RBmedia Acquires Award-Winning U.K. Indie Boldwood Books - Publishing Perspectives

This smoke is giving me a headache.

Panzer's next stop in the Catosphere was at the Publishing Perspectives site. There our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about U.K. publisher Boldwood.

 

According to the post RBmedia has acquired Boldwood. RBedia is an audiobook publisher and Boldwood is an ebook, print book and audiobook publisher.

 

Panzer says, "Sounds like they'll fit right together."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a glass of iced tea and a muffin for today's snack.

 

To read the post tootle over to RBMedia 

Print Book Sales Flat in First Half of 2026 - Publishers Weekly

The industry needs a big bestseller.

Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site today.

 

There our traveling kitty found a post about print book sales. Compared  salesto the first half of 2025 this year's sales are flat. The print book sales figure is based on the adult and children's fiction and nonfiction total.

 

Panzer says, "The post includes a 2025 vs 2026 chart and a 2026 best seller chart."

 

Note: Because of the charts this is a long medium length post. Bring a glass of milk and two sugar cookies to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Print Book Sales 

Print Book Pricing and Printing Costs - Barnes and Noble Press Blog

I need a nap after all these changes.

Panzer's next stop was at the Barnes and Noble Press Blog site.

 

According to an announcement there, the minimum print book price must be set at $14.99.

 

Panzer says, "If you don't set your price there or higher, your book will be de-listed."

 

Note: This is a short announcement. You don't need to bring anything to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble 

Pew Survey Finds Readers Still Prefer Print Books - Publishers Daily

 Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Daily site where he found some interesting results from a Pew Research Group survey..

 

That prediction was wrong.

According to Jim Milliot, the survey shows print books are still the preferred reading format in the U.S. Included in the post is a link to the survey results.

 

Panzer says, "So ... Ebooks are not taking over the world."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to Pew Survey 

Spotify Adds Bookshop.org Links, Page Sign - Publishers Weekly

Who will be next?

Panzer stopped in at the Publishers Weekly site today and found a post about Bookshop.org.

 

Ed Nawotka's post explains Spotify's partnership with Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org will now carry Spotify author's print books on the platform. Included in the post are links to other information.

 

Panzer says, "Yesterday Bookshop.org added Draft2Digital authors and today added Spotify authors."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to  Bookshop and Spotify Deal

Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models - arsTechnica

Who else will do this now?

Panzer found this post about Anthropic's AI LLM at the arsTechnica site.

 

In his post Benj Edwards reports how, according to court documents, Anthropic input millions of books into its AI Claude. The post includes links to other information about Anthropic, Claude, LLMs, and the court case.

  

Panzer say, "It's interesting how they managed to dance around the law."

 

Note:This is a long post. Bring a big snack for while you read.

 

To read the post tootle over to Anthropic

BookNet Canada: Free sources for Reading Surpass Paid - Publishing Perspectives

Why ask? Free of course.

At the Publishing Perspectives site Panzer found a post about Canadian readers' preferences for obtaining reading material.

Porter Anderson's post includes information from BookNet Canada's report about the almost 1500 readers questioned about obtaining their reading materials. No matter which format, ebook,  audiobook, or print, all users reported getting at least some of their materials for free.The post includes charts and graphs to illustrate the readers answers.

Panzer says, "Let's see: Free or paid. Which would you choose?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's snack while you read.

To read the post tootle over to BookNet Canada

USA TODIAY Best-selling Booklist is back: How to find the list made for book lovers - USA TODAY

It's good news for authors.

This morning Panzer was shaken from his nap in his kitty bed by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile, our adventuresome kitty boy followed all the hoopla to the USA TODAY site. With no digging at all he discovered the USA Today Bestsellers List is coming back. The list has been gone since December.

According to Barbara VanDerburgh, the list will appear both online and in print, but no specific  return date is given.

Panzer says, "It's been so long this little kitty didn't think it was ever coming back."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for your reading.

To read the post tootle over to USA Today Best-selling Booklist

Booksellers File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon, Publishers - The Digital Reader

Today when Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere he decided to make a stop at The Digital Reader. With just a little digging in the posts our favorite kitty boy found one about a new lawsuit against Amazon.

 

How many lawsuits can one firm file against Amazon?

