[originaltext] The Authors Guild, a writing association, has started the new

The Authors Guild, a writing association, has started the new year successfully. First, the group, which represents the interests of writers, asked the Supreme Court to review an October appeals court ruling, which supported Google’s right to digitize out-of-print books without an author’s permission. A few days later, the association raised another issue when it released a letter to publishers demanding better contract terms for authors.
   Both moves come as many writers find it harder and harder to make a living from their writing. Since 2009, the mean income for writers has gone down 30 percent, says the association’s executive director, Mary Rasenberger.
   "It’s alarming. Incomes are now down to unsustainable levels, and that means that even the authors, who have been writing for decades, are now being forced to seek other work," she says. "So, we are looking at this in a comprehensive way: Why this happening, and what can we do about it?"
   Rasenberger says the Google Books case raised the issue of copyright protection. Among other things, the association says its writers should get a higher percentage of e-book income and authors should also be able to retain the rights to their own books.
5. What did the Authors Guild do in the new year?
6. Why did the Authors Guild take the two moves in the new year?
7. What issue is the Google Book case concern with?