[stylist] stylist Digest, Vol 60, Issue 23

[Kerry Thompson]

Hi friends,

People often do give twins names that are very similar. Frankly, I see no reason to pander to a lazy reader. This is all the more true if there is going to be some strategic use of confusion and mistaken identity later in the story.

Hmmm... I recall the older set of twins as Nan and Burt while the younger set was Freddie and Flossie. Wonder when and why Dan got changed to Burt?

About Kindle etc.:

Publishers not being able to provide organizations like NLS, RFB&D and  the Xavior Society for the Blind with their digital files has been a problem for some time. This problem must be solved, by legislation if need be. But, for the rest, it seems to me the problem is not so much with the Copyright Office but that a coprehensive, industry-wide standard must be established in the publishing industry itself. Such a standard would protect the author's' right to be compensated for distribution of their books in accessible formats while at the same time facilitating such distribution.

Lori,

I've not looked into the matter myself, but rather heard my sister fulmanating about it. She is, of course, a member of the Authors Guild. Perhaps the Authors Guild needs to be educated? The idea Sis gave me was that putting a book on Kindle amounted to republishing it (in accessible format) without author's permission or fair compensation. Perhaps this is not true. In any case, what I said above holds, I think. A comprehensive standard, understood by all parties and including digital-age rights in contracts, is essential.

Solidarity and Peace,
Kerry