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E-book, traditional text learning a toss-up| MUNCIE, Indiana, September 15, 2002 -- Students learn equally well with e-book textbooks as with traditional textbooks, according to a study at Ball State University. Richard Bellaver, associate director of the Center for Information and Communication Studies, said test scores showed no significant difference. The study involved 91 students -- 40 with print texts, 24 with REB 1100 black-and-white devices, and 27 with REB 1200 devices. The students read from an Addison-Wesley textbook that was converted into digital format for the study. The study was funded under a $20 million Eli Lilly Foundation grant. More studies are planned under the grant. |
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Vivendi asks $2 billion deposit with bidsPARIS, September 13, 2002 -- Bidders to buy Vivendi Universal Publishing, whose properties include book-producer Houghton Mifflin, have been told to wire a $2 billion deposit with their bids. The deposit is an unusual requirement, but, said insiders, Vivendi wants to be sure the bidders are serious and won't later back out. A delay in the sale could delay the infusion of cash that Vivendi desperatelty needs to pay interest this fall on its massive debt. The trade journal Bookseller said the requirement of a major deposit seems to indicate that Vivendi favors selling all VUP book operations to a single taker." Press reports list these are leading the potential bidding partnerships, each including a French partner to ease cultural objections:A group that includes Kohlberg Kravis Roberts; Apax Partners; Bain Capital; Blackstone Group; Thomas H. Lee Partners; Goldman Sachs; and PAI Management, which the newspaper Les Echos said is bidding US$2.9 billion to $3.4 billion.Eurazeo, Union d'Investissemnt and Carlyle Group.CDC Ixis Equity Capital and Charterhouse Development Capital. Also interested, according to press reports, are French billionaire Francois Pinault; Lagardere, which owns the Hachette magazine and media empire; CVC Capital Partners; and Permira. |
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Kluwer offers custom online books| NEW YORK, September 13, 2002 -- The publishing house Kluwer Academic launched a new platform offering online users the ability to create individual customized books from Kluwer's electronic books collection. Kluwer said it was one of the first major science, technical and medical publishers to offer custom books and the only publisher that offers a choice of print or electronic delivery. A six-step process lets scientists and researchers choose chapters they want, title their creation, and decide if they want the custom book delivered electronically or printed and mailed as a perfect-bound paperback. Scott Delman, a Kluwer vice president, said the system gives the scientific community "greater flexibility and an expanded range of options for purchasing scientific information." |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Paul Heyne (economics), University of Washington, Peter J. Boettke (economics), George Mason University, and David L. Prychitko (economics), Northern Michigan University, wrote the 10th edition of The Economic Way of Thinking (Prentice Hall). |
 | Jill Lewis (reading), New Jersey City University, wrote Reading for Academic Success (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Michael Osborn (communication), University of Memphis, and Suzanne Osborn (communication), University of Memphis, wrote the sixth edition of Public Speaking (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Publishers want Nigeria assassination answers| WASHINGTON, September 13, 2002 -- The U.S. government was asked by the nation's publishers to press the Nigerian govenrnment to investigate the assassination of publisher and author Chief Victor Nwankwo. The president of the Association of American Publishers, Pat Schroeder, said, it's clear that Nwankwo was the victim of neither a robbery or accident. "He was killed to silence the voice of a distinguished author and publisher," Schroeder said in a letter to President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. No arrests have been made, nor has any serious investgation been undertaken by Nigerian authorities, she said. Schroeder called on the U.S. government to express its "desire to see those responsible identified and quickly brought to justice ... in the interest of international freedom of expression and human rights." |
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Houghton seems a done deed| PARIS, September 13, 2002 -- Except for opening the bids, the chief executive at Vivendi, Jean-René Fourtou, seems to have put issues involving Houghton Mifflin and other publishing entities behind him. His itinerary for his first U.S. trip for Vivendi is packed with meetings with his television, movie and recording industry executives to discuss a range of options. Houghton's headquarters, in Boston, is not on the schedule. What will happen to Vivendi's giant Universal entertainment enterprise? Insiders have been quoted that NBC is interested in taking Universal off Vivendi's hands. Many believe that Vivendi's entertainment division chief in the United States, Barry Diller, may want to buy it. Also, a public stock offering has been discussed. |
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Natural History expanding scope| NEW YORK, September 12, 2002 -- The new editor at Natural History, Peter Brown, confirmed a new emphasis on physical sciences, as well as the journal's tradition in animal life. Specifically, readers can expect articles in forthcoming issues on astronomy and earth sciences, he said. Brown is formerly editor at the now-defunct Sciences. |
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Wiley gives investors rosy reportHOBOKEN, New Jersey, September 11, 2002 -- The chief executuve at Wiley, William Pesces, said he is pleased with the company's financial performance. "We are off to a good start in fiscal year 2003 with organic revenue growth, earnings and the contributions of our acquisitions all consistent with our expectations," Pesces told shareholders. He reported that the integration of Hungry Minds has gone well and added appreciably to the Wiley bottom line. Also, he said, the relocation of of Wiley's headquarters to Hoboken is on schedule and below budget without disruption to business. He said that earlier projections for double-digit revenue growth this year are proving accurate: "Given that first quarter results are in-line with our expectations, we reiterate our guidance for the year of double-digit full year revenue growth in the mid-teens."
