Borders likely to close more stores
Borders Group may close as many as 75 more stores beyond the 200 currently being shut down, CEO Mike Edwards said in a conference call last Friday. The company "does not anticipate a major closure...
View ArticleALA responds to Harper Collins re limit on ebook lending
The American Library Association yesterday took a position for the first time in response to HarperCollins' new library ebook licensing restrictions, saying "As libraries cope with stagnant or...
View ArticleKindle offered for free with two-year contract in
Industry predictions that Amazon will eventually offer the Kindle for free with some sort of contractual obligation moved a step closer to reality this week when the UK chain Carphone Warehouse...
View ArticleNewspaper Guild Calls For Strike Against Huffington Post
In a sternly worded release, the 26,000-member Newspaper Guild has called for all unpaid writers at The Huffington Post to go on strike.
View ArticleBi Feiyu wins Man Asian Literary Prize
Chinese author Bi Feiyu was awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize 2010 for his novel Three Sisters in a ceremony in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The prize includes a $30,000 award for Bi Feiyu and a $5,000...
View ArticleGoogle Settlement rejected
In a stunning setback, Judge Denny Chin today rejected the Google Book Settlement, some 13 months after its final fairness hearing. "In the end, I conclude that the [Settlement Agreement] is not fair,...
View ArticleAmazon.com sued by Apple over phrase "App store"
Amazon is being sued by Apple over the use of the phrase “App store" (which Apple registered for a trademark in 2008). Apple Inc has called on the court to impose an injunction preventing Amazon from...
View ArticleWhere U.S. Ebook Buyers Live
Interesting data on the consumption of ebooks, albeit based on a relatively small base of 20,000 books sold by Smashwords (a distributor of indie books) through Barnes and Noble. The top states by per...
View ArticleMan Booker International Prize finalists announced
The shortlist for the biannual Man Booker International Prize, awarded to a writer for his or her achievement in fiction, has been announced. The thirteen finalists are: Wang Anyi (China), Juan...
View ArticleBorders Leaving Ann Arbor for Detroit Metro Area
Borders Group plans to move its headquarters from its hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich., to the cheaper Detroit metro area. About 50 of the planned 226 superstores that are due to close by end of May are...
View ArticleHarry Potter: The Exhibition opens in New York
Harry Potter: The Exhibition opened yesterday at the Discovery Times Square building in New York City. Additional locations are apparently also in the works.
View ArticleArkansas 5th state to pass internet tax legislation
Arkansas has just become the fifth state to enact a state law that requires Internet retailers to collect sales tax if they do business with in-state affiliate web sites. The law imposes sales...
View ArticlePublishers doubt Borders' restructuring plans
Borders presented a restructuring plan to its creditors on Wednesday that promised publishers and landlords a sleeker, more efficient company poised to emerge successfully from bankruptcy through...
View ArticleHarper Collins wavering on ebook lending limit
A little over 6 weeks ago the Big 6 publisher HarperCollins announced that it would no longer allow library eBooks to be checked out indefinitely. Today it looks like HC might have changed its mind.
View ArticleTop ten most frequently challenged books of 2010
The American Library Association has released its list of the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2010. This year's top 10 are: And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson...
View ArticleSenate introducing sales tax legislation
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is preparing to introduce legislation that aims to rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the ability of Americans to shop at Web...
View ArticleEbook sales up 200%, now 20% of total sales
Net book sales in February fell 10.6%, to $442.2 million, as reported by 84 publishers to the Association of American Publishers. For the year, net book sales are down 5% Sales of e-books rose 202% to...
View Article'60 Minutes' questions validity of 'Three Cups of Tea' by Greg Mortenson
Yesterday, the CBS documentary "60 Minutes" ran a 15 minute piece that called into question some of the work of Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute and charged that some key sections of his...
View Article'A Visit From the Goon Squad' wins Pulitzer
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Browse an excerpt and reviews of Goon Squad and reviews of the winners in the nonfiction, poetry, biography and...
View ArticleKindle books available at 11,000 U.S. libraries, sometime later this year
Amazon and Overdrive Media have reached an agreement that will enable patrons to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 libraries in the United States (i.e. those that currently provide ebooks to their...
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