Kobo continues to press their motion to rescind the ebook pricing consent agreements in Canada between the Competition Commission and the four agency publishers that we first reported on last week. In a memorandum of fact filed March 10, they reiterated their primary argument that “without a stay, Kobo will be irreparably harmed. Its contracts with four of the largest E-book publishers in Canada will be terminated or fundamentally altered. Kobo – not the Consenting Publishers – will bear the financial losses arising from these changes.” As in the US, the Commission has focused on their predictions that “the price […]
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People
Little, Brown announced a number of promotions across several departments. In editorial, John Parsley has been promoted to vp, executive editor, while Wes Miller moves up to editor, Mulholland Books. Victoria Matsui has been promoted to associate editor, while Frederica Bepler moves up to associate editor, paperback manager, and Malin von Euler-Hogan has been promoted to assistant editor. In marketing and publicity, Heather Fain has been promoted to vp, deputy publisher and marketing director, a new title “that acknowledges and reflects the crucial role Heather plays in all aspects of our publishing process.” Reporting to Fain is Pam Brown, newly […]
Kobo Opposes Canadian Pricing Settlements; Economists Support Apple’s Appeal
Kobo recently filed in opposition to the agency pricing publisher settlements in Canada, objecting to the rapid 40-day timeframe in which they need to renegotiate major publisher contracts, but also arguing that the newly-imposed terms will make them “suffer significant unrecoverable losses” if “Kobo accepts the amendments and shifts its operations to an Agency Lite model.” They write that “a ban on Agency, even in the short term, will have a lasting and irreversible negative impact on the market for E-books in Canada.” More broadly, Kobo argues the arrival of agency in Canada was different than in the US and not the result of […]
Another Doniger Book, ON HINDUISM, Also Pulled in India
Weeks after Wendy Doniger’s 2009 book THE HINDUS was withdrawn from sale in India after Penguin India settled a lawsuit with the group Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti alleging the book’s contents were “derogatory and offensive to Hinduism,” another book by Doniger has been pulled from bookstores after the same group complained it was “malicious and offending.” The Times of India reports bookshops across Bangalore received calls from representatives of Aleph Book Company seeking return of all copies of Doniger’s ON HINDUISM. Aleph confirmed they were recalling copies of the book, published in 2013: “We don’t want to get involved in any […]
People, Etc.
Michael Carley will retire from Simon & Schuster on April 22 after more than 34 years with the company. He started at S&S in 1980 as a field sales manager covering the Pacific Northwest, and added Amazon to his coverage in 1997, the first at S&S to do so. Carley was also the first S&S rep to sell directly to Costco. In a statement, evp, sales & marketing Michael Selleck said that Carley “has always been a passionate reader and his enthusiasm and dedication have been integral to the success of countless books. Michael has been a joy to work […]
Briefs: Holland’s Polare Bookstores in Bankruptcy; EC Review Delays Anti-Free Book Shipping Bill in France
Dutch bookstore chain Polare declared bankruptcy Monday afternoon. Less than a month ago, Polare temporarily closed its stores and suspended online sales as part of what they said was a “strategic organization” to stem ongoing financial woes. NLTimes reports the bankruptcy was “necessary to pay overdue wages” and that employees are guaranteed to receive their wages for a maximum of 6 weeks, paid by the Employment Insurance Agency (UWV.) Seven of Polare’s stores are also understood to have attracted interest from outside buyers, while five employees of the company’s store in Rotterdam have started a crowdfunding campaign to buy it from […]