Bookselling has always been a tough business and since the rise of Amazon it has become a near impossible undertaking. Whatever barriers to entry that existed previously where obliterated with the advent of e-commerce. A unique username and a valid credit card have become the only requirement to become a "bookseller". Enter Glenn Pladsen who purchased the stock of a used bookstore that was closing in Boulder, Colorado eight years ago. His hope was to set up shop on Amazon and become a bookseller. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out. He soon realized that the race to the bottom pricing that is a pillar of...
The Antiquarians Join World Book Day
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) has joined this year's World Book & Copyright Day celebration in a big way. All over the world antiquarian booksellers will be holding pop-up book fairs to offer "a stunning selection of rare books, prints, manuscripts and ephemera to promote the trade of old and rare books and to support the UNESCO literacy projects in Africa." These pop-up book fairs will surely provide visitors with a chance to peruse jaw-dropping printed material while offering the opportunity to enrich the lives of the kids of South Sudan by providing much needed literacy assistance. From the...
Critics choose the greatest children’s books of all time
At BBC Culture Jane Ciabattari surveyed dozens of the leading book critics around the world to find out what are the best children’s books (for ages 10 and under) ever published in English. When all was said and done 151 titles were mentioned by the critics. Here are the top 11 with links to collectible copies currently on the market: 1. Charlotte's Web 2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe 3. Where the Wild Things Are 4. Alices' Adventures inWonderland 5. Little Women 6. The Little Prince 7. Winnie the Pooh 8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 9. A Wizard of Earthsea 10. A Wrinkle in Time 11. Little House on the Prairie...
Al-Mutanabi street, Baghdad’s book row, gets its first female bookseller
Al-Mutanabi Street is the historic center of the book universe in Iraq's capital city of Baghdad. It is a street lined with booksellers and has served as the intellectual and literary hub of the city since the 8th century. Now it has its first women bookseller, 22-year old Ruqaya Fawziya. Speaking of her new endeavor she says: In the beginning not only my family, anyone I would speak to about my idea to sell books at Al-Mutanabi Street, would oppose the idea, describing it as strange, and advising me not to do it, but later, when they saw me entering this world,...
Another clue that Barnes & Noble is circling back to its print origins
Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble near you are these newly redesigned shopping bags featuring the first pages from classic novels. The goal of the new design is to promote the physical experience of visiting a store and handling printed books while sharing text and illustrations from select classics. "The bag serves as advertisement and reminder of the bookstore and thus is an essential part of the brand's communications...However, this new shopping bag series does more than promote the brand itself; it reflects the love of books and itself provides a book experience -- you can even start reading them...