San Diego-based independent mystery & science fiction bookstore Mysterious Galaxy will open a second location in Redondo Beach later this summer, with grand opening events in October. The new 4,000 square-foot store grew out of a popular book-and-author series “Ladies, Lunch, and Literacy” hosted in the area by co-owner Terry Gilman.BTW In related news, the ABA rounds up twenty-five new member stores that opened in 2010, which the association sees as a sign that “growing support for locally owned businesses, along with continued support for bricks-and-mortar stores.”
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Briefs: Kodansha and Dai Nippon Buy Vertical; Syracuse University Press Pulls Fictionalized Memoir; and More
Kodansha and Dai Nippon Printing announced they are buying nearly equal stakes in smaller Japanese publisher Vertical, for an undisclosed sum. Kodansha will own 46.7% of the company, and Dai Nippon will hold a 46% stake. In addition, current COO Yoshinobu Noma will succeed Sawako Noma as Kodansha CEO in April.Anime News Network Syracuse University Press will no longer print copies of Montclair State University professor Fawzia Afzal-Khan’s fictionalized memoir Lahore With Love: Growing Up With Girlfriends Pakistani Style, published last year, after receiving legal threats from a woman in Pakistan who says that a character is based on her […]
BN Plans Brand Refresh, Will Spend $40M on Marketing Efforts
Here’s one way Barnes & Noble plans to invest some of the cash flow freed up by suspending its dividend: AdAge reports the company has hired Interpublic’s Mullen to “refresh its brand with an effort that includes an estimated $40 million investment in marketing and a new look for stores.” That amount is expected to double BN’s previous marketing spend. Mullen replaces Omnicom Group’s Merkley & Partners.AdAge Following yesterday’s pre-market announcements, Barnes & Noble’s shares fell more than 14 percent in full-day trading, declining 2.67 to finish at $15.94. The stock is falling further today, down another 4.5 percent so […]
Briefs: Author Sues Former Agent Over Bacon Cookbook; Spring Design Phasing Out Alex E-Reader And More
Brooklyn author Lisa Skye is suing her former agent, Jayne Rockmill, for puportedly stealing the idea that became the cookbook “I Love Bacon”, published by Andrews McMeel in 2009. According to the lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, Skye said she and Rockmill jointly put together a proposal for the book after meeting at a launch party in 2007 for an earlier, self-published cookbook. Skye claims she fired Rockmill in early 2009 after she “became disenchanted with Rockmill’s aggressive style”, and was “stunned” to find a copy of the book with Rockmill’s name on it in a San Francisco bookstore […]
Author of Historical Novel Featuring JRR Tolkien Files Pre-Emptive Complaint To Counter Estate Objections
The JRR Tolkien Estate’s perennial objections to the use and licensing of the author’s work and characters were back inn the spotlight last week after Stephen Hilliard, the Texas-based author of “Mirkwood, A Novel About J.R.R. Tolkien”, an historical novel featuring Tolkien as a character, filed a lawsuit in Texas District Court in an attempt to release the book, published through BookSurge. Hilliard told the Hollywood Reporter that on the eve of the novel’s release, the Tolkien Estate filed a cease-and-desist letter alleging “it had a property right to commercially exploit the name and likeness of J.R.R. Tolkien” and that […]
Bookselling: Albuquerque’s Page One Files for Chapter 11
Page One in Albuquerque, N.M. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 11 after 30 years in business, citing assets of $799,183 and liabilities of $1,371,258, of which $474,885 are unsecured claims. In addition, “amounts unknown” are due to more than 50 creditors. Court documents filed by owner Steven Morado Stout indicate that “after any exempt property is excluded, and administrative expenses paid, there will be no funds available for distribution to unsecured creditors.” Several publishers are among those unsecured creditors, including the University of Mexico Press, reportedly owed $12,000. In a subsequent email to customers, Stout added “in […]