The ongoing case against Meta has highlighted the conversations publishers have and haven’t had with their authors about licensing AI rights.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
This week has demonstrated just how strongly writers feel about these conversations. In Australia, the publisher Black Inc. Books has reportedly asked its authors to consent to a change in the terms of their contracts that would allow the publisher to negotiate AI licensing deals for their works.
The request was made last week, and the deadline given was Wednesday of this week.
Strong Reaction from Australian Authors
There has been some very strong reaction from among Black Inc.’s authors and others in Australia. These have focused on three issues. First is the timing. A week seems like a bit of a rush, and with no real context being given for the urgency, speculation is the inevitable result.
Second is the fact that the request includes no mention of the particular companies the publisher wants to negotiate with. Reported in The Guardian, the publisher’s representative has said it believes in dealing with reputable companies and fully supports appropriate compensation and safeguards.
The final point of contention is the proposed split of any licensing fees. This would be fifty-fifty between author and publisher. The Authors Guild of America has recommended a standard of 75 percent to the author and 25 percent to the publisher. The Australian Society of Authors supports that split.
Audie Awards Announced
And to finish, congratulations to all the winners at the Audies. The Audies are the audiobook industry’s biggest awards. Winners were announced in twenty-eight categories at the awards ceremony on March 4.
Sadly, although there were three indie authors amongst the shortlist, as I reported some time ago, none of those managed a gong. You can see the full list of winners here.
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