DoJ v. PRH: All Our Coverage - Publishers Weekly

Today Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. There he discovered a post about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit against Penguin Random House (PRH) to stop the acquisition of Simon and Schuster.

 

It's humongous.

The post is a compilation of all the posts which have appeared on the Publishers Weekly site about the case. The posts contain information about what happened before the lawsuit was instituted and then the first week in court.

 

 Note: This is a very, very long post. Bring a thermos of iced tea, six muffins and three cookies (biscuits) for your reading adventure. If you plan to follow the links in the post, you'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to DoJ vs PRH

 

B&N Sees Better Times Ahead - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catospehere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. With a little digging our busy kitty boy found a post about Barnes and Noble.

I told them, but they wouldn't listen.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble is optimistic about a sales turnaround. Company Chairman Len Riggio is pinning his hopes on the new order a book online and pick it up in your local Barnes and Noble bookstore feature and the coming holiday sales. Mr. Riggio said in a conference call that the stores with restaurants have turned out to be a mistake. Going forward, the Barnes and Noble book club will be joined by other in-store events.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty has said all along a restaurant with alcohol didn't belong in a bookstore."

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

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Parneros Sues B&N for Defamation of Character - Publishers Weekly (PW)

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today he decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all our inquisitive kitty discovered a post about Barnes and Noble's former CEO.

According to Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble's former CEO Demos Parneros has sued the company. Panzer told you about the termination of CEO Parneros when it happened in July.  Mr. Parneros states in his lawsuit that the company fired him without caused and defamed his character. It's also stated that Barnes and Noble was going to be sold; but, when the offer was withdrawn, he was fired so Len Riggio could take over the company again. Mr. Parneros also denies any sexual harassment claims. In rebuttal the Barnes and Noble Board of Directors states, Mr. Demos was fired on advise of legal counsel after an internal investigation showed behavior that violated company policy.

But ... You're the one who told everybody.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This is an interesting court case because this kitty hadn't heard anything about sexual harassment until Mr. Parneros brought it up in court."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and one and a half muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble Lawsuit

To read the post about Demos Parneros' termination from Barnes and Noble tootle over to Barnes and Noble CEO Termination

Canadian Sales Stable So Far in 2018 - Publishers Weekly (PW)

Two percent is a lot.

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took our traveling kitty pilot to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There he found a post about Canadian books sales.

According to Ed Nawolka, Canadian book sales numbers have been released for the first half of 2018. Turns out there's been very little change over the same time period in 2017. Minor changes occurred in ebooks which were down 2 percent and audio books which were up 1 percent.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Only a minor change that ebook sales were down 2 percent?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Canadian sales

HMH Trade Sales Down 15% in Q2 - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the pile of posts there he discovered one about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).

Don't sugar-coat it. Just tell the truth.

According to Jim Milliot, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) reported the company's 2018 second quarter trade sales were down 15 percent compared to the same time period in 2017. The company attributed the downturn to lower backlist, ebook and frontlist sales.

Panzer says,  "Hmm ... Lower backlist, ebook and frontlist sales? ... Why don't they just say all our sales were down?"

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

To read the post tootle over to HMH trade sales

Cengage Answers Lawsuit Over New Subscription Service - Publishers Weekly (PW)

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There our traveling kitty boy found a post about publisher Cengage.

I can't believe they did that.

According to the post by Andrew Albanese, two authors have filed a lawsuit against publisher Cengage. In the lawsuit the authors say Cengage's new Cengage Unlimited student subscription service will decrease royalties. However, Cengage claims the new service will instead increase author royalties. The subscription service will allow students to pay a fee and have unlimited access to Cengage products. The authors also say they are being denied the ability to see (audit) the sales reports for extra materials made in conjunction with their original material. A contract submitted to the court by Cengage shows the authors gave the publisher the copyright to their work and it does not include a clause giving the authors the right to see (audit) the sales reports. The two authors are asking that the lawsuit become a class action suit.

Panzer says, "Umm ... Why did they sign away their copyrights?"

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 Cengage

Investment Group Acquires 5.7% Stake in B&N - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. With no digging at all our traveling kitty pilot found a post about Barnes and Noble.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, in a filing with the Security and Exchange Commission it was disclosed that Schottenfeld Management Group now owns 5.7 percent of Barnes and Noble stock. While this doesn't sound like a major investment in the company, Schottenfeld Management Group is already holding meetings with the Barnes and Noble Board of Directors. In these meetings Schollenfeld is making suggestions about changes within the company. These changes are supposed to be ways for Barnes and Noble to save money. There's no mention in the post if Barnes and Noble intends to make the changes or not.

There's something here I don't understand.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty wonders why Schollenfeld can meet with the Board of Directors and tell them what to do."

