ePublishing Week in Brief – 19th to 23d of September 2011

Harvard moves to London

Harvard is now launching a London based business publishing venture targeting three markets, higher education, corporate learning and sales through Harvard Business Review (HPB), both print and digital, of which the current circulation is 240 000.

Harvard’s publishing arm often works with the business school to deliver programs for companies. So, the top executives of the company might attend a program taught by Harvard faculty in Boston, and then the publishing company would cascade the material to more junior managers. HBP sold close to a million case studies last year and nearly 1.7m textbooks. In the last financial year, the publishing arm of Harvard Business School contributed $135m to the school’s coffers.

The new London venture is established as a for-profit company, with Harvard Business School the sole shareholder. HBP sold close to a million case studies last year and nearly 1.7m textbooks. Circulation of the HBR magazine is 240,000. In the last financial year, the publishing arm contributed $135m to Harvard Business School coffers.

Source : http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ceb07fb6-e474-11e0-92a3-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1YfCHg3cd

Manhattan lures publisher with cash incentives

That is the combined value of the city and state incentives promised to Pearson P.L.C., the London-based publisher of The Financial Times, which plans to relocate 600 workers from the suburbs of the city into Manhattan within three years. The mayor was scheduled to announce the deal Monday morning.

NY City officials offered breaks on taxes and energy costs to counter a bid by New Jersey to attract more of The Financial Times to move to Manhattan. Some of the jobs would be moved to the Hudson Square area of downtown Manhattan from Saddle River, N.J., and some from White Plains, city officials said. Pearson P.L.C., the London-based publisher of The Financial Times plans to relocate 600 workers from the suburbs of the city into Manhattan within three years and  to move other jobs to Hoboken, N.J.

The combined value of the city and state incentives promised to Pearson P.L.C., is $13.5 million divided in $9 million in tax credit and $4.5 million in discounts on energy bills

Canadian writers attempt to codify epublished writers rights

On the 22d of this month, the Writer’s Union of Canada (TWUC) published A Writer’s Bill of Rights for the Digital Age in 12-point.

According to Greg Hollingshead, chair of TWUC, the bill of rights originated as a response to members’ concerns over changes in the book industry.

The bill of rights is focused on tightening copyright restrictions and handling contract issues in a way that consolidates and improve authors rights.

The main points are that publishers and authors should split net proceeds of e-book sales equally, instead of The current industry standard of 25 per cent of net profits, copyright, rights reversion, and library use of e-books.