The Independent is up for sale. The paper's founder, and current chairman of its publishing company, Andreas Whittam Smith, has been authorised to seek out a buyer.The owners, Alexander Lebedev and his son, Evgeny, have been indicating for some time that they would be happy to dispose of the paper and its sister titles, i, and the Independent on Sunday.They have made various cryptic statements over the last six months about their willingness to offload loss-making papers that they see no prospect of turning into profit.Alexander Lebedev's fortunes, based on a variety of businesses in Russia, have declined dramatically over the last couple of years.The first major indication of his decision to sell the papers was two key changes of personnel on the board of the company responsible for running them, Independent Print.Whittam Smith moved from being a non-executive director to become chairman. And, most striking of all, Evgeny stood down from the board.The official line from Independent Print is that Whittam Smith is merely seeking new investors. But the reality is that the papers are in play. Whittam Smith is said to feel "honour bound" to save the title he launched in 1986 and to do all he can to find someone willing to continue publishing the paper.At present, bankers have not been appointed. And no genuine bidder, thus far, has emerged. (Rumours some weeks ago that Charles Saatchi was interested were quickly scotched).It would appear that Whittam Smith has put out a... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If skyrocketing tablet sales and cute videos of babies that confuse magazines for iPads are any indication, touchscreens are the interface of the future. But there's just one problem with that portentous prediction: If it's true, laptop buyers are stuck with one foot in the past. The market... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Demons, the L.A.-based book-focused venture that indexes the places, music, food and things mentioned in books, has extended its deadline for finding a buyer or new investor for at least another month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies hope to highlight 'books that are a bit quirky and a little bit different' and might be overlooked by chain retailersThe nation's independent bookshops have pooled their collective expertise to identify the best of this year's crop of Christmas books, in a bid to pick out the hidden... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon, which has been blamed in part for the decline of independent bookstores, said it has a new program called Amazon Source to allow them and other retailers to resell Kindle devices and accessories, and also give them 10 percent on every ebook bought on them for two years. "With Amazon... Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.K.'s Bookseller reports Small Demons had been in negotiations with an international buyer, but those talks fell through.Los Angeles-based bookish tech startup Small Demons will close its doors Nov. 25, it has told publishers, unless a last-minute buyer is found. The U.K.'s Bookseller... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library campaigners in Scotland are taking legal action in an attempt to keep libraries in Moray... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BlackBerry has abandoned plans to sell itself and has instead found about $1 billion in new funds that it will use to try to turn its business around. The company is also planning far–reaching changes to management and will remove both its CEO Thorsten Heins and some directors. Heins is replaced... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon MatchBook, which lets customers who've previously bought the print edition of a book from Amazon score a digital copy on the cheap, is now open for business. Months in the making, the new service is a bold plan by Amazon to convert the world's stacks and stacks of books into digital... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Boyd Tonkin, the Independent’s long-serving literary editor, is relinquishing the post to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Instagram's cautious roll-out of its in-stream ads is now underway.U.S. users who open the app in the coming week will see an "educational ad" from Instagram itself, according to a blog post. Confirmed advertisers to follow it are Adidas, Ben & Jerry's, Burberry, General Electric, Levi's,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There was a markedly optimistic tone at this year’s fall regional conferences and trade shows, held from September 20 to October 12 in airport hotels and conference centers from the Big Easy to Portland, Ore., and Providence, R.I. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst is likely to call its forthcoming Dr. Mehmet Oz magazine "The Good Life," according to two people familiar with the matter. The title will likely also include the celebrity physician's name, though it's unclear precisely how that will be presented.A Hearst spokeswoman declined to... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House subcommittee on communications and technology, just made Wednesday's upcoming hearing interesting by publishing a discussion draft of a bill intended to eliminate TV blackouts caused by retransmission consent disputes. The bill, nicknamed... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now when you buy a print book from Amazon, you might be able to get a cheap ebook version of the same title. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even as federal antitrust lawyers proposed a slight reduction in their proposed penalties in the Apple ebook case, they stepped up their criticism of the company for continuing to insist it did nothing wrong. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two HarperCollins titles top the Booksellers Association Christmas picks, chosen by independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At last: the laptop buyer's guide we wanted to write three months ago. You see, when it came time to publish our spring edition, Intel was on the cusp of releasing its fourth-generation Core processors, which meant almost everything we were recommending was destined for a refresh. So we... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Constable & Robinson has joined the Independent Alliance, the coalition of independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In reporting its last results as an independent publisher, Penguin Group posted a 16% gain in sales, to 513 million pounds, and a 27% rise in adjusted operating profit to 28 million pounds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital publishers are in trouble. There is incredible competition for direct buys from agencies. This is the cash cow, and if publishers had their preference, this is where 90% of their sales would go. Ad sales is a people- and creative-driven busin ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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