Yes, we’re all suffering from Settlement Fatigue Syndrome and if we read one more position paper about the proposed settlement of the Authors Guild/Association of American Publishers we’ll be tempted to watch reruns of Beavis and Butthead.

That said, try sucking it up just a little longer and read the Authors Guild statement circulated by email to its members. It essentially states that while none of the choices is thrilling, “harnessing” Google is the best way to protect authors’ interests. We agree. A ruling is imminent but the issues have not changed nor have the stakes gotten any lower. The book industry stands to suffer the same devastation that brought the music business to its knees.

From our viewpoint, harnessing Google is only where the benefits begin, not where they end. If we can impose on you to read yet one more article, look at David Drummond’s in the Guardian.”The truth,” Drummond writes, “is that readers around the world who seek the information locked in millions of out-of-print books currently have little choice other than to travel to a small number of libraries in the hope of finding what they are looking for. And if you’re an author, you have no way to make money from your work if it’s out of print.

“Imagine if that information could be made available to everyone, ­everywhere, at the click of a mouse. Imagine if long-forgotten books could be enjoyed again and could earn new ­revenues for their authors. Without a settlement it can’t happen.”

We say amen to that. Support the Settlement.

RC