According to the post by The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, a lawsuit has been been filed against Amazon and the Big Five publishers by booksellers. Last month Panzer told you about the lawsuit against the company for ebook price fixing. The new lawsuit is for print book price-fixing.

 

Panzer says, "I don't understand any of this."

 

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

 

To read the post tootle over to antitrust lawsuit

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to Amazon e-book case 

Announcing a New 'Green Book' Consortium: Canada, USA, UK - Publishing Perspectives

Panzer's evening nap was interrupted by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile, our intrepid kitty pilot followed all the joyful noise to the Publishing Perspectives site. There he discovered a post about the new Green Book consortium.

 

According to Porter Anderson's post, a group comprised of Canadian, U.K. and U.S.A. supply chain organizations for the book publishing industry has formed the International Green Book Supply Chain. The group was formed in part to "make significant changes to reduce its overall environmental impact on the planet." The post includes a list of possible issues the group will address. The post also includes a section of interviews and statements from each country's representative of the member group.

 

Maybe ebooks only?

Panzer says, "We all love trees. but one day there won't be any trees left to make books."

 

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring a thermos of tea and seven muffins for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Green Book Consortium

 

 

 

 

Trade-Published Romance Sees a Coronavirus Boost in the States - Publishing Perspectives

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today, he heard kissy, smoochy noises coming from outside. Following all the lovey dovey noises took him to the Publishing Perspectives site. With a little digging in the posts he found one about the current state of the romance market in the U.S. during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

According to the post by Porter Anderson, romance has been on everyone's mind since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first five months of 2020 romance ebook sales increased 17 percent for trade book publishers. This was during the time the coronavirus was first detected in the U.S. and then as it began ramping up and states began lockdowns. Not only did romance ebook sales increase, but romance print book sales did as well. The post includes the top trade published romance books in both ebook and print formats. There are several links to more information about ebook and print book sales during the pandemic.

I prefer to look outside for love.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Apparently humans were looking for love in safe places."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a thermos of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring three thermoses of tea, two dozen muffins and your dinner.

To read the post tootle over to Romance publishing sales

'Midnight Sun' Tops 1 Million Copies Sold in First Week - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was shaken from his nap in his kitty bed by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile he followed all the hullabaloo to the Publishers Weekly site. With no digging at all our sleep-deprived kitty discovered a post about Stephenie Meyer's new book was causing all the noise.

According to the post by Jim Milliot, Stephenie Meyer's new novel, Midnight Sun, has sold 1 million copies. The 1 million copies includes sales from ebooks, audio books and print books. The new novel is a retelling of the novel Twilight from the Edward Cullen character's viewpoint.  Meyer says there are plans for two more books at some time in the future.

Now. Back to what's important.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Interesting. Are the print books being delivered by mail or are humans going to the bookstores to buy them?"

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 Midnight Sun

Amazon is Shutting Down Kindle Matchbook, Its Print+eBook Bundling Program - The Digital Reader

It never was that popular.

Today Panzer decided to make a stop at The Digital Reader site. There with a little digging in the posts, our adventuresome kitty found one about Amazon's Kindle Matchbook program.

According to the post by The Digital Reader owner Nate Hoffelder, Amazon has sent emails to participating authors notifying them the program is being discontinued. October 31 is the official shut down date. The Kindle Matchbook program allows authors to "bundle" their print and ebooks. If a reader buys the print book then the author offers the ebook either for free or $1.99 or $.99. Amazon's email to authors is included in the post. Also included in the post are links to other The Digital Reader posts, a Facebook post and Twitter Tweets about Kindle Matchbook and related programs and services.

Panzer says, "Matchbook never worked for this little kitty's book."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, also bring half a gallon of tea and half a dozen muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Matchbook

Nearly Three Out of Four American Consumers Read or Listened to a Book in the Past Six Months - The Digital Reader

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere he decided to make a stop at The Digital Reader site. With a little digging in the posts, he found one about reading and listening to books.

Please explain it to me.

According to the post by The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, in a recent survey three out of four people said they either read a book or listened to an audio book. Breaking down the book readers further, half of them said they read a print book and one-quarter said they read an ebook.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... I know Cat math is a little different than human math, but how does one-half (1/2) plus one-quarter (1/4) add up to one (1) in human math?"

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

To read the post tootle over to Reading or Listening to Books

UK's Publishers Association leads 'Axe the Reading Tax' Campaign - Publishing Perspectives

Why tax an ebook?

