Children’s Book Publishers Illustrate Presidential Hopefuls

Make room Cat in the Hat, Berenstain Bears and Curious George—you’re being replaced with John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Believe it or not, it’s true. Three new children’s books on sale two months before the historic November election focus on the lives of two presidential hopefuls and one almost-hopeful. The goal is to target the children of voters by telling the life stories of the three candidates in the 2008 presidential election.

My Dad, John McCain (Aladdin, 2008) by Meghan McCain and Dan Andreasen tells the story of the GOP nominee through the eyes of his daughter, Meghan. The book highlights McCain’s military career, calling the senator an American hero.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2008) by Nikki Grimes tells the story of the Democratic nominee and his hope for a better future. The book is told in the form of a lengthy prose—unusual in children’s books.

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2008) by Kathleen Krull is the story of the Democratic nominee runner-up’s childhood, told by using the analogy of flying.

As expected, reviews of the books are mixed. Publisher’s Weekly says My Dad lacks “personal touch,” the illustrations in Son of Promise are “stagy,” and the text of Dreams “is weakened by supplemental aphorisms on every spread.”

Are these books a good way to teach children at a young age the importance of voting? Or is this another case of over-exposure this election season? The text is clearly written for the parents—that is evident in the bland writing in McCain’s book and the prose that will go over any child’s head in Obama’s. Some critics see this as a tool to raise little Republicans or Democrats. After all, it’s highly unlikely that an Obama supporter will purchase both Son of Promise and My Dad for their child, and vice versa. The top-notch illustrations will hold the attention of a child for a while, but it remains unknown whether or not the message of the book will stay with children who read the book.

At a time when polls mean everything, perhaps the only way to measure the success of these books is to see where they rank. According to the Amazon ranking for books on September 9, 2008, Clinton’s book comes in last at 22,099. Runner-up is Obama at 3,402, and the winner is McCain by a landslide at 745.

Do you think that targeting children to reach parents this presidential election is wrong? We want to know what you think. Send an email to editor@writersnewsweekly.com and share your thoughts.

Initiatives to Go Green Prompt Authors to Try Virtual Book Tours

Photo Courtesy: Mary R. Vogt

Industry insiders are calling it a sign of the times: More and more publishers are encouraging authors to promote their books online in what is being called a virtual book tour.

The way it works is simple, and the benefits are huge. Authors who decide to go on a virtual book tour work with a public relations firm that specializes in online promotions. The agency works with websites and instructs the author to answer questions online, write blog posts on approved websites and send books to online reviewers one month prior to the tour. Diligent authors who post information on the websites per the instructions of the agency can appear on more than 20 blogs in a one month period. The benefits of a virtual book tour to authors are immense; authors are able to work from home without the costly travel expenses. The results are remarkable: Authors who participate in virtual book tours are reporting higher sales and significant savings in promotion. Are virtual book tours a quick trend in a green-age of publishing, or the wave of the future?

With all the benefits, there remains the added concern for publishers that the author will post inappropriate or damaging comments on websites and blogs that will hurt sales, in addition to the reputation of both the author and the publisher. Since the author typically works from home during a virtual book tour and a publicist is rarely sitting at home with the author, it’s important for the author to know what to say and how to say it online. As bloggers know, everything that is said online is permanent.

Virtual book tours are easy to find and even easier to execute. Social media outlets like Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Yelp, Gawker and LinkedIn all have pages for virtual book tours; numerous websites, including www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com are also dedicated to developing virtual book tours for authors.

Dorothy Thompson works for Pump Up Your Book Promotion, a full service public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. “In my company alone, I see approximately 12 - 15 authors each month wanting to go on a virtual book tour,” says Thompson. According to the website, virtual book tours are designed to take authors around the world with a tremendous amount of exposure. Thompson explains, “Frankly, what's to lose? The authors and publishers get world-wide exposure, and the websites receive more hits. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

Critics of virtual book tours bring some legitimate concerns to the table. According to a BusinessWeek article by Sarah Lacy, there’s nothing like face-to-face interaction when promoting anything. Authors should not give up on traditional book tours; by doing so, according to Lacy, publishers are throwing away “a powerful tool.” Thompson sees the virtual book tour quite differently, saying “What is truly so spectacular is that every day there are more and more venues online opening up to market your book. In ten years, I predict that there will be so many more venues…it will boggle your mind. I say the future looks very, very bright for virtual book tours.”

Click here to read more about Green Publishing.

Whether or not blog tours are the wave of the future or just a hot trend in a green market is up for debate. Let us know what you think. Email editor@writersnewsweekly.com and voice your opinion today.

