Blind Chinese Dissident to Release Memoir
Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese lawyer and human rights activist who escaped the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party this spring, has signed a publishing deal to tell his story.
Chen, now residing in New York, has signed with a MacMillan imprint, Times Books. In a statement, Chen explains, “This is an opportunity for me to share with the world the true conditions in China, especially in the vast stretches of rural China. I hope the book we produce together will help usher in a new era of passion for life, active engagement with all challenges, and confidence that we can overcome all difficulties.”
The memoir is expected to his shelves in the Fall of 2013.
U.S. Department of Justice Defends Stance on Apple E-Book Pricing
In a filing July 23, the Department of Justice answered public comments regarding its antitrust case against Apple and several major publishers, claiming that the “30 to 50 percent” increase in e-book pricing in April 2010 coincided with Apple’s introduction of iBookstore and was a result of collusion.
“The United States conducted a lengthy investigation into this steep price increase and uncovered significant evidence that the seismic shift in e-book prices was not the result of market forces, but rather came about through the collusive efforts of Apple and five of the six largest publishers in the country. That conduct, which is detailed in the United States’ Complaint against those entities, is per se illegal under the federal antitrust laws,” the filing reads.
News Corp.’s HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Hachette Book Group Inc., and Simon & Schuster Inc. have agreed to settle the suit, according to The Wall Street Journal. The case presses on against Apple, Pearson PLC’s (PSO, PSON.LN) Penguin Group USA, and Macmillan.
The settlement, which was opened for comment, has drawn criticism from Apple, among others. The company claims “the Justice Department’s actions will prevent retailers from being able to do business, and that it puts every e-book distributor, except Amazon, in peril,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
