what is the authors guild? >> an organization that was formed to represent authors the end their interest copyright free-speech we have been doing the same thing over 100 years we just had a panel looking at the standard trade publishing agreement asking questions if the terms are there in the digital world we have 9,000 members we provide services for authors and agents. we provide web site services so if we help them to build a web site and we spend a lot of time on advocacy that we all have authors try to assure that they can make a living today so we take a survey of our members one year ago that as we expected from anecdotal evidence that the survey shows us over 30 percent from the mean annual income of 24,000. so pretty low wages that tends to be very highly educated in india gets to the point where it is unsustainable, have. >>'' we're focusing on now was to ensure that those authors can continue. >> 9,000 members? we have quite a number of well-known authors that are members of the authors guild a hint we have all kinds you have to have a published book or certain levels of income so we could accommodate itself published authors because now there is an opportunity that they could publish themselves some like to call them souls independently punished -- published. >> how did you get into this work? >> i have been a copyright lawyer with the copyright office the library of congress a lawyer by training in in private practice ever presented a number of authors as well as publishers my cousin is another my stepdaughter is an author, saudia very apathetic. >> over the years because of the electronic aspect has contracts changed? >> that is a good question because part of that contract initiative off is that they have not changed ef they eggs are shaking up in the industry to see these models of publishing agreements with other individual media what is up for grabs so there is more diversity. so we want to take a step back and what still makes sense today in this environment it ensures a they are partners in the publishing agreement and they have largely favored to the detriment of all others like things of abuses to be paid out but still most came before the book was completed or published. now they have to wait until after it is finished or published so western south this is what it lived off of it and would travel while you were writing the book is the author could take on other work to write in and timely fashion or having to take credit to write the book let's go back to the indians is being idiots is. option clauses, non compete but it is much more stringent the author or the complete discretion. no. if they deliver the book that was promised these are issues around the edges that we were talking to publishers about right now. >> walk us through the court cases through amazon rabil or google where is the authors guild? >> that is a broad question we are neutral to what is published to do what format or what media. so the formats it doesn't matter. because some destruction how books get paid in this is the huge issue for us right now. there are a number of different causes we see that amazon pushed down the cost $9.99 they created a standard that had the effect the cause to devalue the books. that is the threshold. so though one budget wind -- line that is somewhat negotiable to pay the author. oh whole information it should be for free one issue is piracy in increasing amounts of books available for free and better made available by real criminals copyright infringement. with that devaluation of writing. there is a difference between but the person who spends a lot of their time rating in their job as a professional of their. they are holding their kraft. then we want to encourage us to write books because we benefited. >> the recent court cases? >> yes. you are referring i think you are referring to google books. know this goes back to the major academic libraries. in interviews these books to for research purposes to prove the algorithms natural language and how they improve their business to make more money they make many copies trying to use the of books with any book that they skidded searchable and you can find snippets of the book if you want to look for hummingbirds bennett will zero bring up where that term appears. actually a authors to own the rights. and the fact of the matter is that people will use google book but not actually buy the book my daughter the other night at dinner said actually would love it because i just go to google books church -- a high-tech research church to get everything in the then i just add the citation and i hear that from the author's. but i am so sad because it sets a precedent for everything that google dead. because of the service that is such a wonderful service so i think the court was convinced because there was a settlement agreement earlier but that settlement was not approved by the district court that is why the litigation continues. nobody thought it was fair use but as we move further into the digital age and we year at just the beginning they will have access more through a search in the excerpt basis through nonfiction for the up publishers otherwise we will see less and less money to pay off the indians is for the authors. with those types of books that take a while those highly researched books. >> he referenced this but there is a whole generation growing up thinking everything is free. where will this end up? >> in this is with the music industry i think it is 25 percent of what it was? they have really lost their shirts. that music should be free and then you pay a monthly fee but it is smaller than at was in the past seven years trying to prevent that save mindset to the public spirit but we do have less of a problem that they're not the teenagers with more richard titus citizens. that is starting to happen. and one of the authors was the scholar and also robbia's novels the and her ruffians teller with impunity i read your books for free. sorry about that but i cannot afford them. get so we start to see that happening and the right team is a work. -- writing is worse than if readers support them. da read the books for free speech issue make that impossible. >> that is on the cutting edge about books will be distributed in the future. what will we see? >> more reading online. go back to end up printing press was first invented initially that look like yet was