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Briefs: FBF Trade Attendance Declines Slightly; Retailers Send Mail On eBook Settlement Credits

October 15, 2012
By Michael Cader

The Frankfurt Book Fair said that trade attendance decline 1.6 percent–while total visitors including the German public rose slightly, by 0.6 percent. FBF said in their release that “the fact that the number of visitors declined only marginally during the trade visitors’ days reflects the fact that the industry remains optimistic and is well equipped to face its challenges.”

As previously announced, major ebook retailers started notifying qualifying customers by email that they will be entitled to unspecified store credits as part of the settlement of the suit by state attorneys general and the three Settlers. Amazon’s mail landed first, and thus became national news. Apple has started emailing customers, too, and Barnes & Noble and Kobo will do so as well as part of the agreed upon procedures. As we noted in September (How the Settlement Will Boost the Book Business), the settlement funds will serve as a modest Book Publishing Stimulus Plan after the court approves the arrangement some time after the February 8, 2013 hearing.

One important detail–potentially lost on customers receiving those mails–is that anyone who wants a check instead of store credit has to make that request on or before December 12, even though no one will know how much a credit they are entitled to until after the February hearing. Requesting a credit takes some work; Amazon customers are referred to the settlement website’s home page only (though the actual request form is buried here). Apple actually offers a toll-free phone number. The modest number of customers who purchased qualifying ebooks from Google, Sony and other smaller stores must file a written form documenting their purchases in order to be eligible, also by that December 12 date.

The other important detail, which was the focus of our “stimulus” piece, is that store credits awarded as part of the settlement must be spent on ebooks or print books only; they cannot be used for other purchases from the participating retailers. And those credits must be used within a year.

Veronica Roth is the current rave among teen readers, according to a new survey.

A survey of teenagers by the young adult division of the American Library Association found that Veronica Roth’s DIVERGENT was the favorite book among those voting online, followed by John Green’s THE FAULT OF OUR STARS and Marie Lu’s LEGEND.

In people news, Thomas Gladysz has joined the Arion Press as director of marketing and sales. He was at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California for the last year and a half, and previously worked at The Booksmith in San Francisco.

Filed Under: Book Fairs, DOJ, ebookstores, eNews, Free, Legal, Personnel

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