under the post-9/11 Patriot Act to check on who's reading what, but the extent of the monitoring isn't known outside of a small Justice Department circle. Said Finan: "The Patriot Act has a potentially chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of bookstore customers because it gives the FBI the power to investigate what people are reading. The refusal of the Justice Department to tell us how many times it has used this power is even more unsettling because it naturally leads to the suspicion that it is using it a lot." |
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Used books precluding advanced texts |
From Don Barker, a multi-book computer science author:
"I want to commend SA2 on your letter to the National Association of College Stores regarding the problems used textbooks cause students, authors, and publishers. Used-book dealers have become so sophisticated that they are able to fill the demand for textbooks with used versions anywhere in the country, making it financially difficult for publishers and authors to recoup their investment. This is especially true for textbooks aimed at graduate programs, where class sizes are typically very small.
"As consequence, many worthy graduate textbooks are never published because the used-book industry makes economically infeasible. What we really need is a set of laws like those in the music industry, so that publishers and authors are reimbursed for every sale and resale of a textbook. However, this is unlikely given the current political and economic situation. Used-book dealers would paint it as new tax, and that would be the end of any such legislative effort." |
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| ABOUT
sa2
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Thomas G. Field (animal science), Colorado State University, and Robert E. Taylor (animal science) wrote the fourth edition of Beef Production and Management Decisions (Prentice Hall). |
 | Reginald H. Garrett (chemistry), University of Virginia , and Christopher S. Foote (chemistry), University of Virginia, wrote Principles of Biochemistry -- With A Human Focus (Brooks/Cole). |
 | Carmen Pereira-Muro (Spanish), University of Miami, wrote Culturas de España (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Bradley Schiller (economics), American University, wrote the ninth edition of Economy Today (McGraw-Hill). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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ACS, Wiley link chemistry, medical sites| HOBOKEN, New Jersey, August 23, 2002 -- The CAS division of the American Chemical Society and publisher John Wiley & Sons created "seamless pathways" between their electronic resources for the research community, the companies announced. Linked are CAS's STN and SciFinder and Wiley InterScience. Subscribers can link directly from CAS' comprehensive chemistry databases and others on the STN network to the full text of chemistry and medical literature at Wiley InterScience. Wiley InterScience includes more than 350 journals, including Advanced Materials, Angewandte Chemie, Biopolymers, the European Journal of Organic Chemistry, and 100 other chemistry titles. | |
 | Reed Elsevier: Sales grew 22 percent to $3.5 billion in the first half, compared to a year earlier Much of the increase was from the acquisition of Harcourt elhi and scientific, medical and technical titles. Goosed by Harcourt, education sales quadrupled.
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Thomson job training OK'd for college credit| NAPIERVILLE, Illinois, August 23, 2002 -- The Thomson corporate education subsidiary NETg announced that the American Council on Education has recommended that NETg's e-Learning and Wave Boot Camp product lines be eligible for college credit. This means that NETg offerings, geared to the workplace, are comparable to college-level programs and can now be used as transfer credit at participating colleges, the company said. The Wave Boot Camp product line has seven course offerings including A+ hardware and pperating systems, networking basics, and Windows 2000. | |
| D.R. Olson. "On the Language and Authority of Textbooks," Journal of Communication (1980), Pages 186-196. Discusses the textbook as a register like baby talk or oral ritualized language. Posits that the separation of knowledge as represented in textbooks from speakers (here the teacher) imparts authority and puts textbook content above criticism. |
| J.S. Chall and S.S. Conrad. The Textbook in American Society: A Volume Based on a Conference at the Library of Congress on May 2-3, 1979. Library of Congress, 1981. Participants drawn from the world of publishing and education attempt to define the issues involved in textbook development and use. Contains summaries of complete papers that were to be published by Academic
Press but that apparently never were. |
