Small presses, libraries and independents are all under threat. No one wants to hear their child ask: ‘What’s a bookshop?’On Saturday it is Bookshop Day. My heart always sinks a little when I hear that a day has been set aside to celebrate something I love: it too often feels like being put on a list of exotic endangered species – and indeed libraries, small presses and bookshops are all disappearing fast.When my first book was published, there were no ebooks, no Amazon and most high streets boasted a bookshop. Chains and independents thrived equally – partly because book prices were fixed, which made for a level playing field. But with the demise of the net book agreement, the book world began to change. Independent bookshops could no longer afford to compete. The chains pointed to the free market – until Amazon appeared on the scene, when they themselves began to fall to online competition. Related: Weird and wonderful bookshops worldwide – in pictures Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
German trade association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels has released its economic data for 2014, revealing that sales of books and professional journals were down slightly by 2.2% to €9.32bn (£6.78bn). The trade association released the figures ahead of the annual industry conference in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Entrepreneur Will Cookson has developed an app which sends people to independent bookshops when they browse on the Amazon website. Cookson, who describes himself as an entrepreneur and creative director, has invented Bookindy, an extension for the Google Chrome browser which, when downloaded,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Citing 48 new regular member companies in the last year, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) leadership is declaring an end to a six-year crisis in US independent bookshops. At its annual meeting at BookExpo America in New York City on Thursday (28th May), c.e.o Oren J Teicher told the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The number of independent bookshops in the UK fell once again last year, with nearly 50 high street bookshops closing in 2014. The number of indie members of the Booksellers Association fell by 48 in 2014, to 939 indies. The 2013 figure (987) was a watershed moment for the industry, as it was... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three new independent bookshops have launched onto the scene in Manchester, Cheltenham and Cornwall. The Suffolk Anthology opened its doors at the end of last month in Cheltenham, run by former GP Helene Hewett as a family business with her two children, selling new titles, with a significant... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The deadline has been extended for independent bookshops to apply for one of the industry’s most coveted prizes – Independent Bookseller of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards. Indies now have until 5p.m. on Monday 23rd February to submit their entries here to be considered for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Book Day is set to make a mark on the UK this year after starting in Germany two years ago and quickly spreading across Europe. The campaign – which hopes to become comparable to the American Record Store Day event, but for books – wants readers to flock to independent bookshops on 21st... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four independent bookshops are closing their bricks and mortar stores after nearly 200 years in business collectively. The Ian Allan Bookshop in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade is set to close at the end of this week after nearly 130 years of a bookshop in business on that site, including a Blackwell’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winter Institute offers many ways for booksellers to interact with authors, with dozens participating in Tuesday evening’s author reception and Wednesday’s closing event with writers from small presses and university presses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walker Books has secured window displays in independent bookshops this Christmas, including London’s Dulwich Bookshop and Tales on Moon Lane. The shops, which are in the UK and Ireland, will be based around Walker’s Christmas books, such as Jingle Bells illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat, as well... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks chief fighting US court ruling that the company ‘conspired’ to fix prices in its competition with Amazon is defiant before trial. Tim Cook ‘feels the same’Apple goes before a US federal appeal court in two weeks to try to overturn a US Justice Department ruling on ebooks price-fixing. But... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Finding authors from small presses might be getting easier.It's tough being an indie author. These writers lack the marketing resources of those working with big publishing houses, making it difficult to get their works on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. Readers, meanwhile, often have... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven U.K. Small Presses have banded together to bring wider retail distribution and greater sales to their graphic novels in the U.S. comics market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent bookshops need to make readers feel special in order to compete against online retailers, say book trade experts. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, the chair of Irish PEN, outlines how Ireland continues to punch above its weight in the literary world. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joanne Harris says the book industry is sexist. Why else are there categories for 'women writers' and no equivalents for writers who happen to be men?This is the year of reading women, people, remember? We're all reading female writers and helping address the literary gender imbalance which is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germany's small press scene is thriving, with an eclectic mix of ambitious publishers seeking out new authors, experimenting with formats and finding audiences. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week Porter Anderson sets up an #EtherIssue discussion on the market implications of bargain-basement book prices and looks at Kobo's fight for Agency. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Submissions are open for SPX’s 2014 Ignatz Awards, which recognize outstanding comics and cartooning works by small presses and creator-owned projects. Deadline for submissions is June 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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