Burkle to Appeal
Ron Burkle will appeal last month's decision by the Delaware Court of Chancery that dismissed the Burkle lawsuit filed against B&N's poison pill rights plan. The court supported the B&N board's approval of the provision. In the suit, Burkle complains that B&N is controlled by the Riggio family to the detriment of other shareholders. ‘Mockingjay' Sells Big
Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, sold more than 450,000 copies (hardcover and e-book) in its first week on sale. Scholastic has gone back to press for an additional 400,000 copies. The total number of U.S. copies in print is 1.6 million.

New Sony Devices
Sony is releasing a redesigned and upgraded suite of its three digital readers—Pocket Edition ($179), Touch Edition ($229), and Daily Edition ($299)—offering full optical touch screens and nonglare b&w
e-ink display along with reduced size and weight. The new devices come in silver, black, and pink aluminum skins and offer stepped-up power, crisp page turning, and increased storage capacity. Only the top-of-the-line Daily Edition offers 3G/wireless. The Pocket and Touch Editions go on sale this month, the Daily Edition in November.

North Atlantic Debuts Evolver Books
The nonprofit alternative health publisher North Atlantic Books has launched a new imprint, Evolver Editions, with Evolver LLC, which publishes Reality Sandwich, an online magazine focused on "psychic evolution." Beginning in fall 2011, Evolver will publish books on shamanism, environmental design, cosmology, and political organizing.

New Diamond Delivery Date
Starting in January 2011, accounts serviced by Diamond Comics Distributors will be able to get comics and graphic novels delivered to stores on Tuesday for a Wednesday on-sale date, in line with other industries that have street dates. In the past, comics shops received weekly deliveries on Wednesday, the same day they went on sale, often disrupting store business.

Joe Drabyak Dies
Joe Drabyak, president of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and longtime bookseller for Chester County Book & Music Company in West Chester, Pa., died August 27 from complications of renal cell cancer. A mentor to many booksellers, he hand-sold books so well authors often named their characters after him. A memorial service will be held October 3 at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, in West Chester, at 4:30 pm.

Beijing Book Fair
The five-day Beijing Book Fair opened August 30 and ran through September 3. The mood was reported to be optimistic and the aisles at Hall 8 (for international publishers) heavily trafficked. Big houses like HarperCollins, Hachette, and Penguin announced deals, while smaller independent presses worked to learn the Chinese book market. The combined exhibit at the American Collective Stand offered titles from more than 500 small presses.

R&L Debuts UP Services Unit
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group has created a department to provide publishing services to four U.S. university presses: University of Delaware Press, Bucknell University Press, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, and Lehigh University Press. R&L will provide sales and marketing, order fulfillment, royalty and credit, and collections services as well as pay author royalties and advances; the UPs will continue to vet manuscripts and maintain editorial control as well as their publishing staffs. All new books will be issued simultaneously in print and e-book editions.