Government warned: Don't abuse subpoenas| WASHINGTON, August 23, 2002 -- The chair of the House Judiciary Committee, James Sensenbrenner, urged the U.S. Justice Department not to abuse its power under the 2001 Patriot Act to probe into confidential library and bookstore records to identify what individuals are reading. Sensenbrenner expressed frustration at Justice's refusal to divulge such basic information about its Patriot Act initiatives as the number of subpoenas it has sought to monitor library and bookstore transactions. The committee's ranking Democrat, Michigan Democrat John Conyers, concurred. Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, said: "The secrecy surrounding the issuance of search warrants pursuant to Section 215 and the lack of any adversarial proceeding ... are an open invitation to abuse of governmental power in the absence of proper oversight." Conyers warned about "a chilling effect on the First Amendment." |
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Consensus possible on used books?| SANTA BARBARA, California, August 23, 2002 -- The president of the National Association of College Stores, Ken Bowers, called for textbook authors and campus stores to find common ground. In responding to a Society of Academic Authors protest about NACS publicity promoting used books, Bowers said: "The NACS staff and I will certainly consider your points when working on the next media kit." The Fall 2002 media kit exhorts students to buy used books "whenever possible," offering no cautionary notes about getting stung or about how used-book trafficking has propelled textbook prices upward over the years. Bowers said NACS seesk ways to support the academic community, including academic authors as well as student customers. "Perhaps we can take all of this one step further and find ways to work more closely with your association in the future," he said. "Since your members are interested in the sell through of their publications and we are booksellers, we should have some natural agreement in the academic bookselling arena." |
| ABOUT SA2
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Patricia Hayes Andrews (communication), Indiana University, James R. Andrews (communication), Indiana University, and Glen Williams, (communication), Southeast Missouri State University, wrote the second edition of Public Speaking Connecting You and Your Audience (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Darrell D. Ebbing (chemistry), Wayne State University, Darrell D. Ebbing (chemistry), Western Washington University, and Steven D. Gammon, (chemistry), University of Utah, wrote Essentials of General, Chemistry (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | William K. Hartmann (astronomy), Planetary Science Institute, and Chris Impey (astronomy), University of Arizona, wrote the sixth edition of Astronomy: The Cosmic Journey (Brooks/Cole). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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McGraw creates Lange medical site| NEW YORK, August 23, 2002 -- The professional division of McGraw-Hill Education launched a subscription-based web resource to put learning "on the fast track: for medical students and clinicians, the company announced. The site, called AccessLange, includes all 10 Lange basic-science science titles, hundreds of case studies, self-assessment questions, charts, tables, and diagrams that facilitate study for all levels of the exams, course review, and clinical rotations, said Michael Hays, scientific, medical and technical publisher at McGraw. "From an editorial standpoint, the Lange name has been synonymous with the most authoritative, clearly written, and up-to-date medical guides for over half-a-century," Hays said. "We will be continually updating the existing content of AccessLange and plan on expanding the menu of textbooks to include clinical titles as well as adding useful new features." |
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SA2 counters used-book promo| WINONA, Minnesota, August 22, 2002 -- Authors were asked to be alert to "misleading" articles about used books and to notify the Society of Academic Authors. John Vivian of the society said back-to-campus newspaper sections, including college papers, should be monitored for exhortations to students to buy used books "whenever possible" without any caution as to the hazards. "We expect a wave of articles drawn from a media kit that the National Association of College Stores has issued for editors top pick up word for word," he said. "The items will probably carry a headline something like '10 Money-Saving Tips for Cash-Strapped Students.'" Vivian said SA2 is ready to send letters to the editors of publications that pick up the release to clarify NACS' unqualified encouragement to buy used books without noting the inherent danger of flawed copies with missing pages and outdated editions. "Most editors will try to set the record straight by publishing SA2's response," he said. |
| ABOUT SA2
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Thomson financials on targetSTAMFORD, Connecticut, August 22, 2002 -- Revenue and earnings will meet, perhaps exceed expectations for the year at educational publisher Thomson Learning, executives told investors. For the first half, earnings grew 53 percent to $848 million -- mostly with the integration of Harcourt assets purchased from Reed Elsevier. By the end of the year the Harcourt assets will be fully integrated, the executives reported.
