Notes: Burkle Prods B&N Again; Random Gamers
In a letter to the board of Barnes & Noble, Ronald Burkle, whose Yucaipa Cos. owns 18.7% of company stock, has objected the board's rejection of his request to buy 37% of B&N stock without triggering a shareholder-rights/poison pill plan that would dilute his holdings, the Wall Street Journal reported.
In the letter dated last Thursday, Burkle requested a meeting with the company's non-management directors as well as assurances that approval of the poison pill provision, enacted late last year after Yucaipa doubled its holdings in B&N (Shelf Awareness, November 17, 2009), will be on the ballot at this year's shareholders meeting.
Burkle added, the Journal wrote, that "the company's top executives and largest individual shareholders, brothers Leonard Riggio, chairman, and Steve Riggio, chief executive, 'should not be allowed to vote their shares in any shareholder vote on the poison pill.' " He also said that the Riggios and company "insiders own beneficially more than 37% of outstanding stock," not the 31% the board has said those groups own.
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A team of some 15 people at Random House is creating stories for videogames and is providing "story advice for games in development," according to the Wall Street Journal. The company is looking for a buyer for two projects, a fantasy adventure and a horror thriller. "Each of the proposed games has a cast of characters, suggested stories, and an analysis of the type of gamer in mind."
The paper added that Random House also has a deal with Stardock Corp., a software developer in Plymouth, Mich., to work on the coming launch of Stardock's strategy game Elemental: War of Magic.
Random House will also have some of its authors help write storylines for the games and write books based on them. "We need new revenue streams," said Gina Centrello, publisher of the Random House Publishing Group.
Keith Clayton, Random House director of creative development, is heading the unit with Mikita Labanok, director of business development. Clayton told the Journal: "There is increasing emphasis on storytelling in the videogame business, on building new worlds from the ground up."
Until now, Random House, like most publishers, has limited its gaming experience to writing books based on videogames. But Stardock CEO Brad Wardell noted that poor writing is a common complaint about videogames. "Poor dialogue ruins the experience," he said.
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In a story called "Math of Publishing Meets the E-Book," the New York Times tries to answer the question of "just how much does it actually cost to produce a printed book versus a digital one."
The issue is a big one, considering that most consumers think e-books should be priced much lower than printed books and most large publishers say they can't operate businesses at e-book prices many consumers expect. Unfortunately the first step of the story's example--a hardcover priced at $26--seemed like a misstep. For that book, the Times wrote, "The bookseller will generally pay the publisher $13." Of course, this may apply to wholesalers and some large retail accounts, but most booksellers only dream of a 50% discount on the average hardcover. As a result of positing a high retail discount, the article leaves the hypothetical publisher of its typical hardcover with lower gross profit than would actually be the case.
So while the example is illustrative for one type of title to one type of customer, it begs even more questions.
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Tomorrow night the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association hosts its second annual IndieNights--meetings at six locations in the region that will feature "the best of the Winter Institute," information on e-fairness campaigns, the Paz newsletter benefit and more.
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The Dayton Daily News celebrated New Readers Bookstore, Fairborn, Ohio, founded in 1967 and owned by Al and Diana Molnar, children of founders Michael and Joan Molnar.
Al Molnar told the paper that the new and used bookstore and newsstand continues to exist because there are no major book chains in downtown Fairborn and because of the service his employees offer to customers. "The biggest competition, however, appears to be the shift from magazines and books to text messaging and Twitter."
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When Nikki Furrer opened Puddn'head Books, Webster Groves, Mo., a little more than a year ago, she wanted to showcase great décor as well as great books, the St.Louis Post-Dispatch wrote.
"The
object of my desire is the baby fainting couch I bought at Gringo Jones
for the children's section," she said "The second I saw it, I knew it
belonged to me, and to the shop. Kids love, love, love this chair, and
I love that it's fostering a whole generation of avid readers."
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Kristine McDonald, owner of the newly opened 1 North Front Street café and used bookstore, Philipsburg, Pa., told the Centre Daily Times that "she envisions the shop as a cultural space, where people can gather in the downtown area."
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This
is a bookstore we'd like to visit right about now. Ikea created the
"world's longest outdoor bookcase" on the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney,
Australia, where 30 red Billy bookcases were lined up and stocked "with
beach reads for surfers, swimmers, and sunbathers to swap with one of
their own or make a gold coin donation to buy, with proceeds going to
the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation," CasaSugar.com reported.
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And check out this bookish work of art: an octagonal building made out of books that is located at Modern Art Center in Lisbon, Portugal. Thanks to inhabitat.com.---
Book trailer of the day: Amelia Rules!: Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum/S&S, simultaneous hard/softcover).
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In order to preserve "the small bookseller tradition," the city of Paris has, through one of its redevelopment agencies, been buying property and commercial leases in the Latin Quarter and renting them to bookstores, the Globe and Mail reported.
"So far, the agency has spent about 3 million euros [about $4.2 million] to buy space in the Latin Quarter that it now rents to two bookshops and a small publishing company that specializes in hard-to-find literary classics. Four other property purchases are in the works."
In 2000, the Latin Quarter had 300 independent bookstores; now there are 170. French bookstores are less affected by competition from the Internet and chains than their American counterparts. More crucial, especially in Paris, is rent.
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Last Wednesday, BlueBridge and friends celebrated the fifth anniversary
of the New York City publisher at the House of the Redeemer. From l.:
Joseph Craig, editor-in-chief, History Book Club; Bernadette Tillman,
wife of Jan-Erik Guerth; Jan-Erik Guerth, BlueBridge founder and
publisher; Bob Solomon, publishing attorney; and legendary editor Nancy
Coffey.
The Information Officer by Mark Mills (Random House, $25, 9781400068180/1400068185). "Pinched between Nazis in Italy and in North Africa, Malta--a speck of a British colony--is taking a nightly pounding. The function of the 'information' officer is to keep up the morale of the troops and local populace. But how can he when there is a murderer on the loose who might be a spy? And he is in love with two married women--a delicate balancing act in such a hermetic environment."--Darwin Ellis, Books on the Common, Ridgefield, Conn.
I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth by Brenda Peterson (Da Capo, $25, 9780306818042/0306818043). "Peterson's latest book is the story of her unique upbringing, both in nature (her father was with the Forest Service) and in the Southern Baptist religion. At once precocious and thoughtful, she weaves her way through the contradictions of growing up to find her own spiritual place in the world. 'Glowing' would not be too strong of an adjective for this book!"--Ann Carlson, Harborwalk Books, Georgetown, S.C.
Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell (Berkley, $9.99, 9780425231050/0425231054). "Carol O'Connell's first stand-alone book is a winner--an intricately plotted story of an unsolved murder of a teenage boy. This extraordinary thriller will keep you hooked."--Patricia Worth, River Reader, Lexington, Mo.
Supersister by Beth Cadena, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer (Clarion, $16, 9780547010069/0547010060). "This is one of the best big sibling books I've seen in ages, as we follow Supersister throughout her day (as she is a great help to her mom and more). Perfect for kids expecting a new baby in the family."--Katherine Fergason, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
Opening lines of books we want to read:
Although Still Midnight is Scottish author Denise Mina's eighth novel, it is the first in a series featuring Detective Sergeant Alex Morrow, a sharp, flinty policewoman with a troubled past. For those who aren't familiar with the prodigiously talented Mina, this outstanding novel is a great place to start.