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 ]
On Monday, we put out a call asking that those of you who need something good to read in this trying, frightening time, might send us a few of your favorite books (and other things) so we could recommend a good book for you to read. And turns out quite a lot of you are […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-20 08:50:21 UTC ]
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On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 I stood in an empty bookstore and cried. A friend had just sent a congratulatory text with a picture from the April issue of Alta Magazine. My wife and I were interviewed a few months ago for a profile of Point Reyes Books, the bookstore we’ve owned […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-20 08:49:38 UTC ]
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The impact of the coronavirus has seen the Booksellers Association issue a rallying cry to the trade, as many publishers enforce home working to safeguard staff. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 23:39:55 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org, an alternative to Amazon that shares proceeds from book sales with independent bookstores, will give more money to those stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on small businesses. Bookshop announced today that it would increase bookstore partners’ affiliate... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-18 15:09:12 UTC ]
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Indigo Books and Music, Canada's dominant bookstore chain, is closing all of its 199 retail locations from the end of business today until March 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Denver's Tattered Cover is the latest bookstore to report job losses, putting 100 employees on unpaid temporary leave. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The tale of the Moravian Book Shop isn’t straight-forward. Founded in 1745, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, it’s said to be the oldest continuously-running bookstore in America, yet it’s largely under the radar. It’s not a grande dame to whom homage must be paid; it’s never been the epicenter for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-16 08:49:30 UTC ]
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As a result of the coronavirus crisis, sales at digital audiobook store Libro.fm and online bookstore Bookshop.org have soared. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This week on The Maris Review, Rachel Vorona Cote joins Maris Kreizman for a special live interview at the Strand Bookstore to discuss her new book, Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today, out now from Grand Central. How much do you give of yourself in nonfiction: Maris... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-05 09:48:58 UTC ]
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The first hour of the day in a children’s bookstore is chock full of challenges. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie bookshops are cashing in on a pre-order boom for Hilary Mantel’s new book and are hosting everything from midnight openings to silent discos this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-01 15:13:26 UTC ]
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Lucy Ellmann’s Ducks, Newburyport has attracted much attention for its length, but one publisher believes the spoken word might be its perfect mediumFinishing a good book should leave you feeling bereft for a little while, but it’s rare to leave a novel with your brain vibrating at a different... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-02-28 14:00:18 UTC ]
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Reading a good book can feel like traveling to a remote island. A particular kind of journey where having crossed a stretch of water, and surrounded by sea, you are cut off from the rest of the world. For a writer, an island lends itself to creating atmosphere—claustrophobic, mystical, exposed.... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-02-28 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Ruth Jones will be embarking on a UK tour to celebrate the publication of her new novel Us Three in a collaboration between Fane and Transworld. The tour, combining a Fane-produced theatre tour with bookshop events organised by Transworld, will comprise seven dates across the UK. It begins at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-28 11:07:04 UTC ]
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“I have worlds of things to tell you, and my pen is not swift enough to answer my purpose at all.” A glimpse inside the best summer of Emily Dickinson’s life. | Lit Hub Emily Temple watched 2oth-century bookstore classic You’ve Got Mail for the first time ever, and has VERY strong feelings about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-26 11:30:27 UTC ]
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Button & Bear children’s bookshop in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has been forced to close today (Wednesday 25th February) owing to rising floodwaters. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-25 14:31:43 UTC ]
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The door of Los Angeles’ newest bookstore is propped open on a quiet section of Hollywood Boulevard, the front window displaying books on a handmade wooden bookshelf. Inside the front room, you’ll find more books and merchandise below a neon light thought bubble and a sign that reads, “I still... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-21 15:00:52 UTC ]
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When Jokha al-Harthi and Marilyn Booth won the Man Booker International Prize last year, for Booth’s translation of Sayyidat al-Qamr (Celestial Bodies), many hurried to note that al-Harthi was the “first Omani woman writer” to have a book in English translation.While true, this may give the... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-02-19 10:26:57 UTC ]
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Bookshop Santa Cruz in California and Changing Hands Bookstore in Arizona, have partnered in a drive to register Arizona voters and persuade them to vote Democrat in this year's presidential election. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore sales, which struggled for most of the year, ended 2019 with a weak December and finished the year with a 5.7% sales drop compared to 2018, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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