Advocacy

Judge dismisses Google e-book scanning case; PEN report shows authors self-censoring due to surveillance; World Book Night donates to Operation Gratitude; Survey shows early holiday shopping among Americans; SCBWI creates The Spark Award; Gaiman’s Neverwhere returned to classrooms; Frommer’s returns due to Wiley by December 15; Ingram Publisher Services to distribute for Indiana University Press

On Monday, November 11, Amazon.com announced that it had struck a deal with the United States Postal Service that will enable the online retailer to offer Amazon Prime customers Sunday delivery in certain areas. ABA CEO Oren Teicher called the move disconcerting and said,  “The postal service’s role is not to pick favorites among competitors.”

 On Wednesday, the Campaign for Reader Privacy urged Congress to pass the USA Freedom Act to restore privacy protections that were eliminated by the Patriot Act. CRP is a joint initiative of ABA, ALA, AAP, and PEN American Center.

Artists and illustrators have until this Friday, November 15, to submit original children’s book art for the ABFFE holiday auction, which launches on eBay on November 26.

In the September Red Box, ABA members received a sales tax fairness window cling that can be easily displayed on a storefront window or any glass surface.

ABA has joined with six other organizations to launch Advocates for Independent Business, a coalition of trade associations and other groups dedicated to ensuring that locally owned, independent businesses succeed and thrive.

As the U.S. House of Representatives continues to consider the issue of sales tax fairness, the list of states in which Amazon is collecting, or will collect, sales tax is growing.

The Supreme Court of the State of Illinois has affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the state’s affiliate nexus law is invalid. The Performance Marketing Association, whose members include Amazon.com, challenged the state law in 2011, contending it unfairly targeted affiliates and arbitrarily broadened the definition of nexus.

The numerous problems with HealthCare.gov prompted a press event on Monday by President Obama to address concerns, and Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to delay the individual mandate by a year. In addition, House Republicans have scheduled a hearing to find out why the site was launched before it was ready.

While the rollout of HealthCare.gov continues, bookstore owners with locations in more than one state can explore a couple of options for employee coverage.

The Kids’ Right to Read Project is urging district officials in Alamogordo, New Mexico, to reconsider the removal of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere from high school English classrooms and lessons. 

After recently announcing it would collect sales tax in West Virginia, where it has a customer service center, Amazon will be opening distribution centers — and collecting sales tax — in Wisconsin and Florida.

ABFFE is defending bookstores that have scheduled appearances by Stephen Jimenez, author of The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard (Steerforth Press). The book has been criticized for questioning aspects of a case that has come to symbolize hate crimes against gay men and women.

The International Council of Shopping Centers has released the results of a national poll that shows most Americans would prefer to pay sales or use tax on online purchases at the time of purchase, as opposed to filing it on their taxes.

A U.S. district court judge is expected to issue a ruling before mid-January on the proposed swipe fee settlement reached last year in a class-action lawsuit that is now in its eighth year.