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Nyle C. Brady (agriculture) Cornell University, and Ray R. Weil (agriculture), University of Maryland, College Park wrote the 13th edition of The Nature and Properties of Soils (Prentice Hall). |
 | John Hollitz (history), Community College of Southern Nevada, and A. James Fuller (history), University of Indianapolis, wrote Contending Voices (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Scott Peters (astronomy), Ball State University, and Tom Jordan (astronomy), Ball State University, wrote The Sky CD-ROM and Workbook (Brooks/Cole). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Regulators raid Vivendi for documents| PARIS, September 10, 2002 -- French securities regulators seized documents that show that the former management of media giant Vivendi sought to press its auditor to use a dubious accounting technique to inflate profits, the newspaper Le Monde reported. The documents, which include letters and e-mail messages, including some involving former Vivendi chair Jean-Marie Messier. Le Monde, which obtained a set of the documents, said they show that Messier brought intense pressure on Salustro-Reydel, Vivendi's French auditing firm, to adopt a proposal for accounting for the sale of shares in British Sky Broadcasting that had been originally put forward by its U.S. auditor, Arthur Andersen. French regulators eventually ruled against the accounting technique, which would have inflated 2001 profits by $1.4 billion. French regulators have been checking into Vivendi finances back to January 2001. The raid was the latest problem for troubled Vivendi, whose interests include textbook publisher Houghton aMifflin. Vivendi declined comment. |
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| AUTHOR QUESTIONS / EXPERT ANSWERS |
| I am professor who has authored a research monograph, of which few copies were sold, and a textbook, which is a big seller. I anticipate a third edition of the textbook in 2004 or 2005. I have been getting mixed information about whether I should pay self-employment tax. One accountant says that only full-time authors should pay self-employment tax and that professors with full-time employment who "occasionally" write books don't pay the self-employment tax. |
Paul Rosenzweig R&M Royalty Review | I can't begin to comprehend how an accountant can suggest that part-time authors are not subject to self-employment tax. No other part-time earned income (except for newspaper deliverers) is distinguished or taxed different than full-time. That advice is wrong, and I would welcome hearing directly from that accountant how he or she came to the "part-time authors are exempt" conclusion. Inherent in this is that active authors' royalties belong on Schedule C. Moreover, the net cost of self-employment taxes is picayune, when considering the deductions and sheltering (retirement plans) that become available via Schedule C (or a Subchapter S Corporation, or an LLC).
"Retiring authors are another matter. When the author is no longer actively writing, and better yet, when the publisher has invoked the "you get a lesser royalty on the next revision because you didn't participate in writing it" clause, then I would counsel the author to shift the reporting of royalty income from the Schedule C to Schedule E. There is no self-employment tax on Schedule E income. My rationale is that the author
is now being compensated solely for the intellectual property rights to prior works. By the way, a royalty recipient who is not an author (widow/widower, decedent, etc.) always reports royalty income on Schedule E, because it's not earned income." |
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French taking Vivendi mess personally| PARIS, September 10, 2002 -- The French people are growing concerned about the pending sale of some of their oldest, most prestigious publishing houses in the collapse of the Vivendi empire, according to the AFP news agency. If foreign buyers pick up parts of Vivendi Universal Publishing, will they be, well, French any more? Vivendi includes emblems of French culture, including Larousse dictionaries. The Agence France-Presse quoted Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon: "We must avoid a sell-out that does not maintain houses which, like Larousse, are part of our heritage." Former Socialist minister Jack Lang called on the French people to rally against a sale to foreigners: "To cede to an Anglo-Saxon group would be tantamount to cultural expropriation." The head of the country's publishers association, Serge Eyrolles, warned against selling off parts of Vivendi to different buyers: "It would break the dynamics of this French-based global group." AFP quoted sources said France's Hachette has expressed no interest in Vivendi assets. |
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Taylor & Francis buys reference list| CHICAGO, Illinois, September 10, 2002 -- British publisher Taylor & Francis Group bought Chicago-based reference book publisher Fitzroy Dearborn for US$4.8 million cash. Fitzroy Dearborn, which specializes in reference materials in the arts, humanities and sciences, issues 25 books in a typical year. The backlist is 350 titles. Fitzroy Dearborn will be integrated into the Taylor & Francis Rutledge reference publishing division in New York, the company said. The Chcaigo office will be closed. Fitzroy President George Walsh said his company needed the "worldwide marketing clout" of a largerc ompany. |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Kathleen Bauer (nutrition), Montclair State University, and Carol Sokolik (nutrition), Montclair State University, wrote Basic Nutrition Counseling Skill Development (Wadsworth). |
 | Mary Ann Schwartz (women's studies), Northeastern Illinois University, and BarBara Marliene Scott (women's studies), Northeastern Illinois University, wrote the fourth edition of Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change (Prentice Hall). |
