National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson’s new novel for adults, Another Brooklyn, is the No. 1 pick on the ABA’s August Indie Next List. Also on this list is Tim Murphy’s debut novel Christodora, included in our Buzz Books 2016: Spring/Summer ebook, and I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows, an excerpt of which you can read right now in Buzz Books 2016: Fall/Winter. The rest of the list comprises: Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko, by Scott Stambach The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware The Secret Language of Stones, by M.J. Rose […]
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More Barnes & Noble Fiscal Facts
Barnes & Noble followed their headline fourth quarter press release with more extensive SEC filings by the end of the day on Thursday providing a number of additional details worth reviewing: Settlement Credits Perhaps contributing to the company’s slightly positive sales forecast for the new fiscal year, BN says that their customers have been allocated up to $95.7 million in total credits as a result of Apple’s settlement of the ebook pricing lawsuit. Though redemptions of the first round of ebook settlement credits, funded by the publishers, were higher than anticipated — running at about 76 percent of the available funds — for […]
Amazon to Open Third Bookstore Near Portland, OR; Three Lives Contemplates Move
Amazon will open its third physical bookstore approximately 10 miles outside of Portland, OR in Tigard. The store will be located in the Washington Square Mall (which contains an Apple store, among other retail outlets) and Amazon is already advertising job openings. An Amazon spokesperson told Fortune: “We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to Washington Square, and we are currently hiring store managers and associates. Stay tuned for additional details down the road.” Portland is, of course, Powell’s country; the Tigard location is about 4 miles from Powell’s Beaverton store at Cedar Hills Crossing. Amazon Books previously opened a store […]
Bookselling Briefs: Teen Fest, More BookCon, Amazon College and iBooks Extras
Barnes & Noble says that for their weekend teen book festival, June 10 through June 12, sporting the hip and happening name “B-Fest,” they have lined up “more than 1,800 author appearances at stores nationwide.” Chief merchandising officer Mary Amicucci says in the announcement, “This is not only the most author appearances in one weekend in the history of Barnes & Noble, it’s also a hugely important moment for authors and publishers. By rallying together in such a powerful way, we’re giving teens across the country the unique opportunity to meet and interact with their favorite authors at their local store, and […]
Bookselling: Sales and Comps Decline Again at WHSmith; Sweet Reads Sells Books & Candy; and More
WH Smith reported results for the quarter ending June 4, with high street store sales down 4 percent and comps declining 3 percent compared to the same period last year. (In the European tradition, the quarterly report is provided as a brief “trading update” with no actual figures; those come only twice a year.) The company said they “continue with our profit focused strategy with sales in the period in line with expectations.” Release Sweet Reads, a new store that sells both books and candy, has opened in Austin, MN. Owners John and Lisa Deyo conceived of the concept over the course […]
Barnes & Noble at NYC’s Citicorp to Close As Building Renovates
Barnes & Noble’s midtown Manhattan store at the Citicorp building will close at the end of the month, as owner Boston Properties undertakes a renovation of the base and has declined to renew the bookseller’s lease. BN’s vice president of development David Deason indicates to Crain’s that they are in discussions about returning to the space after the renovations are completed, though previously Boston Properties president Douglas Linde had indicated “that the real estate company wanted to empty out the six-story retail and commercial base of the building and bring in higher-end food options and outdoor terraces.”