HarperCollins Publishers launched inkpop on Monday. The site, created by HarperTeen, is an interactive writing community designed to attract teen readers.
Inkpop had a soft launch late last year and has already blossomed to over 10,000 international members with submission of nearly 11,000 novels, poems, short stories, and essays. Each month, writers of the five Top Picks — the most popular works on the site — will receive feedback and publication consideration from HarperCollins editors and authors.
“As with all of our online consumer programs, the concept of community-building is aligned with our ongoing corporate digital marketing efforts to cultivate a two-way dialogue with our readers,” says Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books. “Inkpop provides us with an interactive platform to engage directly with our audience, encourage a passion for writing, and discover new trends and opportunities in this growing and important community.”
There are plans to eventually include other creative outlets on inkpop, such as photography, video, and artwork.
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The estates of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie are amongst a group of copyright holders active in the Google Book Search Settlement. Because of a motion filed on behalf of the group last April, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin had approved a 4-month extension on the Opt-Out Deadline.
Gail Steinbeck, the author’s daughter, and Arlo Guthrie, the musician’s son, are now satisfied with the Settlement after months of revisions despite being vocal opponents in the beginning.
The New York Times reports:
In an e-mail message to fellow authors cited in Thursday’s statement from the Author’s Guild, Ms. Steinbeck wrote that the revision “meets our standards of control over the intellectual properties that would otherwise remain at risk were we to stay out of the settlement.” She added that neither the Steinbeck nor Guthrie families would “initiate a separate lawsuit against Google.”
The final Fairness Hearing for the Settlement is scheduled for February 18. Google Books is expected to launch early this year.
