So I blogged yesterday about the OJ thing how out of touch Abebooks is with the booksellers who have put them on the mapThen today I see they sent out a press release on the results from their ridiculous poll about the new OJ book.What a set up! They email their clients (us) and promote the poll on their blog and their website and then in turn take the results and send out a press release about the "revulsion" from the book world regarding the book.Simply blatant self promotion to get in on the hyper-attention the OJ story is getting...
Barnes & Noble – Is the End Near?
A bold thought but are we starting to see at least some withering of this biblio monster?Barnes & Noble reported their 3Q earnings (or should I say loss) today.The first flag is that they called these results preliminary. As you might know, they are being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is never a good sign. They responded to the investigation by creating a special committee of its board to undertake an internal review of the company's option grant practices. The way I read it is that once they tell the truth one will see a very different...
They Just Don’t Get It
I assume many of you booksellers out there received an email from Abebooks today. They called it the Bookseller Bulletin and this is what it said:Have your say on the new OJ Simpson book It has been announced that OJ Simpson is set to release a new book. AbeBooks.com wants to know what booksellers think: Are you planning to stock the forthcoming OJ Simpson book, If I Did It? Give us Your Opinion(This is not a live link, believe it or not the text at the end of this page's url says DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK)Thank you for participating - watch for the...
A Plea for the Printer
Since 1992 when we opened our first shop, Wessel & Lieberman have been ardent supporters of the Pacific Northwest book art scene.We consistently go out of our way to make sure local printers, binders, book artists and publishers have a forum and a space to show and sell their work. It is our duty as an independent bookseller to exude a strong sense of place. It is what separates us from the chain stores and the online aggregators whose only real concerns are the wrong kind of margins- profit not page.I got news a few days ago that C. Christopher...
It comes in 3’s- 3 Literary misfortunes
In the last couple weeks the literary world suffered 3 unfortunate, sometimes violent events.1. Three intruders broke into Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer's home in South Africa assaulted her, locked her in a storeroom and stole cash and jewelry.2. Vandals desecrated the grave of Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak, covering it in wreathes then setting it on fire.Lastly, and luckily not as severe unless of course you are the museum's archivist, the 3rd misfortune and hopefully the one that ends the bad literary juju.3. The owner of Alex Haley's original manuscript for "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" is suing a...