The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade - Publishing Perspectives

I like a lot of the old stories.

Panzer's last stop was at the Publishing Perspectives site.

 

He found a post there about secondhand bookstores in France and the impact on traditional publishers

 

Panzer says, "Maybe, nobody is interested in the new books being published."

 

Note: This is a long post. You'll need to decide what you want to bring to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Secondhand Book Trade .

Good News for Printers: ITC Ruling Terminates Tariffs on Imported Canadian Newsprint Paper - Book Business

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Book Business site. There with a little digging around our kitty boy found a post about the U.S. tariff on Canadian newsprint paper producers.

According to Mark Michelson, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled Canadian newsprint paper producers aren't injuring U.S. newsprint paper producers. The ITC also ruled Canadian producers aren't dumping newsprint paper on the U.S. market. This means the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) import tariffs on Canadian newsprint won't be collected anymore. The reversal of the tariffs is good news for U.S. printers. Printers (newspapers primarily) won't have to deal with the added costs of the import tariffs and the possibility of laying off employees.

It always seemed kind of silly to me.

Panzer says, "This case didn't make any sense to this little kitty. There aren't that many newsprint producers in the U.S. because there aren't that many markets for newsprint here. That doesn't have anything to do with Canada."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a large cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Canadian newsprint paper

How to kill a New York Times Bestseller - Book Business

Today, Panzer was cleaning out the Panzermobile when he saw something crumpled up under the passenger seat. Spreading it out flat our ingenious kitty discovered it was a post from the Book Business site about marketing books.

I really need a rest after all that work.

According to the post by Rob Eagar, some book publishers aren't taking advantage of the "New York Times Bestseller" factor. Mr. Eagar points out book buyers want New York Times (NYT) bestsellers. Quoting from The Shatzkin Files blog he says, 69 percent of all books (print, ebook and audio) are sold online. Therefore, publishers should include the NYT bestseller designation in a book description. However, many publishers don't and this results in lost sales to readers looking for them. Mr. Eagar demonstrates how publishers can follow the example of their competition and easily use the NYT bestseller designation at online retail sites.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Maybe this is where indie authors have an advantage. There are several indies I've seen who use their mailing list to reach NYT bestseller status."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to New York Times bestseller

Scholastic Reports Fiscal 2017 Second Quarter Results - Press Release

It was a lot of hard work to find that.

Panzer made a long trip into the Catosphere today. Because of the upcoming holidays there is a scarcity of book news out there. After much digging around at the Book Business site our tenacious kitty finally found some news about children's book publisher Scholastic.

According to a press release at the site, Scholastic announced their 2017 second quarter financial results. The press release says revenues were up 4 percent for the quarter over last year. It also states the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them script book and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Illustrated Edition contributed to the healthy second quarter increase.

Panzer says, "No 2017 Second Quarter isn't a mistake. It's a human thing. Corporations can have their year start at different times than the rest of us. So their year doesn't have to start in January."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Scholastic

BookBaby Announces 2017 Self-Publishing Survey - The Largest Study of Indie Book Marketing and Promotion - Press Release

Let them know about your experiences.

Panzer's trip today took him to the Book Business site. There our inquisitive kitty found a press release about self-publisher BookBaby.

According to the press release, BookBaby and it's 15 partners are conducting a survey of self-publishing/indie authors. The survey will focus on what the authors do for promotion and marketing of their books/ebooks as well as the self-publishing industry in general now and in the future. The press release states more than one million authors have been invited to participate. There's a link included in the press release for the survey.

Panzer says, "Mom and I are indie authors, so we took the survey. When you finish it, there are offers from BookBaby's partners."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to  BookBaby.

Amazon Rapids And the Dumbing-Down of Reading - Book Business

Panzer made a short trip into the Catosphere today. Our intrepid kitty traveler stopped at the Book Business site. There he found a review post about Amazon's new reading app for children called Rapids. A few days ago Panzer told you about the introduction of the Rapids app.

He really, really hates it.

In his review Joe Wikert takes issue with the fact the Rapids app only uses text messages between the characters to tell the story. He believes there's no value in the stories at all. In fact, he goes on to say the app itself is worthless. He bases this on his opinion that Amazon is dumbing-down the reading experience for children.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I thought it was a good idea ... Short ... Fast ... Reads."

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

To read the review post, tootle over to Amazon Rapids

To read Panzer's original post about the Rapids app, tootle over to Amazon children's books

Subscription Reading Service Scribd Adds Magazines to Platform - Book Business

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Book Business site. There our intrepid kitty found a post about the ebook and audiobook site Scribd.

How much does a subscription cost?

According to the post at Book Business, Scribd announced they will now offer magazines as part of their subscription service. Included magazines are Time, Money, Fortune, People and several more. The monthly subscription fee won't increase to access the magazine content. Scribd's press release announcing the magazine addition is included at the end of the post.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Ebooks ... Audiobooks ... And now magazines ... When will they add TV shows?"

Note: This is a longish medium post. Bring a cup of tea and two cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Scribd

Press Release: Wattpad, Gallery Books & Target Partner to Bring Fairy Tale Classics to Life

I want a copy for Mom to read to me.