 | Mark A. Stoler (history), University of Vermont, Melanie S. Gustafson (history), University of Vermont, and Thomas G. Paterson, (history), general editor, University of Connecticut, wrote Major Problems in the History of World War II (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Response rate delays SA2 survey reportWINONA, Minnesota, September 10, 2002 -- Results of a Society of Academic Authors member survey on author perceptions about hiring agents and attorneys are taking longer to tally and assess than expected because so many authors responded. "More than twice as many members returned questionaires as for SA2's first suvey on authoring," said John Vivian, the society's founder. "We expect to complete the resport on the survey withinin 10 days." Questions included why authors decided to have professional assistance or to negotiate themselves. The questionnaire also asked whether authors were satisfied with their representation and what it cost.
What this means for authors: SA2 is building a database to track changes over time and to give all authors a better sense of where they are at collectively. This is the second 2002 survey in the longitudinal series.
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WRC hawks USA Today by mail, phone| MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, September 10, 2002 -- Supplemental education publisher WRC Media entered a co-marketing agreement with the newspaper USA Today through which the paper will be offered to school and public libraries through WRC's Gareth Stevens subsidiary. Financial terms were not disclosed. Gareth Stevens will offer USA Today subscriptions in its fall mailings and will follow up with telemarketing. |
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College sales in July sprintWASHINGTON, September 9, 2002 -- College textbook sales continue running way ahead of a year ago. The latest report from the Association of American Publishers shows a 14.9 percent increase in July, compared to a year earlier. Here are the year-to-date AAP data through June, extrapolated from 74 member-publishers, for genres in which academic authors write:College University press (soft) STM, professional El-hi University press (hard) | 14.9 percent 6.0 percent -3.2 percent -8.4 percent -10.9 percent |
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Sleeping Bear golf titles to Wiley| CHELSEA, Michigan, September 8, 2002 -- In a going-out-of-business sale, Sleeping Bear Press sold 50 golf titles, including textbooks Michael Hurdzen's Course Architecture and Jeames Beard's Turf Management, in its second edition, to John Wiley, a publisher with a diverse list. The titles were under Sleeping Bear's Ann Arbor imprint. Wiley said it plans to expand the list by four to six tiles a year. The Sleeping Bear children's division was sold separately to the Gale Group. | |
New report has more Vivendi suitors| NEW YORK, September 7, 2002 -- Two groups of buyout firms are in discussions with Vivendi to buy its whole publishing operation, including U.S. book company Houghton Mifflin, the Wall Street Journal reported. Citing "people close to the talks," the Journal said one group includes Thomas H. Lee Partners and the Blackstone Group, as has been widely reported, but, said the Journal, Lee and Blackstone are partnering also with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Bain Capital, Apax Partners, and PAI Management. A second investor group partnership, of the Carlyle Group and Eurazen, is also in talks, the newspaper said. The subsidiary on the block, Vivendi Universal Publishing, has been bundled for sale as a unit by three firms, Salomon Smith Barney, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Credit Lyonnaise. Vivendi is looking at raising $3 to $5 billion from the sale to pare down its crippling debt.. |
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Pearson reassigns "Complete Idiots" imprint| INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, September 6, 2002 -- A 400-title imprint of Pearson Education, Alpha Books, is being moved to Pearson's Penguin Putnam, where it will become part of the NAL list, the company announced.. A Penguin spokesperson said the transition will be complete by January. Alpha is best known for its "Complete Idiots" line. When the transition is completed, Alpha will become part of NAL. A spokesperson said Alpha will stay in Indianapolis, although sales and distribution will be assumed by Penguin. |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Steven Ackerman (meteorology), University of Wisconsin, Madison, and John Knox (meteorology), University of Georgia, wrote Meteorology: Understanding the Atmospher (Brooks/Cole). |
 | Paul R. Krausman (wildlife), University of Arizona, wrote Introduction to Wildlife Management: The Basics (Prentice Hall). |
 | H. Jay Siskin (French), Cabrillo College, Cheryl L. Krueger (French), University of Virginia, and Maryse Fauvel (French), College of William and Mary, wrote the second edition of Taches d'encre (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Blackstone, Lee aiming at Houghton?BOSTON, Massachusetts, September 5, 2002 -- Two private equity firms, Blackstone Investors of New York and Thomas H. Lee Partners of Boston, declined to confirm they have followed up on their letter of interest in buying Vivendi Universal Publishing or its Houghton Mifflin subsidiary with a firm offer. Continuing press speculation, all based on unnamed sources, purport that Lee and Blackstone have submitted a joint offer. Meanwhile, Financial Times in London reported that Bear Stearns, the investment bank, has valued Houghton on an earnings multiple of 6.4 times its estimated 2002 profits -- roughly $1.7 billion.
