Much has been written and said about the Google Book Settlement, and all the detailed explorations are richly warranted. The complications and long-term implications cannot be overstated. So I worry when advocates of the settlement discuss it in a low-key manner. That is exactly what happened when a panel fielded questions about the settlement yesterday (July 28, 2009) at the New York Public Library.
The panel included Google and publisher execs, two successful authors, the attorney representing leading library associations, and the director of NYPL. Rarely did the discussion become impassioned or even enthusiastic. I did my best to stir the larger issues, but the panelists would not share my sense of the importance of the settlement.
I have a litany of detailed questions and concerns about the proposed settlement, but for right now, let me press one pesky point: I have seen or been part of a few panels with “insiders” to the settlement. Their approach seems to be strangely nonchalant. The discussion at NYPL was often about minor issues, and any attempt to characterize the settlement as a big deal for readers, publishers, and authors was simply shot down.
Sorry, but whether you like the settlement or not, its terms will become a powerful force in shaping the future of publishing, reading, and writing. When I had my turn at the microphone, I was the one who wondered if we wanted to enter the “big brave new world of the Jetsons” on these terms. We need a loud and provocative conversation, and not merely a gentle explanation.