Milwaukee’s Next Chapter Bookshop has taken fire from some people after announcing an appearance later this month by Karl Rove as he tours for Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. The Journal-Sentinel reports on owner Lanora Hurley responding by explaining the mission of a bookstore: “I just wanted to say to you that the whole point of an independent bookstore is to be a place that protects the First Amendment and allows the public to have access to whatever (legal) materials they would like. I do not agree with every author that comes to my […]
Bookstores
eNews: Sony Hits 10 Million; Apple Announces International Launch; Borders Taking eReader Pre-Orders; Making WikiBooks
Sony announced that they have sold 10 million ebook downloads (on top of any free downloads) since they opened for business in 2006. They also announced their all-time top 10 sellers: 1. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown2. I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson3. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer4. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer5. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett6. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer7. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer8. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson10. The Last Song, by Nicholas SparksRelease Apple has announced the launch of the iPad in Australia, Canada, France, […]
Burkle Boosts Stake and Sues Barnes & Noble Over Poison Pill
As expected, “activist” investor Ron Burkle revealed yesterday that he has taken the next logical step in his battle with Barnes & Noble, suing the company’s board in a Delaware Court. In his SEC filing, he disclosed additional purchases of BN shares in recent days as well, now controlling a 19.62 percent stake–just below the 20 percent limit of the company’s poison pill. In the lawsuit Burkle rails against a “self-dealing scheme designed to entrench the Riggio family in their control of Barnes & Noble and prevent an effective proxy contest from being mounted by Yucaipa or other public stockholders.” […]
International Bookselling: Borders Australia Challenges Amazon; Waterstone's Add Papercchase
Borders Australia is fighting Amazon (which does not have a local operation) with a new price guarantee, which the Sydney Morning Herald says “signals a new era in the way Australian book sellers compete in the global online market.” They will promise that if a customer finds a book that costs less from Amazon once shipping is included, Borders will pay the difference in price plus 10 percent.SMH In the UK, the FT reports that Waterstone’s will add in-store concessions from stationery chain Paperchase in 20 stores. Still owned by Borders, Paperchase used to have boutiques in the now-bankrupt Borders […]
Barnes & Noble Launches HP Store
BN’s online ebookstore for Hewlett-Packard launched today at hp.bn.com. HP announced a new line of computers today, and will link to the store from their PCs.
At Least Some Canadian Booksellers Ask Government to Lift Import Restrictions
The Canadian Booksellers Association said in a release last week that parallel import restrictions on books from publishers outside of Canada are “no longer commercially reasonable and should be repealed.” CBA vice president Mark Lefebvre told Quill & Quire that the current law, particularly given the strong Canadian dollar, is “a tariff on the Canadian book-buying public.” Part of the booksellers’ argument is that customers are driven to purchase cheaper editions from US online sellers. Canadian books are generally priced higher in Canadian dollars, so that when their currency reaches parity with the US dollar the Canadian editions are considerably […]