Amazon announced a couple of days ago that they are going to layoff 11,000 people. They initially stated this would start with the devices division, which includes Alexa, Kindle and Fire tablets. The layoffs will continue into the new year, where thousands of people who run the bookstore in various capacities, in addition to the people who post book reviews and also staff in … [Read more...] about Amazon layoffs now include the bookselling and review team
Bookselling News
Alexa and Kindles are unprofitable for Amazon
The Amazon devices division currently employs 10,000 people. These are the staff that are in charge of the Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, Ring, Echo, Amazon Earbuds and Fire Tablet devices. All of these products are unprofitable lose $5 billion annually in the past few years. Most of these devices are loss leaders because Amazon normally subsidizes the cost to get more market share. … [Read more...] about Alexa and Kindles are unprofitable for Amazon
Publishers want to buy BookTok, Creators Resistant
BookTok is a hashtag where passionate readers share all about their favorite books on social media platform TikTok. Members of BookTok tag videos of themselves, often in the bookstore aisles, raving about their favorite books. Many of the videos on BookTok have gone viral with millions of views, thus creating a whole new class of influencers that have made bestsellers out of … [Read more...] about Publishers want to buy BookTok, Creators Resistant
Costco is no longer selling books in Hawaii and Alaska
Costco has 119 million paid members in the United States and is a destination to stock up on groceries and other bulk items. The company also sells books in many of their stores, which is a good side hustle. The company has just discontinued selling books in Hawaii and Alaska, due to the logistics of sending books that far and declining sales in those markets. It also had to do … [Read more...] about Costco is no longer selling books in Hawaii and Alaska
Shopify settles with publishers for textbook and ebook piracy lawsuit
Shopify was sued last year by a number of educational publishers who accused them of ignoring repeat notices that its users sell pirated digital versions of their textbooks and eBooks. The lawsuit said Shopify’s “blind eye” to piracy allows for copyright and trademark infringement on a “massive scale.” The publishers asked the court for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per … [Read more...] about Shopify settles with publishers for textbook and ebook piracy lawsuit
Print book sales declined by 4.8% in the first 9 months of 2022
Print books have slightly declined for the first nine months of 2022. Overall sales in the United States have dropped from 570 million copies sold in the January through September in in 2021 to 542.6 million in 2022. Adult fiction has been the the strongest category all year and rose 9.5% in the first nine months of the year. One of the most successful authors of the year was … [Read more...] about Print book sales declined by 4.8% in the first 9 months of 2022
Amazon changes e-book return policy after author protest
In July 2022, we reported that several authors were protesting Amazon’s e-book return policy; Authors protesting Amazon’s e-book return policy. At that time, Amazon was allowing customers to return e-books up to a full week after purchasing. For many readers, a week is a more than enough time to finish a book, and return it after reading. When that happens, authors lose out … [Read more...] about Amazon changes e-book return policy after author protest
Canadian ebook sales were strong in 2021
Canadians continued to be enamored with reading reading digital books. Over half of all publishers (52%) saw increases in ebook revenue compared with 2020 and just over a quarter of all publishers (28%) saw increases in audiobook revenue in the same period. This bodes well for the digital publishing industry and also companies that sell e-readers and ebooks, such as Amazon and … [Read more...] about Canadian ebook sales were strong in 2021
How is Barnes & Noble doing in the Digital Age?
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 bookstore on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1917. The store began to flourish, garnishing it a reputation for excellence. Bookseller Leonard Riggio acquired … [Read more...] about How is Barnes & Noble doing in the Digital Age?
Why are Kindle ebooks so expensive?
Digital books on the Kindle, Nook or Kobo are way more expensive now, than ever before. Major publishers who control the vast majority of the market, control the prices and users end up paying more than the paperback and in some cases, the ebooks are more expensive than the hardcover. Why are ebooks so expensive now? Agency Model Keeps the Prices High Digital books used to be … [Read more...] about Why are Kindle ebooks so expensive?