Archives for September 2006

State of Early Release The NYT bought a copy of Bob Woodward’s STATE OF DENIAL, set for release next week, in time for a front page story today. The Daily News bought a copy, too, even though the Times gets all the credit. They say Woodward found himself “speechless” by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s repeated refusals to take responsibility or admit to how bad the situation in Iraq has become. “How could he not see his role and responsibility? I could think of nothing more to say.” Woodward’s own paper scrambled to throw up a story earlier today that […]

More Bad News at Waterstone’s Same-store sales at Waterstone’s have continued their ugly decline (falling every reporting period since spring 2005) — which is even worse than it sounds, since the bar for comparison keeps getting lower. For the fiscal year to date, comparable sales fell 4.1 percent (though the company helpfully broke this down into an awful nine-week stretch at the beginning of the period, followed by a much-improved, just plain bad 12-week stretch thereafter). Gross margins declined as well, “reflecting a more promotional book market.” HMV report Personnel News The Poetry Foundation has named Jack Prelutsky to a […]

Back to the Future Not only did Sony present their new Reader device to the press last night, but they also made it available for sale immediately through their online store, selling for $350. Borders will be the first physical retailer to put units on sale, in October, and Sony says additional retail partners outside of bookselling will be announced soon. Borders will carry the units in about 300 stores. The Reader only works fully with the Windows XP platform for now however, though it can display unencrypted standard file formats such as PDF and text files, still good for […]

Changes at Scholastic; Cecka Promoted; PW Goes Free to Booksellers Under New Publisher, and More Personnel News Scholastic’s svp, trade publishing and deputy publisher Ellie Berger is being promoted to publisher. Publisher, hardcover and early childhood Andrea Davis Pinkney will now serve as an editor-at-large to focus on working directly with authors — still reporting directly to president for book fairs and trade Lisa Holton — and recently-hired vp, business development Corinne Helman will “expand her role in the division, overseeing all business operations, planning and financial analysis.” Units reporting to Berger include Klutz, Chicken House, Scholastic Press, Orchard Books, […]

Musharraf Stumps for Book Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s book releases today, after numerous teases from the leader — including a plug at a press conference with President Bush on Friday, when Musharraf responded to a question by saying: “I am launching my book on the 25th, and I am honor-bound to Simon & Schuster not to comment on the book before that day.” (Bush added, “In other words, buy the book, is what he’s saying.”) He made the most newsworthy charge — that when Richard Armitage was deputy Secretary of State in 2001, he threatened that if Pakistan did not […]

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