Note: This is a short-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

APA Revamps Audie Awards, Gala - Publishers Weekly (PW)

On today's trip into the Catosphere Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. With just a little digging our inquisitive kitty found a post about the Audie Awards.

According to Shannon Maugan, the Audio Publishers Association has made changes to the Audie Awards program. The Audie Awards are presented to audio books each year. The APA has changed the categories and lowered the number of awards. The date of the awards presentation has also been changed to March 4, 2019 as well as the location to New York, NY. The submission deadlines have also changed. There's a link to the rules included in the post.

Guess we're not smart enough to be judges.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... There's a new rule for picking the Audiobook of the Year too. High profile authors (that means famous) will be the judges."

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

To read the post tootle over to Audies

Court Shakes Up Tax Landscape for Online Sales - Publishers Weekly (Pw)

Panzer was sweeping out the Panzermobile today when he noticed something under his pilot seat. Pulling it out our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was a wadded up post. Flattening it out he found it was from the Publishers Weekly site. Reading it over he saw it was about the United States Supreme Court decision about online sales taxes.

According to the post by Ed Nawota, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a new online sales tax decision. The new decision overturns a 1992 decision and allows states to collect sales taxes on all online purchases to the residents of their state. This does mean the states who don't already have online tax collection laws will have to pass them. However, some states have already put the tax collection laws into effect and have been collecting them. Included in the post are several links to other sites for more information.

Cleaning is a lot of work.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Oh no! This will raise the price on everything Mom buys online for this little kitty."

Note: This is a long length post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post for more information, bring another cup of tea and three more muffins.

To read the Publishers Weekly post tootle over to United States Supreme Court


 

Online Bookstore Bookwitty.com Shuts Down - Publishers Weekly (PW)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when the Panzermobile was buffeted by wailing and crying. Following all the noise took our brave kitty to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There with no digging at all he discovered a post about online bookseller Bookwitty.com.

According to the post by Ed Nawotka, three year old Paris-based online bookstore Bookwitty.com is closing. The company sent an email to its contributors that the site is shutting down. Bookwitty.com was the online arm of Bookwitty, a distributor of books to third-party sellers. No reason other than the company could not provide the service customers deserved was given; although, the post does say a hoped for $10 million cash infusion did not materialize.

Maybe their inventory was just too big.

Panzer says, "Bookwitty.com had 27 million books for sale. That is a lot of books."

Note: This is medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Bookwitty.com

Amazon Launches Kids' Subscription Service - Publishers Weekly (PW)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard clapping. Following the noise took our kitty pilot to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There he found a post about Amazon's new children's book subscription service.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Amazon has begun a new book subscription service for children. Called Prime Book Box it's available to Prime Members. The service is for the children's age groups of two years and younger and three years to twelve years. Amazon Books editors will pick the month's books based on the child's age. There is a monthly subscription fee. The post also includes book choice information, subscription frequency and subscription fee cost.

Books are meant to be read.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Start children reading early ... Makes sense to this little kitty."

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

E-book Sales Fell 10% in 2017 - Publishers Weekly

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. With a little digging around our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about 2017 ebook sales figures.

According to Jim Milliot, Pub Track Digital reports sales figures for ebooks published by traditional publishers fell 10 percent in 2017 compared to figures from 2016. Ebook sales declined in all segments except adult nonfiction. Amazon's sales figures aren't included in Pub Track Digital's report.

Indie publishing is the way to go.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Makes this little kitty glad Mom's ebooks aren't published by a traditional publisher."

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

To read the post tootle over to ebook sales

Parragon Faces Closure - Publishers Weekly

Step forward now to buy them.

Today's trip took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There our intrepid kitty reporter found a post about the impending closure of book publisher Parragon.

According to Jim Milliot at Publishers Weekly, publisher Parragon has announced the company's closure. The U. K.-based company has employees around the world, including the U.S. Employees have already been notified of the company's decision. While the company is looking for a buyer there doesn't appear to be any interest.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This was an unexpected announcement."

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

To read the post tootle over to Parragon

Riggio Ups B&N Stake - Publishers Weekly

19 Day Until Christmas

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. With just a little digging around there our kitty explorer found a post about the effects of Barnes and Noble's most recent sales report.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble founder Len Riggio increased his stock holdings in the company by 1 million shares. Mr. Riggio now owns 19.3 per cent of the company's stock. Last week Panzer told you about the impact of Barnes and Noble's quarterly sales slump on the company's stock price. The post also discusses Sandell Asset Management's proposed (and rejected) take over bid.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks when the stock price is low it's a perfect time for Mr. Riggio to buy more shares."

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

To read today's post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

To read the post about Barnes and Noble's quarterly sales slump, tootle over to Barnes and Noble's sales slump

B&N Has a Plan for the Future: More Stores - Publishers Weekly

Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere today. Our traveling kitty pilot stopped in at the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There with a little digging he found a post about Barnes and Noble's new expansion plans.

