Grub Street Printing Newsletter #12 Aug./Sept.2009

Chain Store Sales Up 4.8%

Chain bookstore sales rose in the first quarter of 2009 with Barnes & Noble reporting a 6.6% gain and their Superstore sales up 8.1%.

Shaman Drum Closes

Shaman Drum Books has closed in Ann Arbor after 29 years. Its owner, Karl Pohrt, had become a leading voice for independent booksellers across the country. Karl’s first article of what will be an ongoing commentary on the book world can be found at the web site of the now defunct Ann Arbor News (after 174 years of daily newspaper production)

http://www.annarbor.com/passions-pursuits/welcome-to-annarborcom-bookland/

Espresso 2.0 at Book Expo

I spent a lot of time watching the Espresso 2 (Newsletter No. 8, Dec. 2008) one-book-at-a-time book maker produce perfect bound books at Book Expo. The hype? “Ultimately…(it) will make it possible to distribute virtually every book ever published, in any language, anywhere on earth as easily, quickly and cheaply as email.” Maybe, but for now the production cost of a small book starts around $10.00.

Ingram has offered access to any book printed through Lightning Source to stores and institutions operating an Espresso 2.0.

Amazon

Because to some folks a book needs to be more than a book, Amazon is studying the impact of the Kindle experience “if and when we introduce ads”.

Hotel Readers

New York’s Algonquin Hotel offers guests the use of an Amazon Kindle during their stay and “Club Level” guests at Miami’s Epic Hotel are offered a “virtual nightstand” as part of the Epic Page Turner guest reader program (sponsored by Hachette Book Group). Sony Readers are offered on a first come basis. Purchasing titles is the guests expense.

Kindle 2

Author Nicholson Baker examines the Kindle 2 and reports on what it is and what it isn’t in the August 3 New Yorker.

One Stop Info

The numerous industry links on the News page of The Publetariat (continuously updated) offer a quick round-up of book news from PW, New York Review of Books, Slate, The Guardian, etc.

Newspaper News

Transcontinental (North America’s 6^th largest printer) has purchased 4 triple wide KBA newspaper presses totaling 16 towers for its plants in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.