More than 15,000 Random House e-book titles are now available in Apple's iBookstore as a result of the publisher's decision to adopt the agency pricing model (Shelf Awareness, March 1, 2011). Yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs opened his keynote speech unveiling the iPad 2 by talking about iBooks. He confirmed Random House's inclusion and said that more than 100 million e-books have been downloaded through the iBookstore since its April 2010 launch. ---
Barnes & Noble has settled a lawsuit brought in November 2009 by Spring Design, which charged that B&N illegally used key features of its Alex Reader in the Nook. Under the terms of the settlement, Spring Design will grant B&N a "non-exclusive, paid-up royalty free license for the entire portfolio of Spring Design patents and patent applications." The agreement resolves all claims brought by Spring Design, which will be dismissed with prejudice.TechCrunch reported that the settlement "comes a few months after Barnes & Noble failed to dismiss Spring Design's lawsuit. Spring Design claimed the bookseller illegally copied its screen design for the Nook electronic book reader, accusing the company of misappropriating trade secrets, breach of contract and unfair competition.... In its complaint, Spring Design said it had shared the dual-display design of the device with Barnes & Noble when the companies held potential partnership talks back in 2009, prior to the launch of the Nook. The company said Barnes & Noble later incorporated features of the Alex Reader into Nook, breaching a nondisclosure agreement."
According to its website, Spring Design is phasing out the Alex Reader and "has refocused its resources to further advance the ReadMate technology to enable next generation products and services."
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Ferrier Hodgson, administrator of bankrupt REDgroup Retail, owner of
Borders, Angus & Robertson and Whitcoulls in Australia and New
Zealand, is closing one Borders store and 37 A&R stores in the next
three weeks and has laid off 321 staff members, according to Bookseller and Publisher Online.REDgroup Retail has 27 Borders stores; the Borders store slated to close is in Rouse Hill, near Sydney. There are 164 A&R stores, 103 of which are company owned; all 37 stores that are closing are company owned. REDgroup online operations and retail stores in New Zealand were not affected by this round of closings.
An administrator said that the stores being closed are "the least viable of the 260 REDgroup retail outlets and needed to be closed in order to protect as best as possible the future of the business."
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Question of the day: concerning yesterday's image of the day about how Patrick Rothfuss helped sell 3,000 signed copies of his new book, The Wise Man's Fear, on his blog, Steve Quinn, special sales rep at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, wrote:
"Isn't this sort of thing known as a 'flash sale?' We've been seeing a lot of flash sellers at recent trade shows and it sounds familiar."
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Walmart is now making its own pitch for Amazon.com’s affiliates. Last month, Barnes & Noble courted affiliates who are caught in Amazon's sales tax battles (Shelf Awareness, February 15, 2011). The Wall Street Journal reported that yesterday Walmart.com said "that it 'welcomes Amazon and Overstock California affiliates,' or websites that direct traffic to the online retailers."
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The Pilot profiled Kimberly Daniels, manager the Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, N.C., which the newspaper bought last November. "I've always loved being in a bookshop," she said. "I think this is the best job in the world, because it never gets old. I spend the day having the most fascinating conversations. They can range from World War II to philosophy to the power of positive thinking."
Pilot publisher David Woronoff said that Daniels "brings energy and enthusiasm that I think will add significantly to the business. You couple that with her good judgment and passion for bookselling, and you've got a great fit."
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The Book Cellar, Chicago, Ill., is "more than a bookseller." Medill Reports interviewed owner Susan Takacs, who acknowledged the competitive challenge represented by online retailers like Amazon.com, but "hopes to win over former Borders customers with her high level of customer service and unique offerings, which include wine and beer.""It's kind of hard to make what you love your job. It's always a challenge," Takacs said, adding that her bookshop has "become a community meeting place. Some of the babies and the school-age children that were at our initial story time when we opened in 2004 are all grown up. This one boy that used to come here all the time is now a man, you know. He's out of high school and he's six-five. He used to come here when he was locked out of his house to use the phone and have a soda while he waited for his mom."
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Fast Company
blogger Shawn Graham explored his local Barnes & Noble store for
the first time since Borders declared bankruptcy and shared his
impressions in a post headlined "Will Barnes & Noble's New Retail
Strategy Help Save the Day?" After taking in the "fully staffed Nook station located no more than 10 feet inside the store" and numerous non-book options, his conclusion came in the form of another question: "Are the Nook, their new assortment of board games and childhood learning materials, and Starbucks coffee enough to keep Barnes & Noble afloat? Or will they join the ranks of other booksellers who weren't able to adapt to the changes that are continuing to sweep their industry? So far, I'd have to say the changes make a lot of sense."
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The Afghan Women's Writing Project has introduced AWWP Presents, a global theatrical initiative that works with professional theater companies, school districts, university theater departments and other groups, including libraries, coffee houses, or any organization interested in bringing the writings and voices of AWWP's women artists to live audiences.
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David McKie, author of Bright Particular Stars: A Gallery of Glorious British Eccentrics, chose his top 10 eccentrics in literature for the Guardian.
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It's time to test your Harry Potter knowledge again, just to see if you still "know a snitch from a bludger and the difference between divination and defence against dark arts." The Guardian featured a new HP quiz.
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Book trailer of the day: Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward (Putnam), in which the authors--real-life exes--talk about why in the world they would write a mystery together, how brilliant or not the other is and more.
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Hachette Book Group has hired Canadian Manda Group to provide sales service and marketing support for independent bookstores, library accounts and non-traditional accounts in Canada. Sales to independent and library accounts had been handled by H.B. Fenn, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year (Shelf Awareness, February 4, 2011).
David Young, Hachette Book Group chairman and CEO, said, "Canadian Manda Group's excellent reputation in the Canadian marketplace, their Canadian roots, and their focus and passion make them an ideal company for us to work with. We're thrilled to team up with owners Nick Smith and Carey Low, and their experienced staff."
Canadian Manda is one of the largest commission rep groups in Canada.