Half Price Books will open their second Oklahoma City-area story in August.News OK Separately, former distributor Don Linn rants over last week’s non-story that “publishers are squeezing booksellers on credit.” He writes: “while you may feel like you ‘deserve’ better credit terms than others and that your credit risk is somehow different from some other credit risk, it’s just not true. Publishers and distributors already act as the bank with relatively generous terms and, in case you haven’t noticed, you get to return anything you choose to at anytime for full credit forever. So spare me the whining about credit, […]
2011 Federal Budget Would Strip Funding for Reading is Fundamental
The Department of Education has proposed stripping the independent non-profit Reading Is Fundamental of their federal grant–which comprises 75 percent of their annual revenues. The DOE’s plan is that RIF and the National Writing Project–also set to lose funding–would compete for funds on a state-by-state basis. Department spokesman Dave Thomas says “this proposed approach will give state education agencies and local education agencies greater flexibility to focus on their areas of greatest need and will be more effective than the narrow categorical programs.” Or it will mean that the organization spends a big chunk of its resources on administration and […]
iBookstore Updates and More Stats
Steve Jobs announced yesterday that iPad sales had risen to at least 450,000 units, and iBookstore downloads (not sales, as the paper of record had it) reached 600,000 books. Jobs also presented Apple’s new iPhone OS 4, available this summer. As hoped for, the company will bring the iBookstore and iBooks to iPhones and iPod Touches as part of the updated operating system. Like other reader apps, that move will allow consumers to read (and sync) their iBooks across iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads.
Bookselling: Indie Expands In Borders' Shadow
Pittsburgh-area Bradley’s Books is opening three new stores this month, in mall-based locations previously filled by Borders Express stores. Owner Mike Paper tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Our competitive advantage lies in the fact we deal with primarily bargain books–overstocks, remainders, close-outs, things we can find at deep discounts. In today’s environment, it’s especially valuable to offer consumers value.”PTR
Verghese and Grann Top Indies Choice Awards
The American Booksellers Association announced the winners of the 2010 Indies Choice Book Awards: FictionCutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese (Knopf) NonfictionThe Lost City of Z, by David Grann (Doubleday) DebutThe Help, by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam) Young AdultCatching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) Middle ReaderWhen You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books) Picture BookThe Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown) Full story
Perseus Opens Up Digital Distribution Service; Will Aggregate for iBookstore
The Perseus Books Group is expanding their digital distribution service Constellation to make it an option for any independent publisher, now opening it up to clients who are not already customers of the company’s physical distribution services. In concert with that strategic move, Perseus has been named an approved aggregator for Apple’s iBookstore, joining the list of seven other companies that we covered earlier in the week. As is the case for existing Constellation publishers, new clients can choose which of the 20 Constellation partners they want to work with through the service–from the iBookstore only, to the full roster […]