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 ]
At China's Asian Bookstore Forum in Xi'an, researchers cited a sharp shift, book sales moving quickly away from physical stores and over to online retail. The post Asian Bookstore Forum 2019: The Retail Context in China Today appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-08-23 05:30:19 UTC ]
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Octopus imprint Hamlyn has bagged a book of anecdotes, laugh-out-loud moments and uplifting life lessons from ITV panel show “Loose Women”, marking its 20th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-20 04:41:45 UTC ]
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A little additional advice to self-published authors on maintaining successful relationships with indie booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-19 12:00:51 UTC ]
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I own a 19-year-old copy of Vladimir Nabokov’s Invitation to a Beheading. I place its age from the barcode on its back, which states the name of the bookstore where I bought it: Borders.The one that used to sit on the ground floor of the World Trade Center, the one I’d been to multiple times […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-19 08:50:43 UTC ]
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Wood Green's co-operative bookshop, The All Good Bookshop, has secured temporary premises and plans to open this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-18 22:20:02 UTC ]
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At a shop that at times functioned as a sanctuary after the Tree of Life shooting, the owner sees his job as “a moral obligation.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-08-18 09:00:09 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Tributes have been paid to Gay’s The Word bookshop co-founder Jonathan Cutbill, who has passed away aged 82 after a period of ill health. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-15 17:00:19 UTC ]
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For a second year, the Hay Festival works with a Dallas bookstore to stage a smaller event parallel to the Hay's Mexico festival at Querétaro. The post Hay ‘Forum’ Dallas Programming Announced for September appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-08-14 05:50:28 UTC ]
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James Daunt fought Amazon and rescued the country’s biggest bookstore chain. Now comes Chapter 2. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-08-08 10:00:05 UTC ]
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Punny cozy mystery titles have always been among the most fun on bookstore and library shelves. Here are twelve new cozies with puns to make you laugh. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-07 10:38:11 UTC ]
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Hatchards’ new bookshop at London’s St Pancras Station will be officially opened tomorrow by children's author and illustrator Benji Davies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-07 09:17:40 UTC ]
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A reader recalls a favorite independent bookstore in Southampton in the UK. Hear all about radical bookshop October Books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-06 10:39:02 UTC ]
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W H Smith has opened a flagship branch of The Bookshop, the largest yet of its 12 standalone stores, at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-05 09:37:10 UTC ]
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This giveaway is sponsored by William Morrow. From the New York Times best-selling author of The Bookshop on the Corner comes this witty ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-02 10:31:10 UTC ]
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John Francisconi, the general manager of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn., is finishing up a three-week residency at Otherwise Bookshop in Rome and reflects on the experience for PW. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Enter to win a $100 gift card to spend at The Ripped Bodice, the only romance-exclusive bookstore in the United States! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-01 10:31:56 UTC ]
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Before it was an agency, Imprint Projects was a bookstore founded by art curators and exhibition programmers Adam Katz, Dina Pugh and David Kramer. The chops they honed in those positions working across culture and retail formed the roots of what’s now a full-service creative shop that... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-08-01 02:15:00 UTC ]
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Edinburgh's latest indie The Portobello Bookshop has opened its doors to the public, with customers queuing to get in on its first day of trading. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-29 21:32:06 UTC ]
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Tinged with love and sadness, Marjan Kamali’s new novel ‘The Stationery Shop’ is an ode to an Iran that no longer exists. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-28 22:04:19 UTC ]
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