eliminating many scripps. that there will be more in a in north reading done on line the way people read. but i just know how much space of changed in the last 10 years we will see a lot more change. >> did some states pursue it? >> no. there are no court cases. >> do you have plans? >> no. not currently. is not in any way that i could talk about it anyway but we just finished a the google books case so we are taking a deep breath to have a lot of other advocacy programs we are working on right now. and how they exploit and self published to be concerned about those older writers in those freelancers. no benefits even. for those other elderly they never made a lot of money but they are not doing well now. so we feel we have to help them find new stores also been with those he emerging writers to do you get into the business and have all sorts of issues if you have been in the business 20 or 30 years then all of a sudden you have to learn new ways of self marketing. so we help them to negotiate that the right now we are very focused on copyright law in washington with the judiciary committee than looking at the revision and there is a number of issues that our important to all others. so we're working very actively in washington right now. >> has that affected what you do? >> it has a directly affected the authors guild but what it has done, they're owned by major international corporations putting pressure to make a profit so that has squeezed the of midwest authors because they look for books that will make big money less likely to provide the the of living wage which is 95 percent of the authors. >> if another sells a book, mary rasenberger, if it cost $20 how does that break down? is there a general breakdown? >> probably not without figures in front of me but there is a certain amount if it is hard copy the $3 manufacturing and marketing. though wholesaler takes a big cut of percentage. the author for hard copy gets between 10 or 15% of the retail list price really is of the price that it is sold that. then the publisher gets the profit on top of that. bid to get 25% generally to get 25 percent of the net profit of the of that $9.99 of the e-book. >> know the results of profits to the publisher after amazon takes the 35%. >> how many different models are out there? what is day ended list of other? >> is one that sells some and continues to publish but not to a best seller. how many different models are out there right now? so there is a publishing model so there is traditional publishing that there is news services coming up to provide the print copies of books a and the e-books and contract directly with them. a few self published commentate the amazon in there is of formats did you put the book up you cannot negotiate you hit to accept a and you have to except whatever terms they give you but they will put up your book if you give them exclusive rights they give you 70 percent. but they are doing nothing other than putting it up. also you have to agree to a price so if you want to sell on another platform that most do and don't want to be exclusive to have more the way with setting prices they pick the non exclusive option that is 30 percent royalty that amazon gets 70 and we think that is ridiculous because they're only providing the platform they are not investing much at all. they are very good at accounting and paid regularly. if you are a part of their library or a subscription service where "the reader" can pay $10 a month there is whole library completely non transparent. as they go in to the of poll -- pool and to make that publishing. >> with the senate judiciary committee looking at copyright law. right now with the senate is starting to get involved and focusing on right now there is a number of minor issues bed to recite the small claims tribunal. but that is important without a remedy you have no rights. with copyright infringement litigation. >> they can't afford that. so authors or photographers have no way to enforce their rights this would create in small claims court but you don't have to hire a lawyer with no complex discovery in keeping the claims under a certain amount of that number of 30,000 or less know we will litigate over that so it gives the authors the ability to have more rights we are supporting that and also legislation of this section of the copyright law from the copyright act that allows any internet service provider to escape liability for copyright infringement if they comply with certain rules in one is takedown like to spend a good hour on this subject alone but basically the way the courts interpreted we think is incorrect but the authors the only remedy they have is to send notices to take it down which they generally do but then it goes right back up there is obligation to give the url for the infringing copy for some services there is no way for the author to even know where all the copies are they can search the service but they have no obligation to take it down or that copy and then they put a right back up this is not referred to the game of wacked a mall is an absurd system they spend a lot of money on services and from the author perspective they don't actually achieve to get anything taken down. >> also looking at collective licenses copies of books to pay for them instead of having libraries to say we cannot possibly license all these books so those are the big ones and a bunch of issues. >> looking at publishing in 2016 is there another period in history with a revolution like it is now? >> yes. that the beginning of publishing it was said huge change. he enormous. people never had access to books before suddenly had access it took 100 years to realize we use this technology for mass distribution that many people could provide access of the digital revolution the implications the we're already starting to see some of that it is very exciting we just want to make sure that the authors get some of that money because right now the information wants to be free but it is not as if they are not making money but the technology companies are making a huge amounts of money off the content apple or facebook there called the bid for the four horsemen are now talking content in the creators are losing their shirts that is very shortsighted because they cannot afford to create -- keep creating they are out. >> executive director of the

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