Just as Engadget was hitting publish on its first posts, I was putting a freshly minted English degree to use working at an indie bookshop in Los Angeles. In seemingly unrelated news, Amazon had just reported its first profitable year after switching from selling books to selling “everything” four years before. (It still sold a lot of books.) Our bookstore did a good job keeping shelves stocked with a balance of the more worthy popular hits and smaller, better fare. But we couldn’t have every book a customer might want, so we offered to order any in-print title. If a distributor had it, it’d take about a week to get in, longer if we had to go through the publisher. That seemed fine for most customers. But sometimes “about a week” was too long. A few people came right out and said, “Nah, I’ll order it on Amazon.” In 2005, Amazon launched Prime, the membership program that, for $79 a year, gave customers unlimited two-day shipping on most orders. At launch, CEO Jeff Bezos called it “‘all-you-can-eat’ express shipping.” No one knew at the time how hungry the world was for Amazon’s brand of convenience. And now, nearly two decades later, we’ve seen the shifts that accommodate that buffet — in labor, retail and the entire customer experience. Prime wasn’t an overnight success. It’s estimated that six years after launch, just four million households paid for the service. But 10 years later, in 2021, Bezos claimed it had accrued 200 million members worldwide. Outside of that... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-08 14:15:57 UTC ]
Bookstore Romance Day, held last Saturday, has grown to include 550 bookstores, up from 150 stores when it was founded in 2019. It now offers online events and giveaways from Libro.fm, in addition to in-store promotions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Christie’s auction house is extending its sizeable lease at Rockefeller Center for another 25 years, landlord Tishman Speyer announced Tuesday. It’s a significant win for an older office complex whose peers have struggled to retain tenants.Christie’s American headquarters at 20 Rockefeller Plaza... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-08-20 15:35:35 UTC ]
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5 to 9 Books, a new online-only bookstore run through Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, aims to help burned out professionals and new retirees cope with the stresses of life by introducing them to new hobbies and feeding their passions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The bookstore bar aspires to combine two beloved things: wine and stacks. Though people have been pairing vittles and pages as long as either have existed, the retail trend has taken off in recent years. As Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner reported in Eater this week, the book bar creates “a third... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-16 17:01:25 UTC ]
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The Ubik bookstore in Syracuse's Ortigia district has reopened under new management ahead of Italy 's guest of honor turn at Frankfurt. The post Italy: A New Ubik Bookstore on Sicily’s Island of Ortigia appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-08-07 15:14:55 UTC ]
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From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is:... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
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Founded in 2013, Letters Bookshop in Durham, N.C., is transforming from a privately owned business to a community-supported cooperative, selling shares for $116, in an aim to sustain the store in amid a challenging retail environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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London's Spiracle co-publishes independent houses' audiobooks and sells them to bookstore consumers using in-store cards with QR codes. The post UK: Spiracle Opens ‘Audiobook in a Card’ for Bookstores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-08-05 18:30:21 UTC ]
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“People feel differently about their bookstore than they do about their grocery store or electronics store,” writes Evan Friss, in praise of a retail ritual battered by the internet. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-08-04 09:00:54 UTC ]
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The inaugural Inside Prize has named its first recipient—the author Imani Perry. The new book award is “a collaborative project of Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, Center for Justice Innovation and Dallas bookstore owner Lori Feathers.” And in a novel move, all the prize judges are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-02 17:05:17 UTC ]
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What do you think of Barnes & Noble's plans surrounding the future of the Tattered Cover? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-31 18:23:52 UTC ]
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“Examine Every Atom”: The Capacious Career of Poet, Editor, and Critic T. R. Hummer, by Chard deNiord Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/31/2024 - 08:31 Right photo by formulanone / FlickrT. R. Hummer, as he is known professionally but Terry to... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-07-31 13:31:02 UTC ]
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Last week, shortly after the announcement that JD Vance would be joining the Republican ticket, I was working my bookstore gig at The Golden Notebook when a woman came in and asked me if we had any copies of Hillbilly Elegy. I took a glance at the inventory, told her we did not, and started to […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-25 18:51:59 UTC ]
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Always Here Bookstore, a pop-up in Portland, Ore., aims to be a literary oasis for queer, trans, Latinx, and neurodivergent people of all ages. While they search for a bricks-and-mortar home, co-owners Rafael Hart and John Hart want Always Here to be a go-to source for books with LGBTQ authors... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A bestselling author takes on the bots, Penguin Random House acquires a comics publisher, an epic bookstore roadtrip, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-11 15:00:00 UTC ]
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The Oklahoma-based arts-and-crafts retailer known for its ownership's conservative political leanings is coming soon to Manhattan.Hobby Lobby, which opened its first chain in the city on Staten Island in March, has now signed one of the largest leases in Manhattan so far this year, inking a deal... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-07-09 09:48:05 UTC ]
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Who hasn't wanted to run away to open a bookstore + tea shop and live a comfortable little life? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-08 15:45:00 UTC ]
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Data from Placer.ai shows that, while both bookstore chains have had some successes in increasing customer traffic, their gains in 2024 trail that of Barnes & Noble. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The bestselling books of the week, the indie bookstore shipping LGBTQ titles to states where they're banned, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-06 15:00:00 UTC ]
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It might be a bad year in the world, generally speaking, but it has been a great year for books—especially genre books! I love some good literary fiction as much as anybody but I’m a sucker for a good book of magic, dragons, spaceships, monsters, slashers, ghosts, etc… and so I’ve been combing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-03 08:56:04 UTC ]
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