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Book Business site. A little digging and he found a press release about Wattpad.

According to the press release, ten Wattpad authors have been included in a collection of re-imagined fairy tales called Once Upon Now. The book is published by Gallery Books and sold in Target stores and online. The press release also says the readers on Wattpad got to read and vote for their favorite stories to go in the book.

Panzer says, "Setting fairy tales in today. Sounds like fun."

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

To read the post, tootle over to Wattpad

Penguin Random House Launches Serialized Newsletter Season of Stories - Book Business

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he heard cheering and clapping. Following the clamor took our inquisitive kitty to the Book Business site. There he found a post about Penguin Random House's new Season of Stories.

I hope they're not too literary for me.

According to the press release Penguin Random House just announced the launch of the Season of Stories. Readers who sign-up for the Season of Stories will receive free short stories by email over an eleven week period. Readers will get one story per week beginning on October 11. The stories are by contemporary authors and told in first person. The sign-up link is included in the press release.

Panzer says, "Free is always good, right?"

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of cocoa and a doughnut for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Penguin Random House

Hachette Audio Enhance YA Audiobooks With Booktrack Technology Platform - Press Release

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he heard music. Following the melodious sounds took our kitty traveler to the Book Business Site. There he found a post about a Hachette press release announcing their partnership with Booktrack to produce audiobooks.

Is the music really worth it?

According to the post, Hachette will use the Booktrack platform to produced enhanced audiobooks. On October 4 Hachette begins sales of their enhanced YA (Young Adult) audiobooks. Enhanced means a soundtrack with music is added to the audio reading track. The audiobooks will be available at Audible, iTunes/iBooks and other retail sites. A link is available in the post to the Hachette's sales page. If you scroll down the page you'll see the initial four audiobooks being offered. If you click on the book you can listen to a sample of each audiobook. There's also a link to the Booktrack site where you can signup for an account, but read the Terms of Service first.

Panzer says, "With the music it does sound like listening to a movie."

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

To read the post, tootle over to Hachette audio

Press Release: Rakuten Kobo Keeps Sainsbury's Ebook Customers Reading Digitally - Book Business

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he stopped in at the Book Business site. There our exploring kitty pilot found a post about a press release from Rakuten Kobo.

Hurry! There's no time to spare.

According to the post, while Sainsbury's Entertainment on Demand is leaving the digital entertainment world, Rakuten Kobo has stepped in to allow Sainsbury's customers to migrate their ebook libraries to the Rakuten Kobo ereader system. Sainsbury's customers will be notified by email by October 25 with transfer instructions.

Panzer says, "You'll need to hurry when you get your transfer instructions. All transfers must be completed by December 1."

Note: This is a short-medium post. Bring a cup of tea and half a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Rakuten Kobo

Legacy West Announces New Barnes & Noble Concept Store - Press Release

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Book Business site. There our traveling kitty boy found some news about Barnes and Noble.

Couple of drinks. Read a book. Right.

According to a post at Book Business, Legacy West said in a press release yesterday that in March 2017 Barnes and Noble is opening one of their new concept stores in the Legacy West development in Plano, Texas.

Panzer says, "Yes, kittens, this is one of those stores with the restaurant that serves alcohol to increase your reading pleasure."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post, because in addition to the actual announcement of the store opening there is an explanation of Barnes and Noble's business history and a description of Legacy West plans. Bring a thermos of tea and two muffins to read today's entire reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Wattpad Introduces Video Ads Within Stories - Book Business

Panzer stopped in at the Book Business site today. There our traveling kitty reporter found a post about Wattpad. Wattpad is the site that allows authors to post their writing for members to read and comment on.

According to the post by Ellen Harvey, Wattpad is offering a new service for their authors. The program is called Wattpad Futures. The program will place video ads in the chapter breaks of an author's novel. Each reader's viewing of an ad will generate a payment for the author. Thus the program allows authors to have an income stream from their writing at Wattpad. The post includes Wattpad's original press release about the program.

Think you'll be one of the chosen few?

Panzer says, "Wait a second kittens before you rush out to sign up for the program. It's a by-invitation-only program. So ... sign up for Wattpad ... but don't expect to jump right into the program."

Note: This is a medium size post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Wattpad

Penguin Random House to Combine Offices in NYC, Saving $20M Annually - Book Business

Yesterday, Panzer told you about the latest sales and revenue figures reported by the the Big 5 in the traditional book publishing market. Today, in a post at the Book Business site our inquisitive kitty reporter found some interesting information about the cost saving measures that traditional publisher Penguin Random House is making.

He would share with me. Right?

In a post at the site by Ellen Harvey Panzer learned that after approval by the Board of Directors and shareholders Penguin Random House (PRH) CEO Marcus Dohle notified employees by memo of the consolidation of the company's two offices into one building. According to his memo the consolidation will save the company $20M. The post includes CEO Dohle's entire memo to employees.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Mom ... Let's share space to save money. And while we're on this closer together thing ... How about What's His Name shares his food dish with me too?"