What this means for authors: If Lee and Blackstone succeed in acquiring Vivendi's publishing arm, they can be expected to sell the units separately over a relatively brief period. Neither firm has publishing experience. Their business is finding assets that can be bulked up and sold with a gain. |
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Sizing up possible Houghton suitorsThomas H. Lee Partners and the Blackstone Group, reported to be eyeing Houghton Mifflin and other Vivendi publishing properties, have joined forces before. They made an unsuccessful bid to acquire Burger King in July. Currently, Lee Partners and J.P. Morgan Partners are in advanced talks to acquire the water-equipment division of another Vivendi unit, U.S. Filter, reportedly for $650 million.
Quick profilers:
Thomas H. Lee Partners: Boston based. Founded in 1974. One of the oldest and private equity investment firms in the United States. Has invested in more than 100 businesses. Focuses on growth companies and invests in partnership with exceptional management teams. Has been called "a kinder, gentler leveraged buyout firm" because only pursues companies that want to be pursued. Typical targets are mid-size companies with growth potential. After buying a firm, Lee builds up the company by providing funds for strategic expansion. Then it either resells the company, as it did Snapple to Quaker Oats in 1994, or takes it public, as it did Rayovac in 1997.
Blackstone Group: New York based. Founded in 1987. Has invested in more than 60 companies in a variety of industries, geographies and economic environments. Current holdings include Allied Waste, American Axle, Centennial Communications, Graham Packaging and Universal Studios Florida. Total transaction value of deals: $60 billion. Target investment size: $100 million and $400 million, although larger and smaller transactions are considered on an opportunistic basis. Recently began a major private equity initiative focused on Europe. |
More changes coming at California Press| BERKELEY, California, September 5, 2002 -- Financial recovery at the University of California Press is "a long-term press," new Director Lynne Withey said. In an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education, Withey said the narrower focus and trimmer list recommended in a consultant report last year has established a new direction. More changes will be coming, she said. Withey, with the Press since 1986, said she enjoys the directorship. She called the position "a happy combination of administration and engagement with the intellectual side of academia." She is a published historian. |
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Prentice acquires Athena law titles| UPPER SADDLE RFIVER, New Jersey, September 5, 2002 -- Textbook publisher Pearson Education acquired the legal and paralegal textbooks division of the Athena Group for its Prentice Hall imprint. The Athena division, called Pearson Publications,which had no prior connection to Pearson Education, includes 29 titles. The Athena titles will be marketed through Prentice Hall's new Pearson Legal Series. Robin Baliszewski, president of Prentice Hall's CHET division, said the acquisition increases "the breadth and depth" of Prentice offerings. The titles include Essentials of The Internet by Craig B. Simonsen and Christian R. Andersen; Bush v. Gore: Understanding the American Legal System by Ransford C. Pyle, Heather Slusher, and Carol M. Bast; Essentials of Intellectual Property by Christian R. Andersen; and Computer Applications for Legal Professionals by John A. Gurdak and Linda Furlet. About the sale, Enika Pearson Schulze, Athena president, said: "The authors, as well as professors and students, will be sure to benefit." |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
| Jim Bowler, chief executive at online provider Kids 123, was named vice president of marketing at Classroom Connect. He replaced Matt Levine, who left the company. |
 | Patricia Gagne, (women's studies), University of Louisville, and Richard Tewksbury (women's studies), University of Louisville, wrote Dynamics of Inequality, The: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in the United States (Prentice Hall). |
| Bridget Hadley, vice president of professional development and training at Prentice Hall, was named vice president of professional development at Holt, Rinehart & Winston. |
 | Marilyn Wyman, (art), San Jose State University, wrote Looking and Writing: A Guide for Art History Students (Prentice Hall). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Nelson of Canada buys Irwin| TORONTO, September 5, 2002 -- Academic publisher Nelson, a subsidiary of Thomson Canada, bought fellow Canadaian publisher Irwin Ltd,, which specializes in math, science and social science titles, as well as professional training. Terms were not announced. Irwin was part of financially troubled General Publishing. |
