Library cuts and falls in printed book sales | Letters

Has the editor of The Bookseller compared the fall of print sales of adult fiction since 2009 by more than £150m with the massively declined budgets of public libraries over the same five-year period (The writing’s on the wall for adult fiction in print, 14 January). This is also conditioned by the number of closures of public library branches and the radical changes in book selection due to the serious loss of qualified librarians. The problem facing traditional publishing must have been exacerbated by such austerity in local government, just as it affects the profits of retail supermarkets – and it’s time for real attention to be paid to Keynesian economics instead of finding blame everywhere but in the most obvious place. The villain is not always the internet. Should the austerity continue to such an extent that public libraries disappear, then publishers of fiction – and their authors – will go with them. As will, of course, hundreds of once very familiar journals.Ralph GeeNottingham• Thank You, Brian Lake, president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, and thank you Guardian for publishing his letter (12 January). What a relief to know I’m not the only old bird reading an actual book, the World’s All-Time Best and Irreplaceable Present. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #actual book

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Library cuts and falls in printed book sales | Letters'


Brent library campaigners ask for £5 donations

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 11/05/2011 - 16:12 Campaigners in Brent are asking members of the public to donate £5 apiece to fund the legal action over the council's library closures. The campaigners say they need £30,000 to take their case for a judicial review to the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #legal action #library closures #judicial review #high court #zadie smith


America 'exploring' World Book Night launch

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 11/05/2011 - 15:41 America wants to hold its own World Book Night following in the footsteps of the UK. The American Booksellers Association said it is "exploring" the possibility of replicating "a version" of the event, which saw 20,000 people... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #5th march


Bennett to hold Brent library fundraiser

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 11:17 Alan Bennett is to hold a fundraiser to help fund the legal campaign against the Brent library closures. Residents of Brent sent a legal letter to the council's legal director on Friday (6th May). It argues the council's move... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #legal campaign #legal director #friday 6th #consultation period #4th march


Richard and Judy extend Book Club with W H Smith

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 16:38 W H Smith has signed an exclusive deal to extend the Richard and Judy Book Club until 2015. The high street retailer has signed a contract with the celebrity couple to personally read and recommend eight fiction titles to WHS... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #exclusive deal #celebrity couple #fiction titles


Digital sales could be 15% of total next year - Hudson

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 11:06 E-book sales could exceed 8% of trade publishers' sales in 2011, and could reach 15% next year, Random House UK's deputy chairman Ian Hudson told delegates at the World e-Reading Congress this morning (10th May). Hudson also... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital sales #trade publishers #enhanced ebook #sit back


Yellow Jersey hat trick at British Sports Book Awards

Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 08:24 Random House imprint Yellow Jersey Press has scored a hat trick of wins at the British Sports Book Awards, with W H Smith also taking home the best sports book retailer prize. Catrine Clay's Trautmann's Journey won best biography, while Promised Lane by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hat trick #taking home #rugby book


Baddiel kicks off "Blokey Book Club"

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 15:19 BBC Radio 5 Live has launched a “Blokey Book Club” to encourage men to read more fiction. The Men’s Hour show formed the club, which will ask listeners to recommend and comment on their favourite fiction through the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good read


The Drama Book Shop—Award Winner

And the winner of this year’s Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre is... the Drama Book Shop, an independent New York City bookstore dating to 1917, 30 years older than the Tony Awards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tony awards


Nurturer of Authors Is Closing the Book

The editor Robert Loomis, who is retiring from Random House after 54 years, is known for nurturing writers including Maya Angelou, William Styron, Shelby Foote and Calvin Trillin. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #random house


Legal action over Brent library closures

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:21 Brent council, which recently confirmed a decision to close six of its 12 libraries, has become the latest to face a legal challenge from residents. Law firm Bindmans sent a letter before action detailing a proposed claim for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #legal challenge #judicial review #legal director #friday 6th #consultation period #4th march


Publishers Make a Plan: A ‘One Stop’ Book Site

In starting Bookish.com, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group USA and Hachette Book Group hope to provide one-stop shopping for books and information about authors. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers make #simon schuster


Random hits 2m ebook sales

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 06/05/2011 - 08:55 Random House has hit the landmark of two million ebooks sold in the UK, with other leading publishers reporting a first quarter “explosion” in digital sales. E-books currently account for 8% of RH's overall sales, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital sales #selling ebooks #lee child #james patterson #jo nesb #biggest-selling authors


2010 sales slump not cause for "alarm"—Barnsley

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 06/05/2011 - 08:50 The headline decline in sales for British publishers last year of 3.2% is a "cause for concern but not alarm", outgoing Publishers Association president Victoria Barnsley has said in the PA Statistics Yearbook 2010. read... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british publishers


Media Decoder: Plaintiffs Drop Suit Over Jimmy Carter Book

A $5 million lawsuit against Simon & Schuster over a book by former President Jimmy Carter was dropped by the plaintiffs on Thursday, three months after it was filed. The plaintiffs in the class-action suit had argued that Mr. Carter's "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," about the Arab-Israeli... Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media decoder #simon schuster #class-action suit


Barnes & Noble Plans New E-Book Reader [Voices]

Barnes & Noble Inc. will unveil a new electronic book reader later this month, the bookseller told analysts and investors on Wednesday, according to a federal filing released after the close of trading. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble


E-Book Boom Boosts Simon & Schuster [MediaMemo]

All of those Amazon Kindle sales -- and, presumably, sales of competitive ebook readers from Barnes & Noble and Apple -- have made an impact at publisher Simon & Schuster. The CBS unit says Q1 digital sales doubled over the previous year, and now represent 18 percent of the company's the... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble #apple -- #higher margin #$7 million


Sales slump to eight-year low in Royal Wedding week

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 16:00 Booksellers suffered their poorest sales in almost eight years last week with spending on physical books slumping by 12% week-on-week. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sales slump #eight-year low


Torbay Bookshop up for sale

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 15:48 The owners of the Torbay Bookshop, the Paignton based independent bookseller, have put the shop up for sale after almost 20 years trading. Co-owner Matthew Clarke said it was the right time to sell the business, with he and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #torbay bookshop


High Court reviews for library closures

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:15 Somerset and Gloucestershire county councils have been landed with a judicial review in the High Court over their plans to close over 20 libraries. Somerset County Council plans to withdraw funding for 11 libraries while... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library closures #judicial review #high court #withdraw funding


Sandra Boynton Demonstrates App, Signs Books--and a Few Nooks

Monday night’s Sandra Boynton book event at the Barnes & Noble on Manhattan’s Upper East Side looked like a pretty normal book signing--normal for Boynton, the bestselling children’s book author, anyway. Toddlers and slightly older kids, some dressed in pajamas, crammed into the event space,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble