When Canada’s dominant book chain Indigo made comprehensive changes to its co-op program last year, local publishers were not exactly happy. Now they are upset again over further co-op increases that went into effect on April 1, but are only beginning to register with some publishers. Quill & Quire reports that Indigo “raised co-op fees from 4 to 5 per cent for books sold online or in its brick-and-mortar stores – an increase of 25 per cent.” In an email to publishers and distributors obtained by Q&Q, Indigo vice-president for adult trade Bahram Olfati said the co-op fee increase was […]
International News
Amazon Announces Spanish-Language Kindle Store In the US
Amazon has officially created an “eBooks Kindle en Español” store for Spanish-language ebooks for US customers at www.amazon.com/tiendakindle. Barnes & Noble has made this category a priority for the past couple of years and is thought to have over 50,000 Spanish-language ebooks available–but Kindle says it has “the most Spanish-language bestsellers, as measured by Nielsen.” They say they offer “over 30,000 titles,” and are offering an exclusive work of nonfiction by Paulo Coelho, “El Libro de los Manuales.” They have translated some Kindle Single into Spanish, and Spanish-language titles are welcome through the KDP publishing platform (just as Nook’s PubIt does). In the release, […]
International: Barnes & Noble Incorporates Digital Media Company In Germany; Dutch Book Chain Selexyz Files for Bankruptcy; And More
As another piece of Barnes & Noble’s coming international expansion, TechCrunch notes a Buchreport finding that BN incorporated a new company, Barnes & Noble Digital Media GmbH, in Germany on March 15. Company vp, general counsel and corporate secretary Eugene DeFelice is listed on the new Germany company’s incorporation papers, from which one can infer that BN has formed the legal entity but does not yet have an operational plan. BN already has an existing partnership with German bookstore aggregator BookWire. Once-dominant Dutch book chain Selexyz has been suffering from serious financial trouble since last fall (and never really recovered […]
Investor Tries New Path For Barnes & Noble Break-Up; Flammarion Bidding Moves Forward
Investor Michael Glickstein of G Asset Management, 30, who has been writing letters to the Barnes & Noble board for almost a year asking for a break-up of the company, is trying a new approach. In his newest letter, Bloomberg reported Friday, Glickstein at least theoretically offered to “buy” half of Barnes & Noble College in a spinoff of that division. It’s not clear that G Asset, which appears to be a one-man shop, has available the assets or borrowing power to make such an offer. (G Asset has declared ownership of a modest number of shares of BN stock, […]
Bookselling: Labor Issues At the Strand; Douglas Holdings To Keep Thalia; Nicholas Hoare Stores To Close; and More
WNET’s Metrofocus blog reports on labor issues affecting the Strand Bookstore, where employees are struggling to negotiate with the bookstore’s owners with respect to what they see as a ‘two-tier wage system’, which if not rectified may lead to a strike. The issue stems from the Strand hiring 33-35 non-unionized managers in the past year, and unionized employees were offered a new contract “that would reduce their paid personal days and sick days by nearly half, and nearly double the amount each employee would have to pay for their health insurance premiums.” In addition, a 50 cent-per-six month raise that […]
People: LA Office for Janklow & Nesbit, and More
Janklow & Nesbit Associates is opening their own Los Angeles office to extend their services in the film, television and digital communities. The agency says the move will allow it “to build on its existing relationships and expand its reach enormously in the service of its clients and their material.” Carlo Martinelli and Amanda Schweitzer comprise the new LA Team. Martinelli was at Vuguru, Michael Eisner’s online content company, after working for 10 years at Bona Fide Productions. Schweitzer has been at Millar Gough Ink and before that worked for Hugh Jackman’s Seed Productions. Luke Janklow says in the announcement […]