book business

Thursday Midday Links: New eReaders to debut from BN and Amazon

Thursday Midday Links: New eReaders to debut from BN and Amazon

There is a lot of news today.  First up Barnes and Noble is set to announce a new ebook reader during BEA which is in a couple of weeks. Amazon is releasing a new ebook reader this fall.  The BN Nook 2, as Mike Cane believes it will be called, is likely to have a(…)

Authors, Readers and Discoverability in the new age of publishing

Authors, Readers and Discoverability in the new age of publishing

We are now in a period of disintermediation which essentially means the number of entities in the supply chain between the content creator and the customer have been reduced.   The reason for this is because the supply channel has become incredibly efficient and cost effective.   If you can type up a book in Word, you(…)

The value of ownership and ebooks

Last week we determined that ebook pricing was not based on the cost of ebooks, but rather the most that publishers thought readers would pay for ebooks in this market. What some argue is that with lower pricing there would be more purchases and thereby making up for loss of margin through volume of sales.(…)

Thursday Midday Links: BN lays off several key retail employees

Thursday Midday Links: BN lays off several key retail employees

After the Christmas holiday here in the U.S., Barnes and Noble issued a press release revealing that it had its strongest nine week holiday sales in over a decade.   Why was this?   According to the press release: The company significantly exceeded both online and in-store sales forecasts, led by strong consumer demand for Barnes &(…)

Why do ebooks cost so much?

Dear Jane: Hi, I was wondering if y’all might know if any of the big publishers (Putnam in particular) have some sort of ebook deal with Amazon and B&N to exclude some of the smaller ebook retailers out there? I don’t remember you mentioning anything like this in your blog before. The reason I ask(…)

Thursday Midday Links: Beauty and romance

Publisher talks with Borders do not appear to be promising according to the Publishers’ Weekly article. Brian Keene (who broke news about Dorchester) states that several Borders employees reported to him that they have been told to look for other jobs. Sarah Weinman, over at Daily Finance, says that Barnes & Noble will pick up(…)

Wednesday Midday Links: Things look dire for Borders

It seems that every year there are reports that Borders is struggling financially; that payments will be late; that new financing must be obtained.   Every year, Borders manages to cobble together new financing and new debt agreements to keep the doors open to one of the oldest brick and mortar chains in the US and(…)

2010 Trend Analysis from All Romance eBooks

2010 Trend Analysis from All Romance eBooks

Lori James, co owner of All Romance eBooks and its sister site, Omni Lit, share a 2010 trend analysis that she said I could share with all of you. I think that there are some really interesting data points.   (Here’s an interview Kassia Kroszer did with Lori James and one between Sarah Wendell of Smart(…)

Saturday News Roundup: Borders having liquidity issues

Saturday News Roundup: Borders having liquidity issues

Samhain freebies: 1/1/2011 to   1/31/2011 Oleander House by Ally Blue 1/1/2011 to 1/14/2011 Rough Cut by  Mari Carr 1/15/2011 to 1/28/2011 Big Girls Don’t Die by  Crystal Jordan 12/15/2010 to 1/15/2011 Going All In by  Jess Dee 12/15/2010 to 1/15/2011 Make Mine Midnight by Annmarie McKenna 12/15/2010 to 1/15/2011 The Bite of Silence by Mary Hughes 12/15/2010 to(…)

Tuesday Midday Links: eBooks nearing $1 Billion Mark

Don Weise, formerly of Alyson Books, has launched his own press to publish LGBT literature.   It sounds like it is a print press and will publish 15 to 20 books per year in both fiction and non fiction.   More at Publishers’ Weekly. ***** Lagardere, the parent corporation of Hachette (who owns Grand Central, Forever, and(…)

Tuesday Midday Links: PW Gets a Romance Section

Tuesday Midday Links: PW Gets a Romance Section

Publishers Weekly is one of the more democratic mainstream review publications and has been reviewing romance for quite some time. PW has decided to eliminate the mass market review section and replace it with dedicated genre sections. Romance will have its very own space edited by Rose Fox, a journalist who reads and appreciates romance.(…)

September Freebies from Samhain and Updated Digital Backlist from Harlequin

September Freebies from Samhain and Updated Digital Backlist from Harlequin

Mockingjay sells over 450,000 copies in the first week of sale and goes back to print for another 400,000 copies.   That’s a lot of copies.   You can read our spoiler filled review here. **** File this under the annals of interesting author promotion.   Alyssa Day has a pretty professional music video with an original song(…)

Thursday Midday Links: Authors & Morals

Publishers Weekly is offering the chance at getting a review in a new issue called PW Select. The PW Select is a self publishing supplement to be released in December. It will cost $149 to get listed although if you are a subscriber, you get one listing for free. Out of the listings, PW will(…)

Is the Wylie Deal Creating Unhealthy Expectations?

Is the Wylie Deal Creating Unhealthy Expectations?

I’ve spent a lot of time ruminating about the business of publishing, on the blog, with other people, and in my own head.   I love books, obviously, and I’ve been a reader my entire life. I don’t want publishing to die. I have very good friends who are in the industry, who write books, and(…)

Thursday Midday Links: Kindle 3 Available for Order, Ships Aug 27

Thursday Midday Links: Kindle 3 Available for Order, Ships Aug 27

Kindles were out of stock and most people (except Gizmodo) thought that new Kindles were around the corner. Most people were right. Kindle 3 is 21% smaller and 15% lighter. Comes in two models: 3G+wifi and Wifi and two colors: White and Graphite.   I am a little worried about the thinness of the Kindle. Kindle(…)