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McGraw launches Roadmap writing tools| MONTERREY, California, September 5, 2002 -- The CTB unit McGraw-Hill released a web-based classroom writing assessment, calledWriting Roadmap, for use from Grade 3 throiugh colege. Writing Roadmap offers students an online method of practicing their writing skills with immediate feedback, said David Taggart, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill: "This approach also provides teachers with analytic information and options for monitoring and reporting individual student and class progress." Taggart calkled the program "a practical, cost-effective way to assess writing progress over time." The application covers a range of topics and writing modes including descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and informative styles. Scores are reported on five analytic traits, consistent with different state rubrics. Users can also choose between holistic or summative scores, which can be downloaded into existing student information systems. |
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Pearson texts add New York Times content| UPPER SADDLE RFIVER, New Jersey, September 5, 2002 -- Textbook publisher Pearson Education and the New York Times Company have expanded their relationship to bring current and archived New York Times content to professors and students via print, online and electronic platforms. Pearson said the deal will enrich supplemental material from higher-ed imprints Addison Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman and Prentice Hall. In addition, a new license will enable Pearson college authors to use Timesarticles and photographs dating back to 1851, when newspaper was first published. Also, Pearson will launch a higher-ed web site with full-text feeds of current and archived New York Times articles, organized by academic discipline. The president of the Pearson Higher Education and Professional Publishing Division, Will Ethridge, said the agreement services "as a base for future joint projects." |
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South-Western takes role in marketing club| CINCINNATI, Ohio, September 5, 2002 -- Business and economics publisher South-Western joined the national advisory board of DECA, an association of marketing education clubs with 180,000 student and faculty members. Nancy Long, senior marketing manager for South-Western, said the company's new DECA role shows "commitment to marketing education." Said Long: "We will have many opportunities to enhance and encourage student learning and partner with schools to educate future marketing professionals." South-Western is a unit of the Thomson conglomerate. |
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Vivendi has more Houghton nibbles| PARIS, September 4, 2002 -- No formal bids have been received for Houghton Mifflin, the U.S. publisher that conglomerate Vivendi wants to sell to raise cash to pay debts, Suzanne Kapner of the New York Times reported from London. Kapner, citing "a person involved in the sale process" as her source, said several letters of interest have been received Among those expressing interest is a team of two private equity firms, the Blackstone Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners, which Kapner's source said has signaled that it may want to buy all of Vivendi's remaining publishing assets, including operations in France and Spain. Others expressing interest include Apollo Management, the Carlyle Group and PAI Management. The source said that Vivendi is looking for at least US$1.5 billion for the assets, pehaps as much asUS$2 billion. Vivendi bought Houghton for $1.5 billion and assumed $700 million in debt last year -- in effect $2.2 billion total. |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | John Webber (math), Salt Lake Community College, wrote the second edition of Math for Business and Life (Olympus). |
 | Patti Lopez (business), Valencia Community College, wrote Getting Started with Excel (Prentice Hall). |
 | Stewart W. Husted (business), Lynchburg College, Ralph E. Mason (business), and Elaine Adams (business), University of Georgia, wrote the sixth edition of Cooperative Occupational Education (Prentice Hall). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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| Riverdeep Sales grew 228 percent, yes, more than triple, to $169.3 million in the fiscal year ended June 30, compared to a year earlier. Net income: $8.8 million compared to a $52.7 million loss the previous year.
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| Wiley: Revenue grew 28 percent to $206.4 million the first quarter, ended July 31, compared to a year earlier. Excluding the acquisition of Hungry Minds, revenue grew 8 percent.
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| Wiley (higher-ed): Revenue grew 6 percent iun the first quarter, ended July 31, compared to a year earlier.
