Archive for 'Borders'
There is a fascinating article available for free on the Wall Street Journal (it was pay yesterday) about changes at Borders’ stores. Borders believes it can sell more books if they are face out on the shelves than spined and therefore is cutting back on stock. It will have fewer books in store, but give more visible placement to those in stock.
I don’t know quite what to think of it. On the one hand, I think that there are too many books getting published and would love to see fewer books with greater quality however, who decides what books aren’t getting sold? The bookstores? The publishers? The sales dept?
I have heard that the reduction of stock by the second largest retail chain in the US (Borders, of course) is going to adversely affect some authors because newer and midlist authors who don’t get the face out opportunity will have less and less shelf time and therefore less time to make a name for themselves.
With the rising sales of Amazon, though, perhaps midlist and newcomers will find salvation online.
Thanks to emails from Jill F and Tina.
Due to increased competition from both brick and mortar and online bookstores, Borders opened a new concept store it hopes will eventually increase sales. Most of the store looks like the competition except for an area described as a digital center. At this new digital center one could download music to their mp3 player, download ebooks, burn music to cd’s, research your family history, print photos and produce hardcover photo albums.
I am not sure about the photo albums but everything else seems to make sense. I have developed a few digital photo albums online and it can take hours and hours to organize the finished product. I think I would rather do that from the comfort of my home.
Borders is also going to sever their online presence with Amazon and start developing their own web site for selling Border products. Borders had been selling their products through Amazon for nearly 7 years.
Via USA Today
Borders is running a Buy 4 Get 1 Free special for romances. When I first saw this discount notice in my inbox (which works out to about $1.25 off per book), I thought, “Sweet.” But apparently, I should have thought “those rat bastards.”
According to blogger at TensionBreaker:
Offering consumers 5 romance novels for the price of 4 (and making the offer a week before Valentines Day) crosses the line from “meeting the consumer’s untapped needs” to “exploiting the consumer’s human frailty at a time of emotional weakness.”
I think offering the coupon on St. Patrick’s Day would be particularly insidious given how liquor can also “exploit a consumer’s human frailty”. Perhaps Columbus Day would be an appropriate time for Borders to run the special?
 I went to the Borders site to see if it was engaging in any other nefarious business practices and it was. It is offering Hogfather, the movie version of Terry Pratchett’s novel, BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT IN THE STORES! If that is not exploiting human frailty of those weak willed addicted to Pratchett, I don’t know what is.
Please, readers, we must band together and …
It’s books, not gadgets, that is the top selling product online across the world. According to a new Nielsen report, 41% of internet users worldwide (48 countries) and 38% of US internet users (estimated 57.5 million) buy books online.
Nielsen expects this number to grow. Foner Books sales statistics show that 2007 sales numbers for Amazon sales are beating out Borders, $3.58 billion v. $3.41 billion respectively.
Via Shelf Awareness.
Borders and Sony will launch a co-branded eBookstore with 25,000 titles which sounds about right if the plan is to stock mostly fiction books. It sounds like you will have to have a special eBook Library software in order to purchase the titles or access the new bookstore front. Only those who purchase a Sony Reader will have this access. Borders will allow T-Mobile customers to wirelessly access the new eBookstore and purchase an ebook if you are inside a Borders store.
It sounds like a great idea made innumerably complicated by the restrictions. Why does there need to be special software? Is it going to be yet another super proprietary ebook format? Don’t you have pay for T-Mobile access at Borders? So you have to pay to get wireless connectivity and then you pay for the book? It’s like charging a cover charge to get into Borders to buy a book. This is not my idea of making ebooks easier to obtain by the reading public.
Via Publishers Weekly.
 moar funny pictures
I have to just give a plug for my dear friend, Tina Trevaskis, who is now the new Romance/Horror & Westerns Marketing Specialist at Borders Group Inc. Tina is a huge lover of romance. I met Tina over 7 years ago (I think) due to our mutual love of romance. Of course, her goal is to sell as many romances (and horror and westerns) as possible so any marketing decisions will be geared toward that. I’m also sure she’ll take extra care to avoid misspelling names, JMC!
I am really excited that Tina, someone who loves the genre, will be leading the marketing charge at one of the largest retail book selling chains in the US. I bet if you’ve got a suggestion on how Borders can better serve its romance readers, Tina would love to hear it. (Or maybe not but eh, that’s what the comments are for, right?)
Picture Source: Hijas Americanas
Borders are adding 37 inch flat screen tvs to show “original programming, advertisements, news and weather.” My suggestion would be to add ESPN and football and it can be what one comedian (whose name I don’t remember) calls Daddy Daycare - the place where Dad’s can go while women are shopping. Ned usually heads to the magazine section where he can look at Motor Trend and Car & Driver while I take the time to buy a latte and browse the five hundred new romance releases.
I have to wonder whether book trailers will make it onto Borders TV because if Borders is getting ad money from Ford, can any author but the most bestselling (read: Nora Roberts, James Patterson) afford to get on Borders TV?
Via New York Times
Borders and Gathers have narrowed down the thousands of aspiring romance writers to five entries. The manuscripts of the five hopefuls are in the hands of the judging panel. The winner will be announced on October 30, 2007, and then one more author will join the ranks of the swollen genre.
I think there should be a reality tv contest in which romance novel contestants have to not only write, but do it surrounded by rats and snakes with the prize to be rescued by a Michael Douglas, in his thirties, look alike and a Kathleen Turner makeover.
Gather.Com’s romance writing contest sponsored by Simon & Schuster, Borders and Gather.com has whittled 500 manuscript submissions down to twenty-five semi-finalists. You can read the second (and the first) chapters of the semi-finalists and rate which one you like the best until October 8, 2007.
Some of these books are going to need serious title overhaul because “Bear Country” doesn’t inspire me to even click to read the chapter but neither do the standard romance landia titles grab me either like “Enchanting the Earl“. I’m interested in reading General Counsel (although I am sure that is a very dull title to most others) and The Wolf Huntress. Safe Sex and Home Repair by poster laughsing makes me hope that it is really, really funny.
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The guys over at MobileRead noticed that the Borders Beta didn’t have the Sony Reader listed or any ebooks. In fact, in searching ebooks, Bob Russell noted that you received a sad error message: ” Did you mean books?”.
Cheer up guys, Borders and Sony are launching a co branded eBook Store and will expand the existing markets for the Sony Reader. Borders online store used to be managed under the Amazon flag and in leaving Amazon, Borders plans to fight for its online market share. Currently the Sony Reader is offered in 270 Borders stores. Beginning in October, that number will increase to 500 stores nationwide.
Also in October, Borders will launch an ebook store that will be supported by Sony. There is no word whether Borders will offer any other formats such as Mobipocket (Amazon’s company); Microsoft Reader (LIT); eReader; or any other popular formats. EBook promotion will be included in the Borders “Shortlist” customer email.
Via Press Release
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