Low e-book prices set by retailers such as Amazon.com, B&N.com and Google could destroy publishers' profits and ruin hardcover sales, according to Arnaud Nourry, CEO of Hachette in France, as quoted by the Financial Times online.
Nourry said publishers are "very hostile" to Amazon's pricing of most e-books at $9.99, which is less than publishers are charging Amazon. "That cannot last," he continued. "Amazon is not in the business of losing money. So, one day, they are going to come to the publishers and say: by the way, we are cutting the price we pay. If that happens, after paying the authors, there will be nothing left for the publishers."
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Susan Novotny, owner of the Book House of Stuvyesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y., and Market Block Books, Troy, N.Y., (see profiles below) and David Didriksen, Willow Books & Cafe, Mass., Acton, Mass., have rejoined the American Booksellers Association, a decision they explained in a letter to fellow members of the Veteran Booksellers Club, an informal social group of experienced booksellers in the Northeast.
Based in part on discussions with new ABA CEO Oren Teicher, the two believe, they wrote, that "the new leadership of ABA will be more conciliatory in the future toward diverse viewpoints within the Association membership" and that the transition "offers an opportunity to engage in healthy discussions of issues which deserve more attention, such as dealing with publisher policies and setting more realistic business objectives for independents." In addition, the two wrote that "the current economic climate demands that we pool resources and cooperate with trade associations and other businesses to promote our own local interests."
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To no one's surprise, demand is high for the late Senator Edward Kennedy's upcoming memoir, True Compass. Earlier this morning, it was No. 4 on Amazon.com's bestseller list and No. 3 on B&N.com.
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On his blog, David Byrne offers a thoughtful account of his Kindle experience.
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On her blog, Stephanie Anderson of WORD, Brooklyn, N.Y., speculates in a most amusing way on independent bookselling if it were like professional football.
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Award addendum: Things We Didn't See Coming, the apocalyptic novel by Steven Amsterdam that won the Age Book of the Year Award and won in the fiction category, too (Shelf Awareness, August 27, 2009), is being published in the U.S. by Pantheon next February.
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Novato, Calif., resident Leigh Blair, "an avid reader, book club
member and former employee of the former Brentano's bookstore at
Northgate mall," told the Marin Independent Journal
that she "would love even a miniature version" of Powell's bookstore
"for Novato, a city of about 52,000 residents that does not have a
retail store that focuses on selling new books."
But the Journal
observed that in the current uncertain business climate, "prospects for
the type of Novato store Blair envisions are as uncertain as ever. . .
. Will a reputed independent bookstore like Book Passage or
Copperfield's ever open in downtown Novato?"
"Somebody would lose
their shirt opening there," said Sharon Jones of Habitat Books,
Sausalito. "You can't fight the two chains and Amazon plus Costco and
Target. Not in this economy."
The Journal added that
"officials at Book Passage and Copperfield's said interest in Novato
remains high but finding the right location and lease terms remain
challenging."
Hut Landon, executive director of the Northern
California Independent Bookstores Association and former owner of
Landon Books on South Novato Boulevard, "contends that Novato has a
population that would support an independent bookstore, but location,
existing foot traffic and nearby stores staying open later hours is
crucial to success," the Journal noted.
"If I were the
planning department or the City Council, I would get the building
owners and landlords together to really try and attract a new business
and give them a break to get started," Landon said.
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The Marin Independent Journal
also reported that Gary Kleiman, owner of Bookbeat bookstore and café,
Fairfax, Calif., plans to close his store by mid-September and "you can
blame it on the slow economy."
"There's quite a bit of sadness,"
said Kleiman. "I've heard there's some grief that we're not just losing
a bookstore. It was so much more for the community with all the music
and special gatherings. The ones who know about it have expressed
sadness."
Kleiman "didn't provide much information on what will
happen at his store. He said negotiations are ongoing with a merchant
who won't be selling books," according to the Journal.
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Wildcat book fever. Brooke Raby, public relations and events coordinator for Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, Ky., told the Herald-Leader that last Saturday, University of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari signed about 400 copies of his new book, Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life. The bookstore had sold 644 copies of Calipari's book in the past two weeks.
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The
Mountainside Free Library, Queensbury, N.Y., "has no computers or
automated book return systems. There's no heat or air-conditioning.
Despite some minor updating through the years, it looks much like it
did when it was built more than 100 years ago," according to Glens Falls Post-Star,
and this Tuesday the town "will note the contribution the building has
made to the area for more than a century by unveiling a historical
marker."
The library works on an honor system and "there is a
posted list of basic rules to be followed: No. 5 reads, 'Please turn
off the lights when you leave.'"
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Clara Heyworth is joining Verso Books as marketing manager. She was formerly publicist at Melville House and began her publishing career as publicity and marketing executive for Verso's U.K. office.