For months, Barnes & Noble has promised investors and the press that a new digital strategy was in the works as its Nook operations continued to decline in revenues and lose money. That strategy, announced Thursday, is a partnership with Samsung to create co-branded Galaxy 4 tablets powered by Nook software. The 7-inch tablet is expected to be available for sale in August and will be sold at BN’s stores, where they will be “prominently displayed” alongside the e-Ink Nook Glowlight. BN ceo Michael Huseby said in a statement that working with Samsung on the tablet “will allow [Barnes & Noble] to reduce its […]
Archives for June 2014
Colbert Gives Amazon The Finger, And Collects Pre-Orders for A Hachette Author
Hachette Book Group author Stephen Colbert used his Comedy Central television show to speak out on the battle between his publisher and Amazon on Wednesday night. “Now I’m not just mad at Amazon,” Colbert said, “I’m mad Prime.” After explaining the standoff to his viewers, Colbert concluded by offering Amazon a special “little package” that ships immediately: He opened the box to reveal his obscured middle finger, and then noted, “customers who enjoy this, also enjoy this” (adding his second middle finger). In the second part of the segment, Colbert brought out another HBG author Sherman Alexie. “You root for […]
Amazon Has A Powerful New Angle for the Media: June 18 Device Launch
Talking about books as “demand-weighted units” and telling customers they “encourage you to purchase …from one of our competitors” hasn’t played too well on the editorial pages for Amazon in their standoff with Hachette Book Group over terms, but on Wednesday the company floated a more positive story to change the narrative in the media. CEO Jeff Bezos will convene “a new device launch” in Seattle on June 18. A teaser video shows delighted people looking down at something they say is amazing, reaffirming longstanding rumors that Amazon has a 3-D cellphone on the way.
Getting Things Straight: Two Wonky But Important Hachette/Settlement Things People Get Wrong
We’ve been doing a lot of talking to other members of the press the last couple of weeks (mostly on background) helping to explain some of the details of the legal issues around ebook pricing — and we’ve been reading a lot of articles, as usual. There are two important errors/misunderstandings, both in press accounts and even among some well-informed industry people, that keep getting repeated as if fact, so we wanted to clear that up for you. 1. One is the idea that “Hachette is up first” according to the court’s schedule for staggered renegotiations of e-book contracts with […]
Einhorn to Join Flatiron Books, “Now A Full-Spectrum New Publishing Company”
Macmillan and Flatiron Books have now announced what we couldn’t put on the record in May when reporting Amy Einhorn‘s impending departure from Putnam because none of the principals would confirm it at the time. She will join Flatiron Books as svp and publisher on July 21. Macmillan ceo John Sargent notes that “Flatiron Books, with Bob Miller’s great expertise in non-fiction and Amy’s great talent in fiction, is now a full-spectrum new publishing company with tremendous potential.” Miller, Flatiron’s president, says in the announcement, “While our original plan was to publish non-fiction, forming this partnership offers us an irresistible way to […]
Byliner Admits to Authors It’s Seeking A Sale
Further to our own report from last week that Byliner has been looking for a buyer (and has strongly suggested that it will not be able to continue business for long without a sale or new investment), the company sent an email to authors on Tuesday. “As for our own story, it’s undergoing some changes,” it says in a letter signed The Byliner Team. “We’ve struggled to reach the level of growth we’d been hoping for the business, and thus we’ve begun conversations with possible partners about the future of Byliner. We’re working to find a good home for our […]