Waterstones is one of many companies that have been affected by a ransomware attack last month on Blue Yonder, a supply-chain software company with clients in the U.K. and U.S., the Bookseller reported.
"Progress is being made with recovery at Blue Yonder and thankfully our own systems have not been affected," a Waterstones spokesperson told the Bookseller. "Our workarounds have been effective and we have continued to receive deliveries and send daily deliveries to our shops.... Our bookshops are not affected by any availability issues.... We thank our publishing partners for their patience and support."
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Industry Insights: Bookshops & Accessibility, the latest report from RISE Bookselling, a project led by the European & International Booksellers Federation, analyzes the topic of book accessibility, providing an overview of current legislation and upcoming requirements for the book industry, with a particular focus on bookshops. EIBF noted that "in efforts to reduce the so-called 'book famine,' exclusion of people living with moderate-to-severe visual impairment or disability from accessing books, new legislative framework has been adopted."
The European Accessibility Act introduced a list of requirements that must be met by businesses that produce, sell, and distribute e-books and e-readers, effective June 2025, with the goal of making e-books and e-readers fully accessible to those with disabilities. EIBF said the rules "will mostly affect the work of publishers, but they will have an impact on bookshops as well."
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| Robbie Egan | |
Robbie Egan, CEO of BookPeople (the Australian booksellers association), offered some bookselling holiday cheer to members in the final e-newsletter of the year, noting: "I write to wish you all the best for the last twelve days of trade before Christmas day. You're doing the vital work of finding an audience for writers and illustrators locally and around the world. Ordering online will continue of course, but the arrival of packages is no longer a guarantee. We're at the coalface and there's no going back now, it's head down and take no prisoners. The best kind of shopping experience is in person for both discoverability and for direct advice. Get those books into hands, wrap them up with care and send them out into the world. There's no better feeling.
"Go well friends and colleagues, look after yourselves and those close to you. Smash the Christmas trade and we'll be back in the new year for another go around the sun." --Robert Gray