In other Amazon news, there’s much consternation over the company’s one-day promotion to encourage people to use their mobile Price Check app. To be clear, the promotion does not apply to books–just to toys, electronics, sporting goods, music and DVDs. The offer, good for Saturday, December 10 only, provides a 5 percent discount (capped at a maximum of $5) on up to three qualifying times. Users must run the latest version of Amazon’s price checking app, and enable the geo-location feature. More broadly, however, Amazon wants to encourage shoppers to “submit” local price data to the etailer, presumably to sharpen […]
Archives for December 2011
Amazon Enters Children’s Book Market By Acquiring Marshall Cavendish’s Trade List
Amazon announced Tuesday afternoon that it has a deal to acquire Marshall Cavendish Children’s Book’s US trade publishing list, comprising more than 450 children’s books. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Amazon will publish the acquired titles “under an imprint of Amazon’s New York publishing unit” under Larry Kirshbaum, who is now described as publisher of Amazon Publishing, East Coast Group, vaulting the company into the children’s book market. Signaling larger intentions, the company says in the announcement “the acquisition creates the foundation for Amazon Publishing to further expand into picture books, chapter books and YA novels.” The deal allows Marshall Cavendish […]
People: Abrams Restructures Editorial Team, and More
Abrams announced a series of changes to its editorial and art & design departments, which will now be spearheaded by svp, publisher Steve Tager. Deborah Aaronson has been promoted to associate publisher, adult trade, with responsibility for Abrams’ adult editorial resources and the adult art and design department. Both Aaronson and publishing director for lifestyle Leslie Stoker will report to Tager. Jennifer Levesque moves up to editorial director, reporting to Aaronson, where she will oversee Abrams Image. Adam Silverman is joining Monsoon Commerce as general manager of Alibris. CEO Brian Elliott says “his appointment reinforces our commitment to developing the […]
eNews: Thomas Allen Offer Digital Shorts Through Indie Websites; Judy Blume Classics in Digital Format; and More
Thomas Allen and Cormorant Books have partnered for a new digital short story initiative called cStories, ePub files that can be bought through independent booksellers’ websites for $1.99. Transcontinental Media will manage downloads and digital warehousing, taking a 10 percent share of revenues. (Thomas Allen & Cormorant will take 50 percent, while 40 per cent will go to booksellers.) “This is our way of helping independent booksellers be involved in digital retailing,” Thomas Allen marketing manager David Glover told Quill & Quire. “We know if people begin to read these stories, they’ll want more.” In other eNews, Penguin Children’s is […]
As the Euro Burns, the European Commission Investigates Agency eBook Pricing
As the European Union wrestles with its very financial foundations, their antitrust agency the European Commission is focusing on the essential issue: It will formally investigate whether the original Agency Five and Apple “have engaged in illegal agreements or practices that would have the object or the effect of restricting competition in the European Union or in the European Economic Area.” The Commission says it is “examining the character and terms of the agency agreements entered into…for the sale of e-books. The Commission has concerns that these practices may breach EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.” […]
GoodReads Members Pick Favorite Books
GoodReads.com members have picked Veronica Roth’s YA debut DIVERGENT as their Favorite Book of 2011, with over 10,000 votes (and 50 percent of members who read the book were 25 or older). Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 was the fiction favorite, and Alexandra Robbins’ The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth was the nonfiction selection. In all the honors span 22 categories this year. Other winners included Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs (history & biography); Stephen King’s 11/22/63 (science fiction); Tina Fey’s Bossypants (humor); and Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife (historical fiction). In other lists, the Kansas City Star picked their top 11 books of […]