On the scene at the 'Harry Potter' trial

Steven Vander Ark, the would-be author of a proposed Harry Potter encyclopedia that is at the center of a trial taking place this week in Manhattan, took the stand today and nearly broke into tears while facing off against J.K. Rowling (pictured), the author of the Potter series. Rowling and Warner Brothers, the movie studio that adapted her books, are suing Michigan publisher RDR Books, which announced last fall that it was publishing a print version of Vander Ark's popular fan site, The Harry Potter Lexicon. When Vander Ark was asked by his lawyer whether he considers himself a part of the Harry Potter community, the 50-year-old witness got choked up and had to look away before answering, "It's been difficult because there's been a lot of criticism and that was never the intention. I understand where that comes from, obviously. This is an important part of my life for the past nine years or so." Vander Ark testified that he read his first Harry Potter book in 1998 and has probably read the series 30 or 40 times since.

The trial, now on its second day, is expected to last most of the week. Rowling, who has in the past openly praised Vander Ark's free fan site, testified on Monday that she feels a for-profit print version of The Harry Potter Lexicon ''constitutes wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work." Vander Ark did reveal that his fan site generated about $7,000 between its launch in 2000 and October 2007, though that sum is considerably less than what a print version of the lexicon would likely pull in, given that Rowling's seven books have sold more than 400 million copies. -- Reporting by Lindsay Soll

David Letterman's fall book crosses over

Among the more predictable TV show tie-in books appearing in the Disney-owned Hyperion Fall 2008 catalog (i.e. Grey's Anatomy: Healing with Love) was a surprising addition: Late Show Fun Facts by David Letterman, whose late-night talk show airs on Disney-ABC's rival network, CBS. Though Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants — and not the network — officially owns Late Show, the comedian has had a long-standing relationship with CBS, making it odd that he didn't opt to publish the book with an imprint CBS-owned Simon & Schuster. When asked why Letterman chose Hyperion instead, Rob Burnett, the president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, issued the following statement: "Hyperion has shown incredible enthusiasm for this book, and we're looking forward to working with them on this project."

Hyperion's Leslie Wells, who edited Late Show Fun Facts, says she's unsure whether the book was shopped to other houses, but that she already has experience working with Letterman, having edited his first two Top Ten books while working at Pocket, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. A spokesperson for Simon & Schuster declined comment.

A story of lies (and 'Consequences') unravels

It’s been a week since those in author Margaret B. Jones’ circle discovered the 33-year-old isn’t the person she claims to be in her memoir Love and Consequences. Her real name is Margaret “Peggy” Seltzer and her book about growing up in gang-ridden South Central L.A. is a bunch of hogwash. Seltzer pulled the wool over the eyes of many, including Inga Muscio who referred to Seltzer’s “background” in the foster care system and as a member of the Bloods in her own book titled Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil. Muscio trusted Seltzer enough to refer her to her literary agent, Faye Bender, who then helped her get a deal for Love and Consequences with Riverhead Books. Following a message posted on her website explaining the extent of her relationship with Seltzer, Muscio answered a few questions posed by EW.com (via email).

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When were you first introduced to Seltzer and do you remember the circumstances? What was your first impression?
INGA MUSCIO: I thought she was a brilliant, highly-articulate, deep-thinking individual, not to mention a gifted writer. I still do.

A kids' book from 'Orchid Thief' author Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean, the veteran New Yorker writer who penned the best-selling nonfiction book The Orchid Thief (and was played by Meryl Streep in Spike Jonze's very loose 2002 adaptation, Adaptation), has written her first children's book. Abrams Books for Young Readers is planning an October 2008 release for Orlean's Lazy Little Loafers, in which a disgruntled older sibling recounts how she feels about babies — basically, they're a bunch of little shirkers who won't do chores and are more trouble than they're worth. The book is illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Incidentally, Orlean has also been working on a nonfiction book for grown-ups, a long-gestating biography of the heroic pooch Rin Tin Tin, which she sold to Little, Brown back in 2004 for a reported $1.2 million.