After adamantly denying that the company was interested in a sale, on Wednesday after the close of the market Barnes & Noble reversed itself and announced that the board “has decided to enter into a formal review process to evaluate strategic alternatives for the company.” They say that decision came after “expressions of interest from multiple parties in making an offer to acquire the company, including from the company’s chairman, Leonard Riggio.” The stock jumped by more than 25 percent in early trading on Thursday on the news but has been giving back some ground since, up about $1.10 a share or […]
People: Schrank to Take Over From Rubin At Holt
Holt president and publisher Steve Rubin wrote Wednesday, “It is my great pleasure to announce that I have found my successor. His name is [Razorbill publisher] Ben Schrank and, effective November 1, he will become senior vice president and publisher of Henry Holt, reporting to me.” They will “work hand in hand” for six months and on May 1, Schrank will become president and publisher, reporting to Don Weisberg. Rubin will become chairman, also reporting to Weisberg, “working with specific authors and perhaps even occasionally acquiring projects.” Rubin notes, “I have been doing this job for many moons, both at […]
More October Picks, Awards
Picks The October Pennie’s Pick at Costco is Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. Target announced Book Club selections for both October and November, choosing Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land and The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel, respectively. The October title for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club Now Read This is American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee. Barnes & Noble‘s top fiction picks for the month include Buzz Books 2018 Fall/Winter title Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, as well as: The Clockmaker’s Daughter, by Kate Morton Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks The Next Person You Meet […]
So Amazon Will Respond to Public Pressure, Raising US Wages to $15 An Hour
After Amazon initially met accusations that they pay workers too little from Senator Bernie Sanders and others with pushback, the company announced a more productive course: “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” ceo Jeff Bezos said in their press release. “We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.” That change is a promise to pay all US workers a minimum of $15 an hour, starting November 1 — including part-time, temporary and seasonal workers, and including divisions such as […]
Things Will Move Around Again At Frankfurt, Starting Next Year
The Frankfurt Book Fair announced some changes to expect starting with next year’s show, in 2019, due to construction at the fairgrounds. Floor 6.3, which has served as the agents’ center for a number of years — and finally had the agents next to (or actually above) North American publishers as of 2015 — is being turned into “a technical control center.” So the agents will be moved away from everyone else again, moving into the historic Festhalle near the fair’s main City entrance. (The Festhalle is the attractive older, roundish building that traditionally has not been utilized for the […]
Amazon’s New Soho Store Sells…Stuff
The new Amazon Store space at 72 Spring Street in NYC’s Soho — once thought to be a bookstore — introduces a new concept in the company’s physical store portfolio. Opening Thursday, the awkwardly named “Amazon 4-star” is a general merchandise store that sells a bunch of stuff with high Amazon customer reviews, along with the usual selection of Amazon devices. Like their Books stores, Prime members get better prices in store — though now, “digital price tags alongside every product show the Prime price and list price.” Also like the Books stores, this is part of the broader retail […]