We’re back with another fascinating look at the prominent retailer and book club selections for November, along with four weeks of sales data to see how they performed in the marketplace. November gives a somewhat better view of the impact of the new version of Oprah’s Book Club, since this time she picked a book that was already published. (But her promotional linkage is to Apple and all we have available are print sales, not ebook and digital audio sales, so the value of that relationship remains opaque.) Separately, it was National Book Awards month, so we checked to see […]
The First of the Best of the Best Books of 2019
With today’s publication of three separate “books of the year” lists from the NYT’s daily book critics, along with recent additions from Molly Young at NY Magazine, and Maureen Corrigan at NPR, it’s time for the first installment of our signature aggregation of lists from all over that yield solid, consensus lists of the very best books of the year. (Separately, you’ll be shocked that Barnes & Noble picked the same book that Waterstones selected as book of the year — The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy, which has not been named by any […]
Barnes & Noble Education to “Review Strategic Opportunities” After Another Poor Quarter
Long-flailing Barnes & Noble Education reported results for another poor quarter, and now may go the way of the Barnes & Noble retail stores, announcing the hiring of a financial advisor to “review strategic opportunities.” That’s generally corporate-speak for putting a company in play, and they note the move comes “in response to a number of unsolicited inquiries.” But nothing is simple at BNED, and they say the adviser will “assist in a review of strategic opportunities to accelerate the execution of customer-focused strategic initiatives and enhance value for BNED shareholders, including, but not limited to, continued execution of the […]
Reisman Admits Indigo’s Transformation Hit “A Brick Wall,” Will Expand Proprietary Product and Experiences Next
Indigo ceo Heather Reisman spoke to BNN Bloomberg as part of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, funded by a $100 million donation from Reisman and her husband Gerry Schwartz. Reisman is more candid than she has been during recent Indigo investor calls in acknowledging that the first phase of the bookseller’s transformation is played out and more dramatic changes are needed. “As many people know, we started a big transformation a few years ago and we had really good success with it. And then we ran pretty much into what I call a […]
Briefs: Neon Literary, Bloomsbury’s China JV, and More
Agency News Anna Sproul-Latimer and Kent Wolf have joined to launch Neon Literary, with offices in New York and Washington, DC. Sproul-Latimer has been at the Yoon Ross Agency for almost 15 years, and Wolf has been at the Friedrich Agency. They say in their announcement “it was the eventual realization that their clients were intersecting–on social media, at events, and in writing groups–that signaled to the two agents that coming together made perfect sense.” “Neon Literary is on a mission to dismantle the Big Ideas Industry, smuggling money, power, and frontlist glory out to authors who might not have […]
Bookselling: BN Renegotiates Lease, More Holiday Shipping Offers
Barnes & Noble has been negotiating with their landlord in Coral Springs, FL over the renewal of their lease, which expires in February. By the landlord’s account, BN has said it cannot operate the 27,000-square-foot store profitably, and wants to renew for a store of only 12,000 to 13,000 square feet, at a lower lease rate. Simon & Schuster has expanded its rapid replenishment program this holiday season to cover all independent booksellers nationwide. And Scholastic has launched their holiday Indie Express Ship program. In “bestseller” news, two weeks after their release, five of six individually-sold Dean Koontz stories occupy […]