Here is a round-up of some of the latest news in the world of writing, journalism and publishing.
A Petition to End the Harassment and Surveillance of Journalists at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Recent reports from the U.S.-Mexico border and leaked documents from a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower indicate that U.S. government agencies have been tracking and monitoring over 50 individuals, mostly journalists and immigration advocates, as they report on the humanitarian situation at our southern border. (Action Network)
Thousands of Hollywood Writers Told by the Writers Guild of America to Fire Their Agents
"The abrupt directive on Friday followed a breakdown in negotiations over proposed changes to the agreement that has guided the basic business relationship between writers and agents for the past 43 years." (National Public Radio)
The First Machine-Generated Book By A Scholarly Publisher Is A Boring Read
"The algorithm, which was developed by AI researchers at the Applied Computational Linguistics (ACoLi) lab at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, was not designed to replace authors like John Grisham or J. K. Rowling." (Gizmodo)
Audio 'Booming' in UK with 13% Growth Last Year
Audiobooks are the fastest growing publishing format with 13% growth in 2018, according to Nielsen BookScan. (The Bookseller)
Microsoft Store's Book Category is Closing
"Starting April 2, 2019, the books category in Microsoft Store will be closing. Unfortunately, this means that starting July 2019 your ebooks will no longer be available to read, but you'll get a full refund for all book purchases." If you are affected, here is what you need to know. (Microsoft)
