August Store Sales Down
Bookstore sales fell by their largest rate of 2010 in August, declining 6.5%, to $2.29 billion, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Driven by sales through college bookstores, August is typically one of the biggest sales months for bookstores. For the first eight months of 2010, bookstore sales were down 2.0%, to $10.79 billion. For the entire retail segment, sales rose 3.9% in August and 6.1% in the first eight months of 2010.

E-Reserve Case To Move Forward
A federal court in Atlanta has ruled that the contentious copyright case involving e-reserve practices at Georgia State University will go forward, but only on one narrowly drawn claim of contributory infringement. Judge Orinda Evans denied all three of the publishers' motions for summary judgment, while granting two of three GSU motions, effectively ending the defendants' exposure for direct and vicarious infringement. The court gave the parties 20 days to come up with a schedule for proceeding to trial or, perhaps, to settle.

Borders Enters Self-Pub
Borders is launching Borders—Get Published powered by BookBrewer, a service that will allow writers with blogs, Web sites, or any written content to convert it into an e-book that can be sold through Borders.com or other online book retailers. There's an $89.99 basic package that provides an ISBN and automatic distribution, and a $199.99 advanced package that provides the author with the EPub file, though the author must negotiate distribution and royalties separately. The program launches October 25.

Kids, Crime E-books from Open Road
Albert Whitman & Co. will team with Open Road Integrated Media to publish the 150 titles of Whitman's Boxcar Children Mysteries series as e-books and some as "enriched" e-books with extra content. The first 19 e-titles in the series will be released in time for Christmas 2010. Open Road is also releasing e-book editions of 55 crime backlist titles from bestselling authors Lawrence Block, Stephen Coonts, Robert K. Tanenbaum, and Don Winslow.

Ingram in Warehouse Deal with Springer
Starting in the first quarter of 2011, Ingram Content Group will take over warehousing management, fulfillment, and print-on-demand in the U.S. for European-based Springer. Through the agreement, Ingram will hold Springer's entire U.S. inventory, and as it sells down, Ingram will transition to print-on-demand on titles where it makes the most economic sense. All fulfillment will come through Ingram. Springer is expected to complete the move of its inventory to the Ingram warehouse in the first quarter, at which time Ingram will take over logistics and warehousing responsibility for Springer, combining warehousing with POD.