BTW News Briefs

AAUP Becomes Association of University Presses 

The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) announced on December 21 that it has changed its name to the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), effective immediately.

According to a statement from the newly named group, the membership voted in June to undertake this change “as part of a strategic assessment of the organization’s identity, mission, and goals. The new logo and visual identity that are revealed today are vibrant expressions of the Association’s purpose and vision.”

According to the statement, the organization, which today is comprised of 143 international nonprofit scholarly publishers, was founded in 1937 as the Association of American University Presses, but the original 1921 proposal to establish the group originally suggested “Association of University Presses.”

“What was once considered the ‘American university press’ model of editorial independence and rigor is a type of publishing that flourishes internationally,” said AUPresses Executive Director Peter Berkery. “Updating our name is simultaneously a return to roots and a flowering outwards, embracing what makes our members so essential to scholarly, civic, and cultural life.”

New York Times Op-Ed Addresses Quill Decision’s Impact on Sales Tax Fairness 

Valparaiso Law School professor David Herzig penned an op-ed for Monday’s New York Times in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s pending decision over the next few weeks to take up a case that challenges the current rule governing sales tax collection.

The 1992 Quill vs. North Dakota U.S. Supreme Court decision currently forbids states from requiring retailers that do not have a store, office, warehouse, or sales agent in the state from collecting and remitting sales tax to that state. Herzig’s piece, titled “States Pay the Price When You Buy Online,” argues that the 1992 Quill ruling has become more harmful as e-commerce has taken hold of traditional commerce.

States, he wrote, are potentially losing out on millions of dollars in sales tax revenue from online sellers because, whereas brick-and-mortar stores collect sales tax at point of sale, states can’t compel online retailers to collect sales taxes and must rely on citizens to report a “use tax” on their income tax returns. Revenue shortfalls caused by noncompliance, he writes, can lead states to cut spending on services and public goods.

Herzig continues, “The Quill decision has now not only hurt states but also distorted behavior of big retailers: It discourages them from establishing a brick-and-mortar location (and creating jobs) in a new state and being liable for collecting its sales tax. Online retailers also enjoy state services — like roads that allow their products to be delivered efficiently to customers — without contributing to their upkeep.”

ABA is currently part of the campaign to urge the Supreme Court to take up South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock, and Newegg, the new case challenging Quill. On November 2, 2017, along with 14 other groups, the American Booksellers Association filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to take up the case.

Former President Obama Chooses Favorite Books of 2017

On New Year’s Eve, former President Barack Obama took to Facebook to post lists of his favorite books and music from the past year, continuing a tradition he set while serving as president.

In his message, Obama writes: “During my presidency, I started a tradition of sharing my reading lists and playlists. It was a nice way to reflect on the works that resonated with me and lift up authors and artists from around the world. With some extra time on my hands this year to catch up, I wanted to share the books and music that I enjoyed most. From songs that got me moving to stories that inspired me, here’s my 2017 list — I hope you enjoy it and have a happy and healthy New Year.”

Here is the list of books on the Barack Obama Facebook page, which was followed by a list of his favorite music of 2017:

• The Power by Naomi Alderman (Little, Brown)
• Grant by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press)
• Evicted by Matthew Desmond (Crown)
• Janesville by Amy Goldstein (Simon & Schuster)
• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead)
• Five-Carat Soul by James McBride (Riverhead)
• Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)
• Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor (Tin House Books)
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Viking)
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Scribner)
• *Bonus for hoops fans: Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Grand Central Publishing) and Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano (Harry N. Abrams)

Costa Book Award Winners Announced

Five authors have been named the winners of the U.K.’s Costa Book Awards, which honor some of the best books of the year written by authors based in the U.K. and Ireland.

The award winners in all five categories are:

• Novel: Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (4th Estate)
• First Novel: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (HarperCollins)
• Biography: In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott (4th Estate)
• Poetry: Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore (Bloodaxe Books)
• Children’s: The Explorer by Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

At a ceremony in London on January 30, one of the five will be named the winner of the £30,000 (about $40,795) Costa Book of the Year prize.