- 2013 Jun 18
Follett Launches $50M VC Fund
College bookstore company Follett launched a $50 million venture capital fund to invest in “new technologies that have the potential to improve and even disrupt the way educational content is delivered and consumed.”
- 2013 Jun 17
Reading Novels Helps Thinking
Says new study.
NE Mobile Book Fair's Story
Will the red ink recede in time for what one veteran employee calls Mobile Book Fair 2.0 to emerge in its full glory?
- 2013 Jun 14
Grammar Police Continue Fight
Against apostrophe catastrophes.
- 2013 Jun 13
Booksellers for the Post Office
The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) is asking Congress to do its part to facilitate the spread of literacy and
guarantee free speech by ensuring the U.S. Postal Service remains solvent and that special Media Mail rates stay in place.Profit Surge at Book Depository
The Amazon-owned Book Depository made a pre-tax profit of more than £15m in 2012 after selling intellectual property to another Amazon group the same kind of inter-company arrangement that the online retailer has recently been heavily criticized for.
- 2013 Jun 12
Flooring for Book Nerds
Love what you walk on.
Between Traditional and Self-Publishing?
Notting Hill Press offers 11 established authors chance to share their expertise while retaining control and royalties.
- 2013 Jun 11
YA Authors Connect with Young Writers
Authors Erin Bowman, Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas,and Kat Zhang running workshops for budding writers.
Kids' Books Poke Fun at NSA
A tongue-in-cheek look at NSA surveillance through children's books.
Martha 'Speaks' Lawsuit
The author of the Martha Speaks series is suing PBS affiliate WBGH.
- 2013 Jun 10
Scarlett Johansson Sues Publisher
She is seeking compensation and damages from a French publishing company after her name was used in the book ‘The First Thing We Look At,’
224-Word Short Story
On a stamp.
- 2013 Jun 07
God and Sci-Fi
The Guardian: Science might have no place for divine intervention, but SF has always lived by its own beliefs.
- 2013 Jun 06
Amazon Recruiting Indie Bookstores
And hiring Kindle sales reps.
Gendered Covers Failing
"The elements of a great story have no gender – so why do we market books to young readers as if girls and boys want different things from fiction?"
- 2013 Jun 05
British Booksellers Challenge Amazon
Booksellers Association calls for government action after France pledges €9m of funding to help its booksellers.
- 2013 Jun 04
Amazon 'Dumping'
France's culture minister has attacked Amazon for deliberately undercutting traditional rivals to create a "quasi-monopoly", in the latest assault by the socialist government on internet companies.
Best Personal Library
Is yours better than these award-winners?
How Timbuktu's Manuscripts Were Saved
When Islamist rebels set fire to two libraries in Timbuktu earlier this year, many of the texts had already been removed from the buildings and were at that very moment being smuggled out of the city, under the rebels' noses.
- 2013 Jun 03
"The E-book Case Is Bizarre"
Says Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Amazon Leases 12-Storey Office
In London.
- 2013 May 31
Amazon Expands U.K. Office
Amazon's U.K.-based operations, which is accused of paying almost no tax in recent years, is set to expand into a new office and increase its employee count in the coming quarters.
- 2013 May 29
Spelling Champs Then and Now
A piece that catches up with past Spelling Bee champions.
- 2013 May 28
Starting Up in Publishing
"I’m going to give you a winning formula for founding a successful publishing startup: go back in time and start it in 2008. If for some reason that’s not possible, it’s not going to be easy."
Internet English Ruining the Language?
The Guardian takes a look.
- 2013 May 24
6 Publishing Lessons
From Open Road's first 3 years.
- 2013 May 21
Beware of Book Blurbs
'The Washington Post' did not review Martin Amis's latest novel favorably, but the book blurb suggests otherwise.
- 2013 May 20
11 Buzzy Books for Hollywood
These are the summer books on Hollywood's radar.
- 2013 May 17
Amazon Called Before Parliament
Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. will be called back to the British parliament to clarify how its activities in the UK justify its low corporate income tax bill.
How Do You Write About Life...
When it's lived on computers?
Publisher Threatens to Sue Blogger
For $1 billion.
- 2013 May 16
Amazon's Tax Questions
Guardian investigation shows key role of British-based staff in pushing tax rulebook to its limits.
- 2013 May 14
Did Luhrmann Get It Right?
