or Godzilla buys Frankenstein. Throngs still waiting for Superman.It will be a long time before the dust settles on this seismic event but here are some initial thoughts on the acquisition.First - How much did it cost?The folks over at TechVibes venture a guess that Amazon paid between $90-$120 million. Since Boris Wertz, former COO of AbeBooks, is on the Board of Directors of both TechVibes and AbeBooks, I'm going to believe the number is somewhere in that ballpark.Winners:AbebooksHits a home run. They have been steadily building their offerings through there own acquisitions preparing themselves for a potential buyout. Many...
Amazon’s Acquisition of AbeBooks: A Response From Brian Elliott, CEO of Alibris
I asked Brian Elliott, CEO of Alibris, his take on Amazon's acquisition of AbeBooks and how it might effect the overall used, rare, and out-of-print online market and Alibris in particular. Though he chose not to address the questions directly he does provide a glimpse into Alibris's current strategy.Brian Elliott- While I won't comment on Amazon and ABEbooks (they have enough to explain on their own), I'm glad to lay out what we're doing at Alibris. We see plenty of growth ahead, which we plan to help drive.We've been focusing this year on growing our sales for sellers, and improving...
Amazon’s Acquisition of AbeBooks: Brendan Sherar, CEO of Biblio.com, Weighs In
Brendan Sherar, CEO of Biblio.com was kind enough to answer a couple of questions regarding Amazon's acquisition of AbeBooks and how it might effect the overall used, rare, and out-of-print online market and Biblio in particular.Book Patrol-What effect do think Amazon's acquisition of AbeBooks will have on the used, rare, and out-of-print online market? Brendan Sherar -I believe it is unhealthy for the overall market, because it further removes competition and choices for collectors, readers, and booksellers alike. In a free market economy, that is generally accepted to be a bad thing. When competition and choice are reduced or eliminated,...
Print on Demand at Your Independent Bookstore
The American Booksellers Association (ABA) has teamed up with Applewood Books to provide print on demand services for independent bookstores. The deal was brokered by Ingram's Lightning Source.The new program will provide participating booksellers the ability to publish any title that is in the public domain or any book whose rights have reverted to the author. Though technically the program is open to all books in the public domain the focus seems to be on producing titles of local interest.How it works:Booksellers will sign a letter of agreement for each work and pay an advance fee of $250 for each...
Bookmobile 2.0
Welcome to the all new Digital Bookmobile, the world's first bookmobile without books. This 18 wheeler is 69 feet long and packed with the latest digital technologies. It was created by Over Drive to be used as an outreach tool for public libraries to promote their digital offerings.How it works:"The Digital Bookmobile, developed inside a high-tech tractor-trailer, will present programs that promote the host library’s download digital media catalog and ‘virtual branch’ website. The vehicle is customized for each library event and equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors, premium sound systems, and a variety of portable media players....