The French government is definitely thinking very seriously about the possibility of putting their foot down just a tiny bit regarding Amazon’s discount book offers. The National Assembly passed a weakened bill acknowledged in debate to target Amazon that would outlaw combining the massive maximum-allowed discount of 5 percent on new books along with free shipping. The bill will go to the Senate, and then, according to reports, back to the National Assembly. President of Amazon France Roman Voog told French newspaper Le Figaro: “Many consumers live a long way from a bookshop and appreciate being able to buy their […]
Bookstores
Bookselling: Tattered Cover Keeps Downtown Lease, Loses One Floor; Chapitre Bookstores for Sale in France; and More
Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado will stay put in its current downtown location (one of three stores, which the bookstore has rented since 1994) but with a catch: it must consolidate two floors into one. Owner Joyce Meskis told the Denver Business Journal that “in January, we will start the demolition of the [store’s] grand staircase with the goal of being resettled in our reconfigured first-floor space by mid-March.” Meskis did not disclose terms of the new rental deal, but added the one-floor store will have “approximately the same number of books,” with “much more tightly packed” shelves, but […]
October Bookseller Picks
Amazon named their best books of October, with Donna Tartt’s novel as their “spotlight” pick and Graeme Simsion’s novel (excerpted in our free Publishers Lunch Fall/Winter Buzz Books ebook sampler) as the “featured debut.” Two more Buzz Books from Elizabeth Gilbert and Luke Barr also make the list: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert Provence, 1970, Luke Barr Thank You for Your Service, David Finkel One Summer: America, 1927, Bill Bryson Allegiant (Divergent Trilogy), Veronica Roth Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton The Night Guest, Fiona McFarlane The Circle, Dave […]
eNews: Penguin Does Allow Direct Kindle Borrowing on OverDrive; Sony Won’t Sell New Reader in US; And More
Just two days after Penguin resumed selling digital library copies to OverDrive, the company has relinquished its requirement that library users who borrow Kindle editions from OverDrive must sideload them via USB. As OverDrive announced in a blog post, Penguin titles will be available for wireless download via OverDrive’s “Get for Kindle” button, which redirects to Amazon’s website. A spokesperson for Penguin declined to comment on what persuaded them to change their policy. Sony‘s latest e-reader, the PRS-T3, will not be sold in the US, effectively signaling the company’s exit from the market here after years of apparent decline and disinterest. […]
People, Etc.
The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency announced last week at the agency’s 35th anniversary celebration that Jennifer Weltz will succeed Jean Naggar as president of the agency, with Naggar moving to the new position of chair. Naggar noted that her daughter Weltz, who was named partner in 2004 and later vice president, “has been president in all but name these past few years” and that “her incisive intelligence, energy, marketing acumen, love of books, ready humor, and editorial flair have combined to build and lead JVNLA confidently into a future all of us here are reaching to identify.” Director of […]
Indies Pick Spring Debuts
The ABA has announced the 20 titles for their Spring 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices program. The list includes new NBF 5-Under-35 honoree Molly Antopol. Adult Fiction The Un-Americans, by Molly Antopol (Norton) The Kept, by James Scott (Harper) The Wives of Los Alamos, by Tarashea Nesbit (Bloomsbury) Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler (Thomas Dunne Books) Point of Direction, by Rachel Weaver (IG Publishing) Faces in the Crowd, by Valeria Luiselli (Coffee House Press) Adult Nonfiction If Only You People Could Follow Directions, by Jessica Hendry Nelson (Counterpoint) Badluck Way: A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West, by […]