A high school English teacher analyzes Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
A Super Sweet Musical
A behind-the-scenes look at the London stage production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
German Amazon Workers Set to Strike?
German labour union Verdi called on workers at Amazon.com to stage a strike in the country on Tuesday to put pressure on the global internet retailer to improve pay and benefits.
- 2013 May 13
Cengage CEO Seeks Restructuring
Cengage Learning said it’s seeking to negotiate with creditors on a restructuring plan and may need to file bankruptcy as part of its turnaround efforts.
- 2013 May 10
Apple Wins iBooks Trademark
A U.S. district court judge on Wednesday handed down a summary pro-Apple judgement in a case involving the "iBooks" trademark, denying plaintiff Black Tower Press its request for injunctive relief and corresponding damages.
- 2013 May 09
Amazon Workers Sue Over Checkpoints
"Whenever he clocked out after his 12-hour shift at an Amazon warehouse, Jesse Busk had one more critical task to perform before he could hop into his car and head home to sleep: Pass through the sprawling warehouse security checkpoint."
Grammar Rules
Everyone should follow.
- 2013 May 07
Cake Wrecks for Teachers
A round-up of funny cakes for Teacher Appreciation Week.
- 2013 May 03
ABA 2013 Election Results
Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, has been elected to a two-year term as ABA president, and Betsy Burton of The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, will serve a two-year term as vice president/secretary.
- 2013 May 02
What It's Like To Interview at Amazon
The company hires "hundreds" of M.B.A.s each year, she says, as well as hundreds of recent college graduates and others with technical backgrounds.
- 2013 Apr 30
'Graceling' Trilogy Heads to Film
Reliance Entertainment is developing Kristin Cashore's 'Graceling' trilogy.
Matilda Nabs Tony Nominations
Matilda the musical is nominated for a dozen Tony awards.
- 2013 Apr 29
Amazon Faces Strike Threat in Germany
Over pay, conditions.
- 2013 Apr 26
Advice for Aspiring Children's Authors
At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books last weekend, three writers shared advice for aspiring children’s book authors.
Alexandria is Most Well-Read City
According to Amazon.
Fight Over Use of Term 'Superhero'
Ray Felix created the series 'A World Without Superheroes' and was opposed by DC and Marvel Comics, who share a trademark on the word 'superhero.'
- 2013 Apr 25
Indie Booksellers Petition Amazon
The petition, asking Amazon to pay corporation tax in the U.K., had over 150,000 signatures.
Wikipedia Bumps Women
From "American novelists" category.
Men Read Books by Women
And books about women, says Slate.
Loss of Printed Books
Means reading won't be the same, says Guillermo Martinez.
- 2013 Apr 24
Harry Potter Theme Park
Coming to Universal Studios Hollywood.
OED's Simpson to Retire
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary will retire in October after 37 years at the publication.
- 2013 Apr 23
Divergent Photo Leak
Photos of the Divergent movie set in Chicago are leaked.
- 2013 Apr 22
Amanda Knox's Memoir
“She’s a complete blank,” the playwright John Guare once said, trying to explain the public fascination with Amanda Knox.
- 2013 Apr 19
Amazon in Russia?
Amazon looks like it is gearing up for the latest chapter in its international expansion: an operation in Russia.
- 2013 Apr 17
How to Get Your 2nd Publishing Job
Though there have been many articles and stories about how to navigate a first job, very few delve into what happens next.
- 2013 Apr 16
'Matilda the Musical'
The musical based on Roald Dahl's Matilda earns a rave review.
- 2013 Apr 12
Matilda: The Musical
NY Times: “Matilda the Musical,” the London import that opened on Thursday night, is the most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain.
- 2013 Apr 09
Divergent Begins
Filming of Divergent movie began on April 8.
Hey, Remember Witches?
Fox 2000 purchases film rights to a Sally Green trilogy about witches, suggesting that they may be making a YA comeback.
- 2013 Apr 05
Bertelsmann to Float Part of RTL Stake
Bertelsmann has confirmed its intention to float part of a controlling stake in Europe’s leading television broadcaster RTL, in a deal that could raise as much as €1.5bn.
Peculiar Meetings Between Famous People
Including Samuel Beckett driving young Andre the Giant to school.
- 2013 Apr 04
Arthur Frommer Reacquires Frommers
Will publish books again.
