With Barnes & Noble reporting earnings on a delayed schedule this Thursday, possible news is leaking ahead of time. As the company has been looking for a way to split the BN superstores–a profitable but declining business that looks like it should be privately-held–from the Nook Media business, the logical potential buyer, Len Riggio, is emerging as a candidate yet again. The WSJ cites a source who says “a public disclosure of his interest” is expected this week, while also noting “his expression of interest so far has been tentative”. The Journal goes rather far in conjecturing that stores “could […]
eNews
Macmillan Library Lending to Start March 1
Macmillan’s initiative to start selling some of their ebooks to libraries, beginning with about 1,200 Minotaur backlist titles, will begin March 1 according to an OverDrive email cited by InfoDocket. Macmillan had said in the January the program would start “before the end of the first quarter.” Per InfoDocket’s earlier second-hand report, the email confirms that “Macmillan ebooks will be available in the one copy/one user lending model for the earlier of two (2) years or 52 checkouts for $25 each.”
As Slowly As Possible, EU Takes Luxembourg and France to Court Over Low eBook VAT
It has been obvious since France and Luxembourg first lowered their VAT on sales on ebooks as of the beginning of 2012 (to 7 percent and 3 percent respectively) that they were doing so in violation–and intentional defiance–of European Union law. After a stern letter, a “reasoned opinion,” and some more waiting, 14 months after the tax changes began the European Commission is finally saying it will take the two nations to the European Court of Justice. No trial date was disclosed, so we expect it will be more months still before any proceedings begin. And even after the two […]
Three Independent Bookstores File Class Action Suit Against Amazon and Big Six, Seeking Removal of eBook DRM
Apparently the book business and litigation will be increasingly intertwined, with the latest unexpected lawsuit coming from three independent booksellers. Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany; Posman Books of NYC; and Fiction Addition of South Carolina filed a suit in New York Federal Court on February 15 seeking class action status on behalf of hundreds “independent brick-and-mortar bookstores who sell e-books.” They are suing Amazon and the six largest trade publishers, claiming “unreasonable restraint of trade and commerce in the market for e-books,” and also charge Amazon with attempted monopolization of the ebook market and violations of sections 1 […]
Pearson and Kaplan Both Launch Incubators for Hot Ed-Tech Startups
Two companies in publishing and education announced incubator programs this week to help vet and mentor ed-tech startups. Pearson’s program is called Catalyst and is designed to “identify the most promising education startup companies that share Pearson’s commitment to improving people’s lives through learning, and help enable them to break through on a global scale.” The will “match startups with Pearson brands to deliver pilot programmes and offer access to Pearson resources and product experts, including the opportunity to work closely with a Pearson brand over the course of the program.” Pearson release Separately, Kaplan has announced a three-month incubation […]
Briefs: A Cover of Inferno; Audible Updates iOS Apps; Anthology to Close
Doubleday unveiled the cover of Dan Brown‘s May 14 release Inferno on the Today Show this morning. ‘”Inferno takes place in Italy and was inspired by Dante’s iconic 14th century poem of the same name. The cover features a portrait of Dante against the city of Florence, as well as Dante’s famous nine rings of hell.” Apparently Audible has not had a dedicated app for Apple’s iPad line, even though “more than 20 percent of Audible customers already use Audible’s iPhone app on the iPad. They have addressed that with the release of a new app optimized for iPads, and […]