Big-Box Bookstores Don’t Have to Die

You could say I have a sentimental attachment to the chain bookstore. Growing up in an intellectually impoverished American suburb, I spent much of my free time in now-defunct locations of Borders and Barnes & Noble. I read garbage, mostly: popular history magazines, Star Trek novelizations, art tomes whose pages I scoured only for frank depictions of naked women. But I had an intuitive sense that all those “wordy” books sleeping on the shelves, whose spines I raced my finger along while traveling between the café and the restrooms, would some day be the building blocks of a real, adult mind, the cathedral-like dimensions of which I could almost picture emerging through the haze of my juvenile enthusiasms. Inside Barnes & Noble, the figures of great literature literally looked down on me. A large wallpapered mural assembled them all in some grand ahistorical café. It was through that mural that I had my first encounters with the brooding fop Oscar Wilde and the fabulously bearded Anthony Trollope. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2015-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #barnes noble #naked women #building blocks

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Big-Box Bookstores Don’t Have to Die'


Peter Mayer Dies at 82

Peter Mayer, whose legendary publishing career spanned both sides of the Atlantic, has died. Among his many accomplishments, Mayer turned around a money-losing Penguin into a worldwide publishing powerhouse. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #peter mayer


PW’s Bookstore of the Year: Boulder Book Store

If a bookstore takes the name of the city in which it resides, it had better reflect the values and character of its hometown. Boulder Book Store, PW’s 2018 Bookstore of the Year, does just that. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Quartz' about-face on programmatic ads has big implications for digital publishing

Atlantic Media-owned Quartz has long eschewed programmatic advertising, arguing display ads sold through automation negatively impact user experience. But the company said Tuesday that it is changing its mind, and among other steps has begun selling ads through Concert, a digital ad marketplace... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #vox media #nbc universal


Five-Day Poetry Fest Will Launch London’s New Second Home Bookstore

The way to open a new poetry bookstore at a communal office, says the UK's Second Home, is to hold a poetry festival on the premises. The company's Holland Park facility is the venue in June. The post Five-Day Poetry Fest Will Launch London’s New Second Home Bookstore appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #poetry festival


Without big news to push, some publishers sit out NewFronts

Fresh off the heels of its $2.8 billion acquisition of Time Inc., Meredith made its NewFronts debut on Thursday morning, pitching its upcoming video to an assembly of digital ad buyers. But Meredith's arrival comes as the number of presenters at the annual New York event has dropped to 16 from... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #thursday morning #online publishers #video channel


Industry Notes: Amazon Prime Boxes Books for Children, Unicorn Acquires Ronquillo’s ‘Spellbound’

In subscriptions, Amazon's Prime program announces a "Book Box" invitational offer in the United States, as the UK's Unicorn art-book publisher names New Mexico's Fatima Ronquillo to its retrospective club. The post Industry Notes: Amazon Prime Boxes Books for Children, Unicorn Acquires... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book box


Independent Bookstore Day 2018: Animals and Authors Inspire Sales

More than 500 bookstores participated in this year's Independent Bookstore Day, which took place across the U.S. this past Saturday, April 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #past saturday


Terminally ill British toddler at center of legal battle dies

The parents of a terminally ill British toddler whose case drew attention from Pope Francis and others around the world say they are “heartbroken” that their son has died. Kate James and Tom Evans said on Facebook that 23-month-old Alfie Evans, who had an incurable degenerative brain condition... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pope francis


Kobo and Serial Box to release royal wedding-inspired series

Kobo is teaming up with app company Serial Box on a six-part series to celebrate the royal wedding. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #serial box #six-part series #royal wedding


Independent Bookstore Day 2018: It's A Holiday

More than 500 Indie bookstores in 48 states are preparing to make this year's Independent Bookstore Day on April 28 the biggest and most exuberant celebration of indie bookselling yet. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie bookselling


KiCam Projects Opens Bookstore

KiCam Projects, an independent publisher based in Georgetown, Ohio, has opened a bookstore in nearby Mount Orab to serve suburban and rural readers on the outskirts of the Cincinnati area. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Bookstore Sales Bounced Back in February

Bookstore sales ended a six-month losing streak in February, as sales rose 2.3% over February 2017. Sales for the first two months of 2018, though, were still down 8.6% from the comparable period in 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Feminist fiction drives big money at London book fair

Fierce bidding wars between publishers saw several big deals happen for politically charged novels at this year’s fair, as new books from Jeanette Winterson and Caitlin Moran were also revealed• What will you be reading next year? A roundup of London book fairFrom a distance, the only thing that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv studios #biggest deals #huge success #tv adaptation ##metoo #big debut


The Whisper Network finds its voice in slew of big-money deals

Sphere fiction publisher Catherine Burke has pre-empted The Whisper Network in a major deal, just 24 hours after submission. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #major deal


London Book Fair 2018: Testing the Limits of Big Data

Our lives these days are increasingly shaped by data. But in his latest book, 'The Efficiency Paradox: What Big Data Can't Do', Edward Tenner documents how the futurist’s dream of a friction-free world has dimmed considerably. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big data


A New Generation of African-American-Owned Bookstores

After a steep decline, the number and types of black-owned independent bookstores are growing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #steep decline


New Online Spanish-Language Bookstore Comes to U.S.

Libros in Español will take off on April 15 with “a couple of thousand” physical Spanish-language titles from the U.S., Spain, and Latin America, according to founder Filipe Silva. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latin america


At the First European Children’s Bookstore Conference: Warming Up for London Book Fair

In examining common ground between independent booksellers and publishers at Bologna's new bookstore conference, the International Publishers Association's Michiel Kolman previewed some of the tensions to be debated at London Book Fair. The post At the First European Children’s Bookstore... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent booksellers


Former Gollancz m.d. Livia Gollancz dies

Livia Gollancz, former governing director of Victor Gollancz Ltd, has died at the age of 97.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #livia gollancz


Actually, Facebook’s big algorithm change hasn’t hurt partisan media

A few months ago Facebook implemented a big change in its algorithm that impacted what kind of content it would surface to users. In a move that sent shivers down the spines of media professionals, Facebook said it would de-prioritize publisher content in favor of posts between connections. For... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big change #media professionals