States reach $69 million settlement with three publishers in ebook price fixing case

When the US Department of Justice sued Apple and five major book publishers over alleged ebook price rigging, it immediately became clear that a few of these companies would do just about anything to avoid trial. That same day, three of the publishers -- HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette -- elected to settle with the DoJ. Now, those same three publishers have reached an agreement in 49 states (all but Minnesota), wherein consumers will receive a combined $69 million in compensation. Specifically, the payout applies to people who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. Interestingly, the payout includes folks who bought ebooks from Macmillan and Penguin, even though those two publishers aren't settling. As for making sure people get paid, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google, Sony, Apple and Kobo have agreed to identify and contact affected customers. According to ABC News, most of these retailers will give customers the option of receiving a check or a credit toward future purchases. Sony, meanwhile, will automatically issue checks, while Google will direct customers to an online submission form where they can file a claim. Whatever the method, payments are expected to begin 30 days after the settlement is approved. The DoJ settlement, which is separate from the agreement with the 49 states, is still awaiting clearance.States reach $69 million settlement with three publishers in ebook price fixing case originally appeared on... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2012-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Big-Box Bookstores Don’t Have to Die

You could say I have a sentimental attachment to the chain bookstore. Growing up in an intellectually impoverished American suburb, I spent much of my free time in now-defunct locations of Borders and Barnes & Noble. I read garbage, mostly: popular history magazines, Star Trek novelizations,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playster All-Media Subscription Service Debuts in U.S.

The multi-content subscription service, in beta since 2014, has gone live. It offers tiered access to books, TV/film, music and video games, and has partnerships with such publishers as HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Reports Disappointing Second Quarter

Total sales fell 4.5% at Barnes & Noble in the second quarter ended Oct. 31, 2015 compared to the same period last year and the net loss from continuing operations rose to $27.2 million from $5.1 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corbett leaves S&S after restructure

Simon & Schuster has restructured its marketing and publicity teams, with communications director Hannah Corbett leaving the publisher after 13 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Declining E-Book Sales Hit Home

Softening sales for digital books have impacted the bottom lines at HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, according to both companies' recent earnings reports. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales, Earnings Up at Simon & Schuster

Revenue at the Big Five house increased 2% in the third quarter, rising to $203 million. Bestselling adult titles in the quarter included 'The Survivor' by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills, and this year's Pulitzer Prize-winner for fiction, Anthony Doerr's 'All the Light We Cannot See.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gompertz Joining Skyhorse as Editorial Director

Skyhorse Publishing has named Mark Gompertz group editorial director, effective November 9. Gompertz, who was most recently at Hearst Magazines, had a long tenure at Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S nabs German star

Simon & Schuster has bought world rights (excluding Germany) in These Days of Ours, a new novel by Juliet Ashton, and will publish in June 2016. Ashton, who was previously published by Sphere in the UK, is a superstar in Germany, where she has shifted more than 100,000 copies for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Up, up and away?

It may not have quite the same resonance as William Goldman’s infamous line about the movie business—“nobody knows anything”—but Carolyn’s Reidy’s comment, made at a recent Book Industry Study Group meeting held in New York, that “the more we know, the more we have to learn” is an excellent... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump Signs for New Book with S&S

Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions will publish a new, untitled book by Donald Trump October 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New B&N Chief Touts “Omni-channel” Approach

In remarks accompanying the release of Barnes & Noble’s first-quarter results for fiscal 2016, executives stressed that future growth for the retailer will involve integrating its retail, website, and Nook operations to allow customers to buy books anytime, anywhere, regardless of format. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Write a Roger Federer Think Piece

It has been a bit more than nine years since David Foster Wallace delivered “Federer as Religious Experience,” the Magna Carta of what has become one of the most popular genres in sports journalism: the Roger Federer think piece. The now-classic essay, penned for the short-lived New York Times... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Down, Losses Up at Barnes & Noble

Total revenue at Barnes & Noble fell 1.5% in the first quarter ended August 1, 2015, to $1.2 billion, compared to last year’s first period and the net loss increased to $34.9 million from $28.4 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Down, Profits Up at Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster posted an 8.6% increase in operating income in the second period of 2015 over the same period in 2014 while revenue fell 5.6%, to $199 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Completes College Group Spinoff

Barnes & Noble has completed the separation of its retail operation from its college business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Historic Day One Sales for 'Watchman'

Barnes & Noble and Book-A-Million have both pronounced that 'Go Set a Watchman' had the largest first day sale of any adult fiction book in the history of both retailers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jones and Profile agree to split

Profile’s publishing director Mike Jones is to leave the company at the end of this week, by mutual consent. Jones joined Profile from his role as non-fiction publishing director at Simon & Schuster almost exactly a year ago in July 2014. The publisher said it was “very sorry” to make the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Looks to New Leader to Save NOOK

Ronald Boire, a man with plenty of electronics experience, is taking over as CEO of Barnes & Noble, as the bookseller spins off its education division. The post Barnes & Noble Looks to New Leader to Save NOOK appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sears Canada Head to Run Barnes & Noble

Ron Boire has been named the next CEO of Barnes & Noble, Inc., beginning September 8. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How do I become ... a literary agent

A keen business mind and real commitment to the publishing industry are vital for a job that is all about selling – shy and retiring types need not apply Gordon Wise has been a literary agent at Curtis Brown for 10 years, and has a wide range of clients, from celebrities like Miranda Hart to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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