Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop wins Oddest Book Title of the Year
Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop has been named as the winner of Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. The title won 38% of the public vote, fighting off competition from fellow contenders...
View ArticleSenate procedural vote gives big thumbs up to Marketplace Fairness Act
On Friday, the Senate voted 75-24 in favor of a budget resolution amendment that supports the right of states to require "remote" retailers to collect and remit sales tax on purchases made in the...
View ArticleB&N reduces number of S&S books in stores as financial dispute escalates
Barnes & Noble has sharply reduced the number of Simon & Schuster titles it carries in its stores as well as the promotion it gives those books as a result of a financial dispute between the...
View ArticleFrance moves to protect independent bookstores
French Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti has unveiled part of the government's plan to shore up independent booksellers. Filippetti observed that the government wants to ensure France "never suffers...
View ArticleAmazon to buy Goodreads for an undisclosed sum
Amazon.com has reached an agreement to acquire Goodreads, a leading site for readers and book recommendations that helps people find and share books they love. The deal is expected to close in the...
View ArticleIain Banks announces he has inoperable late-stage cancer
Author Iain Banks has announced that he has inoperable late-stage metastatic gall bladder cancer and is "extremely unlikely" to live for more than another year. He and his partner Adele have just...
View ArticleRandom House to publish book by 17-year-old Wattpad star
Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, has announced that it will publish e-book and print editions of The Kissing Booth, a debut book by Beth Reekles, a 17-year-old from Wales...
View ArticleUK Independent Bookseller Awards announced
The UK's Independent Bookseller Awards shortlist has been announced:Adult Books The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce HhHH, Laurent Binet Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel Capital, John...
View ArticleFilm critic Roger Ebert dies aged 70
Film critic and author Roger Ebert has died today aged 70. He had been in poor health over the past decade, battling cancers of the thyroid and salivary gland. He posted an upbeat message on his blog...
View ArticlePeter Workman, founder of Workman Publishing Company dies aged 74
Workman Publishing Company founder, Peter Workman, 74, died of cancer on Sunday, April 7 at his home in New York. In addition to Workman's six imprints are Workman, Artisan, Algonquin, Black Dog &...
View ArticleAn important opinion piece titled "The Slow Death of the American Author" by...
Scott Turow writes on the slow death of the American author (and those in other countries too) due to the many changes in the publishing industry over the last few years, including the undermining of...
View ArticleColleges testing software that allows professors to monitor usage of e-textbooks
Nine colleges and universities are testing a Coursesmart program that allows professors to monitor students' usage of e-textbooks. CourseSmart is owned by Pearson, McGraw-Hill and other major...
View ArticleB&N subsidiary Nook Media launches self publishing e-book program
Nook Media, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, has launched Nook Press, a self-publishing e-book program designed with input from PubIt!, B&N's original self-publishing platform, and using...
View ArticleTop 10 most challenged books in American libraries
The American Library Association's list of most challenged books for 2012, based on "464 reports of attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves" includes: 1....
View ArticleGranta announces 20 Best Young British Novelists
The London-based literary journal Granta has announced its new list of Best Young British Novelists (including Zadie Smith and Adam Thirlwell who were on the 2003 list.) Naomi AldermanTahmima AnamNed...
View ArticleKobo introduces new high res eInk eReader cheaper than Kindle Paperwhite 3G
Kobo has introduced a new high resolution eInk eReader called the Kobo Aura HD, offering a $169.99 answer to Amazon's $179.99 Kindle Paperwhite 3G. Like other Kobo devices, the new device lets readers...
View ArticlePulitzer for Fiction goes to The Orphan Master's Son
After failing to declare a fiction winner in 2012, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Adam Johnson for The Orphan Master's Son. Finalists in fiction included The Snow Child by...
View ArticleSenate may vote on sales tax fairness bill next week
The U.S. Senate may vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 (S.336) as early as next week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to bring the bill directly to the floor for a vote without...
View ArticleCanada joins US, EU, Australia and New Zealand in clearing Random House,...
The Canadian Competition Bureau and the Department of Canadian Heritage have approved the merger of Penguin Group and Random House without conditions, joining the U.S., E.U., Australia and New Zealand...
View ArticleMarketplace Fairness Act moves towards approval
By a 74-20 margin yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted to move forward with the Marketplace Fairness Act (S. 743), which would empower states to collect online sales taxes. The Hill reported that the...
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