SEE FINANCIALS | |
| | The research firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson says Americans will average 107 hours reading trade books in 2002, down from 109 in 2001 and 111 in 2000. |
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Plato buys Learning Ed for K-3 program| BALTIMORE, Maryland, August 22, 2002 -- Educational materials provider Plato Learning bought reading curriculum provider LearningElements for $6 million. LearningElements has a comprehensive K-3 curriculum that meets federal Reading First guidelines. | |
| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Cynthia D. Fisher (business), Bond University, Lyle F. Schoenfeldt (business), Appalachian State University, James B. Shaw (business), Bond University, wrote the fifth edition of Human Resource Management (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | David C. LeBlanc (statistics), Ball State University, Statistics for Science Students (Jones and Bartlett). |
 | Robert J. McMahon (history), University of Florida, and Thomas G. Paterson, (history), general editor, University of Connecticut, wrote the third edition ofMajor Problems in the History of the Vietnam War (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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Kluwer to be choosy on acquisitions| LONDON, August 21, 2002 -- The chief executive at publishing giant Wolters Kluwer, Rob Pieterse, denied speculation that his company is interested in buying Houghton Mifflin. Pieterse said the price that Houghton's parent company, Vivendi, seeks is more than the roughly $400 million range that Kluwer has pegged for acquisitions. Vivendi reportedly wants at least $2.2 billion. Also, Pieterse said he sees only limited synergy possibilities between Kluwer's existing core businesses and Houghton. Does he see Kluwer strengthening its stake in educational publishing? Perhaps, he said. If a good education acquisition possibility comes up, Kluwer may buy, he said, but, he added, Kluwer might also sell its education properties to finance an opportunity outside of education. |
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 | Renaissance Learning: Sales grew 8 percent to $67.9 million in the first half, compared to a year earlier Net income grew 29 percent to $15.6 million.
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 | Thomson Corporation: Sales grew 12 percent to $3.5 billion in the first half of the fiscal year, compared to a year earlier, at the parent of Thomson Learning.
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| Thomson Learning: Sales grew 45 percent to $451 million in the quarter ended June 30, compared to a year earlier. Most of the growth from was Harcourt assets acquired in the past year. Higher-ed sales were up, offsetting losses in corporate training and library sales.
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 | WRC Media: Sales dropped 10.1 percent to $90.7 million in the half ended June 30, compared to a year earlier. Why? State school funding cutbacks, the company said. Operating income rose 138.5 percent to $6.1 million, compared to a $15.7 million loss a year earlier.
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 | Wolters Kluwer: sales grew 6 percent to $US1.9 billion in the first half, compared to a year earlier. Education was up 4.4 percent to $US120 million, health up 24.8 percent to US$372.
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Research groups taps e-executive| NEW YORK, August 21, 2002 -- The Book Industry Study Group named Jeff Abraham, former chief executive at electronic-publishing company Optimedia, as its executive director. Optimedia is now defunct, but the company had major publishing clients, including Elsevier Science. As executive director, Abraham replaces Frank Daly, who was in the job 1-1/2 years. |
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Course Tech buy Premier (nee Prima Tech)| INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 21, 2002 -- Thomson-owned Course Technology, a provider of computer education products, bought the Premier Press computer-technology list from 22nd Century Inc. The list, about 200 titles, mostly in gaming, had been the Prima Tech imprint established by Random House, which sold the titles to 22nd a year ago. |
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TECHNOLOGY |
Judge places hold on Ohio decency law| DAYTON, Ohio, August 21, 2002 -- Enforcement of a new Ohio law designed to keep "harmful to minors" material off the web is on ice. Judge Walter Rice issued a temporary injunction at the behest of First Amendment advocates who argued it was overly broad. The groups seeking the injunction, including the Association of American Publishers, American Booksellers Foundation, and Wilkie's Bookstore, argued that the law would undermine the civil rights of adults. The law would ban "repeated foul language" and works "depicting or describing violence" and "glorifying crime." |
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Sociologists honor author Macionis
 SIXTH EDITION
Teaching award |
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| CHICAGO, August 20, 2002 -- Prolific sociology author John Macionis of Kenyon College was presented the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association. The annual award recognizes "outstanding contributions of teaching- and curriculum-related materials and publications, participation in the scholarship of teaching and learning." Macionis, at Kenyon College since 1978, has studied, written, and taught on social change, urban sociology, deviance and criminology, community ties in modern society, intimacy in family life, humor, and the craft of teaching. Macionis is best known for his textbooks, which have been widely used in colleges internationally. They include Sociology, in its ninth edition; Society: The Basics, in its sixth edition; and Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross Cultural Readings in Sociology. All are published by Prentice Hall. |
| AUTHOR QUESTIONS / EXPERT ANSWERS |
As a Houghton Mifflin author I am concerned what might happen when Vivendi finds a buyer? What can I do?
