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 ]
The college bookstore operator closed the fiscal year ended April 27, 2024, with a smaller loss than fiscal 2023, new financing, a new CEO, and a new board. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A woman accidentally buys a bookstore apparently, Libro at 10, cool library spaces are all in today's most interesting book news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-06-20 17:06:13 UTC ]
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The Womb House Books bricks-and-mortar store, which opened on June 15, features the carefully curated, women-focused vintage titles that are the Etsy shop's bread and butter, with the addition of frontlist books. Owner Jessica Ferris is doing it all on her own—and loving every minute. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid growing efforts to censor and ban LGBTQ+ books, one small bookstore in San Francisco is punching back. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-06-19 10:00:54 UTC ]
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Following months of uncertainty, B&N will buy the bankrupt but beloved Denver bookstore chain. The four remaining Tattered Cover locations will continue to operate under that name. B&N anticipates that it will retain a majority of the company's 70 employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I was celebrating the release of my third middle grade novel, The Truth About Triangles, at a recent bookstore event when someone asked me, “How does it feels to write LGBTQ+ stories for young people?” I paused, overwhelmed by the tangle of words this question brought up. But one word stood out.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-06-17 08:55:17 UTC ]
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The Brooklyn book collector with 50,000 books at home, a first look at the new Lord of the Rings movie, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-06-13 15:00:00 UTC ]
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I love it when a text centers the dynamics of conversation. In my own life, talking to others gets me out of my head, and introduces me to possibilities I would never have dreamed of alone. I think of a quote by the activist Valerie Kaur, which my local bookshop has printed on some of […] The... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-06-12 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Bill Hall, the proprietor, has assembled a vast collection of hard-to-find fashion books and magazines coveted by designers and influencers. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-06-12 09:03:57 UTC ]
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Bookstore visits, a keynote talk with Meg Medina, and a memorable party at Baldwin & Co. brought a festival atmosphere to the opening hours of ABA's CI2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers say investments in book promotion to augment publishers’ in-house staff are key to successKatherine Reay has written a dozen novels. When The Berlin Letters, her most recent, hit the shelves earlier this year, she embarked upon a 30-stop promotional book tour.“I love the personal... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-06-07 11:30:48 UTC ]
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B Is for Books allows kids and families to browse, read, and select up to three books to take home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Four years after two Minneapolis specialty bookstores were destroyed amid unrest following George Floyd's murder, Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore and Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore are thriving in their new locations. Their owner, Don Blyly, is also celebrating his 50th anniversary as a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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By large majorities, Indigo shareholders approved the sale of the Canadian bookstore chain to private equity firms controlled by Canadian billionaire Gerald Schwartz, an Indigo board member and the husband of Indigo founder and CEO Heather Reisman. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Booksellers Association held its annual meeting and community forum with 128 individuals and store locations in attendance. ABA’s present membership includes 2,433 bookstore companies with 2,844 store locations, representing “an 11% increase in membership year over year,” according... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Charges have been dropped against four of the 11 people charged with mischief and criminal harassment, which police called "hate-motivated," after an Indigo bookstore was vandalized last fall. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2024-05-22 13:48:29 UTC ]
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In today's book news: an in-depth look at Reese Witherspoon's book club, upcoming books that "should" be bestsellers, why you should buy yourself a bookstore gift card, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-20 18:19:41 UTC ]
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A local electrical engineer with a passion for literature is on a mission to share the stories of local authors who have struggled to break into the mainstream publishing industry. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-20 10:00:37 UTC ]
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Cool stuff was everywhere I looked. A compendium of Latin American folk tales. A young-adult version of radio legend Maria Hinojosa's memoir. Picture books teaching Spanish speakers words in Nahuatl and Maya. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-15 13:00:39 UTC ]
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Bookshop and arts centre run by Salmon Poetry is saved from closure after raising more than €60,000 from 700 individualsA bookshop and arts centre run by a prominent Irish poetry publisher has been saved from closure after a GoFundMe campaign raised more than €60,000 – enough to buy new premises... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-13 15:18:10 UTC ]
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