More stores = More sales? Maybe.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble plans to open new stores next year. Barnes and Noble CEO Demos Parneros is quoted as stating the company plans to replace some of the recently closed stores. There are also plans to open new stores in some markets. Mr. Parneros also stated the new stores will be smaller. This will be a long term plan.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little inquiring kitty wants to know, if this means new smaller stores without restaurants and alcohol?"

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 Barnes and Noble expansion

Amazon Opens Latest NYC Store at 34th Street - Publishers Weekly

A cafe? At least there's no alcohol.

Today, Panzer made a quick trip to the Publishers Weekly site. With just a little digging our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about Amazon.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Amazon has opened their newest Amazon Books bricks and mortar store in New York City. This is the second Amazon bookstore in New York City. It's also the third bricks and mortar store Amazon has opened in the last two weeks. This newest store, however, is different from the others. It includes a cafe. Be sure to read all the way to the end.

Panzer says, "Bricks and mortar bookstores must be successful for Amazon. They just keep opening more stores."

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

To read the post tootle over to Amazon stores

Nook Terminating Accounts of Erotica Authors - PW (Publishers Weekly)

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today when he heard crying and shouting. Following all the noise took our brave kitty boy to the PW (Publishers Weekly) site. There he found a post about Nook Press and erotica authors.

According to a post by PW's Jim Milliot, Barnes and Noble's Nook Press has a new content policy. Under the new content policy some erotica authors' ebooks have been removed from the retail site and authors' accounts closed. The post states that the new policy states unacceptable material is "works portraying or encouraging incest, rape, bestiality, necrophilia, paedophilia, or content that encourages hate or violence." Many of the erotica authors say they were unaware of the changes until after their ebooks were dropped and their accounts closed.

Bestiality? I vote with Nook Press.

Panzer says, "Umm ... Who knew Nook Press would have to put together a list with stuff like necrophilia and paedophilia, etc. that they won't publish/sell?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Nook Press

Investor Urges B&N To Find a Buyer - Publishers Weekly

On today's trip into the Catosphere Panzer was greeted by booing and hissing and crying. Following all the clamor took our adventuresome kitty to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all he discovered that a post about Barnes and Noble was causing all the noise.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, in a letter to the Board of Directors an investor in Barnes and Noble is suggesting the company put itself up for sale. The investor, Sandell Asset Management Corp., says in their letter they feel Barnes and Noble should either be bought/merged by a larger company or by a private firm and taken private. The letter also says company founder (and majority shareholder) Len Riggio has the financial resources to take the company private.  Included at the beginning of the post is a link to Sandell Asset Management Corp.'s letter to the Board of Directors.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... This little kitty wonders if Sandell Asset Management Corp. thinks they can get more money for their stock if Barnes and Noble gets sold ... Because ... maybe the larger company they want to buy Barnes and Noble is ... Amazon? Or ... maybe because Mr. Riggio would pay more to keep Amazon from buying the company?"

That is one very long letter.

Note: This is a long-medium post. Bring a b-i-g cup of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to read Sandell Asset Management Corp.'s letter, bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Indigo Eyes U.S. Expansion - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard whispering and muttering outside the Panzermobile. Following the curious noises took our inquisitive kitty boy to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about Indigo Books and Music.

According to Ed Nawotka's post, rumors abound about Indigo Books and Music's proposed expansion into the U.S. retail book sales market. Indigo bookstores are well represented in Canada under such store brand names as Indigo, Chapters, and Coles, among others. The success of the company's new concept superstores there has contributed to the rumor. Speculation is that the first U.S. Indigo bookstore will open in New Jersey in 2018. The Publishers Weekly post states, "Indigo would neither confirm nor deny" plans to expand to the U.S. So, for right now it's just a rumor.

I think they're making a big mistake.

Panzer says, "Umm ... This little kitty wants to know why Indigo would want to come to the U.S. and go head to head with Amazon. ... Haven't they heard Amazon is opening bricks and mortar bookstores in addition to the online store?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Indigo

Print Units Up 3% in First Half of 2017 - Publishers Weekly

Print book are up. Ebooks are down.

Today, Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere to go to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There he found a post about print book sales.

The Publishers Weekly post quotes information supplied from BookScan about print books sales during the first six months of 2017. The BookScan information was based on the combined print book sales of juvenile fiction and nonfiction and adult fiction and nonfiction. Although juvenile fiction and nonfiction sales outpaced adult fiction and nonfiction, all four had a combined increase of 3 percent during that time period over the same period in 2016.

Panzer says, "Print book sales are up? Hmm ...  Cat Wisdom for humans was just published in paperback. This kitty hopes that's good for sales."

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

To read the post, tootle over to print books