Borders has announced a redesign of their website. Gone is the “magic shelf” that they were excited about when they ended their agreement with Amazon and first built their own site. Highlighted verticals include sections labelled posters, crafts, and scrapbooking–which are new product lines for the site–alongside the more traditional merchandising sections. The company is promoting “new lower prices” through discounts on “more than 100,000 of its top selling” books, They’ve integrated commonplace features like expanded user reviews, working with PowerReviews. And they have partnered with UsingMiles for a “travel perks” program (which helps users manage and use their loyalty […]
Lunch Weekly for Monday, November 15
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Claire McMillan’s untitled modern retelling of the House of Mirth set […]
Canada Gets their Giller-Winner In Stock
As promised last week, publisher of Giller-winning THE SENTIMENTALISTS Gaspereau Press announced today that they have licensed trade paperback rights to another independent publisher, Vancouver’s Douglas & McIntyre. D&M says they are printing 30,000 copies of the $19.95 (CA) paperback for shipment from the bindery on November 19, with paper on hand for a 20,000-copy reprint. The book has been available in ebook form in Canada from Kobo, and D&M will expand distribution to include Kindle, Nook, Sony and the iBookstore. Gaspereau will continue to fulfill orders for their $27.95 hardcover, which they print themselves.
Hoffman to Depart As National Geographic Books Head
President of National Geographic Books Nina Hoffman announced internally at a staff meeting that she will leave her job at the end of the year. National Geographic Publishing head Declan Moore “outlined plans for the division going forward” at the meeting, which include a search for a new senior book publishing executive. Moore said: “We’re going to truly miss Nina. She has been an incredible and dedicated leader during an era of almost constant change for publishing in general, and books in particular…. We wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors. I am personally grateful to […]
“Big Jim” Frey’s Book Factory Wants to Pay You $500
Early last week we carried a deal report from YA packager Full Fathom Five and today we’re treated to two profiles of the company, run by James Frey. Odds are you’ll feel the same way about Frey’s latest venture as you did about his previous efforts. His co-authored sci-fi YA “Lorien Legacies” series that started with this summer’s I AM NUMBER FOUR, published under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore to unspectacular sales, is just the beginning of the output from the Frey Factory. The book’s real prospects lay in the film version that DreamWorks has fast-tracked (the book was saleable only […]
Media Scrutinizes Other Amazon Offerings
The media is not ready to move on after Amazon quietly removed Phillip Greaves self-published “ebook” for pedophiles, scrutinizing the company’s catalog to find other still-active titles such as Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers. Leading the charge is plain-speaking TV anchor Anderson Cooper, who has made the etailer’s policy his latest keepinemhonest cause. An LA Times editorial looks at Amazon’s “muddy reasoning” in how they handled the removal of Greaves’ “book,” writing, “there is a world of difference between a right to speak and an obligation to publish…. Amazon made a bit of a hash of this issue, first by […]