Patterson distributes US$267,000 to independent bookstores
Months after pledging to give US$1 million (A$1.11 million) to US independent bookstores, bestselling author James Patterson has begun distributing the funds. Publishers Weekly reports that Patterson has sent out...
Marra, Finkel win inaugural Carla Furstenberg Cohen Literary Prize
In the US, a new literary prize to honour the memory of Washington DC bookstore Politics & Prose co-founder Carla Cohen has been announced by her friends and family, reports...
McFarlane shortlisted for ‘LA Times’ debut fiction award
Australian author Fiona McFarlane has been shortlisted for the LA Times Book Awards in the US for her debut novel The Night Guest (Hamish Hamilton). McFarlane’s book, which is published in...
BookExpo America 2015 to host China at Global Market Forum
BookExpo America (BEA) has announced that it will host China at its Global Market Forum in 2015. A delegation of 500 Chinese professionals from over 100 publishing companies and around...
Cengage US reaches deal to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy
In the US, educational publisher Cengage Learning has reached an agreement with major financial stakeholders and creditors to allow it to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the equivalent of administration...
US publisher MacAdam/Cage files for bankruptcy
In the US, San Francisco-based publisher MacAdam/Cage has voluntarily filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the equivalent of liquidation in Australia, reports Publishers Lunch. According to Publishers Lunch, the filing follows...
Amazon gains patent to ship items before customers buy them
In the US, Amazon has patented a delivery method that will allow it to ship items before customers buy them, reports the Wall Street Journal. In December 2013, Amazon gained a...
Australian app, ebook win at 2014 Digital Book Awards
An Australian app and ebook have won awards at the 2014 Digital Book Awards, announced in New York on 14 January. Australian app Cowzat! won in the App—Children category. The...
International Library News
Former German airport to be transformed into major central libraryIn Germany, the site of a former Berlin airport will be transformed into a major new central library, reports the Guardian....
National Book Critics Circle Awards 2013 finalists announced
In the US, the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Awards finalists have been announced. The finalists in the fiction category are: Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Fourth Estate); Someone (Alice McDermott, Circus); The Infatuations (Javier...
US Booksellers Association, NetGalley to launch ‘Digital White Box’ program
The American Booksellers Association (ABA) and NetGalley have announced a new program that will allow publishers to make digital proofs available exclusively to ABA member booksellers. The Digital White Box...
International Library News
Ebook promotion in Illinois libraries aims to influence publishers In the US, a new promotion in public libraries across Illinois will aim to influence publishers to change their ebook policies, reports the...
International Library News
Volunteers to run Lincolnshire’s libraries in the UK Lincolnshire is the latest country in Britain to approve plans to give control of local libraries to community volunteers, reports the Bookseller....
Oren Teicher, ABA board named ‘Publishers Weekly’ Person of the Year
In the US, CEO of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) Oren Teicher and the ABA board have been chosen as trade magazine Publishers Weekly’s Person of the Year ‘for their...
Bloomberg lays off books editor in editorial restructure
In the US, news organisation Bloomberg has laid off numerous arts writers in a wider editorial restructure, including books editor Laurie Muchnick, reports Publishers Weekly. According to the Wall Street...
Latest ‘Wimpy Kid’ book sells over 1 million copies worldwide in first week
The latest instalment in Jeff Kinney’s ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series has sold over one million copies worldwide in its first week, reports Publishers Weekly. Hard Luck (Puffin), the eighth book...
US campus bookseller Follett lays off 570 full-time staff
In the US, campus bookselling chain Follett Higher Education Group has laid off 570 full-time staff, reports Publishers Weekly. Follett vice-president for retail operations Bob Scholl released a memo to...
Author Tim Ferriss begins publishing audiobooks
In the US, self-help author Tim Ferriss has begun publishing audiobooks, reports TechCrunch. Ferriss, who is the author of books such as The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body (both Vermilion), is...
S&S pulls sale of ‘The Embassy House’
In the US, Simon & Schuster has pulled the sale of a book about the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, amid doubt about its legitimacy, reports the Associated Press. Threshold...
Amazon teams up with US postal service for Sunday deliveries
In the US, Amazon shoppers in New York and Los Angeles will be able to receive their parcels on Sundays as a result of a new deal between the retailer...