The so-called “UK Kindle” turns out to be an international Kindle sold via Amazon’s US site, as the company announced this morning. They will start shipping the new Kindle, now with international wireless capability, starting on October 19, priced at $279. At the same time, the domestic-only Kindle has been reduced to $259. AT&T is providing the wireless global service, said to be available in “over 100 countries.” But not yet in one of the biggest English-language markets, Canada, according to an AP account. They received this message instead: “Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship Kindles or offer Kindle […]
Kindle Launches Head-Spinning International Questions, Too
Kindle’s international availability, along with the forthcoming iRex reader with its own version of international wireless connectivity, will bring to the forefront a variety of knotty questions about rights, release timing, and pricing. In an interview with Wired, Amazon indicates that they will “pay royalties depending on the territory of purchase” (so if a customer purchases from the UK, regardless of where they live, the UK publisher is credited with the sale.) It’s not clear yet, however, how Amazon will handle open-market territories. Selling the US edition can in many cases save customers VAT. On the other hand, many UK […]
Hilary Mantel Breaks Favorite's Curse and Wins Booker for Wolf Hall
She squeaked by in a three-to-two vote among the judges, but the heavily-favored Mantel prevailed last night and took the Booker Prize. Chair of the judges James Naughtie said, “It wasn’t a unanimous decision. These things seldom are, but it was a decision with which we were all content. There was no blood on the carpet. We parted good friends.” It’s the first-ever Booker win for the UK’s Fourth Estate, and Holt is set to release the US edition next Tuesday. At the Huffington Post, Amy Hertz praises and congratulates her mentor and Mantel’s US editor, Jack Macrae. Mantel, who […]
Announcements: Hefty Printing for Wimpy Kid, and More
Abrams announced a four-million-copy laydown for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days on Monday, October 12. And the publisher reports “more than 300,000 reservations” of copies. Separately, Hachette Book Group is expanding their distribution relationship with Chronicle Books (and Chronicle’s own roster of distribution clients) to include sales and distribution immediately in Latin America; and starting January 1 in the Middle East and Caribbean. In personnel news, Quill & Quire reported that Raincoast Books founder and ceo Allan MacDougall, 62, has stepped down. VP and business manager John Sawyer, “who had been handling most of the day-to-day operations for […]
People and Awards
Simon & Schuster UK group sales & marketing director Charlotte Robertson is leaving to join Aitken Alexander as an agent next year. At Cengage Learning, Ron Mobed has been hired as president of the academic andprofessional group, effective immediately, reporting to ceo Ronald Dunn. Previous president Charles Siegel is retiring. The National Book Foundation named their new list of “5 Under 35“: Ceridwen Dovey, Blood KinC. E. Morgan, All the LivingLydia Peelle, Reasons for and Advantages of BreathingKaren Russell, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by WolvesJosh Weil, The New Valley Ian Frazier won the Thurber Prize for American Humor […]
Judge Denies Cryogenics Company Alcor's Effort to Block Whistleblower's Book
As threatened last week, Alcor Life Extension filed suit in New York Supreme Court against author (and former company coo) Larry Johnson and publisher Vanguard Press, seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order blocking today’s publication of his book FROZEN: My Journey Into the World of Cryonics, Deception and Death. After hearing oral arguments on Monday, Judge James Yates denied the motion, unwilling to exercise prior restraint. The book received pre-publication attention over the weekend following reports that the book alleges the Arizona cryonics business mistreated the frozen head of former baseball great Ted Williams, hitting his head with […]