James Patterson Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program Returns For 2024 - BookWeb

It's a Christmas Bonus.

Panzer found this interesting post on the American Booksellers Association (ABA) site.

According to the post, author James Patterson is reopening his independent bookstore booksellers holiday bonus program. This year 600 booksellers will each receive $500. To be nominated the bookseller must work at an indie bookstore. All the rules are included in the post.

 

Panzer says, "Since the post doesn't include a link to nominate a bookseller, it looks like you'll have to go to your local indie bookstore for the website URL."

Note: This is a long-short post. Bring a cup of tea to drink while you read.

 

To read the post tootle over to James Patterson

US Publishers, Authors, Booksellers Call Out Amazon's 'Concentrated Power' in Book Market - Publishing Perspectives

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty found one about U.S. publishers, authors and booksellers groups complaining to the government about Amazon.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association sent a letter to the House of Representatives' Antitrust Subcommittee complaining about Amazon's book selling. According to the letter the three groups believe the way Amazon sells books, ebooks and advertising is unfair to them. In the letter they ask the government to force Amazon to do four things to level the playing field for the three groups' members. Here's a kitty paraphrase in simple terms as best as I can figure out in my opinion of the four things they want: 1) Amazon to stop using the information they've gathered about customers previous purchases to recommend new purchases; 2) Amazon to stop "forcing" the groups' members to buy advertising and then giving the advertisers better placement in customer searches; 3) Amazon not to stop book suppliers from offering rival distributors lower prices and better deals; and 4) Amazon to stop using loss-leaders. There's a link included in the post to the groups' letter to the subcommittee, so you can read it yourself.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you?

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty is so confused by all this; but, that's okay because nobody asked for my opinion anyway."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a quart of tea, three muffins and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Publishers, Authors and Booksellers vs Amazons

Amazon Breaks Embargo of 'TheTestament' - Various Sources

Panzer was eating his lunch when his food bowl began shaking from all the screaming and shouting coming from the Catosphere. Getting into the Panzermobile, he discovered the noise was coming from different directions. Our busy kitty visited the Publishers Weekly site and The Guardian site and discovered both have posts about Amazon and The Testament embargo. Panzer told you yesterday about Amazon breaking the embargo on Margaret Atwood's new book.

According to the Publishers Weekly post by Claire Kirch, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) has been trying to convince the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Amazon for violating antitrust laws. The ABA now wants to use Amazon's shipment of Margaret Atwood's new novel before the embargo conclusion as new fuel in that argument.

It was an accident.

According to The Guardian's post by Alison Flood, Amazon shipped 800 pre-ordered copies of the novel to buyers by accident. The post includes a quote from Amazon which says "a technical error" caused the books to be shipped early. A quote from Atwood's publisher Penguin Random House says the error "has now been rectified."

Panzer says, "Looks like this kerfuffle* will be around for a while."

Note: These are large posts. Panzer hopes you still have that RV you borrowed for yesterday's posts, because you'll need it and its cooking and sleeping facilities for today's reading selections.

To read the Publishers Weekly post tootle over to ABA
To read The Guardian post tootle over to Amazon
To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to Booksellers

* Yes, it's a word. Google it. Tee hee hee

New ABA Partnership to Bring British Titles to U.S. Stores - Bookselling This Week

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard cheering and clapping. Following all the noise took our intrepid kitty boy to the American Booksellers Association's site. There in a Bookselling This Week column he found a post about a new distribution outlet in the U.S. for British authors.

I have some book suggestions.

According to the post by Sydney Jarrard, a new distribution partnership has been formed by the U.K. company Gardner's and the U.S. companies Ingram Content Group and the American Booksellers Association. British published books will be distributed in the U.S. through independent bookstores. The post says books will be delivered to bookstores as ordered.

Panzer says, "Umm ... This little kitty wonders ... Who decides which books will be chosen for distribution? ... The booksellers or the readers?"

Note: This is a short post. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

WI11: Richard Russo, Douglas Preston on Amazon - Shelf-Awareness

Panzer is fighting a kitty cold, so today's trip into the Catosphere was very quick. Our sniffling, coughing Panzermobile pilot stopped in at the Shelf-Awareness site to get more information on the Winter Institute 11 (WI11).

At the ShelfAwareness site in between achoos our sick kitty traveler found a post about Authors United founder and author Douglas Preston, American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher, and Authors Guild Vice-president and author Richard Russo's round table assault on Amazon. Panzer already posted on January 26 about the WI11 and the American Book Sellers report that told about Amazon's $1 Billion Tax Gap created by retail businesses not opening and not hiring employees. Apparently the round table discussion was a rehash of Mr. Preston and Authors United's push to get the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon as a monopoly.

There are better uses of my time.

