Barnes & Noble ceo James Daunt told PW that the chain’s sales are “up about 5% to 6% so far this year, compared to 2019, with book sales up by double digits.” To put that in context, given BN’s long steady decline prior to Daunt’s tenure, sales look to have come back to a point slightly ahead of where they were in 2018, and still well below the levels in 2017 and 2016. That recovery has also lagged the overall market, as the pandemic lifted online book sales and hurt physical outlets. When BN was publicly traded their reporting periods […]
Bookstores
Greenlight Bookstore Union Wins Recognition
Owners of Greenlight Bookstores and Yours Truly stationery stores in New York have recognized their employees’ union, and the parties will now negotiate a contract. Approximately 40 workers who handle sales, stocking, and information services join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents employees from other New York indie bookstores. “I’m excited to be an RWDSU member, especially during this wave of unionization efforts happening across the country! I’m proud to work alongside people who are committed to supporting each other and our collective well-being. It’s time that Greenlight Bookstore and Yours Truly Brooklyn workers are empowered […]
A Late Price Increase for Gorman Book, And A Plan from Viking to Honor Early Pre-Orders
Earlier this week Viking increased the price of Amanda Gorman’s forthcoming poetry collection CALL US WHAT WE CARRY to $24.99, up from $19.99 when it was first announced. (The ebook and audio prices remained the same.) A month ago, the publisher moved back the publication date from September 21 to December 7, and retitled the book. First announced in January, the collection enjoyed significant preorders and promotional campaigns from retailers at the original price point. Copper Dog Books in Beverly, MA is among the stores that ran a preorder campaign, encouraged by PRH, and co-owner Meg Wasmer was happy to […]
Follett Said to Seek Sale
The NY Post has an interesting though mangled and incorrect story about college bookstores — so much so that one must read the whole thing with a bit of skepticism. For starters, they bury the lede: Privately-held Follett Corp. retained Morgan Stanley earlier this year and has been looking for a buyer, “according to a source with knowledge of the situation.” The company is likely to have suffered during the pandemic. Competitor Barnes & Noble Education saw college bookstore sales decline 22 percent in the past year. Follett also competes with Scholastic in school book fairs, with the latter reporting […]
Amazon to Try Larger Physical Stores
After relatively unremarkable experiments with small bookstores and shops selling miscellaneous well-rated goods (not to mention abandoned efforts at campus pick-up venues and mall pop-ups), next Amazon “plans to open several large physical retail locations…that will operate akin to department stores,” the WSJ reported. Early Amazon department stores are expected in Ohio and California, according to their sources, running around 30,000 square feet (or about the average size of book superstores in their heyday). The initiative has been in the works for some time: “Amazon approached some U.S. apparel brands roughly two years ago with the idea of opening large-scale […]
Bookselling: Long Island’s Book Revue to Be Evicted
After 44 years in business, Book Revue in Huntington, NY will be evicted on September 30 for nonpayment of rent, Newsday reports. According to landlord Emerson Dobbs III, the store didn’t pay rent for over a year. Store owner Richard Klein said that the store was closed for three months due to COVID, and that sales were slow after that. The store received $267,378 in PPP loans, which Klein says was used mostly for payroll and for one month of rent. “I thought we had an understanding that when the virus abated we would work out some kind of a […]