B&N Cuts Freelance Writers from Its Teen and SFF Blogs - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer was tootling around in the Panzermobile in the Catosphere when he heard sighing and crying coming from outside. Following the noise, took our sympathetic kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about Barnes and Noble's change to the company's freelance writing team.

Your job is never safe.

According to the post by Judith Rosen, Barnes and Noble has made major changes to the company's freelance bloggers. These freelancers are the ones who wrote the Teen and Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) blogs. The post includes quotes from freelancer teams that were let go and one of these is quoted as saying all freelancers were let go. As freelancers they weren't considered employees and so could be let go at any time. According to at least one of the quotes, some of them had worked for Barnes and Noble for years.

Panzer says, "Whenever a company is taken over by new owners, people will be let go no matter how long you've worked there."

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 Barnes and Noble teen and sff blogs

Amazon Books Opening in Manhattan, Second Store Slated for Boston - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Wow! Three new stores in one year.

Today, Panzer made a trip to the PW (Publishers' Weekly) site to see what he could find. A little digging around and our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about Amazon's bricks and mortar stores.

According to the post by Judith Rosen, Amazon has officially announced plans to open three new bricks and mortar stores in 2017. One store will be at the Manhattan (New York) Time Warner Center, not the New York City Hudson Yards location as speculated last year. Two stores will be opened in Massachusetts: one in Dedham and one in Lynnfield. The opening of these three will bring Amazon's total bricks and mortar stores to six.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I wonder if they plan to serve food and alcoholic drinks like Barnes and Noble does in their new stores? Or ... Will Amazon's really be book stores?"

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

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon Books

Amazon Opening a Physical Bookstore in Chicago - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, when he heard ooohing and ahhhing. Following all the noise took our brave kitty pilot to the Publishers' Weekly site. There he found a post about Amazon.

Who will win?

According to the post by Judith Rosen, Amazon has announced the location of their fourth bricks and mortar bookstore will be Chicago, Illinois. Amazon's first bricks and mortar store opened in Seattle, Washington, last year, the second will open in San Diego, California, this summer, and the third will open in Portland, Oregon, later this year.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It looks to this kitty like Amazon is planning to go head-to-head with the Barnes and Noble bricks and mortar stores. I know. I said yesterday no Barnes and Noble news for a while ... But, this sure looks like an attack on a wounded gazelle by a hungry lion."

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

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon

Partners Hoping to Move Distribution Clients to Midpoint - PW (Publishers' Weekly)

Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere. Our inquisitive kitty was looking for information on Partners Publishers Group. He heard the print book distributor for independent publishers had closed its doors a couple of weeks ago. With a little digging around at the Publishers' Weekly site he found some interesting news about the company's plans.

According to the post by Judith Rosen, Partners Publishers Group is giving their independent publisher clients the option to move their book distribution to Midpoint Trade Sales. No information is available about the terms of the contracts publishers are being asked to agree to with Midpoint.

Doesn't look good to me.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... If they don't agree to the terms with Midpoint Trade Sales, is there anybody else to do their book distribution? Doesn't sound fair to me ... But ... What do I know? I'm just a cat."

Note: This is a short post. A cup of tea should do it for today's reading.

To read the post, tootle over to Partners distribution moved to Midpoint

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

Amazon Opens First Bricks and Mortar Bookstore - Publishers' Weekly

Amazon's dead tree books?

Panzer was shaken awake from his nap by shouting and clapping. Jumping into the Panzermobile, our yawning kitty found his way to the Publishers' Weekly site.

According to a post there by Judith Rosen, Amazon now has a bricks and mortar bookstore in Seattle, Washington. The store is 5,500 square feet located in the U-Village Mall. The store will sell books chosen from those at Amazon.com, Goodreads favorites, and Amazon staff members favorites. The store will also sell Kindles and other Amazon devices.

Panzer says, "The store is named ... Amazon Books! Pretty ingenious, huh?"

Note: There's a link in the post to an article about Amazon's new store in The Seattle Times newspaper.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon bookstore

Douglas Preston and Authors United vs. Amazon Continues

Panzer was trying to take a nap this afternoon when he got bounced out of his cat bed by some whiny noises coming from the Catosphere. Against his better judgement my poor tired kitty boy took the Panzermobile out to track down the crying. It didn't take long to find the source of all the tears in a post by Judith Rosen at the Publishers' Weekly site.

It turns out best selling author Douglas Preston and his Authors United group is still  chasing after Amazon and nipping at its heels. Mr. Preston isn't satisfied with Hachette and Amazon's contract agreement and hopes to hamstring the bookseller by siccing the U.S. Department of Justice on it.

Why?

Amazon is too big. They sell too many books.

And ...

And this is the really big reason ...

Really? You don't know how?

Amazon doesn't treat books as authors' children ... they treat books as commodities, like TVs and diapers. According to Amazon, books don't need to have their noses wiped and their diapers changed. Books are to be sold.

Panzer says, "Um, Mr. Preston, apparently that's one of the big differences between cats and humans. Cats know where babies come from and it's not from pushing keys on a keyboard."

To read the full post, tootle over to Douglas Preston