Readability is a bookmarking and read it later service, a distant competitor to Pocket. After five years of operation, Readability will be shutting down on September 30th.The original Readability codebase is embedded in a host of applications, including Apple's Safari 5 browser (the Safari Reader feature), the Amazon Kindle and popular iPad applications like Flipboard and … [Read more...] about Readability is shutting down in September
Business News and Statistics
Amazon to open a Bookstore in Chicago
Amazon has always been an online bookseller and many people claim that they drove Borders out of business and contributed to the decline in Barnes and Noble's retail sales. Amazon has experimented with a series of physical bookstores in Seattle, New York and San Diego. They will soon be opening up a location in Portland and news has just broke that they are going to be opening … [Read more...] about Amazon to open a Bookstore in Chicago
Sluggish Apple Sales Prompt Target to Sell Amazon Kindles
Target shocked the business world when they announced that they were going to start selling Amazon branded products again. There was speculation that Target CEO Brian Cornell who came to the company two years ago was the prime mover. The real reason is because of sluggish Apple sales.In 2012 Target stopped selling Amazon Kindles and Barnes and Noble Nook products. This was … [Read more...] about Sluggish Apple Sales Prompt Target to Sell Amazon Kindles
E-Ink Posts a Profit of $5.4 Million in the Second Quarter
E-Ink is the company responsible for e-paper found on the Kindle, Kobo and Nook e-readers. The Taiwanese company has just posted an operating profit of $5,437,895 for the second quarter. This is primarily due to big orders placed by Amazon and Kobo.The second quarter is the first time E-Ink has been profitable for quite awhile. In the first quarter of 2016 the company … [Read more...] about E-Ink Posts a Profit of $5.4 Million in the Second Quarter
HarperCollins Redesigned Their Website
HarperCollins has just unveiled a redesigned website this afternoon. The publisher is putting an emphasis on recommending compelling new reads with an interactive tool called Book Finder.Book Finder is the crown jewel of the new HarperCollins website. It is designed to present a series of genres and give you what a sense of what the book is about by merely hovering the … [Read more...] about HarperCollins Redesigned Their Website
Barnes and Noble Fires CEO Ron Boire
Barnes and Noble has fired CEO Ron Boire, who has been at the helm for less than a year. The Board of Directors determined that Boire was not a good fit for the organization and that it was in the best interests of all parties for him to leave the Company.Boire did not have any experience in the book selling business. Before coming to Barnes and Noble he was the the CEO of … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Fires CEO Ron Boire
Bookstores are selling a record number of books
Over the last six months publishers have all been disclosing that e-book sales are down and here is the reason why. The US Census Bureau has proclaimed that bookstores sales were 6.1% ahead of the comparable period in 2015. This means that chain stores like Barnes and Noble, as well as indie bookstores generated $5.44 billion dollars this year.Bookstore sales in 2016 rose … [Read more...] about Bookstores are selling a record number of books
Chapters Indigo Bookstore Sales Increase 7.7%
Chapters Indigo, the largest bookstore chain in Canada is doing quite well. In the last three months they have increased sales by over 7.7%, primarily due to general merchandise. Revenue rose to $193.1 million, up from $184.9 million a year ago.In the last few years Chapters/Indigo has restructured their business and transformed into a “cultural department store.” This … [Read more...] about Chapters Indigo Bookstore Sales Increase 7.7%
HarperCollins Reports e-Book Sales are Down
HarperCollins has not abide by the same financial reporting structure as many other publishers. The company has just released their fourth quarter results that ended ended June 30, 2016. This not only gives us a sense on how they did in the most recent quarter, but also how they progressed year on year. What is most important about this report is how far digital has … [Read more...] about HarperCollins Reports e-Book Sales are Down
There will never be another Harry Potter Book
J.K. Rowling has written 8 Harry Potter Books, including the new Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script for the new stage play in London. The entire franchise has made over a billion dollars. The author told Reuters that there would be no more stories or novels based on Potter.“He goes on a very big journey in these two plays and then, I think we’re, yeah, I think we’re … [Read more...] about There will never be another Harry Potter Book
Penguin Random House Refuses to Divulge e-Book Sales
This week the vast majority of major publishers have released financial figures for the first six months of 2016. Simon & Schuster and Hachette experienced declines in e-book sales and gave generalized figures. Things are so bad at Penguin Random House that they did not even break down digital sales, they merely said there was a "reduced demand for e-books."The U.S. … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House Refuses to Divulge e-Book Sales
Hachette e-Book Sales Continue to Fall
Hachette has just announced their financial figures for the first six months of 2016. E-Book sales account for 9.2% of their total revenue stream, which is a slight decrease from 10.7% during the same period in 2015.Sales for the first six months of 2016 fell 6.6% at Hachette Book Group, compared to the first six months of 2015. The funny thing is, even though sales are … [Read more...] about Hachette e-Book Sales Continue to Fall
Amazon Flex Drivers Will Deliver a Secret Release on July 31
Amazon has just sent an email to their Flex Drivers that let them know that there is a special midnight to 2 AM secret release on July 31st. Amazon was cagey and did not tell the drivers what the product was, which is leading to speculation that this is not the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Screenplay.Amazon Flex drivers are contracted drivers who deliver Amazon … [Read more...] about Amazon Flex Drivers Will Deliver a Secret Release on July 31