ABA ceo Oren Teicher uses one of his periodic letters to members to underscore the work the organization is doing in conjunction with publishers to test new business models: “It’s imperative that both booksellers and publishers demonstrate a clear commitment to taking out a clean sheet of paper and asking ourselves: If we were to design business models that would give our industry the best possible opportunities for success today, what would they look like?” The organization has been “asking publishers to individually identify and test their own innovative ideas that might eventually benefit all stakeholders in our industry.” While […]
Bookstores
Google eBooks Launch in the UK; Weltbild Adds German Readers
We’re glad we won’t have to spend the early days of the Frankfurt Book Fair wondering when Google will launch their long-expected UK ebookstore: it is live now. It looks just like the US version, except when visited from US IP addresses you mostly see blank carousels, so there is not a lot to check out. (We infer the store is IP restricted, since UK visitors report seeing a regular store display.) Strategic partner development manager Jason Hanley told The Bookseller, which has the first story on the store, that the Australian and Canadian versions will launch “soon.” As announced […]
Bookselling: New Stores in NE and OK; Last Newfoundland Indie May Close
Owner of The Sequel Bookshop in Kearny, NE Lisa Neuheisel plans to open a temporary bookstore in North Platte from October 22 through January 15, with plans to make it permanent if sales meet expectations. “It’s just a trial,” Neuheisel told the North Platte Telegraph about the shop, which is located in a mall that once housed a Waldenbooks. “We’ll see how it goes from there.” The shop will primarily carry overstock and discounted items, but not used books. North Platte Telegraph Half Price Books will open its third location in Edmond, OK, which will be its 114th store nationwide. […]
Bookselling: Stores Open in Wasilla, AK and Katonah, NY; More BAMM Stores; And More
Buy the Book will open in Wasilla, AK this November in a location previously occupied by a Waldenbooks, with staff including former Walden employees. Co-owner Maria Clark told the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman a customer pitched in $25,000 in seed money to re-open the store as an independent shop; its previous incarnation was “profitable” despite the problems of its parent company. Children’s bookstore Little Joe’s Books will open on October 6 in Katonah, NY above its sister store, NoKa Joe’s restaurant and café. Owner Jennifer Cook told the Daily Bedford that residents most wanted to see a bookstore open in their […]
Bookselling: Joseph-Beth To Open New Store in KY; Two More Stores Close; and More
Joseph-Beth, which only recently emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy, announced Friday that it will open a new store in Crestview Hills, KY. Chief executive Mark Wilson told Cincinnati.com the company stepped in to take over the lease as soon as it learned of Borders’ liquidation in July. “Books and bookstores are not going to go away,” Wilson said Friday. “Bookstores still work – the business model still works. But books by themselves don’t work. You have to have the right mix.” The store aims to open in late November or early December, hire 30 workers (many of them former Borders […]
Powell’s Reorganizes Management As Eight Executives Depart
Powell’s Books has laid off “eight managers with many years of service to the company” as part of a reorganization of their corporate management structure. The company say it’s part “a continued effort to respond to the rapidly changing book industry.” Emily Powell acknowledges, “This is a difficult and painful time for Powell’s. The managers who were laid off today will be greatly missed.” CEO of Operations Ann Smith is retiring after 26 years at the company. Emily Powell will serve as president and ceo, managing marketing and store operations, as Miriam Sontz expands her role as chief operating officer, […]