Ebook reader sales fall precipitously as tablet sales rise
Market research firm IHS iSuppli says that after "spectacular" growth during the past few years, the e-book reader market is now on an "alarmingly precipitous decline," due to the growing popularity of...
View ArticlePenguin Settles with Justice Department, ahead of Random House merger
Penguin Group is settling the e-book pricing suit brought by the Justice Department in April. At the time, the publisher had vowed to fight the suit, but in October that approach was put into doubt...
View Article2012 Costa Award Winners announced
The winners of the 2012 Costa Book Awards are: Costa First Novel Award:The Innocents by Francesca Segal Costa Novel Award (formerly Whitbread):Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel Costa Biography Award...
View ArticleMany indie bookstores report best holiday sales ever
In contrast to general retailers and Barnes & Noble, which had mixed or disappointing sales during the holiday season (see stories below), many independent bookstores had tidings of joy, with many...
View ArticlePrint Units Fell 9 Percent in 2012
Unit sales of print books fell just over 9 percent in 2012 at outlets tracked by Nielsen BookScan, roughly the same percentage decline posted between 2010 and 2011.
View ArticleMcDonald's to offer £1 deal on 15 million books
McDonald's in the UK has launched a two-year children's books campaign, committing to 'hand out more than 15 million books by the end of 2014' through a book offer on its Happy Meal boxes. The campaign...
View ArticleRichard Blanco to be 2013 Inaugural Poet
Richard Blanco, a son of Cuban exiles, is to be the 2013 inaugural poet, joining the ranks of notables like Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. Mr. Blanco will compose an original poem for the president's...
View ArticleKobo has 12m+ registered users; 20% of the global e-reader market
Three year old Kobo doubled device sales last year and gained more than four million new customers within the last six months, to bring its total to more than 12 million registered users. Citing a...
View ArticleDear Abby advice columnist dies aged 94.
Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, who founded the most widely syndicated column in the world, the "Dear Abby" advice column, in 1956, died Wednesday at the age of 94 in Minneapolis after a long battle...
View ArticleRichard Bach finishes fourth part of Jonathan Livingston Seagull while...
Richard Bach has returned to his famous inspirational novella "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" as he recovers from a near-fatal plane crash in Washington state. The 76-year-old author told The Seattle...
View ArticleSurvey of USA libraries finds perception of good value, but poor marketing
The singular most important finding in the latest Pew study, Library Services in the Digital Age, is that libraries - in the opinion of most Americans - aren't just about books. 80% of U.S. residents...
View ArticleMacmillan Starting E-book Library Lending Pilot
Macmillan has announced that it will begin its first e-book library lending program by the end of the first quarter. It will offer libraries over 1,200 backlist e-books from its Minotaur Books imprint...
View ArticlePride and Prejudice published 200 years ago today
Happy Birthday to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" - published 200 years ago today
View ArticleBarnes and Noble to close one-third of stores over next 10 years
Barnes & Noble has announced that it will likely close about a third of its 689 retail stores over the next decade. According to Mitchell Klipper, CEO of B&N's retail group, the slimmed down...
View ArticleWinners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals announced
The American Library Association's annual awards have been announced. The Newbery medal went to Katherine Applegate for The One and Only Ivan and The Randolph Caldecott went to Jon Klassen for This is...
View ArticleAdvertising coming to a Kindle near you soon...
Amazon is reportedly readying an advertising push for displays on Kindle e-readers after pitching a range of products to marketers in Seattle. The Financial Times has reported that personalised...
View ArticleAmazon: Ebooks soaring, print slowing; net loss $39m
In a statement accompanying its fourth quarter and full year results for 2012, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos summed up where he sees the future of book retailing heading - especially for his company....
View ArticleMantel sweeps the floor with Man Booker Prize, on top of two Costa Awards
Hilary Mantel has won the Costa Book of the Year award for "Bring Up the Bodies," the first time an author has received that prize and the Man Booker Prize for the same novel. Mantel won the Man Booker...
View ArticleAmazon to launch virtual currency in May
Amazon will launch its own currency in May with the debut of "Amazon Coins" (each coin is worth one cent), which Kindle Fire customers can spend in the Amazon Appstore. The online retailer said it...
View ArticleAmazon patent to resell ebooks approved
A patent filed by Amazon in 2009 that potentially allows the reselling of used ebooks has been approved. In essence, the patent allows the owner of a Kindle ebook to put it up for resale just as they...
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