Your concern is well founded. In book company acquisitions, the acquiring companies often dump competing titles to streamline their consolidated lists. At this point, the situation is out of our hands as Houghton authors, but you can take interim steps to prepare for whatever happens These tips, extracted from a special SA2 news alert on July 10, remain valid:
1. Stay up-to-date. The SA2 news site will provide timely information.
2. Keep you ear to the ground. Check in with your Houghton contacts, express your concern, and check back regularly for new information.
3. Review your competition. Make a list of your competitors and their publishers so you are ready to analyze the situation quickly if you end up as a stablemate with competing books now at another house.
4. Be prepared to object. If Houghton is sold to another textbook company, the sale will require federal anti-trust clearance. Be prepared to write the Justice Department to express your concern about the sale could reduce competiveness. You can expect a model letter from SA2 for guidance. |
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Protest filed on reading subpoena data| WASHINGTON, August 20, 2002 -- Groups representing authors, book publishers, and booksellers have criticized the federal government for refusing to reveal publicly how many times it has used its power under the post-9/11 Patriot Act to force bookstores, libraries and newspapers to reveal confidential records, including the titles of books an individual has purchased or borrowed. The House Judiciary Committee had requested this information in June, but the Justice Department claims its use of subpoenas is confidential and will be turned over only to the House Intelligence Committee, which does not have oversight responsibility. A formal protest has been filed by the PEN American Center, a free-expression advocacy group; the Association of American Publishers, and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. |
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Kluwer lines up academic unit buyers| LONDON, August 20, 2002 -- Dutch professional publisher Wolters Kluwer has narrowed down the list of bidders for the sale of Kluwer Academic Publishers, according to press reports Bidders reportedly include Reed Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, John Wiley & Sons. All are major players in academic publishing. Also reported interested are several U.S. and European investor groupsc.The property is estimated to have a value of up to $600 million. Kluwer is selling the unit, valkued at $600 million, as part of its restructuring planthat divests non-core properties. |
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ACADEMIC
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| R.V. Blystone and K. Barnard. "The Future Direction of College Biology Textbooks," BioScience (1988), Pages 48-52. Study of introductory college
biology textbooks from 1950 to 1985. Results indicate a steady increase in length as well as in graphic materials. |
| S. De Castell, A. Luke and C. Luke. Language Authority and Criticism: Readings on the School Textbook. Falmer, 1989. A collection of articles concerning the school textbook as a theoretical and a practical construct. |
| H. Tyson-Bernstein. "The Academy's Contribution to the Impoverishment
of America's Textbooks," Phi Delta Kappan (November 1988), Pages
193-198. An indictment of the academy's role in the deterioration of textbooks.
Contends that negative incentive for textbook writing among professors has led to the erection of serious obstacles to textbook reform. |
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| READINGS. PERFORMANCES
To celebrate the love of reading |
Book Festival on Capitol West LawnHOST
Laura Bush
SPONSOR
Library of Congress
SUPPORTERS
AT&T, Carnegie Corporation, WorkPlace USA
Washington Post, James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, PBS, Target, others |
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| WASHINGTON, August 20, 2002 -- The second annual National Book Festival at the Library of Congress will feature more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and storytellers, said James Billington, librarian of Congress. Events will include author readings and book discussions; performances by storytellers; book sales and signings; appearances by children's storybook characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog; a conservation clinic for books, family letters and albums; and performances representing a wide range of U.S. musical traditions. "We want this National Book Festival to stimulate interest in authors, reading and the world of books and ideas," Billington said. The activities will take place in pavilions on the West Lawn of the Capitol from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 12. |
Flip-flop: Family Ed Net again| BOSTON, August 20, 2002 -- Pearson Education has changed back the name of its Learning Network to its original name, Family Education Network. The changes reflects the "broad range of learning resources for students, teachers, parents and administrators," the company said. |
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EDUCATION
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Agents elect Hochman president| NEW YORK, August 20, 2002 -- The Association of Authors Representatives elected Gail Hochman president. Michael Congdon is the new literary vice president, and Beth Blickers the new dramatic vice president. |
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|  ASSOCIATION
OF AUTHOR'S
REPRESENTATIVES |
SA2 objects to used-book promotion| WINONA, Minnesota, August 20, 2002 -- The Society of Academic Authors objected to a back-to-campus news release in which the National Association or College Stores exhorted students to buy used books "whenever possible." John Vivian, SA2 founder, noted in a letter to the president of NACS that students frequently buy "outdated, marred and flawed" used books, which he said makes them a dangerous investment. Vivian said NACS was inconsistent, short-sighted and self-serving in the news release, which bemoaned textbooks as expensive while simultaneously exhorting students to buy used books. "It is used books that have driven the price of textbooks, both new and used, to their current levels," he said. "Every used book sale cuts into new book sales, giving publishers no choice but to increase prices to recover their costs and maintain a reasonable profit. As the price of new books has increased, the used-book industry has found opportunities to jack up what it charges." He noted too that campus stores realize far greater profit margins on used books than new books. |
| ABOUT SA2
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Norman E. Griswold (chemistry), Nebraska Wesleyan College, H.A. Neidig (chemistry), Lebanon Valley College, James N. Spencer (chemistry), Franklin and Marshall College, and Conrad L. Stanitski (chemistry), University of Central Arkansas, wrote the second edition of Laboratory Handbook for General Chemistry (Brooks/Cole). |
 | Carmen Kimberly A. Nance (Spanish), Illinois State University, and Isidro J. Rivera (Spanish), University of Kansas, wrote the second edition of Aprendizaje Técnicas de composición (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Michael A. Seeds (astronomy), Franklin and Marshall College, wrote the third edition of Solar System (Brooks/Cole). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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SA2 creates prize for reading texts| WINONA, Minnesota, August 19, 2002 -- The Society of Academic Authors established a new recognition for the excellence in learning materials for reading, the Sharp Prize, named for Zerna Sharp, one of the 20th century's leaders in reading education. Nominations for the first Sharp Prize, will be accepted from SA2 members in September, said association founder John Vivian. Sharp, a reading consultant, created the Dick and Jane series that replaced drab primers with words as chains of phonetic syllables. Sharp's repetition of the short, topical words helped children learn. The Dick and Jane series was introduced in 1930 and were in use more than 30 years. Although the family-oriented characters fell out of vogue in the 1960s, Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot, Puff, Zeke and others were important for generations of children learning to read. |
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At $9, Vivendi off 85 percent| PARIS, August 17, 2002 -- Investor confidence continued to erode in Vivendi, the troubled French congomerate that owns book publisher Houghton Mifflin. Shares were about US$9 to open the week, off 45 percent from a week earlier. Eghty-five percent of the value has vaporized since January 1. |
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Vivendi may sell whole publishing unit| PARIS, August 18, 2002 -- Rather than selling just its book publishing house Houghton Mifflin, cash-short Vivendi is contemplating selling the whole subsidiary of which Houghton is part, according to numerous press reports. The subsidiary, Vivendi Universal Publishing, has been valued at roughly US$6 billion, with Houghton probably about one-third the total. Analysts are quoted that Vivendi, in the position of s forced seller, may wring less than the valuation and take a beating to raise cash it needs for survival. In the Wall Street Journal, reporters John Carreyron and Jo Wrighton wrote: "The company's willingness to sell all of Vivendi Universal Publishing, one of its most profitable units, is evidence of the dire position it is in." Besides Houghton, VUP includes video games, French magazines, and publishing houses in Latin America. |
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DIVERSIONS FROM YOUR KEYBOARD
1. __________ |
2. __________ | 
3. __________ | To win a free 2004 SA2 membership, guess the celebrities in these "Caught Reading" literacy promotion ads from the Association of American Publishers and the American Magazine Association. Send your entry to: SA2 |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
| Michel Baum, chief executive at Renaissance Learning, was named executive vice president for learning initiatives. |
 | George M. Malacinski
(biology), Indiana University, wrote the fourth edition of Essentials of Molecular Biology (Jones and Bartlett). |
| Terrance Paul, co-founder of Renaissance Learning and director of educational research and product strategy, was named chief executive. |
 | Ricky W. Griffin (business), Texas A&M University, wrote the third edition of Fundamentals of Management: Core Concepts and Applications (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please
tell
us
about
your
latest
project:
EDITOR |
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McGraw-Hill acquires Bredex| NASHVILLE, Tennessee, August 16, 2002 -- School publisher McGraw-Hill Education bought Bredex Corporation, which uses web-based instructional systems developed by Vanderbilt University researchers for the K-6 market. Terms were not disclosed. The Bredex system assesses, improves and reports pupil math skills, which are aligned to state standards. Robert E. Evanson, president of McGraw-Hill Education, said the purchase will be integrated into the company's seamlessly integrated network of interactive online e-textbooks. "Our research has shown there is a growing need in the marketplace for diagnostic testing in various subjects, research-based assessment and instruction, and the tools to measure student performance." |
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Vodafone to buy Vivendi's Vizzavi stakeLONDON, August 16, 2002 --European mobile-phone operator Vodafone is prepared to buy out Vivendi's 50 percent interest in a money-losing joint Internet portal venture, Vizzavi, according to company sources. Being discussed is US$148 million deal. Together Vodafone and Vivendi have invested $1 billion-plus into Vizzavi. Financially pressed Vivendi has stopped putting money into the venture.
