"Cat Who" author dies aged 97
Lilian Jackson Braun, author of the well-known and much beloved "Cat Who" mysteries, the first of which published in 1966, died on June 4 at the age of 97.
View ArticleJ K Rowling launches
Harry Potter fans have been reacting with excitement to a mysterious website launched by J K Rowling. Pottermore.com features a pink holding page with the description "coming soon" and Rowling's...
View ArticleColum McCann wins International IMPAC Award
Colum McCann has won the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, worth £87,582, for his novel Let the Great World Spin, beating 161 other entries. Let the Great World Spin also won the 2009 USA...
View ArticleFears for Notting Hill Travel Bookshop
The iconic Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill, London faces an uncertain future after its current owner put it up for sale. The store has served book lovers for 32 years, and was made famous by the 1999...
View ArticleGlobal publishing back on front foot
The world's largest pubÂlishers have begun growing again after weathering the global recession over the past three years. According to the annual ranking of global pubÂlishing performance, compiled on...
View ArticleBorders may find buyer before end of July, if not liquidation
According to Reuters, Borders Group plans to name a potential buyer by July 1. Borders is said to be in negotiation with several groups including private equity firms Gores Group and Najafi Cos. If a...
View ArticleHarry Potter publishing boss says territorial rights are 'obsolete in the...
Richard Charkin, executive director of UK Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, has said territorial publishing rights are "obsolete" in the age of e-books and has accused the UK industry of...
View ArticleUS e-reader ownership doubles in six months
According to the Pew Internet Project, e-reader ownership in the US has doubled over the past six months with the overall share of adults who own an e-reader now 12%. Sales of tablet computers have not...
View ArticleRoth wins Man Booker International Prize
Philip Roth was honoured as the winner of The Man Booker International Prize 2011 in London last night (28th June), but controversy over his win continued. Roth was unable to attend but the prize was...
View ArticleCalifornia passes online sales tax legislation
Effective June 29, Amazon has cancelled its contracts with about 10,000 California-based affiliates after Govenor Brown signed a law that requires large out-of-state retailers with affiliates in...
View ArticleNY Public Libraries saved from cuts, all libraries to stay open
The New York Public Library has been spared by massive city budget cuts. Following protests by New Yorkers, $36.7 million of the proposed $40 million in cuts have been restored for fiscal 2012.
View ArticleAmazon to buy Book Depository
Amazon.com is purchasing the Book Depository, a UK online bookstore that ships for free around the world and, in some parts of the world has become a significant competitor to Amazon. The U.K.'s Office...
View ArticleAmazon pushing for a sales tax referendum in California
Amazon says it will ask California voters to overturn a state law requiring large companies with operations or affiliates in the state to collect sales tax. It is hoping to seek a referendum vote as...
View ArticleGoogle launching first ereader this Sunday
Google has teamed up with iriver to launch the first e-reader to be integrated with the Google e-books platform. The iriver Story HD will go on sale at Target on Sunday July 17 priced $139.99, the same...
View ArticleGrowing UK opposition to Amazon & Book Depository merger
In the UK, the Publishers Association has united with the Independent Publishers Guild for the first time to oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, while calling for a wider public...
View ArticleSome or all of remaining Borders stores to be liquidated by Nov 13
Yesterday, The New York Times reported that embattled bookseller Borders is likely to face liquidation after a committee of its unsecured creditors rejected a buyout proposal from private equity firm...
View ArticleFollett Corp, which manages 850 college bookstores, for sale
Follett Corporation, the private River Grove, Illinois-based educational publishing company, is in the midst of a sale process, as reported by The Financial Times. The group manages about 850 college...
View ArticleBorders to close
The final death knell for Borders in the USA sounded yesterday as the company said its remaining 399 stores would begin winding down in three days' time. The store-closure program will last until...
View ArticleHarry Potter series to be available as Google eBooks
A few weeks ago it was announced that the Harry Potter series would be available on ebook but only through J.K. Rowling's new site, Pottermore. Now, according to Inside Google Books, the series will...
View ArticleAmazon to enter Indian market
Amazon is in discussion with e-commerce companies in India in a bid to expand into one of the world's fastest-growing economies. However a source talking to the Times of India says, "Indian players see...
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