#1 Pick: Left Neglected: A Novel, by Lisa GenovaA Lonely Death: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery, by Charles ToddThe Poison Tree: A Novel, by Erin KellyThe Lake of Dreams: A Novel, by Kim EdwardsClara and Mr. Tiffany: A Novel, by Susan VreelandBattle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy ChuaBird Cloud: A Memoir, by Annie ProulxThe Radleys: A Novel, by Matt HaigUnless It Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing, by Roger RosenblattThe Year of the Hare: A Novel, by Arto PaasilinnaGideon’s War: A Novel, by Howard GordonToward the Setting Sun: John Ross, the Cherokees and the […]
Bookstores
Amazon’s New Slippery Slope: Selling Purported WikiLeaks Material As An eBook
Amazon stumbled last month in deciding whether or not to sell a self-published ebook on pedophilia, at first saying “it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable,” but then removing the work without further comment in the face of public and media outcry. The company has already been in the hotseat once this month in connection with the WikiLeaks release of 250,000 classified US foreign relations cables–briefly hosting the site through its web services division, but then removing the material for violating the company’s posted terms of service. Yet Amazon […]
Market Mulls Barnes & Noble & Borders
The market and media are both continuing to speculate on Bill Ackman’s attention-getting theoretical offer finance a purchase of Barnes & Noble and merger with Borders. Barnes & Noble stock jumped sharply in early trading yesterday and gave back some of the gains to finish at $14.69 a share. But they have rallied again today, almost touching the $16 price floated by Ackman about an hour ago. Borders, which is almost a penny stock, rose even more on a percentage basis yesterday on huge volume, but is down for the day today. As we suggested yesterday, the most likely outcome […]
Indies and Google eBooks: Second-Day Scrutiny
As reported yesterday morning, Google eBooks rolled out in various forms during the day yesterday, including integration with participating partner stores from the American Booksellers Association’s ecommerce platform. The ABA posted a list of stores “that have opted-in to sell Google eBooks online”–but as of our check earlier this morning, only 61 of the listed store websites have integrated Google eBooks and let customers know that somewhere on their home page (while 62 store sites have yet to do so.) While there was celebration that at some indies went live in concert with Google–and WORD Books of Brooklyn, NY reported […]
Ackman Is Back, Still Trying to Put Together Borders and Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble stock has sunk so low again that investor Bill Ackman of Pershing Square–who lost a considerable sum on his company’s 37 percent stake in Borders–has returned to the scene with a provocative offer. Ackman still thinks there is financial reason to put the two big bookselling chains together, likely as a salvage route for Borders more than anything, and indicates he will finance a $16 a share takeover offer for the smaller, weaker Borders to buyout BN. The theoretical offer was declared in an SEC filing saying his companies “would be prepared to finance, on mutually acceptable […]
Bookselling: Northern Lights May Close, Palin Books Defaced
Duluth, MN store Northern Lights Books & Gifts has been on the market since August with no buyer yet. Owner Anita Zager tells the local paper she will close the store when her lease expires next February if a buyer does not emerge. Zager says she is exiting due to both family concerns and competition from e-books. “It’s kind of a Gutenberg moment,” she says. “If we had the ability to sell e-books to our customers, it would be different.”Duluth News Tribune At the Borders store at the Indianapolis airport, copies of books by both Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck […]