Riding a strong wave of pre-publication coverage — from an authorized excerpt to a broken embargo — Random House is moving up publication of Gabriel Sherman’s THE LOUDEST VOICE IN THE ROOM to Tuesday, January 14 (originally set for release on the 21st).
Archives for January 2014
National Book Festival Leaves Mall for Washington Convention Center
The National Book Festival will leave the Mall after 12 years as an outdoor festival and relocate indoors to the Washington Convention Center. As part of the move, first indicated at last September’s event after complaints from the National Park Service over damage to the grass on the Mall, the two-day event will take place over a single day, with additional evening events, and new features that were not allowed previously, such as a possible cooking demonstration area. The Park Service’s deputy superintendent for planning at the National Mall and Memorial Parks Stephen Lorenzetti told the Washington Post: “There are new […]
A World of Information and Contacts
The BBC will have a crew on-site throughout next week’s biggest-ever Digital Book World for general coverage and as part of documentary they are shooting on Amazon — one of our main discussion themes. They are part of our largest international contingent ever. Even though most of the big last-minute registration wave comes from local visitors, we’re still getting enrollment from around the world (including Moscow, Melbourne and Torino just this morning). Like all the best trade events, DBW is about the people you see and meet as much as the over 100 expert speakers you’ll hear from. Two of […]
Digital “White Boxes,” and More
NetGalley has paired with the American Booksellers Association for a program that will offer member booksellers exclusive access to certain digital galleys. As the release explains, “the Digital White Box program complements and expands on the long-standing Red and White Box programs, which provide physical galleys and book promotional information to qualifying ABA member stores.” The first selection of titles in the new program will be offered to booksellers starting in February. Separately, IndieReader.com will display a collection of self-published books with their reviews and ratings through the digital catalog service Edelweiss (for a fee of $399). Co-owner of The […]
Soft Holiday Sales for Barnes & Noble Are Still An “Improvement” As Digital Content Falls Again
Barnes & Noble followed up their weak second quarter sales report with some improvement over the following 9-week holiday sales period (through December 28): Same-store sales at the BN superstores and BN.com declined 6.6 percent overall, and 5.5 percent on a comparable-sales basis, at $1.1 billion. But nearly all of the retail decline was due to weaker sales of Nook devices and accessories; “core” store sales were “essentially flat”, down 0.2 percent compared to last year. General book sales probably declined more, since the company points to “strong increases in our juvenile, gift and toys & games categories.” But the […]
People, Etc: Hachette to Expand Warehouse, and More
With a growing business in distributing other publishers, Hachette Book Group announced that it will expand its distribution center in Indiana, adding 218,000 square feet of space and 10 more full-time jobs. (A subsequent article noted they are investing $6.1 million in the new facility.) Construction is scheduled to begin in March. The company says “this investment confirms HBG’s intention to continue to control its own physical supply chain.” Ceo Michael Pietsch says in the announcement, “Distribution is a vital and growing part of our business at HBG, and it continues to be a high priority. We’ve been very successful […]