Book Buzz: 'Harry Potter' gets a cover makeover

Here's a look at what's buzzing in the book world today:

E-Book campaign: The 2013 American Library Association conference opens with a campaign, 'Authors for Library Ebooks, aimed at helping libraries win "equitable access to e-books" from publishers.. Authors Cory Doctorow, Ursula K. Le Guin and Jodi Picoult are supporting the campaign. Picoult says, "I want readers to find my books – and all books - in their libraries."

Same book, new cover: Scholastic unveils a new cover for Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment of J.K. Rowling's magical series. The cover is designed by award-winning illustrator Kazu Kibuishi, and features Harry casting a spell at a crowd of dementors. The new covers are part of a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the series' debut in the U.S.

Billy Crystal: What's life like at 65? Billy Crystal answers that and more in his forthcoming book, Still Foolin' 'Em. The comedian, actor and director appeared at New York University, his alma mater, to read and record passages for the audio version of his book, As USA TODAY's Bob Minzesheimer reports, Crystal shared his thoughts on senior sex: ("When you're 65, you're surprised by what now turns you on."), the afterlife and other fundamental questions such as "Do the Yankees have enough pitching?' Still Foolin' 'Em will be released Sept. 10.

Rejecting Gertrude Stein: If it had been up to publisher Arthur C. Fifield, no one would ever read Gertrude Stein's work. The Paris Review obtained a scathing rejection letter that Fifield wrote to Stein in 1912, when she sent him a manuscript (which was to become her book Three Lives). Not only did he reject her, but he also wrote the letter in the style of her poetry, scribing "Having only one life, I cannot read your manuscript three or four times. Not even one time. Only one look, only one look is enough."

Best book covers: The staff at the Design Observer have announced its list of the 50 best book covers of 2012. Feast your eyes on the striking covers, from Tao Lin's Shoplifting from American Apparel to Caitlin Flanagan's Girl Land.

Modern Shakespeare: Audiences today are no strangers to modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare. In honor of the 400th anniversary of his death, a Random House project, the Hogarth Shakespeare, is asking authors to pen modern versions of the Bard's plays. The first authors put to task are Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler, who will adapt The Taming of the Shrew, and Jeanette Winterson, who will tackle The Winter's Tale. The novels launch in 2016.

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