US District Judge Marsha Pechman agreed with the argument that North Carolina’s request from Amazon for personal customer data that could be matched to their purchase records violates the First Amendment. She affirmed that an individual’s purchases of books, music, and other products is protected. Pechman indicated that the state was free to make a new request for customer data “provided it destroys any detailed information that the department currently possesses.”Bloomberg
Sourcebooks’ Community Play: A Paid Days of Our Lives Fan Site
Sourcebooks has launched another experimental new business (following on initiatives like PoetrySpeaks.com), creating a membership-based website for fans of the soap opera Days of Our Lives at DaysInsider.com. In exchange for a $9.95 membership fee, the site promises early online access to chapters from forthcoming Days of Our Lives novels and a commemorative book, discounts of more than 30 percent on the books when published, online chats and community forums that include participation from the Days of Our Lives team and more. Think of it as an online fan club where books are part of the mix, or a paid, […]
And a Different Paid, Pre-Publication Online Book Club Idea from WowOwow
Women’s website WowOwow, co-founded by former agent and publisher Joni Evans, is trialing an “early access” book club that sells pre-publication galleys of selected books in limited quantities. The coverage at Forbes says the site “believes they’ll pay a substantial fee for that privilege and for the various other perks associated with membership, such as author chats”–but the current test is charging from $15 to $30 a copy, which seems at odds with the first statement. The trial offer underway is for Jodi Picoult’s March 2011 release, SING YOU HOME. Evans tries to pitch a few different paradigms. “The concept […]
Craft and Sentiment In Bookselling and Publishing: McNally Jackson Books, and Canada’s Gaspereau Press
Poets & Writers has a long featured interview with New York City bookseller Sarah McNally. The store is successful even without any ecommerce, but McNally talks candidly about her process of rethinking potential changes while remaining focused on her mission. “We opened without knowing what the hell we were doing, but somewhere along the line we’ve become a good bookstore. And I feel confident that we’re a good bookstore. But who cares in 2010? Does anyone care whether you’re a good bookstore? Is that enough? I don’t know.” McNally says her vision has been to provide “a community center for […]
Checking the Numbers As Amazon Distracts with Press Releases
With Barnes & Noble expected to announce a color touchscreen device this afternoon, Amazon continues to push a steady stream of press releases to try to distract the media. Today they say they have completely redesigned the front end of their entire site to be optimized for iPad, though Amazon Windowshop app. Yesterday it was a Kindle classic, reaching for new ways of saying they are selling a lot while, true to tradition, not really saying anything. Kindle svp Steve Kessel declares it “astonishing” that Kindle sales continue to grow, saying the new generation devices have “sold more since launch […]
Territorial Mess, Continued: Waterstone’s Stops “Overseas” eBook Sales
The Bookseller reports that Waterstone’s has discontinued selling ebooks to customers with billing addresses outside of the UK and Ireland. Spokesman Jon Howells says “it is basically due to rights of controlling where we sell books to” adding that “this is not a temporary move.” In an e-mail to customers the bookseller said “we have had to take this action to comply with the legal demands of publishers regarding the territories into which we can sell e-books.” The decision puts fresh spin on the already-tense landscape of “export” sales for English-language ebooks from out of both North America and the […]