Random House Rethinks Publishing the Controversial Book

Random House is pulling the plug on the much anticipated historical novel by Sherry Jones, titled “The Jewel of Medina.” The book was to be released August 12, however the book publication has been canceled because “[the book] might be offensive to some in the Muslim community,” according to a statement released by Random House. Random House bought the novel last year in a $100,000, two-book deal with the author.

“The Jewel of Medina” is the story of Aisha, the favorite young wife of the prophet Muhammad. After sending out advance reader copies of the book to several reviewers, Random House received responses from “credible and unrelated sources,” warning the publisher that the novel may be offensive to some in the Muslim community and may incite violence by a small segment. According to a statement released by Random House, the threats were taken very seriously and the decision was made to cancel publication of the book.

Some critics of Random Houses’ decision feel that the publisher is looking to avoid another fiasco like that seen with the publication of “The Satanic Verses.” The 1988 controversial novel “The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie is another fictional tale of the prophet Muhammad which caused an uproar in the Muslim community when it was first released. A bounty was placed on the author by Muslim religious leaders, and the author was kept in hiding for several years. Since its release, those connected to the book have been hit by a series of violent attacks by radical opposers of the book.

So why have two fictional books caused such an uproar in the Muslim community? Dan Brown’s controversial book, “The Da Vinci Code” suggested that Jesus married and had children with Mary Magdalene. The book was found offensive by some Christians, however it was not censored or banned; in fact, it was made into a box office smash movie starring Tom Hanks. Is it a double standard? Are books questioning the Muslim faith off-limits, but Christian books criticizing the church acceptable?

Jones’ eight-city publicity tour has been postponed, as the author and her literary agent are currently seeking an alternate publisher for the book.

Read more about the controversy surrounding "The Satanic Verses".

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Photo Courtesy: Susie Holderfield

Robert Santoro, Esq. & Helen Dukhan, Esq.

Anyone can go to a local print shop and have business cards made calling themselves a literary agent. However, merely labeling oneself a literary agent is not going to assist one in selling books. Not by a long-shot. A literary agent must have the right connections and be part of the proper networks in order to generate business. Thus, an agent’s reputation in the publishing industry among other literary agents, publishing houses, editors and authors is the cornerstone to their success or failure.

Lately, certain literary agents have been waging battle against internet sites and other forms of mass media for publishing “allegedly” false information against them in order to ruin their reputation within the publishing industry. Dirty pool.

So, what can literary agents do to obtain recourse against someone publishing false statements against them? Seek legal justice in the courts of law in the form of a Defamation law suit.

One of the most publicized legal battles currently being waged in court is by Barbara Bauer, a literary agent, and her literary agency against several websites which she is suing for Defamation and for Tortuously Interfering with her Prospective Economic Advantage. Considering that we are discussing the pitfalls of being literary agents, we’ll rephrase Ms. Bauer’s allegations in plain English.

Ms. Bauer’s first allegation against the websites is for Defamation of Character, which when I consulted my “Black’s Law Dictionary,” is defined as any false communication, either written or spoken, that harms a person’s reputation. Falsely written statements are known as libel, and falsely spoken statements are called slander. The key thing to remember here is the importance of the word “false,” for truth is always a defense to a Defamation law suit.

For example, the websites in question published that Ms. Bauer is a “scammer” and a horrible literary agent. These statements have to be false, and the person making them has to know they are false and be doing so maliciously for them to be guilty of Defamation.

Ms. Bauer’s second allegation is for “Tortuous Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage” which are a lot of words that simply mean that a person maliciously and intentionally induced another person(s) (a prospective client for example) not to contract or engage in business with a third person.

Typically in cases such as these, the Court will balance the individual’s interest in their reputation against the public’s interest in the right to free speech, aka, the First Amendment to the Constitution.

It is important to note that the courts impose a different standard to private individuals as opposed to public figures. Consider the case of New York Times v. Sullivan. As a result of the ruling, a relatively well-known individual in the literary community or in the general public’s eye would not be afforded as much protection by the courts as a private citizen who has more of an expectation of privacy.

Also worth noting is that if Ms. Bauer can prove that all of the websites “acted in concert” to ruin her reputation and her prospective economic advantage, she could charge them with conspiracy. To do so, this charge would raise the level of consequences the websites face. If Ms. Bauer is successful in her case, she can obtain a public retraction of the statements, a public apology, money damages and counsel fees, the most common punishments for both crimes.

The outcome of any Defamation case and any Tortious Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage case depends on the value of the claimant’s reputation and how that relates to monetary gain or loss. Accordingly, Ms. Bauer will need to show that not only were the written words malicious and untrue, but also that they caused her a quantifiable loss of income. This is because the courts require a claimant to show actual pecuniary loss to be successful in a Defamation lawsuit. If such a rule were not in place, just think of all of the litigation that would emerge every time someone yelled, “Hey asshole, the line starts back here!”

