TODAY'S NEWS

Indiana Lawmakers Will Not Seek to Reinstate Registration Law
The ruling this week in Indiana from Judge Sarah Evans Baker, striking down a law requiring retailers to register sexually explicit material with the state, will stand. Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said his office will not try to appeal the decision, which was passed down on Tuesday. In a release, Carter said that legislators can look to "address the weakness of the statute" at the next general assembly and that his office would be "available to consult with lawmakers if they choose to pursue revised language to meet their objectives.”

Clarification: More on Changes at Chicken Soup
In yesterday's item about Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC moving to Simon & Schuster for distribution, Health Communications Inc. was incorrectly described as the brand's former distributor. In fact, HCI is Chicken Soup's former publisher and distributor, and remains the publisher and distributor for the brand's backlist. (Chicken Soup itself will be publishing new titles, and S&S will distribute.)

Chicken Soup's distribution move comes after the company was acquired in April by Robert Jacobs and Bill Rouhana. Jacobs, the COO, has a background in television and Rouhana comes from the telecom industry. Aside from switching distributors and bringng the publishing in-house, much will remain the same. Jacobs, who said the brand will not change at all, noted that he and Rouhana plan to maintain a similar publishing schedule as before, 10 to 12 titles a year, and will be looking into launching a Chicken Soup for the Soul website.

Simply Audiobooks to Offer RH Titles DRM-free
By Calvin Reid
Simply Audiobooks has announced plans to make a full range of Random House audiobook titles available for purchase and download in a DRM-free format. The deal makes the Toronto audiobook retailer the first to offer Random House audiobooks DRM-free, and covers more than 5,000 RH audio titles. Downloads will initially be limited to Simply Audiobooks Download Club members, but a la carte download sales will be available later in the summer. Read on »

Exclusive online review: The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
Jane Mayer. Doubleday, $26.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-385-52639-5
This hard-hitting expose examines both the controversial excesses of the war on terror and the home-front struggle to circumvent legal obstacles to its prosecution. New Yorker correspondent Mayer (Strange Justice) details the battle within the Bush Administration over a new anti-terrorism policy of harsh interrogations, indefinite detentions without due process, extraordinary renditions, secret CIA prisons and warrantless wiretappings. Fighting with memos and legal briefs, Mayer reports, hard-liners led by Dick Cheney, his aide David Addingtion and then-Justice Department lawyer John Yoo rejected any constraints on the treatment of prisoners or limitations on presidential power in fighting terrorism, while less militant administration lawyers invoked the Constitution and international law to oppose their initiatives. As a counterpoint to the wrangling over the definition of torture and the Geneva Conventions, the author looks at the use of techniques like waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation against prisoners by the American military and CIA; her chilling account compellingly argues that this “enhanced interrogation” regimen constitutes torture. The result is a must-read: a meticulous behind-the-scenes reconstruction of policymaking that demonstrates how legal abstractions became an ugly reality. (Jul. 15)

The PW Morning Report
By Dermot McEvoy
Britney’s Mom’s Memoir; Wine-ing at the UC Press; Whoring with Kiss; Wales Book Prize; Dolly’s New U.K. Digs; Simone Ortega Dead at 89; and J.K. Rowling Against Children’s Labeling Read on »

Blogs

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Russell Banks; Chris Hedges; Eric Liu
Today, Bob Edwards interviewed Russell Banks, whose Dreaming Up America (Seven Stories Press, $21.99) is his first work of nonfiction. PW said, “As condensed histories go, this is a good one. Banks creates a clear and simple dynamic, identifying three original dreams--for profit, for religious freedom, for eternal youth--that have struggled within our body politic throughout our history.” Read on »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Atlas Expands
AtlasBooks, the distribution arm of BookMasters in Ashland, Oh., breaks ground for an additional warehouse that will be just under 50,000 sq. ft. and is tentatively scheduled to open October 1. It currently handles sales for more than 500 small presses out of a 100,000 sq. ft. facility. Pictured here from L to R are: president Ray Sevin, national sales manager Randy McKenzie, distribution services manager Cheryl Householder, distribution sales manager Matthew Wurster, marketing coordinator Kim Wertman, COO and owner David Wurster and buyer relations manager Amanda Dowdy. Submit your pictures here »

JOB OF THE DAY

PW VIRTUAL EDITION

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