Home life and educational books on the rise as Americans shelter at home
Book sales in the United States increased 0.7 percent year-to-date, through the week ending March 14, 2020, reaching 123 million units. However, weekly book sales declined 10 percent over the previous...
View ArticleAlbert Uderzo, co-creator of French comics series Asterix, dies at 92
Albert Uderzo, a French illustrator who co-created Asterix the Gaul, the diminutive, blond-haired warrior who became one of the world's most recognizable and beloved cartoon characters, died of a...
View ArticleB&N temporarily closes 400 outlets but continues to offer curbside pickup...
Barnes & Noble continues to adapt its operations in reaction to the spread of the new coronavirus. The company has temporarily closed about 400 stores to the public as it works with state and...
View ArticleIs the Covid-19 crisis a watershed moment for library e-books?
As libraries around the U.S. shutter their physical locations to battle the outbreak of Covid-19, they are rapidly transferring budget dollars to e-books, digital audio, and other digital media to...
View ArticleCoronavirus aid package includes millions for libraries, schools, and the arts
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the $2 trillion CARES Act (the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, a sweeping economic stimulus package which includes significant funding...
View ArticleAmerican Library Association cancels 2020 annual conference
In a stark reminder that the U.S. is still likely in the early stages of the battle to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, the American Library Association has canceled the 2020 ALA Annual Conference &...
View ArticleRemembering Tomie dePaola
The field of children's literature lost one of its great champions. Tomie DePaola died yesterday at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., due to complications following surgery...
View ArticleMacmillan lays off some staff, temporarily cuts some salaries
Macmillan Publishers has laid off an undisclosed number of employees across all divisions, temporarily reduced pay for select employees, and implemented a hiring freeze, effective April 2. As a result...
View ArticleNew releases struggle to find an audience
Authors who were wary of releasing new titles into a market wracked by the temporary closure of retail stores appear to have had a point. Overall, only six new titles were among BookScan's top 50...
View ArticleJames Patterson donates $500,000 to #SaveIndieBookstores initiative
Bestselling novelist James Patterson is helping to launch #SaveIndieBookstores, a partnership with the American Booksellers Association and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), by...
View ArticleB&N renovating stores during COVID-19 closures
Most of Barnes & Noble's 627 stores are closed to the public, and the remainder are likely to close soon, but they continue to offer BOPIS (buy onine, pick up in store) via curbside pick-up where...
View ArticleEbook sales rocket at ABA Marketplace partner, Hummingbird Digital Media
At Hummingbird Digital Media, an American Booksellers Association Marketplace partner for e-books and downloadable audio, sales in the last four weeks have risen 1,315% over the previous four weeks....
View ArticleIndie bookstores continue to innovate, but are still suffering heavy...
Over these past weeks, indie bookstores across the USA have pivoted their businesses in myriad ways including web fulfillment, local delivery and curbside pickup. They are offering online storytime...
View ArticleBookshop.org sales up 2,000% in a month
Sales at Bookshop.org continue to grow. Founder Andy Hunter said that the site is selling about 8,000 books a day and has more than 450 bookstores on the platform. Sales have risen 2,000% in a month,...
View ArticleLSC Communications, USA's largest book printer, files for Chapter 11
After weeks of speculation and reporting, LSC Communications announced clarity around its reorganization plans, which includes filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the Southern District of New York....
View ArticleIndie bookstores report problems with GoFundMe disbursements
Growing numbers of indie bookstores in the U.S. are turning to GoFundMe to raise funds to pay expenses like payroll, rent, and utilities to stay afloat in the absence of customers this spring. But...
View Article2020 Guggenheim fellowships announced
On April 8, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation approved the awarding of Guggenheim Fellowships to a diverse group of 175 scholars, artists, and writers,...
View ArticleItaly gives bookshops permission to reopen
Italy is allowing bookshops to reopen along with stationery and children's clothes stores, but the country's wider quarantine and travel restrictions will remain in place until 3rd May. Italy culture...
View ArticleBookExpo, Unbound and BookCon cancelled for 2020
ReedPop has officially cancelled the 2020 editions of BookExpo, UnBound and BookCon, which were originally scheduled to be held May 27-31 at the Javits Center in New York City and were postponed until...
View ArticleLibraries losing funding at critical time
"Just when people need their libraries the most, funding is decreasing." That's the urgent warning from American Library Association President Wanda Brown. Librarians are delivering books; expanding...
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