Rakuten Mall has partnered with Rakuten Kobo, their e-book business, to broaden its mall services and offer digital publishing products. As TechBang reported, shoppers can use their Rakuten member account to buy Kobo e-books at Rakuten Mall and take advantage of the discounted prices. They can also buy and read books at their convenience. Additionally, customers can earn … [Read more...] about Rakuten Kobo e-book flagship store goes online in Taiwan
Bookselling News
How Out of-the-Box thinking saved Barnes & Noble
In 1873, Charles M. Barnes opened a small book business from his home in Wheaton, Illinois. His son, William Barnes carried the torch forward and alongside Clifford Noble, they opened the very first Barnes & Noble (B&N) bookstore in 1917 on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The store began to flourish, gaining it a reputation for excellence. In 1971 Bookseller Leonard … [Read more...] about How Out of-the-Box thinking saved Barnes & Noble
Barnes and Noble Launches Premium Membership
Barnes and Noble are revising their membership program to compete against Amazon Prime and Walmart+. The largest bookseller in the United States has a new Premium Membership, which costs $40 per year. It gives customers 10% discounts, free shipping, a tote bag and bigger lattes.The bookseller is also launching a free, lower-tier membership program that allows members to … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Launches Premium Membership
Indigo Books and Music has been hacked
Indigo Books and Music will not allow orders to be placed online and paying in their retail stores with a bank card and credit card is not allowed, cash only. They are not accepting returns either, or payment by gift card. Indigo also said customers who recently purchased items online may experience delays with part or all of their order. Why this this happening? It is due to a … [Read more...] about Indigo Books and Music has been hacked
Audiobook sales spike in the Netherlands
Physical bookstores are popular again in the Netherlands, after losing out to their online counterparts during the pandemic. As NLTimes reported citing inputs from the CPNB foundation, there has been a 16 percent increase in the sale of books via physical bookstores, something that also led to a 25 percent increase in turnover for the bookstores. While that is a welcome change … [Read more...] about Audiobook sales spike in the Netherlands
Print Sales Declined by 6% in 2022
Hardcover and Paperback book sales did not have a very good year in 2022, they declined by 6.5%. This was to be expected, because book sales boomed in 2020 and in 2021, primarily due to the pandemic. The drop in sales was not that surprising in the publishing industry.NDP Bookscan reported that 788.7 million books were sold last year, down from 843.1 million in 2021. … [Read more...] about Print Sales Declined by 6% in 2022
Italian charged with stealing more than 1,000 manuscripts
The mystery of over a thousand missing manuscripts has finally been solved, The Guardian reported. An Italian, Filippo Bernardini, 30, has confessed to having collected the manuscripts via unscrupulous means which brings to an end a case that has been troubling the investigators for years now. Filippo Bernardini used his experience working with renowned publisher Simon & … [Read more...] about Italian charged with stealing more than 1,000 manuscripts
Celebrities books coming out in 2023
Love them or hate them, celebrities tend to be an interesting and creative bunch. There are several new celebrity books coming out in 2023, and it seems that all of the celebrity authors are branching out into new directions.An academy award-winning actor offers his first fiction novel, which looks at the making of a movie through three different time periods. A couple of … [Read more...] about Celebrities books coming out in 2023
Why are bestsellers getting shorter?
Are novels getting shorter?In recent years, the trend has become even more pronounced, with over half of #1 bestsellers falling into the narrower 250-350 page range. A recent study conducted by Wordsrated (June 2022) looked at 3,444 titles (fiction and nonfiction) from 2011 to 2021. All of the books were at one time ranked in the top three spots of the New York … [Read more...] about Why are bestsellers getting shorter?
Zlibrary’s demise and its consequence – how things stand at the moment
Zlibrary is no more. At least, the law enforcement agencies did their bit to make this claim. That includes taking down more than 200 domain names related to the site. The Russian duo who operated the site have been booked too. No doubt that's a major victory achieved against those who distribute copyrighted material but the final battle is far from being won. That's primarily … [Read more...] about Zlibrary’s demise and its consequence – how things stand at the moment
Amazon to stop textbook rentals, reorganizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions
Amazon announced it is in the process of winding down their print textbook rental program along with magazine and newspaper subscriptions, both print and digital, Publishers Weekly reported. The print textbook rental program which was established more than a decade ago will be phased out by the spring semester. Amazon however said it will continue to support its digital … [Read more...] about Amazon to stop textbook rentals, reorganizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions