The Barnes & Noble proxy fight is over but the more significant drama–will the chain be sold or restructured–will continue for what could be months. Press accounts generally concur with a NYT report from over a week ago indicating that about 20 parties have at least expressed interest in looking at the company’s books. Most are thought to be private equity players, but there are “some strategic” companies looking as well, according to the WSJ. Sources tell the Times that preliminary bids are due in October, though reelected chairman Len Riggio says he hopes the process will be completed “within […]
Archives for September 2010
People, Etc.
Colleen Martin has joined the Johnson Literary Agency as rights manager. Nielsen has launched BookScan in India, estimating that they are covering “over 50 percent of organized book sales” there to start. It’s the tenth territory in which they operate a book sales tracking service, joining the US, UK, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and Denmark. Ingram Publisher Services announced that they will distribute for Zondervan, serving their field sales, gift and special market accounts starting November 1.
Scholastic Confirms Kids Like Devices–Maybe More than Reading
Scholastic hired Harrison Group to conduct their 2010 survey this spring on reading habits of kids ages 6 through 17. As you would expect, the older kids get, the more they spend leisure time online and with their cell phones rather than reading books for pleasure. Kids love gadgets, and thus 57 percent “are interested in reading an ebook.” (But when queried about which type of device, typically only a third answered in the affirmative, so that 57 percent overall interest could be high.) A third “say they would read more books for fun if they had access to ebooks […]
Shipment Data Shows iPads Outnumbering All eReaders Combined
IMS Research has released their second quarterly report on the ereader market, covering Q2 2010, promising data on “actual shipments on eBook frontplanes, eBook displays, eBook readers, iPads and iPad displays.” They say that the iPad is being produced in greater quantities than nearly 40 ebook readers combined, with 3.3 million iPads and a total of 2.4 million ereaders. The company has increased its full-year forecast for iPads to expectations of 15.6 million units shipped in 2011, growing to a whopping 46 million units in 2011. (They’re just guessing, but that doesn’t include other tablets.) They also report that both […]
eShorts: BISG Renews Study, Xerox Expands Espresso Relationship, Blio’s Underwhelming Launch
The BISG‘s Today quarterly survey of Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading has been funded for another two years. Executive Director Scott Lubeck notes: “By employing collective industry resources, this study is providing a baseline for understanding what we need to know about the new book consumer, now and in the future.” In time for some attention at next week’s Graph Expo in Chicago, Xerox has “announced” again that starting in “early 2011” they will “market, sell or lease and service” the Espresso Book Machine. The companies originally announced their intention to market and sell jointly at the beginning of the […]
Powell’s Readies New Space for their Technical Books
As previously announced, Powell’s closed their Technical Books store on Sunday. They are in the midst of moving the inventory into a new space across from the main City of Books store in Powell’s Books Building 2. The new store is set to open October 1. President Emily Powell comments in their announcement, “Our goal was to bring technical books closer to the millions of visitors at the City of Books and to connect that inventory to our main store location. We hope this offers a better shopping experience for our customers.”