ENTRIES TAGGED "retail"
Tim O'Reilly: Amazon Has Publishers in its Sights
Over on the the O’Reilly Radar blog, Tim O’Reilly offers a warning for publishers, and cautions Amazon against "irreparably" harming the publishing ecosystem: It is a free-market economy, and competition is the name of the game. But as Amazon’s market power increases, it needs to be mindful of whether its moves, even those that may be good for the…
Amazon Growth Fuels Online's Book Market Share
Online retailers claim 21-30 percent of the consumer trade book market, according to two recent surveys. Publishers Weekly says much of this growth comes from Amazon: In discussing their 2007 results, both Penguin's David Shanks and Simon & Schuster's Carolyn Reidy said the e-tailer was their fastest-growing account last year, while Quarto Group chairman Laurence Orbach noted that sales…
New York Eyes Amazon Affiliates in Tax Move
The Amazon affiliates program could yield millions in revenue for New York state, and it won't come from customer referrals. From the New York Times: … people owe taxes on what they buy regardless of whom they buy it from. But the seller only has an obligation to collect those taxes (and thus the only time taxes are ever…
Small Publishers See Similarities in New HarperCollins Unit
Speaking with the The New York Observer, small publishers say they've for years employed the author/retail strategies recently embraced by HarperCollins' new imprint. "This is exactly what we've been talking about and attempting to do to varying degrees all along,’" said Richard Nash, publisher of Soft Skull Press. “But I don’t think they [HarperCollins] were like, 'oh, let’s look…
Roundup: Free Doesn't Always Apply, Kindle's Ebook Impact, Indie Bookstores and Chains Face Same Competitor, UK Publishers and Amazon in Price Battle, Borders Gets a Better Deal
Free Doesn't Work for Every Company From Peter Brantley: Hank Williams of Why Does Everything Suck? does an informal economic critique of Chris Anderson's "things tend to free" hypothesis: "Some of you will argue that Google does fine based purely on advertising. But just because one company can commoditize everyone else's work and make pennies on things that used to…
Converted Church Sells Books, Attracts Tourists
Here's a new spin on retail: "Bookstore as tourist attraction." The Selexyz Dominicanen bookstore in Maastricht, Netherlands — housed in a reworked 13th-century Dominican church — is attracting both book patrons and tourists. From The Guardian: The beautifully restored building is an attraction in its own right, and yet the installation of a towering, three-storey black steel bookstack in the…
Borders Gets a Better Deal
Borders has revised its $42.5 million loan with Pershing Square Capital Management. According to The Bookseller, the loan interest rate has been reduced from 12.5 percent to 9.8 percent. Pershing has also boosted its backup offer for Borders' international operations to $135 million….
Independent Booksellers and Chains Face Big-Box Competitors
Looks like the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" maxim is coming in to play with the increased attention big-box retailers are giving to books. Small indie booksellers and chain stores, such as Borders and B&N, are feeling the pinch from big-box store markdowns. From the Washington Post: Costco, Target, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club aren't just moving in…
Borders Prototype Store Shows Off Digital Center
Borders' move toward digital services is on display in the company's Ann Arbor, Mich. prototype store.
Borders Stores Turn Back on Long Tail
Borders is using its limited shelf space to give top selling books the "face-out" treatment. Poor sellers need not apply.