Barnes & Noble introduced the expected Nook Color at a splashy press conference on Tuesday afternoon convened in their own backyard, on the fourth floor of their Union Square store–which was transformed into a nightclub-style space for the event. What is it may be the most asked–or mis-answered–question in the days to come. Contrary to many press reports, it’s not a true tablet, and even though it has an Android operating system this is not a device to compete with the wave of notPads coming from Samsung, Dell, Blackberry, Motorola and others. It’s a touchscreen color ereader that integrates other […]
Bookstores
Seattle Judge Agrees with Amazon’s First Amendment Argument and Blocks North Carolina’s Sales Tax Request
US District Judge Marsha Pechman agreed with the argument that North Carolina’s request from Amazon for personal customer data that could be matched to their purchase records violates the First Amendment. She affirmed that an individual’s purchases of books, music, and other products is protected. Pechman indicated that the state was free to make a new request for customer data “provided it destroys any detailed information that the department currently possesses.”Bloomberg
Craft and Sentiment In Bookselling and Publishing: McNally Jackson Books, and Canada’s Gaspereau Press
Poets & Writers has a long featured interview with New York City bookseller Sarah McNally. The store is successful even without any ecommerce, but McNally talks candidly about her process of rethinking potential changes while remaining focused on her mission. “We opened without knowing what the hell we were doing, but somewhere along the line we’ve become a good bookstore. And I feel confident that we’re a good bookstore. But who cares in 2010? Does anyone care whether you’re a good bookstore? Is that enough? I don’t know.” McNally says her vision has been to provide “a community center for […]
Territorial Mess, Continued: Waterstone’s Stops “Overseas” eBook Sales
The Bookseller reports that Waterstone’s has discontinued selling ebooks to customers with billing addresses outside of the UK and Ireland. Spokesman Jon Howells says “it is basically due to rights of controlling where we sell books to” adding that “this is not a temporary move.” In an e-mail to customers the bookseller said “we have had to take this action to comply with the legal demands of publishers regarding the territories into which we can sell e-books.” The decision puts fresh spin on the already-tense landscape of “export” sales for English-language ebooks from out of both North America and the […]
With No Buyer, Salem, MA’s Cornerstone Books To Close
Owner Gilbert Pili told customers by e-mail that the store will close on November 1. Pili works in the financial industry and decided Cornerstone needs a full-time on-site owner. The store notably helped launched Brunonia Barry’s THE LACE READER and “developed a devoted following as host of the city’s literary festival and numerous book signings, readings, club meetings and other events.”Gloucester Times
Amazon to Borrow Nook’s Lending Feature; Company Discloses $269 Million Sales Tax Bill from Texas, and a Patent Lawsuit
On Friday Amazon announced on their Kindle forums that “later this year” they will borrow Nook’s “Lend Me” feature and make ebooks available for limited lending, using the same basic rule set: “Each book can be lent once for a loan period of 14-days and the lender cannot read the book during the loan period. Additionally, not all e-books will be lendable – this is solely up to the publisher or rights holder, who determines which titles are enabled for lending.” Everyone’s having lots of fun citing Jeff Bezos’s remarks on Nook’s Lend Me feature to Deborah Solomon in the […]