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McGraw acquires Open University Press| MAIDENHEAD, United Kingdom, September 4, 2002 -- U.S. media giant McGraw-Hill, whose interests include educational publishing, bought Open University Press, a British social science publisher for academic markets worldwide. Terms were not disclosed. The purchase enables McGraw-Hill Education to expand its global offerings of print and online products in the growing academic market, said President Robert E. Evanson. He brought particular attention to new possibiliuties in Britain. "Our acquisition underscores our commitment to growing in Europe and aligns with our mission to be a premier global provider of materials and services that improve teaching and learning." Open University Press, founded in 1977, has more than 800 titles in education, health, psychology, and social policy. |
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Pearson creates master el-hi site| UPPER SADDLE RFIVER, New Jersey, September 4, 2002 -- School publisher Pearson opened an online store offering a wide range of preK-12 products from its Prentice Hall, Pearson Learning Group, Penguin Putnam, Dorling Kindersley, and Scott Foresman and other imprints. By the end of the year the store, called PearsonAtSchool, will offer 20,000 products, including books, CD-ROMs, software, educational toys, games, videos and other curricular material, the company said. Other Pearson imprints on the site include Longman, Allyn & Bacon, Electronic Education, and Skylight Professional Development. |
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Publishers win Canada infringement case| TORONTO, September 4, 2002 -- The Canadian copyright collection agency for photocopying, CanCopy, won an appeal in a nine-year-old case in which three legal publishers accused the Law Society of Upper Canada which faxed and mailed legal reference materials to its members without paying copyright fees. Justice Frederick Gibson of the Federal Court rejected the Society's claim that it was "fair dealing," as allowed under Canadian copyright law, for the purposes "of research, private study, criticism or review." The Society charged its customers for the materials.CanCopy brought the action with three of Canada's major legal publishers -- Carswell Thomson Professional Publishing, Canada Law Book Inc., and CCH Canadian Limited. The judgment confirms that the Law Society infringed the copyright of the publishers and rejects the Law Society's defence of fair dealing. |
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ASJA cuts web tie to AmazonNEW YORK, September 3, 2002 -- The American Society of Journalists and Authors dissolved its four-year relationship with discount book retailer Amazon.com over Amazon's used book policy. In a letter to Amazon, ASJA President Jim Morrison said: "We strongly object to your practice of promoting used copies of an author's book within the main web entry for that book." Morrison said sales of new books are undercut by the policy, depriving authors of royalty income. "We recognize that not all book buyers can afford the price of a new book and are happy to see more books in the hands of people who might not otherwise be able to afford them. However, the prominent placement of these used-book ads undermines the ability of authors to profit from the sale of their full-priced books." Morrison also objected to a new Amazon policy to contact buyers to encourage them to re-sell recently purchased books: "Ultimately, these practices could cause publishers to reduce their investment in new books, and the quality and diversity of the books available will suffer." |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Frederic H. Martini (anatomy), University of Hawaii, Michael J. Timmons (anatomy), Moraine Valley Community College, and Robert B. Tallitsch (anatomy), Augustana College, wrote the fourth edition of Human Anatomy (Prentice Hall). |
 | William R. Shadish, (sciences), University of Memphis, Thomas D. Cook (sciences), Northwestern University, and Donald T. Campbell (sciences), wrote Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | H. Stephen Stoker (chemistry), Weber State University, and Sharon K. Stoffels, (chemistry), Boise State University, wrote Essentials of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Text profits sag despite sales growth| NEW YORK, September 3, 2002 -- Despite solid sales gains at major college and el-hi publishers in the most recent fiscal year, profits margins fell, according to an analysis by the trade journal Publishers Weekly. At McGraw-Hill, margins fell 14.4 percent to $263.4 million. The loss was attributed partly to a write-down for a corporate reorganization. Pearson Education's U.S. school and college groups posted good results, but declines in other operations resulted in less profit. An exception to the trend was Scholastic, whose margins grew from previous levels, which were depressed by a write-off to drop its Literary Place basal series. |
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| LATEST FISCAL PROFIT MARGINS 14.7 percent 14.2 percent 12.0 percent 11.3 percent 9.7 percent |
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What this means for authors: Publishers are more pressed than ever to squeeze expenses to restore profit margins. SA2 has received sporadic reports of proposals for authors to absorb photo and ancillary expenses and to produce more ancillaries without compensation.