Read More About the Barbara Bauer Case

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“If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.” –Noam Chomsky

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that the 27th anniversary of Banned Books Week (BBW) will take place September 27- October 4, 2008 at libraries and schools across the country.

Since 1982, BBW has drawn attention to the increasing number of challenges to books in schools and libraries. The ALA is asking readers to support BBW by organizing Banned Books Read-Out! at local schools and libraries, reading a banned book, joining the Freedom to Read Foundation and writing letters to schools and libraries in support of the freedom to read.

The challenging and banning of books because of questionable content is an age-old practice that is surprisingly prevalent today. Some of the most frequently challenged books in recent years include The Catcher and the Rye, The Color Purple, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Golden Compass. Many influential writers have had their work challenged as well; authors in this category include Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Stephen King and John Steinbeck.

According to the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom, 420 challenges were filed last year requesting that a book be banned. A challenge is a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Judith King, director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom, reports that for every challenge reported approximately four or five remain unreported. A banning, on the other hand, is when a book is actually removed from a library or school. Fortunately, most challenges are unsuccessful; despite the formal compliant, books are rarely removed from library and school bookshelves.

So how do you get your book challenged and possibly banned? It’s quite easy. The following criteria are used when ruling whether or not to ban a book:
-inappropriate sexual content (including homosexuality and sexist remarks)
-offensive language
-anti-ethnic
-anti-family
-religious viewpoint
-unsuited to age group
-racism

For the past two years, the most frequently challenged book has been And Tango Makes Three (Simon and Schuster) by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The ALA reports that complaints against the book include “anti-ethnic,” “sexism,” “homosexuality,” “anti-family,” “religious viewpoint” and “unsuited to age group.” And Tango Makes Three is the true story of a baby penguin at the Central Park Zoo who is raised by two male penguins who are presumably a couple. In 2006, the book was named Notable Children’s Book by the American Library Association and Best Book of the Year by Nick Jr. Family Magazine. Numerous complaints have been filed since the book’s publication. For instance, at Shiloh Elementary School in Shiloh, IL parents petitioned for the book to be placed in the restricted section of the library. The superintendent denied the request and the book is available to all students.

BBW is sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the National Association of College Stores and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. BBW is endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.

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Iranian Family wins reprieve after allegedly housing The Satanic Verses

An Iranian family has won a last minute reprieve from deportation this week after being wanted for allegedly having a copy of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. The book has caused an uproar in Muslim countries since it was first published in 1988. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the religious ruler of Iran at the time of publication, issued a fatwa following a riot against the book in Pakistan. The fatwa called for all good Muslims to kill the author and the publishers of the book. The book was banned in India and burned in demonstrations in the U.K. The threat was later withdrawn, however penalties remained for Iranians caught with a copy of the book.

Farah Ghaemi, a widow with three children, was forced to flee Iran after authorities accused her of having Rushdie’s novel in her home. Ghaemi runs a successful childcare business in Shiraz.

Details of the case have not been made public, however police claim to have found Rushdie’s novel along with several photographed pages of the book in the Ghaemi home. Mrs. Ghaemi and her children have since fled to Britain and settled in Gorton.

Immigration officials did not believe the family’s story, and their asylum appeal was rejected. The family was taken from their home and due to be flown back to Teheran last week. Friends of the Ghaemi family in Iran contacted a specialist law firm and won a judicial review of the decision.

The arrest warrant accuses Mrs. Ghaemi and her daughter of “distributing lies through publishing and the distribution of the misleading book, The Satanic Verses, and making propaganda against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic.” A bail hearing this week may allow the family to return to Manchester. A High Court judge will review the evidence while the family is being held in a detention center near London.

The Satanic Verses is the fictional story of a Bollywood star and a voice over artist in England. Both characters, in an attempt to piece their life back together after a string of bad luck, decide to return to India. The story contains a series of dream narratives which are at the heart of the controversy because it questions the teachings of the prophet Mohammed.

Since its release, those connected to the book have been hit by a series of violent attacks. The Italian translator of the book, Ettore Capriolo, was seriously injured in a stabbing; William Nygaard, the Norweigan publisher, barely survived an assassination attempt; and the Japanese translator of the book, Hitoshi Igarashi, was stabbed to death.

Click here to read an exclusive interview with the only person to ever do an indoor reading of The Satanic Verses in the United States.