What this means for authors: Every asset that Vivendi unloads will ease pressure on other Vivendi units, including book publisher Houghton Mifflin. Meanwhile Vivendi continues to solicit bids for Houghton. |
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| VIVENDI
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Why Vivendi chief shifted on Houghton| PARIS, August 16, 2002 -- Three major educational publishers have expressed interest in buying Houghton Mifflin, which prompted the head of Houghton's parent, Paris-based Vivendi, to reconsider his commitment not to sell Houghton. Aware of Vivendi's desperate cash shortage, Britain-based Pearson, Anglo-Dutch Reed Elsevier and Canada-based Thomson all privately expressed interest in Houghton, according to the sources. As recently as last week Vivendi chief executive Jean-René Fourtou had been inclined to keep Houghton, a solid revenue-generator, but, the sources said, he ended up seeing Houghton as perhaps one of the easiest Vivendi assets to unload at a profit. Because delaqys for antitrust reviews would be inevoatble if Houghton goes to another big publisher, observers still believe Houghton's lists may be broken up among numerous companies so Vivendi can cash in quickly. Besides Pearson, Reed and Thomsom, buyers could include investmnent groups and small publishers. |
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 HOUGHTON
MIFFLIN
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| AUTHOR QUESTIONS / EXPERT ANSWERS |
I don't feel I'm receiving the best possible advice from my tax person about how to deal with textbook
royalties. Are there any books or web sites that offer advice on taxes and textbook royalties?
Paul Rosenzweig
R&M Royalty Review | | There isn't enough for an honest book on the subject. The truth is that, with one simple piece of knowledge, every CPA can be an expert in the tax "complexities" of textbook authors. The key is the understanding that royalty income from active authoring belongs on Schedule C, not Schedule E; the only mention of royalties in the standard 1040 instructions points to Schedule E, without clarifying that those are meant to be royalties from mineral rights, oil, coal, etc. Once the tax adviser moves the authoring royalties to C, all the entitlements of a self-employed business person open up. True, there are abilities to incorporate or choose an LLC, but that's also true for any self-employed business person (like a hot dog stand operator). Posted August 2002 |
| ROSENZWEIG |
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| Harriet Tyson-Bernstein and Arthur Woodward, "Nineteenth Century Policies for Twenty-First Century Practice: The textbook reform dilemma," in Philip G. Altbach, G.P. Kell, H.G. Petrie and L.W. Weis, editors. Textbooks in American Society: Politics, Policy and Pedagogy. State University of New York Press, 1991. |
| L. Kathy Heilenman. "Of Cultures and Compromise: Publishers, Textbooks
and the Academy," Publishing Research Quarterly (1983), Pages 55-57. A
discussion of the relationship between the culture of the academy and that of the marketplace as reflected in textbook authoring and production. |
Writing as a therapy for bad reviewsNorman Cantor (history), New York University: "The best writing, for me, comes not when I am confident, relaxed, happy and self-satisfied but rather when I hav e received an unpleasant shock or insults from a group of academic colleagues. Then I write to affirm my own dignity, humanity and autonomy."
MORE AUTHORING TIPS |
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Laura Bush caught reading flag book| WASHINGTON, August 16, 2002 -- The latest installment in the literacy-promotion campaign "Caught Reading" will feature First Lady Laura Bush. For the posters and ads, she was "caught" reading Long My She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag. Other new installments in the campaign, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers, feature actor Drew Carey with Comedy Techniques for Writers and Performers and Spider Man reading a Hulk comic book. |
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