But accusing either of them of "masquerading" as author advocacy groups is sloppy thinking and sloppy language; tarring all of these organizations with accusations of perfidy is wrong.
Authors United is indeed masquerading as an author advocacy group. They represent a minority of status quo authors, refuse to engage in any sort of debate or defense of their position, and utilize the media to push an agenda that will most definitely hurt authors--themselves included.
As for the Authors Guild, we could argue about the merits of getting into bed with the enemy that controls you, and trying to change things through appeasement rather than conflict, but then don't call yourself a guild for authors. On the AG website is a lengthy pronouncement on how they protect free speech and a defend the "digital arena" from censorship, when they just wrote to Congress in an effort to resurrect a ridiculous offshoot of SOPA.
Might I suggest they call themselves the Vichy Guild?
As for the AAR, I just blogged about how they went against their own Canon of Ethics.
At what point do actions become perfidy, Ted?
Much more accurate and useful is to highlight the areas where these organizations' long-standing missions have developed potential tensions and conflicts in the new world made more readily possible by digital publishing.
If you take a hundred school tests without cheating, but cheat on ten of them, you aren't allowed to call yourself honest. You're a cheater. How is is accurate and useful to focus on those ninety where no cheating occurred? We're supposed to reward someone for being honest? We're supposed to praise the Authors Guild for doing a few of the things it's supposed to be doing?
Digital publishing, which you mentioned, is not the only issue the Authors Guild is struggling with. Forever-term contracts have been around for decades. So have non-compete clauses. Where were they on this thirty years ago? Only now they start blogging about it, without doing anything substantive on issues that have plagued writers for my entire lifetime?
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(untitled comment)
Authors United is indeed masquerading as an author advocacy group. They represent a minority of status quo authors, refuse to engage in any sort of debate or defense of their position, and utilize the media to push an agenda that will most definitely hurt authors--themselves included.
As for the Authors Guild, we could argue about the merits of getting into bed with the enemy that controls you, and trying to change things through appeasement rather than conflict, but then don't call yourself a guild for authors. On the AG website is a lengthy pronouncement on how they protect free speech and a defend the "digital arena" from censorship, when they just wrote to Congress in an effort to resurrect a ridiculous offshoot of SOPA.
Might I suggest they call themselves the Vichy Guild?
As for the AAR, I just blogged about how they went against their own Canon of Ethics.
At what point do actions become perfidy, Ted?
Much more accurate and useful is to highlight the areas where these organizations' long-standing missions have developed potential tensions and conflicts in the new world made more readily possible by digital publishing.
If you take a hundred school tests without cheating, but cheat on ten of them, you aren't allowed to call yourself honest. You're a cheater. How is is accurate and useful to focus on those ninety where no cheating occurred? We're supposed to reward someone for being honest? We're supposed to praise the Authors Guild for doing a few of the things it's supposed to be doing?
Digital publishing, which you mentioned, is not the only issue the Authors Guild is struggling with. Forever-term contracts have been around for decades. So have non-compete clauses. Where were they on this thirty years ago? Only now they start blogging about it, without doing anything substantive on issues that have plagued writers for my entire lifetime?
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Joe Konrath.
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