What I've Been Reading

On Publishing

—I don't have a take on the Internet Archive case yet, but I have some links for those of you interested in this topic, which divides folks who are otherwise usually aligned. Is it better for the dissemination of knowledge—and libraries—to allow digital copies of books to flow more freely, or is it better for them to be more restricted, benefitting publishers and authors? Or is that question itself a problem, putting the topic into terms that aren’t accurate?

• Kenneth Whyte is very mad at the Internet Archive

• The Walrus disagrees

• So does The Nation

As a publisher and an author, I don’t enjoy being seen as on the “wrong” side of this issue by those with whom I otherwise align myself. And my research on the history of American publishing—which is rooted in the lack of copyright laws—complicates the question of “sides”.

—Similarly, I am behind on having a take on AI and the future of writing, but I am a big fan of Matthew Kirschenbaum, so I was interested in his dire warnings