SA2 growth exceeds expectations| WINONA, Minnesota, September 3, 2002 -- Membership in the Society of Academic Authors passed 1,000 in August, SA2 founder John Vivian said in a monthly report to members. "The response since SA2 was launched in the spring has exceeded all expectations," he said. The society entered September with 1,004 members. The monthly report said that 160 items were posted on the SA2 news and information site in August. Six e-mail alerts with links to 44 on-site items were issued to SA2 members, with a special advisory about a back-to-school media kit in which the National Association of College Stores promoted used books (Alerts Summary). SA2 strongly objected to NACS. A feature of expert advice on author questions was begun with royalty auditor Paul Rosenzweig. Additions also were made to the publisher profiles, authoring tips, and data bank sections of the site. |
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Authors endorse
SA2 news siteWINONA ,
Minnesota, Sepotember 4, 2002 -- Academic authors endorse SA2 news service. Here are excerpts from the latest messages:"Great job with SA2. I like everything I see."
"Thanks. As an author for Houghton Mifflin, it is useful to follow the news."
"Please continue my membership."
"Good news indeed. I would like to continue my membership."
"Thanks for your newsletter." |
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 | Scholastic: In a year-end filing with government investment regulators, education sales were reported up 2 percent to $315.5 million due to higher sales of paperback reading collections, supplementary reading-improvement materials and better than expected sales of the discontinued Literary Place basal reading program.
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Booksellers have secret code for legal help| WASHINGTON, September 3, 2002 -- Booksellers have been given a code to notify their trade association for legal advice if FBI agents come in and demand access to records about what individual customers have been buying. Chris Finan, president of the booksellers' Free Expression Foundation, confirmed that the code was sent to member stores in October when Congress was considering giving the FBI the authority for unannounced, secret forays into library and bookstore records to see who was reading things that could compromise national security. The code gives booksellers access to attorneys without specifically revealing that the FBI is on the premises and demanding access to records. The Patriot Act, passed by Congress in November, gags stores from releasing information that the FBI is rummaging through bookstore and library records. Finan says the FBI has used the authority for secret forays into bookstore records, but he doesn't know to what extent. A few times? A thousand? "No one will tell you," Finan said. The FBI's parent agency, the Justice Department, has declined requests from its Congressional oversight committee for an accounting. |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | David Croteau (mass communication), University of Washington, Seattle, and William Hoynes (mass communication), Vassar College, wrote the third edition of Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences
(Pine Forge). |
 | Samuel A. Kirk, (education), University of ArizonaJames J. Gallagher (education), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Nicholas J. Anastasiow (education), Hunter College, City University of New York, wrote the 10th edition of Educating Exceptional Children (Houghton Mifflin). |
 | Katherine T. Smith (business) and L. Murphy T Smith (business), Texas A&M University, and Lawrence C. Smith (business), Louisiana Tech University,wrote Microsoft Excel for Accounting: Auditing and AIS (Prentice Hall). |
 | Jan D. Yoder (women's studies), University of Akron, wrote the second edition of Women and Gender: Transforming Psychology (Prentice Hall). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Deadline nears for SA2 textbook prizes| WINONA, Minnesota, September 2, 2002 -- The deadline for nominations for the Sharp and Talbot Prizes for textbook excellence is September 1, the sponsoring Society of Academic Authors reminded its members. Authors of eligible works with 2002 or 2003 copyrights should notify the society, which then will ask the publishers to nominate the works. SA2 membes begin the process with a note to the society headquarters: SA2. The Sharpie, for outstanding books in reading, bears the name of Zena Sharp, creator of the influential Dick and Jane series in the mid-20th century. The Talby, for excellence in visuals, bears the name of William Henry Fox Talbot, who created the first commercially published book ever illustrated without the aid of an artist in 1844. |
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Old lenders slowing Vivendi bailout| PARIS, September 1, 2002 -- A myriad of so-called "negative pledges" need to be unraveled before lenders can bail the French media and utility giant Vivendi out of its cash bind with new loans, according to press reports. The negative pledges, in effect, give prior lenders a veto over a new deal, meaning they are first in line for any sweeter deals being worked out by the new lenders. Seven banks, led by Socièté Génèral, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, needs between US$2 billion and $US5 billion by mid-fall to stay current on its debt. Vivendi has several units up for sale, including publishing house Houghton Mifflin, to raise some of the cash. |
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Used copies driving text prices up |
From Erin Stitt, marketing communications specialist, Atomic Dog Publishing:
"On the same lines as what SA2 sent out to object to the National Association of College Stores promotion of used books, we at Atomic Dog Publishing have been trying to reach college newspapers about that same thing. The used book market is harmful not only to publishers that are forced to only have revenue for the first year of a book, and then lose money by supporting used books and sending out supplements with no sales, but also to authors who then are hurt when their royalty check is not what they deserve. Part of why Atomic Dog books are so cheap, like $60 less in some instances, is because our online revenue is able to continue over the years
