In one of the most blatant displays of hubris in the annals of bookselling, the notorious Tim Miller of Flatsigned.com is celebrating his 10 year anniversary by issuing a press release for the ages.Here are some nuggets:on his business name- "Coined by legendary horror writer Stephen King, the term FlatSigned refers to the most desirable type of collectible book." Not.on how he got started-One of his friends told him "he could make money by getting books autographed and reselling them. At the time, the film version of John Grisham's novel "The Firm" was being filmed in Memphis, where Miller served...
An Illuminating Visit to a New "Concept Borders" Store
Paul Constant, the book editor of the Stranger, got a tour of the new "Concept Borders" store in Seattle and shares his thoughts in his piece "The Future is Behind us Now."Constant uses a simple litmus test to determine the quality of a bookstore. If it stocks any novels by Stanley Elkin then " it's a sign of all-around quality" and is a place he would happily spend some time. There was no Elkin to be had at the new "Concept Borders" store. Strike one.During his visit to this new "behemoth temple to commerce" Constant was escorted by Tim Anderson,...
Book Patrol Launches "Hall of Shame" on Twitter
Much has happened in the bookselling world since the rise of the online bookseller. One of the areas that has taken the biggest hit is in the proper cataloging and describing of a book offered for sale.So for your entertainment pleasure Book Patrol has created a Hall of Shame on Twitter. Though it will be predominately populated with real life book descriptions found on real life online marketplaces there will also be other inductees as the situation warrants. You know, like the guy in New Zealand who got busted for taking pictures of women's feet in the libraryEnjoy!
The Book Coaches of "The School of Life"
Going on a trip and don't know what books to bring.Is your best friend getting married and you want to supply the reading material for her honeymoon.Well, the Bibliotherapy department of The School of Life can help.For around $75 you get a half hour consultation and "you'll come away with a mini-prescription for an instant literary fix" with a more "detailed prescription" to follow.The School of Life is a "new cultural enterprise...offering intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life." They offer classes, "stigma-free psychotherapy, secular sermons, conversation meals, a floating faculty of experts and a new kind of...
AbeAzon. Amazon’s Acquisition of AbeBooks : The Day After
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...