Note: This is a long-medium post. Bring two cups of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post about PRH's consolidation, tootle over to Penguin Random House

To read yesterday's post, tootle over to financial reports

What the Big 5's Financial Reports Reveal About the State of Traditional Book Publishing - Book Business

Today, Panzer found some interesting information at the Book Business site about the big five traditional publishing companies' financial reports.

According to the post by Thad Mcilroy, three of the Big 5, (Hachett, HarperCollins, and Simon and Schuster) had losses in sales over the same period last year, one (Macmillan) did not report their sales figures, and only one (Penguin Random House) had an increase. The post is a little confusing because it compares figures from different reporting periods for the companies. The end of the post speculates on which publishing companies might be candidates for mergers/takeovers.

Me...OW ... OW. My head hurts.

Panzer says, "Make sure you have an aspirin (or headache tablet). You'll need it by the time you finish the post."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Big 5

2015 U.S. Book Publishing Revenue Flat: Print Sales Rise as Ebook Sales Decline - Book Business

Panzer was just tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted and shaken by the sounds of crying and wailing. Our big brave kitty boy followed all the moaning to the Book Business site. There he found the source was a post about declining ebook sales.

Don't worry. It's just a craze.

According to the post by Ellen Harvey quoting from the Association of American Publishers' annual report, ebook sales comparing 2014 and 2015 are down. While that was happening, print book sales increased for the same time span. So what happened? For one thing, adult coloring books happened. Between the 2014 and 2015 time span is when the adult coloring book craze took off. Adult coloring books have to be printed books, so a jump in print book sales. The post includes charts  covering sales revenue and volume as well as genre breakdowns.

Panzer says, "So ... Adult coloring books are responsible for the turn around in print book sales. Humans are such an interesting species."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a glass of milk and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to print sales

Amazon Extends Its Dominance with Audible Channels - Book Business

Panzer made a trip into the Catosphere today looking for news for you. Our kitty reporter stopped in at the Book Business site. After a little digging around, he found an interesting post about Amazon and their subsidiary Audible.

This definitely needs looking into.

Joe Wikert's post is about Audible's new Channels service. Panzer told you about Channels a few days ago. Mr. Wikert explains how useful the newspaper article feature can prove to be. It would be particularly beneficial for those who don't want to subscribe to a newspaper but still want the news articles. He also includes his evaluation of the original content feature and the podcast curation feature.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Maybe Channels is more than just a YouTube competitor."

Note: This is a longish post. You'll need a muffin and a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Audible Channels

To read Panzer's original post, tootle over to Audible

Litsy App Brings Bookish Conversation to Life Online - Book Business

I need a nap. It's been a long day.

When Panzer woke from his afternoon nap he decided to finish cleaning out the Panzermobile. It's a good thing he did because he found another post under his pilot's seat. The post is from the Book Business site and is a followup to the Litsy post our adventuresome kitty told you about earlier today.

This new post is by Todd Lawton. Mr. Lawton is the co-founder of Litsy. He uses a question and answer format to explain the iOS app.  As Panzer told you earlier Litsy is for readers to engage in 300 character conversations about books. Mr. Lawson's post is geared more toward reasons for publishers to join the "conversations" on Litsy.

Panzer says, "Remember kittens ... This is a post by the co-founder of the app. It's more of a press release about the good points of the app rather than a non-biased post."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a thermos of tea and a sandwich for this reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Litsy app

To read Panzer's earlier post about Litsy, tootle over to Litsy

HarperCollins Launches Programming for Facebook Live - Book Business

I'll be watching this.

Panzer stopped in at the Book Business site today. There our exploring kitty boy found a post about HarperCollins Book Studio 16 continuing marketing campaign.

Back on June 4 Panzer told you about HarperCollins Book Studio 16 YouTube launch. Now, according to a post by Ellen Harvey, HarperCollins expanded their Book Studio 16 and on June 12 launched on Facebook Live. Each day Monday through Friday will have a different theme. Fiction and nonfiction authors will be interviewed, authors will cook, and writing will be discussed as well as other features. The post includes the full HarperCollins press release at the end.

Panzer says, "This sounds like it will be interesting."

Note: This is a shortish medium post. You'll need a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to HarperCollins

To read Panzer's post about the YouTube launch, tootle over to HarperCollins video

TaleHunt Taps Flash Fiction Trend, Publishing Stories 250 Characters Long - Book Business

Panzer stopped in at the Book Business site today. There our intrepid traveling kitty found a post about TaleHunt.

The post explains TaleHunt is an app for mobile devices. Writers can post their 250 character stories there for users of the app to read. Currently, there are 10,000 users of the service. If the writer of the 250 character story has a book available on Amazon and readers are interested in purchasing it, the post says they can use the app to do it.

Remember: Read the fine print.

Panzer says, "The post was written by Aby Mathew who is CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and a co-founder of the company ... So ... If you plan to become a user of the app and/or post your work there, read the contract."

Note: This is a medium short post. You'll need a cup of tea and a doughnut for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Talehunt