RAMSEY FEATURED The Sunday NY Times’ Michael T. Luongo interviewed Calvin Ramsey (inset left), playwright and author, about his insights and his work: Green Book projects. NEW HARDBALL BOOK Hard Ball Press recently published the Spanish/English bilingual children’s book, Joelito’s Big Decision/ La gran decisión de Joelito, written by Ann Berlak, illustrated by Daniel Camacho, […]
A PENNY A BOOK?
Imagine our surprise when an NWU member reported that he had received a royalty statement from CreateSpace —Amazon’s self-publishing arm—which indicated that he was being paid a penny per book. A representative sent him a detailed explanation concluding, “Rest assured, you’ve received the royalties correctly and there is no discrepancy. . . I hope this […]
Notes on the Harlem Book Fair
African voices can be muffled by white supremacy and racism, but poets and writers who are invested in self-determination will find a way to get their words out. Panelists who participated in the National Writers Union discussion, “Silencing Black Writers in the USA,” shared these and other perspectives at the Harlem Book Fair in late […]
Orphan Works and Extended Collective Licensing (ECL)
July 22, 2015 — What’s happening with “orphan works”? What is “Extended Collective Licensing” (ECL)? Why should NWU members and other writers care? These issues are complicated, but important for working writers. Many NWU members are only beginning to understand what is meant by so-called “orphan works”, and most writers have never heard of “Extended […]
Independent Contractor or Employee?: US Dept of Labor Stiffens Criteria
The U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL) is stiffening the criteria by which it determines whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee. The DOL’s rules control whether you qualify for a few things—minimum wage, overtime, hours worked, child labor, and time and payroll records. Employees do, contractors don’t. Other agencies control other financial aspects […]
Authors and Booksellers Demand Inquiry into Amazon’s Control of the Book Market
I received an email that some of you probably received too. It’s a follow-up to letters some of us signed in support of Hatchette authors in their dispute with Amazon. Now the dispute has expanded into fundamental questions of freedom of information in a democracy. Amazon now has more monopoly power over books than Standard Oil had […]
SHE JUST KEPT WRITING: The Passing of Susan Carol Hauser
Our sister Susan Carol Hauser could use her pen to wage war, but the writing she most enjoyed nurtured, celebrated, and nudged the world towards change. She died suddenly on July 7 of a brain aneurism at the age of 72. A member since 1986, Susan served the NWU as a contract adviser, Twin Cities’ […]
Problems with your book contract? You have options.
Many people have contacted us in the last few years about getting out of book contracts. Maybe they want to self-publish an e-book. Maybe the publisher isn’t promoting their book properly. Maybe their editor left and they’re unhappy with the new cast of characters. If you want out, the first step is to ask. If […]
Writer’s Residency in Detroit: Write a House
A uniquely Detroit program offers writers the chance to win a house in Detroit, Michigan, as part of a writers residency program. Find out more today: Write A House.
NWU member book chronicles life of illustrious naturalist
In June 2015, NWU member Elizabeth J. Rosenthal‘s book, Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, is being re-released in paperback and e-book formats by the Lyons Press, now an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield. This book chronicles the life and accomplishments of Roger Tory Peterson, the foremost environmentalist and naturalist of the 20th century. Besides […]