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IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER

It was reported in the July 7, 2008 issue of Publishers Weekly that the Barbara Bauer defamation-of-character lawsuit against Wikimedia Foundation and 19 bloggers and websites was dismissed. After checking its sources, WritersNewsWeekly learned that the defamation suit filed against Wikimedia Foundation was, in fact, dismissed, citing the 1996 Communications Decency Act. However, according to the docket of the New Jersey Superior Court, many of the cases have yet to be heard and have not been dismissed. According to the office of the presiding judge, Honorable Jamie Perri, the cases are “all ongoing.”

The initial ruling in favor of Wikimedia Foundation was anticipated by many and did not come as a surprise to those following a potential ground-breaking case. Judge Perri did not rule out the possibility that Bauer may file an amended complaint against Wikimedia Foundation alleging that its Internet site published its own defamatory statements about the literary agent — not defamatory statements made by others. When asked if Bauer had amended her compliant against Wikimedia Foundation, the office of the presiding judge repeated that all the cases were ongoing. The Honorable Judge Perri did not comment on the case.

“If (Wikipedia) blocks certain posts but refuses to block those derogatory of Ms. Bauer, that does not strip them of 47 USC 230 immunity,” says Eugene Volokh, law professor at the UCLA School of Law. When asked if Wikipedia has the right to take down defamatory posts on any page they want to—and if they don’t want to they are still immune, Professor Volokh answered, “Exactly.”

“The Bauer case is very important to many writers, agents, literary services providers and publishers whose reputation and income has been damaged by bloggers,” a source who wished to remain unidentified, citing “fear of reprisal” from certain websites and individual bloggers, referring to Bauer as an example of what happens when you try to defend yourself against them. “Should Ms. Bauer prevail against these people, this will give others who have been damaged legal recourse.” The unidentified source went on to say that, depending upon the outcome, they are prepared to join with others in pursuing their own lawsuits against some of the parties listed in the Bauer lawsuits.

Others being sued by Bauer include Jenna Glatzer, James D. MacDonald, Kent Brewster, Patrick Nielsen-Hayden, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA,) Ann C. Crispin, Victoria C. Strauss, Lesia Valentine, Christina Walden aka Christina Bristol, David L. Kuzminski, Thomas S. Tully, Stephan Spencer, Shewta Narayan, Kristen Fischer aka Kristen Pascuili, Gregory Ludwig and Aimee Amodio.

The defendants are being sued for defamation, tortuous interference with prospective economic advantage and conspiracy to defame. Schenck Price Smith & King are representing Glatzer, Stone, Macdonald, Brewster, Nielsen-Hayden, Kuzminski, Tully and Spencer. Miller & Lamastra are representing Crispin, Strauss and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Read more about Wikipedia v. Bauer

Libel on the Internet - Part One
Libel on the Internet - Part Two
Libel on the Internet - Part Three

Read Dr. James S. Payne's Article on Bloggers

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WritersNewsWeekly has searched the U.S in pursuit of finding the best spots for writers looking for inspiration in some of our country’s busiest cities.

Review Part One of Write Tour '08

West
San Francisco, CA—San Fran gets our vote as the best city for writers. Looking for a cafe with an attached library? You’ll find it here. What about a place to sit in a quiet garden? You’ll find it here. San Francisco is the perfect city for writer’s needing a change of pace and quite possibly the best cup of coffee you’ll ever have.
-Cool Beans Coffee Shop—Richmond District
-Garden Café House—Sunset District
-Frjtz—Hayes District

Seattle, WA—Home to one of the biggest franchises in the U.S., Starbucks isn’t the only place writers visit while in Seattle. Despite its reputation for being a city hyped on caffeine, there are places for writers to visit in Seattle that will relax and free your novel.
-Blackwater—Tacoma
-Wannabe—U-District
-Occidental Square—Pioneer Square District

Midwest
Chicago, IL—With over 220 public parks and 3 million people, inspiration can strike writers with even the worst case of writers block in Chicago. Consider yourself among some of the greatest American writers while visiting Chicago, including L. Frank Baum, Bill Schulz and Ernest Hemingway, who are some of the Windy City’s more famous residents.
-I Coffee House—N. Milwaukee Ave.
-Eastgate Cafe—Harrison St.
-Portage Park—Northwest Side

Indianapolis, IN—Indianapolis may not be the first city you think of when considering the best places for writers; locals will tell you that that’s part of the allure of the The Circle City. Indy is home to unique coffee shops and parks in the most unlikely of spots. Indianapolis is turning in to quiet the spot for artists and writers alike; we suggest visiting Indy before the rest of the literary community discovers this hot spot.
-The Abbey Coffeehouse—Massachusetts and College
-Cornerstone Coffee and Espresso Bar—54th and College
-University Park—Downtown Indianapolis

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