Gauging Amazon's Audible Buy

Amazon's pending purchase of Audible has some publishers wondering how the e-tailer will wield its position in the market, while some of Audible's small shareholders are grumbling about the acquisition price and hoping that Apple might still swoop in with a bid. The Audible purchase will make Amazon the most important outlet for spoken-word audio, be it in traditional CD or digital formatsR...

Analyst Gives Gloomy B&N Forecast

A JP Morgan analyst issue a report yesterday predicting that same-store sales at Barnes & Noble could fall in the current year. The forecast resulted in B&N's stock price falling by more than 10% Tuesday.

Ferris and Samet Among Finalists for Barnes & Noble Award

Barnes & Noble announced the finalists for its 2007 Discover Great New Writers Awards today. Winners in the fiction and nonfiction categories will each receive $10,000 and a year of promotion through B&N.

Horton Pops Up

A recent release from Random House’s Robin Corey Books imprint gives a timeless Dr. Seuss tale added dimension. Horton Hears a Who Pop Up!, published this month with a 100,000-copy first printing, features elaborate paper engineering by David A. Carter, including five pop-up spreads, 11 booklets containing additional pop-up scenes, numerous pull-tabs and other special effects.

More Records for Amazon; Scrambling to Meet Kindle Demand

Sales at Amazon's North America media group, which includes books, rose 29% in 2007, to $4.63 billion, while sales of the Kindle exceeded expectations. The company is working to meet the backlog of orders on its popular e-book reader.

A Poet's Cover

The jacket design for the typical poetry book has long consisted of a single-colored background and a cropped painting in a box in the middle, with the title above, the author's name below. As a younger, hipper, more design-conscious generation takes the reins of the poetry establishment, poetry books are looking a little sleeker.

Bloomsbury USA Eliminates Seven Jobs

Following a disappointing 2007, Bloomsbury USA cut seven positions, including that of publishing director Annik LaFarge. Bloomsbury will also trim its output of adult titles this year.

Powell’s to Expand Flagship in 2010, Absorb Technical Store

Portland's Powell's Books will add 10,000 sq. ft. to its flagship store, incorporating titles from its technical store which will be closed.

RH's Headquarters Gets Green Nod

Random House's U.S. headquarters, at 1745 Broadway, is officially a green building. The structure has been bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council with the environmentally-friendly LEED designation, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Prichard Replaces Chandler at Ingram

Skip Prichard, who joined Ingram Book Group as chief operating officer last July, has been promoted to CEO, succeeding Jim Chandler who is retiring. Chandler had led Ingram Book since 2004.

Sharp Independent at HC Unveils Film Slate

HarperCollins has announced option deals for five titles to be developed by its film unit Sharp Independent at HarperCollins.

Curbstone Carries On

There was revolution in the air when Judy Doyle and Sandy Taylor met in the 1960s at the University of Connecticut. She was an undergraduate studying English literature, and he was working toward his Ph.D., also in literature, with a special interest in Scandinavian writing. “We were both pretty involved in the antiwar and Civil Rights movement,” Doyle recalled from her office in Wi...

BN.com Starts New Online Club

BN.com announced a new addition to its online book clubs today. Starting this month, bestselling writers Luanne Rice, Dennis Lehane, Jim Cramer and Deanna Raybourn will participate in online discussions as part of the company’s new Center Stage Book Club.

HarperCollins; Sharp Independent To Adapt 'Now You See Him'

HarperCollins' in-house film development arm, Sharp Independent at HarperCollins, has named Eli Gottlieb's forthcoming novel, Now You See Him, as its next book-to-film project.

Collins Assembles Traveling Exhibit

To promote two new books on presidential memorabilia, HarperCollins, parent company News Corp. and sister company Fox News have assembled a traveling exhibition. “The American Presidency” exhibit features 80 objects showcased in Campaigning for President and The President’s Table, both hardcover coffee-table books from Collins.

Amazon Soared, Borders Plunged in '07

Although losers outnumbered winners in 2007, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index managed to eke out a 1.7% increase last year, thanks largely to Amazon.com. Shares at the e-tailer soared nearly 135% as investors were encouraged by the company's rapid sales growth, even as they still expressed concerns about Amazon's operating margins.

Eugster Replaces Willis at B&T

Penguin Canada Tops C$100 Million

After three years of double-digit growth, Penguin Canada cracked the C$100 million level for the first time in 2007, led by a mix of international and domestic hits.

Farley Leaving Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Marmion, Brown Get Top Spots

Former Harcourt Trade president Dan Farley will leave the company at the end of January as part of the integration of the division into Houghton Mifflin Trade & Reference Publishers.

‘Seven Habits’ Top Seller at AbeBooks

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was both the top used book seller at AbeBooks.com last year as well as the bestseller overall. Other hot selling used titles included Eat, Pray, Love, The Purpose Driven Life, The Kite Runner, and The Pillars of the Earth.