Panzer says, "Maybe they need a new hobby ... like writing books. Just a suggestion. I'm writing a new book and there's no time for me to obsess about Amazon."

Note: You'll need a cup of tea and a muffin to read the Shelf-Awareness post. If you plan to read Panzer's first post about WI11, you'll need another cup of tea.

To read the Shelf-Awareness post, tootle over to Winter Institute 11

To read the post about the American Booksellers Association report on Amazon, tootle over to Amazon report

At Authors United Event, a Call to Bust Amazon "Monopoly" - Publishers' Weekly (PW)

As soon as Panzer hit the Catosphere today his tender little kitty ears were buffeted by moaning and groaning. He followed the noise over to the Publishers' Weekly site today. It didn't take any digging at all to find the source of all the cries.

A monopoly?

According to a post by Bethanne Patrick, Douglas Preston's Authors United group held an event in Washington, D.C. on January 27 titled Amazon's Book Monopoly - A Threat to Freedom of Expression. Also participating in the event were the American Booksellers Association, the Association of Authors' Representatives, and the Authors Guild. It's not surprising that the event focused on the push to get the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate Authors United's antitrust allegations against Amazon. Panels discussed the legal possibilities of the antitrust allegations against Amazon, that Amazon is destroying book publishing and other topics.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Amazon is a monopoly? ... What about: Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble?"

Note: A cup of tea and cookie for today's reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

Winter Institute 11: Report Finds $1 Billion Tax Gap Caused by Amazon - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard crying and the gnashing of teeth. Following all the noise took him to the Publishers' Weekly online site. There our brave kitty explorer found a post by Claire Kirch about the Winter Institute 11 conference.

The post is about a report presented to the attendees at Winter Institute 11. Prepared by the American Booksellers Association and Civic Economics, the report says 23 states and Washington, D.C. do not collect sales tax from Amazon.com. It also says because of the sales at Amazon.com and other online retailers an estimated 30,000 retail businesses were not opened and property taxes not collected from them. Also, 136,000 jobs were not created by those non-existent companies. And, finally, the report says all of the sales taxes, non-existent businesses and non-existent jobs add up to $1 Billion dollars Amazon (and the other unnamed online retailers) have cost.

My head hurts just thinking about it.

Panzer says, "I don't understand human math. If the companies don't exist, how can you know what size they would use for their store? And how can you know, if something doesn't exist. how many employees they didn't hire? And ... Sales Tax? If you didn't collect it, how do you know how much it was?  Nothing plus Nothing plus Nothing equals $1 Billion?"

Note: You'll need a cup of tea and two muffins for your reading today.

To read the post, tootle over to Winter Institute 11

In Amicus Brief, Authors Guild, ABA, B&N Back Apple - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer got up from his afternoon nap today to take a trip to the Publishers' Weekly site. After a little digging around there our big bad kitty boy found a new post about Apple's price-fixing case.

You humans are too confusing for me.

Last week Panzer told you about the Supreme Court's agreement to an extension in Apple's petition to the Court to consider overturning their price-fixing conviction. According to today's Publishers' Weekly post by Andrew Richard Albanese, the Authors' Guild, American Booksellers Association, and B and N have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Apple's petition. The groups are asking the Supreme Court to overturn the finding of the lower court because they say it will stifle future competition if the Court doesn't. The group also brings Amazon into their brief as the dominant player in the ebook market and the reason Apple had to work with publishers to establish book prices. The post includes a link to the amicus brief the group gave to the Supreme Court.

Panzer says, "Whew. More attorney fees for everybody. I need an attorney just to explain to me what Apple and their friends and their attorneys are doing."

Note: This is a two thermos and a dozen muffins read if you follow the links here and in the posts.

To read the Publishers' Weekly post about the amicus brief, tootle over to amicus brief
To read Panzer's post about Apple's petition to the Supreme Court, tootle over to DOJ gets extension

ABA Looking Into Amazon Books Inventory Practices

I'm feeling a little better.

Panzer was searching the Catosphere today looking for news items he missed while he's been sick. Our kitty pilot stopped in at the Publishers' Weekly site to see what he could find. After a little digging around he found a post about the new bricks and mortar Amazon Books book store.

Judith Rosen reports Oren Teicher of the American Booksellers Associate (ABA) sent a letter to members that the group is looking into Amazon Books store's inventory practices. The ABA wants to make sure the bricks and mortar store isn't using inventory from Amazon.com. According to the post, this is an illegal practice under the U.S. antitrust laws. There's a link to Mr. Teicher's original letter and a second link to Publishers' Weekly's original post about Amazon Books opening included in Ms. Rosen's post.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... The bricks and mortar store has been open how long? Less than a month? And the ABA is already looking into their inventory practices?"

Note: This can be one cup of tea if you just read Ms. Rosen's post or two cups if you follow the links too.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon vendors