since there is no possibility for used books." |
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Government pressed for reading probe data| WASHINGTON, September 1, 2002 -- Booksellers and other groups filed a Freedom of Information Act query to find out how often the FBI has used its new powers to get into library and bookstore records for fishing expeditions. The FBI is known to have used the powers, but nobody outside the Justice Department, which supervises the agency, knows whether there have been rough-shod violations of civil liberties of book buyers and library patrons. The 2001 Patriot Act, created after the Sept. 11 terrorism, allows the FBI to check records of book of people suspected of involvement with clandestine or terrorist activities without any appeal procedure. The law also bars libraries and bookstores from going public that the FBI has gotten into their records. Seeking an accounting are the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The government has 10 days to produce the information. Chris Finan, of the booksellers foundation, said a law suit will follow if the Justice Department refuses the request. Assistant Attorney General Daniel Bryant already has refused to turn such information over to the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight responsibility for the Patriot Act. |
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| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | Donald I. Barker (computer science), Gonzaga University, with Robert Schroeder, wrote Internet Research, Illustrated Brief Edition (CourseTechnology / Thomson). |
 | John C. Gilbert (chemistry), University of Texas at Austin, and Stephen F. Martin (chemistry), University of Texas at Austin, wrote the third edition of Experimental Organic Chemistry: A Miniscale and Microscale Approach (Brooks/Cole). |
 | Margaret McMahon (agriculture), Ohio State University, Anton M. Kofranek (agriculture), University of California at Davis, and Vincent E. Rubatzky (agriculture), University of California at Davis, wrote the third edition of Hartmann's Plant Science: Growth, Development, and Utilization of Cultivated Plants (Prentice Hall). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Publishers: What people read is their business| WASHINGTON, September 1, 2002 -- The director of the Association of American Publishers' Freedom to Read Program, Judith Platt, objected to U.S. Justice Department secrecy about monitoring citizen reading habits by subpoenaing library and bookstore transaction records. "An individual's right to read without the government looking over his shoulder is the most basic right in a free society," Platt said. "If we allow this freedom to be abridged in the interest of law enforcement, we have a right to demand the most stringent standards of judicial and Congressional oversight." Platt called on the Justice Department to comply with a Congressional call for information on the extent of government checks into what citizens buy at bookstores and check out at libraries. The FBI has used subpoenas under a post-9/11 law to go into library and bookstore computer records. Scattered reports of incidents suggest that the use of these secret subpoenas may have been frequent, but there has been no public accounting. |
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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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| R.L. Allwright. "What Do We Want Teaching Materials For?" ELT Journal (1981), Pages 5-18. Focuses on types of publications language teachers need. Calls for material addressed to learners, for "idea books" containing collections of ideas for teacher adaptation, and for "rationale books" that would help teachers understand and explain language learning theory. |
| Lewis A. Coser, C. Kadushin and W.W. Powell. Books: The Culture and Commerce of Publishing. Basic, 1982. Presents a sociological analysis of the world of books, focusing on the interrelationships among academia, publishing
houses, authors, editors, teacher and students, among others. |
| A Tibbetts and C. Tibbetts. "Can Composition Textbooks Use Composition Research?" College English (1982), Pages 855-858. Based on extensive experience authoring composition textbooks, the authors contend that there little place for research in textbooks largely because teachers do not want it. |
| ACADEMIC AUTHORING PEOPLE |
 | George Acquaah (agriculture), Langston University, wrote Principles of Crop Production: Theory, Techniques, and Technology (Prentice Hall). |
 | Mary Campbell (chemistry), Mount Holyoke College, and Shawn Farrell (chemistry), Colorado State University, wrote the third edition of Biochemistry (Brooks/Cole). |
 | Ana C. Jarvis (Spanish), Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Raquel Lebredo (Spanish), California Baptist College, and Francisco Mena-Ayllón, (Spanish), University of Redlands, wrote the seventh edition of ¿Cómo se dice...? (Houghton Mifflin). |
| Please tell us about your latest project:
EDITOR |
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Bush administration gigged on subpoenas| WASHINGTON, September 1, 2002 -- The director of the Freedom to Write Program at PEN American Center, Larry Siems, called the U.S. Justice Department's refusal to turn over the information about subpoenas of library and bookstore customer records "another disturbing episode in an ongoing struggle to retain access to information on administration actions and policies." Siems said the Bush Administration has been dismal about openness on civil liberties issues -- like intimidation of citizen rights to inquire. The freedom to read is the issue, Siems said. |
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