Bookshop.org has launched an ebook platform at long last, allowing indie bookstores to sell ebooks directly from their websites or through Bookshop, retaining the full 30 percent commission that publishers provide to retailers. (As with print books, sales without a specified brick and mortar store will go into a pool that is distributed among the participating bookstores on the platform.) Three million titles are initially available from all the major publishers according to the release, and the company says it will add self-published “for authors publishing through Draft2Digital or IngramSpark” and more indie publishers in the future. Ebooks from the […]
Bookstores
Full Circle: HMV Said to be Interested in WH Smith High Street Stores
HMV, the UK retailer that oversaw the near-death of Waterstones before selling the book chain in 2011 — and then went through two bankruptcy reorganizations — is now reported by the Sun to be “in discussions” about purchasing WH Smith’s high street stores. HMV is now owned by Doug Putman, a Canadian entrepreneur. Restructuring firms Hilco and Alteri and PE firm Modella Capital are also considered as likely bidders. The paper says, “The retail group has been in negotiations with several prospective buyers of the high street division for several weeks.” The Telegraph notes that “analysts have suggested the business, […]
WH Smith Explores Sale of Bookstores
UK retailer WH Smith is looking to sell their High Street business–that is, their trade bookstores–as it focuses on its more profitable airport stores. “WH Smith confirms that it is exploring potential strategic options for this profitable and cash generative part of the group, including a possible sale,” the company said in a statement. “Over the past decade, WH Smith has become a focused global travel retailer. The group’s travel business has over 1,200 stores across 32 countries, and three-quarters of the group’s revenue and 85% of its trading profit comes from the travel business. “There can be no certainty […]
Amazon and Bloomsbury Reach an Agreement After Brief Standoff
Bloomsbury has reached a new supply agreement with Amazon, after Amazon announced on Thursday that its contract with the publisher was expiring, and it would stop selling Bloomsbury print books in the UK, Europe, and Australia, and Bloomsbury Kindle books worldwide at midnight on January 23. Amazon posted an update late Thursday evening, writing, “As of 10.30 p.m. on 23 January, an agreement in principle has been reached between Amazon and Bloomsbury, and Bloomsbury books continue to be available for our customers.” Bloomsbury confirmed on their corporate site that they have “reached a new long term supply agreement with Amazon.” […]
Books Inc. Files for Chapter 11
Bay Area bookstore chain Books Inc. has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization. According to a release, Chapter 11 will allow Books Inc. to continue operating “while it establishes a sustainably solid financial footing in response to annual revenue losses resulting from steadily rising operating costs and dramatically changing consumer buying habits exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.” The Berkley location will close on February 9, with some of its staff transferring to other stores, and the 10 other stores will continue operating during the court proceedings. The Bankruptcy Code allows Books Inc to “work with its landlords to adjust lease costs […]
Barnes & Noble Plans to Open Another 60 New Stores In 2025
After opening 57 new stores in 2024, Barnes & Noble hopes to add another 60 new locations in 2025, ceo James Daunt told a friendly reporter at FT. (Some people in the trade believe the quick sale of Sterling Publishing to Hachette Book Group in November was designed to help pay for that store expansion.) The FT doesn’t ask about store totals after incorporating the usual closures. The chain had 610 outlets at the end of 2023, and a representative writes to PL that the company ended 2024 with 653 stores overall, after balancing new locations with closed stores. That […]