In response to discussions with writers groups regarding contract terms for their new digital imprints, Random House is adjusting proposed terms for authors with Hydra, Alibi, Loveswept, and Flirt.
The argument between the author of a best-selling memoir and his publisher over the amount of royalties he was owed from sales of the digital editions of his work, has led to the author not only leaving the publisher, but going on to set up a new publishing house for himself and calling on other writers to join him.
More and more, it seems, the new books that really attract me don't come from the major trade publishers. That doesn't mean that New York isn't bringing out good books or that I don't read plenty of titles from trade houses. But I think that as people grow more sure of their tastes, they often gravitate to those specialized subgenres that particularly appeal to them, or to the more unusual or even minor work from writers they especially care about, and that usually means specialty presses.