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he heard shouting coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the hullabaloo took our brave kitty pilot to the Publishing Perspectives site. With hardly any digging at all in the posts, he found one about the UK's VAT (Value Added Tax) on digital reading material.

According to Publishing Perspectives Editor-in-Chief Porter Anderson, the UK's Publishers Association has launched a campaign to get the UK's VAT removed from digital material. The UK has a 20 percent VAT on ebooks, audio books and other digital reading materials. The campaign is called 'Axe the Reading Tax' and would make the digital reading material VAT the same as the print reading material VAT which is zero.  The Publishers Association has sent a letter to the chancellor of the exchequer demanding the removal of the VAT.  Included in the post is a list of all the representatives of the different groups who signed the letter. There are several links included in the post to other information.

Panzer says, "This little kitty never did understand why there is a tax on ebooks and audio books, but not on printed books."

Note: This is a long post. Bring half a thermos of tea and three muffins for today's reading. If you plan to follow all the links in the post, bring a gallon of tea, a dozen muffins and a sleeping bag for a nap in the middle of your reading.

To read the post tootle over to UK Publishers' Association

Sweden's Storytel Continues Its Global Expansion - Publishers Weekly

Today, Panzer made a quick trip into the Catosphere to the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty found one about Storytel.

It seems to be everywhere I look.

According to the post by Ed Nawotka, Sweden's Storytel plans to continue its global expansion with the addition of Brazil and Germany to the 16 countries it already serves. Storytel doesn't actually set up business in other countries, instead it's expansion is fueled by the acquisition of companies in the other countries. Through this expansion the company now offers audiobooks, ebooks and publishes print books.

Panzer says, "Storytel may be trying to beat Amazon by taking over the audiobook market outside the U.S."

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 Storytel

B&N Press Now Offers Print Pre-Order, ARC Sales - The Digital Reader

On today's trip into the Catosphere Panzer decided to stop in at The Digital Reader site. With a little digging around in the posts there our inquisitive kitty boy found one about the new features at Barnes and Noble's  B&N Press.

This needs looking into.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, Barnes and Noble has added some new features to their publishing arm. Authors can now offer their print books for pre-order, order advance copies and have one free correction for their print book files. The post quotes an email sent to users who publish their print books through Barnes and Noble Press. The post includes a link to the original email.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks it sounds like Barnes and Noble is making some needed changes to their publishing operations to be more in line with Amazon's KDP."

Note: This is a short post. Bring half a cup of tea for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the link in the post, bring the other half cup of tea.

To read the post tootle over to B and N Press

The Number of Self-Published Titles Cracked 1 Million in 2017 - Publishers Weekly

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. With a little digging in the posts there our adventurous kitty boy found one about ISBNs.

According to Jim Milliot, Bowker, the dispenser of ISBNs, has issued their annual report for 2017. The report lists print book ISBNs issued as 879,587 and ebook ISBNs issued as 129,601 for a total of 1,009,188 for the year. While ISBNs issued can be used to estimate the number of self-published books, it's not a totally accurate number. The ISBN numbers don't include Amazon's ASIN numbers for books published through KDP. The post does give information about ISBNs through CreateSpace (which is now gone), Lulu, Smashwords, and Author Solutions all of whose ISBN numbers are included in Bowker's total.

Everybody wants to write a book.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... What's a little kitty to do. The book publishing competition just keeps growing and growing."

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

To read the post tootle over to self-published titles

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

BISG's Making Information Pay Highlights Print, Audiobooks Resurgence - Publishers Weekly

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly (PW) site. There our traveling kitty reporter found a post about the Book Industry Study Group (BISG).

According to the post by Ed Nawotka, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) reported on the increases in print book and audiobook sales. In 2016 hardcover book sales were higher than ebook sales. This hasn't happened in five years. The decline in ebook sales is attributed to readers switching from ereaders to smartphones. In 2015 (latest available information) audiobook sales increased by 27 percent. The increase is attributed to indie authors now being able to go to Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) and do their own audiobooks. Other information is included in the post.

I'll practice my voice exercises.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Smartphones? Time for Amazon Short Reads? ... And audiobooks? ... Mom. Where's the microphone? This kitty is ready to record his book."

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 print and audiobook