I’m a little late with this posting, but I want to alert all of the authors and publishers in my circle about a project the EFF is putting together.

From their website:

We are hoping to present a strong list of authors and publishers who can truthfully state that they fear that Google’s tracking of online book browsing, reading, and purchase will have a “chilling effect” on their readership. Our argument, first to Google — and if we cannot convince it, to the court overseeing the lawsuit — is that the settlement does not sufficiently protect authors and publishers because it fails to provide the same privacy protections for readers in the digital world that apply to reading physical books from libraries, bookstores, etc. These include protections from subpoenas, law enforcement investigations, and other forms of surveillance and profiling.

You can still participate financially in the settlement even if you join our group. We will be filing an objection, which asks the court to fix the settlement but which does not opt-out any participatory author or publisher.

Their deadline was August 22, but I think they would still welcome your input.

read more at: http://www.eff.org/issues/privacy/google-book-search-settlement-for-authors-and-publishers.

Here is the letter I sent to them:

My apologies for missing the deadline, but I want to add my name to your list of authors who are concerned about Google. I am the author of two books, The Virtual Pagan (Red Wheel/ Weiser, 2002) and Magickal Connections (New Page, 2007).

As a pagan author, I am a minority, a person who lives on the fringes of society. It is (sadly) easy for those of us here on the fringes to be singled out as ‘other’ and subject to specific scrutiny and persecution, simply because we espouse beliefs different from the norm. My readers are minorities as well, and if they are worried that their reading/purchasing habits may become part of a list they may decide to not display their preferences.

One example might be the teenager who wishes to quietly explore a religion that is different from that of his family. At this time there is no way to know what he is reading, and he is secure in his exploration. If Google succeeds, his explorations may become a matter of public record, causing him problems should he try to explore, or even making his decide not to even look because of fear.

If my books are not read because of fear of persecution, it hurts me financially, of course, but it also places a heavier burden on me to convince potential publishers of my future works to invest in my writings. In which case, a minority opinion and viewpoint becomes further marginalized.

Thank you for taking on this case. I am spreading the word (albeit belatedly) among the Pagan authors and publishers of my acquaintance.

Lisa Mc Sherry
www.cybercoven.org
author, Magickal Connections, The Virtual Pagan

And a very happy EFF member!
~*~Create structure where needed, avoid  specific rules whenever possible.~*~

I will also be sending an email to all of the authors and publishers I am acquainted with.