But it will be cool at the National Speakers Association Annual Convention. Held the 17th through the 20th at the Orlando World Center Marriot, M&G will be exhibiting at table #47.  Stop by and see us and pick up an M&G beach ball.

The publishing world is abuzz with speculation on the future of eBooks and how the launch of the iPad will impact it. For a couple of opinions  click on the links below. And by all means, let us know what you think about eBooks, the iPad or publishing in general.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-ipad-notebook12-2010apr12,0,4893505.story

http://www.idealog.com/blog/looking-at-the-ipad-from-an-ebook-readers-perspective

Held annually in March, Small Press Month is a celebration of the literary works produced by independent publishers . What exactly is a Small Press? Generally the group is comprised of smaller publishing houses that release books for niche markets. The term is used interchangeably with Independent Publishers.

Click here for more information on Small Press Month.

The M&G Team was saddened by the news of the passing of award winning  poet, Lucille Clifton. M&G had the privilege of printing several of Clifton’s titles. Our condolences to her family, friends and work associates.

Click her to read an article from the Baltimore Sun.

On December 16, 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Commission responded to the Printing Industry’s petition for an extension of the CPSIA’s testing and certification requirements for children’s books and other printed material that was set to expire on February 10, 2010. The Commission voted to extend the stay for certain products including books and other printed matter for one additional year, until February 10, 2011.

According to the newly revised stay, any third party testing is to be conducted on products manufactured after February 10, 2010. Furthermore, although the Commission will not enforce the independent testing and certification rules until February 10, 2011, the products still must contain lead levels under the current 300-parts-per-million limit set forth by the Act unless a component such as metal coil is painted and then the limit is 90 parts-per-million. In addition, the stay does not include painted parts, which means painted coil used in a children’s book or other printed product must be tested and certified.

On December 16, 2009 The CPSC also voted to approve an updated interim testing policy that allows component part testing, something the industry has been hoping for, rather than testing of the final product. In other words, a printer would be allowed to purchase an already tested and certified spiral binding or toy component to be attached to the book, rather than having to put the entire finished book through a costly testing process. Such testing must be done by a recognized third party laboratory. This policy also confirms that if a product is made with materials that the Commission has concluded would not exceed lead limits and thus are “low lead” products (such as paper, CMYK inks, coatings, animal based glues, etc.) neither have to be tested nor are subject to a certification requirement. All products must still comply with the applicable requirements. The updated interim enforcement policy can be found at www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr10/comppol.pdf.

Publisher’s Weekly issued an article reviewing progress of the CPSIA . Follow the link to read the article. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6712109.html?nid=2286&rid=#CustomerId&source=link&

In a July 20th article, online magazine Slate.com reported that  Amazon had remotely deleted previously purchased titles from the Kindles of its customers. Ironically, one of the titles deleted was George Orwell’s 1984, the classic dystopian novel that introduced the concept of Big Brother. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

The long awaited resolution to the CPSIA issues that have publishers and book printers in a stir, may come sooner with the confirmation of Inez Tennebaum as the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Tennebaum has said she will make the Act a priority. Click here to read more.

Congratulations to IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) on a successful Publishing University 2009.

As a precursor to the annual Book Expo America, PubU drew a nice array of book professionals including authors, self-publishers and small to medium sized publishers. Despite the current economic times, PubU was well attended and the sessions very worthwhile and informative. And what could be more fabulous than spending time in NYC, the publishing mecca of the world?

Kudos to the IBPA staff for another successful event.