Google has acquired eBook Technologies Inc., co-founded and run by president Garth Conboy and ceo Jon Rivlin, for undisclosed terms. The search giant comments very briefly, “Together, we hope to deliver richer reading experiences on tablets, electronic readers and other portable devices.” Conboy and Rivlin are longtime ebook pioneers, both having served in executive positions at SoftBook Press and then Gemstar in the first ebook bubble. Conboy currently serves as chairman of the board of the IDPF, and Conboy and Rivlin both are the inventors/co-inventors of many ebook-related patents, including cryptography and secure content distribution, eBook UI, resource/database dynamic conversion […]
Archives for January 2011
Bookselling: British Bookshops Goes Into Administration; Book Sales Boost Tesco; and More
Sussex-based chain British Bookshops as gone into administration, with recovery specialists Zolfo Cooper on board and Simon Appell, Fraser Gray, and Stuart Mackellar appointed as joint administrators. The news comes less than a year after managing director John Simpson led a buyout from turnaround specialists Endless, and added 12 stores for a total of 51 across the UK. Earlier today the Bookseller reported that Macmillan Distribution had stopped shipping stock to the retailer for non-payment of its October account, despite repeated assurances the bill would be paid by the end of December. One publisher said the store “has been refusing […]
People, Announcements, Etc.
Kate Hamill is leaving her position as editor at It Books/HarperCollins, where she acquired the #1 NYT bestseller SH*T MY DAD SAYS, to join the business development team of the social publishing and reading site Scribd. Her last day is tomorrow. Going forward, she can be reached at kate@scribd.com. Joe Gores, a three-time Edgar Award winner and most recently, the author of SPADE AND ARCHER, the authorized prequel to THE MALTESE FALCON, died Monday. He was 79 and had been in poor health in recent years. A memorial mass will be held on Friday January 21 at 11:30 a.m. at […]
Borders to Close TN Distribution Center; Will Meet with Publishers As A Group
Borders will close what remains of their distribution center in LaVergne, TN by mid-July, providing notice to approximately 300 employees that they will be let go. The company closed a returns center at the same location last year. They say it is part of their “long-term plan to enhance the efficiency of its distribution network and reduce operating expenses.” The company added in a statement, “After an extensive review of its supply chain, the company found it has excess capacity in its distribution network and requires only two distribution centers to process and ship inventory to stores.” They also have […]
People, Awards, Etc.
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has hired Andi Sporkin for the new position of vp, communications, reporting to president Tom Allen. Sporkin will “develop and direct integrated communications, external outreach and marketing for AAP’s advocacy efforts.” Her responsibilities will include legal, legislative and regulatory communications; media relations; industry branding initiatives; public affairs; and management of AAP’s Communications team. Sporkin was vp, communications at NPR from 2005-2008, worked for CBS for 13 years, and also led communications divisions at Disney and Sony Pictures. National Book Network has eliminated six positions in their sales force, which company head Jed Lyons says […]
eNews: BAM Launches Reader App with Bluefire; S&S Joins Foursquare; Nelson Enrolls 20,000 Bloggers
Books-a-Million has launched their own reading app for the iOS platform, which works with Adobe’s DRM and they say will display ebooks originally purchased for the Nook. (BAM sells the Nook devices through their physical and online stores.) An offer on the BAM web site promises $100 in coupons with the first ebook purchase through the app. It looks as if the app was released in late November, but BAM has just put out a press release touting it today. It was created by Bluefire Productions, which says this is their “first private label application.” On the release date issue, […]