In this week’s edition: Labor organizer and author Kim Kelly on conditions in the book publishing industry; best-selling suspense novelist Lisa Unger describes how she manages to publish a new book every year; novelist Elinor Lipman shares how she tracked the summers of her life by the books she read; the Supreme Court says that states can’t dictate what social media companies choose or choose not to post; and Amazon objects (again) to proposed antitrust regulation.

Amazon Says Big Tech Legislation ‘Inappropriately’ Targets it Among Retailers
Retail Dive
Amazon issued a blog post complaining that it was being singled out in proposed antitrust legislation, even though the law would also apply to Google, Facebook, Apple, and other Big Tech companies. The blog claims the legislation drafted by Senator Amy Klobuchar is “overly broad” and that, if enacted, it could “harm” consumers and small retailers because the company could no longer guarantee same-day delivery for Prime members.

How to Fix the Working Conditions in Book Publishing
Maris Review podcast (via LitHub)
Host Maris Kreizman interviews Kim Kelly, a labor organizer, journalist, and author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, who talks about the challenges “creatives” face in the workplace, particularly book publishing, where the hours are long, the pay is lousy and junior staffers get yelled at a lot.

Seven Seas Calls for Union Election
Publishers Weekly
Manga publishing and entertainment company Seven Seas has alerted the National Labor Relations Board and the United Workers of Seven Seas that it has chosen to hold an election among its employees to decide whether the independent manga house will unionize. Seven Seas management has not voluntarily recognized the union but is allowing the election to go forward. If the comic book company’s employees vote to unionize, they will become part of the Communications Workers of America.

Shop Talk: Lisa Unger on Waking Up Early, Carving Out Time, and Writing Longhand in the Target Parking Lot
CrimeReads
Psychological suspense novelist Lisa Unger will publish her 20^th novel in November. She talks about her process, how she structures her life, and what it takes to churn out a best-selling novel each year.

61 Summers of Reading: Elinor Lipman Recalls the Books That Mattered
The Washington Post
In this charming essay, New England Book Award winner Elinor Lipman recalls the important summers in her life based on the books she and her family were reading at the time.

The Supreme Court vs. Social Media
The New York Times
On June 1, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that would have forced social media sites to publish all perspectives regardless of the accuracy of their information or whether they extol hate and violence. The Court sided with social media companies, agreeing that states cannot tell private businesses what kinds of speech they can or cannot distribute. It did not rule on the question of whether social media companies are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as news organizations.