Mackenzie Bezos Defends Amazon
“I think about how great [Amazon] is for me as a reader,” Bezos said. “And that seems great for authors and books, too, to me.”
Does Spelling Matter?
Tony Blair and Dan Quayle have both made famous gaffes. Henry Hitchings on the importance of spelling.
- 2013 Apr 03
Why Amazon Bought Goodreads
"The business model is moving further towards word of mouth."
Bar Guest Book Sells for $11,900
Signed by Auden, Garbo, and many more.
- 2013 Apr 02
A Picture Book Wedding
A Chicago man proposes to his girlfriend by writing a picture book.
Where In the World?
The travel site Cheap Flights creates an infographic about the real-life settings of classic children's books.
Mining Books To Map Emotions
Were people happier in the 1950s than they are today? The answer may be in books.
- 2013 Apr 01
Turow on Amazon/Goodreads
"This is how modern monopolies can be built."
Walmart Wishes It Were a Startup?
Over the past year and a half or so, Walmart has gone on a tech hiring frenzy. Its e-commerce operation now employs about 1,500 people, and the company expects to hire hundreds more in the near future, most of them in Northern California.
- 2013 Mar 29
'The Host' Reviews
Not great.
Five Girl-Power Books
Just like "Lean In."
What is the Business of Literature?
Richard Nash weighs in.
- 2013 Mar 27
EU Nearing RH-Penguin Approval
Bertelsmann and Pearson are set to win unconditional EU regulatory approval for a plan to merge their publishers Random House and Penguin.
- 2013 Mar 25
Lit Agents Talk Publishing
“Things are actually very healthy in terms of readers and in terms of authors. What’s sick is the business model of publishing and that’s what I’m finding is so depressing.”
- 2013 Mar 22
Google Pulls Plug on Frommer's Print
Google has ceased production and publication of printed guidebooks bearing the Frommer’s brand name.
Publishing Salaries Poll
"It’s tough out here, as these numbers prove. But hey—at least there’s books."
- 2013 Mar 21
Bezos Recovers Apollo Engines from Ocean
Rusted pieces of two Apollo-era rocket engines that helped boost astronauts to the moon have been fished out of the murky depths of the Atlantic by a privately funded expedition led by Bezos.
- 2013 Mar 19
Publishers Scramble to Rewrite Future
"Of all the worries in the publishing world these days, the king of them is cultural irrelevance."
- 2013 Mar 18
Hey Amazon, Where's My Money?
"My novel shot to the top of the site's bestseller list last summer. You won't believe how little I got paid "
- 2013 Mar 15
50 Shades of Kate
Kate Moss reads from the book.
A Book Is a Start-Up
The part of the publishing world that considers a book as a technological enterprise.
- 2013 Mar 14
A Note on Nerdfighters
In her article about transgender teens, Margaret Talbot quotes Annette Bening and Warren Beatty’s son Stephen calling himself, among other things, a “nerd fighter.”
Has Virago Changed Publishing Attitudes?
It's 40 years since Virago Books was set up to celebrate the work of female writers. So how successful has it been in opening up the way for more women authors?
- 2013 Mar 13
B&N Argues It Didn't Violate Patents
Barnes & Noble sued Alcatel-Lucent in July 2010, seeking a ruling that it hasn’t infringed patents registered by the telecommunications company, which had warned of possible legal action.
Animated Pop-Up Books
See the books come alive.
- 2013 Mar 12
C.K. on Clifford
Comedian Louis C.K. does a bit on Clifford the Big Red Dog.
PublishAmerica Sued Again
Charges include inserting errors.
The History of Education and Textbooks
From Ancient Egypt to today.
- 2013 Mar 11
Why We Need to Invent New Words
The Guardian: Don't let the dictionary define what you say. Make up your own words. Here are rules you need to follow.
- 2013 Mar 07
Franco to Star in Of Mice and Men
James Franco will make his Broadway debut as George Milton in Of Mice and Men.
Cleary Home For Sale
Beverly Cleary's childhood home in Portland, Oregon is for sale.
Lena Duchannes: Fashion Guru?
Witchy fashion styles are appearing on the runway.
Teenagers Seeking 'Easier' reading
A British study reports that teenagers are seeking out books that are not challenging enough.
Harry Potter GIFs
Tell you what it's like to be an art student.
