Same-store sales fell 3.6 percent at Books-A-Million in their fiscal first quarter, ending May 1, as total sales of $117 million decline one percent. Net income of $2 million was just $100,000 lower than a year ago. CEO Clyde Anderson says, “While we continued to face a challenging sales environment during the period, I’m pleased that our ongoing discipline in cost control and inventory management delivered solid financial results.”Release
Bookstores
Barnes & Noble Launches Online Self-Publishing Program, PubIt!
BN has finally announced an electronic self-publishing program via BN.com and their ebookstore to compete with Amazon and others, “coming in summer.” The company announced scant details, but assures independent publishers and individual authors that they “will appreciate PubIt!’s simple and competitive royalty model and compensation process.” As described on their placeholder web page, they will convert digital files to EPUB. The program is pitched for both ebooks and broader “digital content.” Director of digital products Theresa Horner is the BN executive quoted in the release.Release
Amazon Adds Crossing, New Imprint for Fiction In Translation
The etailer announced a new imprint today, Amazon Crossing, which will publish English-language translation of works from other languages, starting with Tierno Monénembo’s French novel (and winner of the prix Renaudot) THE KING OF KAEL, translated by Nicholas Elliott. Run by vp of books Jeff Belle, he says “our international customers have made us aware of exciting established and emerging voices from other cultures and countries that have not been translated for English-language readers.” As with their Encore program, they say that they will “use customer feedback and other data from Amazon sites around the world to identify exceptional books […]
Bookselling: ABA and ABC Formalize Process of Considering Merger
The ABA and the ABC (Association of Booksellers for Children) have agreed on a process “to generate a formal plan for how ABC will be integrated into ABA should a merger vote be approved.” They hope to put a proposal to a vote of ABC membership in September and, if approved, expect a merger would be implemented at the beginning of 2011.BTW
Bookselling: ABA and ABC Formalize Process of Considering Merger
The ABA and the ABC (Association of Booksellers for Children) have agreed on a process “to generate a formal plan for how ABC will be integrated into ABA should a merger vote be approved.” They hope to put a proposal to a vote of ABC membership in September and, if approved, expect a merger would be implemented at the beginning of 2011.BTW
Publishing Veterans Bring Books & Books to Westhampton
Former Perseus ceo Jack McKeown and Verso Advertising president Denise Berthiaume will start a 2,000-square-foot bookstore, Books & Books Westhampton Beach, scheduled for a July 4-opening. In an unusual initiative, store owners McKeown and Berthiaume have created a marketing and branding affiliation with Mitch Kaplan’s renowned group of four Books & Books bookstores. They’ll use the layout and design of Kaplan’s stores on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach and in the Bal Harbour Shops mall. As an “event-intensive” venture the Westhampton store will work with Books & Books’ Florida staff to schedule author events, and they expect to share web, […]