The ebook is dead. Long live the ebook

Reports that physical books are gaining ground at the expense of digital are just plain wrongHas the ebook had its day? If you’ve skimmed a newspaper over the past month you could be forgiven for thinking just that. “The physical book market is making a comeback after years of decline,” announced the Times, citing a rise in Christmas trading at Foyles. “Sales of books are eclipsing digital alternatives,” said the Telegraph, with the journalist William Langley explaining how his teenage son had discarded his Kindle.A Guardian leader said the apparent demise of ebooks was “one of the rare examples where a groundbreaking technology ends up being supplanted by its predecessor”. While James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones, jumped on the bandwagon, triumphantly revealing that demand for Kindles “has disappeared to all intents and purposes” in his stores. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]

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How celebrity deals are shutting children's authors out of their own trade

As Frank Lampard, George Galloway and Cara Delevingne land big-money book deals, established writers look on from the fringes – or turn away altogether Another day, another celebrity announces they are to “pen” a children’s book. Already this week, Jamie Lee Curtis has announced a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: Waterstones 'not put off' opening more unbranded stores

Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has told The Bookseller he has received “endless” emails from members of the public urging the chain to open unbranded shops in their towns and cities, after the existence of such stores was recently highlighted in the press. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones back in the black after five years

Waterstones has reported a profit for the first time under the ownership of Russian businessman Alexander Mamut and direction of its m.d. James Daunt. Boosted by “better standards of bookselling”, the 270-store chain saw sales rise by 4% to £409.1m in the year to 30th April 2016, helping it... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brexit uncertainty ‘adversely affecting’ footfall

Economic uncertainty ahead of the European Union membership referendum is impacting on high street footfall, Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt deems Amazon’s tax affairs 'unconscionable'

Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has said Amazon is undercutting his business because of the “unconscionable” way it exploits the tax system. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman, Rebuck and Daunt back 'Remain' campaign in joint letter

Leading publishing figures, including Waterstones m.d James Daunt, chair of Penguin Random House UK Gail Rebuck, author Philip Pullman and poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, have signed a letter to say they believe leaving the European Union would "severely weaken" the UK's creative industries. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'Amazon defines how Waterstones acts'

Amazon “defines” how Waterstones behaves, James Daunt, m.d. of Waterstones has said, but he added that a really good high street bookshop was "addictive" and could not be replicated online. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones’ James Daunt: ‘Student of Bookshops’

From Brexit (no) to bookstore social space (yes) Waterstones' managing director James Daunt is certain about one thing: He wants 'to sell more books.' The post Waterstones’ James Daunt: ‘Student of Bookshops’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones three years from fiscal autonomy despite upturn, Daunt warns

Waterstones must sustain three years of consecutive profit-making before the company can “stand on its own two feet” and not rely on the “charity” of its owner, the chain’s m.d. James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU exit could lead to 'catastrophic uncertainty'

The UK’s possible exit from the European Union, looking likely to be the subject of a summer referendum, would be a disaster for the book trade, according to industry figures such as Waterstones m.d. James Daunt, Bonnier Publishing c.e.o. Richard Johnson and Alma Books m.d. Alessandro Gallenzi. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvellous medicine

At some point back in 2013, I asked a senior publisher if they had a contingency plan for a world with fewer high street bookshops. It was a period when ebook sales were growing ever bigger, taking chunks out of print fiction’s market share; Amazon was revelling in its recent victory over those... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'Christmas is all to play for'

Waterstones is on course to make a small profit this year but it is “all to play for” over the next few weeks, the chain’s m.d James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones reveals 'richly diverse' Book of the Year shortlist

The shortlist for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2015 has been revealed, featuring a list that would  "not have been produced by an algorithm,” the chain's m.d. James Daunt has said. The eight-strong selection nominated by Waterstones booksellers across the UK encompasses four novels, three... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thursday's child

In a week when The Bookseller reported that James Daunt was removing Kindle devices from most of Waterstones’ shelves, one wonders if the ever-pragmatic boss of the high street chain was simply making room for Super Thursday books. Last year the trade contrived to release 300 hardbacks... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshop footfall gets a 'Watchman' boost

Booksellers say they are enjoying a “bumper summer”, with the release of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman encouraging people to “re-engage with books and bookshops again.” James Daunt, m.d of Waterstones, said the release of the William Heinnemann title last month had injected life into the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones 'petitioned' to open in Welwyn Garden City

Waterstones is set to open a store in Welwyn Garden City next month after being “petitioned” by the town’s residents. The chain will open a branch in Howardsgate on 25th July, with a special Peter Rabbit family fun day. The shop will include a cafe as well as a stock of close to 20,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'higher energy booksellers' at Waterstones

In the last four years, Waterstones has changed to a company which is more customer-focused, with booksellers who have more flexible working hours, more accountability and higher energy, according to the chain’s m.d. James Daunt was speaking on the subject of the value of booksellers in a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones' midnight openings for Harper Lee

Waterstones stores across the country will host midnight openings to celebrate the release of Harper Lee’s forthcoming novel Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann), while the company’s flagship Piccadilly shop will host a festival. M.d. James Daunt has called the launch a "thrilling"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Story of mother on trial to Mantle

Mantle associate publisher Sam Humphreys has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Mother by Yvvette Edwards from Eve White. The book follows a mother attending the trial of the boy accused of killing her teenage son. Mantle will publish spring 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dreams From My Mother

Of all the reactions to the viral video of a woman pummeling and verbally abusing her teenage son during the Baltimore uprisings, one stood out above the rest: an essay in the New York Times that used the video as fodder for explaining “What Black Moms Know” and why we are superior parents.... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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