MBS Textbook Exchange has already modified some of the least popular
aspects of its new Universal Digital Textbooks test, under which about
30 titles by some five textbook publishers will be available in e-book
form at 10 college bookstores for a 33% discount (
Shelf Awareness,
August 10). As
CM Bulletin reported, the publishers are
extending the expiration times so that some books will "expire" after
12 months; others will have no expiration. In addition, most of the
publishers have relaxed their printing restrictions. (They had allowed
printing of only a small portion of the book at any time.)
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Continuing the e-book theme, yesterday's
New York Times business section dined with Warren Adler, author of
The War of the Roses, among 27 novels. His current title is
Death of a Washington Madame,
which the 77-year-old author is releasing via e-mail a chapter at a
time to anyone who requests. "The main thing is give readers a new book
for free," he said, "and they might go back and buy some of the
[earlier] books."
Because "the print book is morphing into the screen book," Adler
continued, he will also make all his books available on flash
memory cards, readable on e-book players. "Print publishing has had a
great 500-year run."
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The Book Corral in Canon City, Colo., is closing, probably at the end
of next month, after 33 years in business. Owner George Clark told the
Canon City Daily Record
that the reasons for the move are: "too few sales chasing too much
debt"; changes after the Sept. 11 attacks; the closing of a nearby
school whose students were regular customers; the move of many people
from downtown; and "the advent of the chain entertainment store."
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If you click on only one story this year, make it
this one. Richard Booth, the used bookseller who helped make the
Welsh town of Hay-on-Wise internationally famous for its used
bookstores and its literature festival, wants to create a new
international currency, the bootho, that can be used to buy and sell
books at new book towns around the world. "You need a first-grade
lunatic such as myself to get it going," he said to the
Telegraph. One observer dryly noted that Booth has a gift for self-promotion.
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Greg Powers, who has sold rare and used books, maps, prints and more
for 18 years, has opened Powers Bookshop in downtown Manchester, N.H.
John Clayton in the
New Hampshire Union Leader
noted that after the closing this winter of a B. Dalton,
Manchester, a city "with more than 100,000 allegedly literate
citizens," would have just one new-book bookstore.
Although Powers's bookstore does not stock new books, Clayton called it "a reason for
book lovers to rejoice." The store is located at 344 Orange St.,
Manchester, N.H. 03104; 603-624-9707;
www.powersbks.com.
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An item from the
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, in its entirety:
"Blue Kangaroo Books, a children's bookstore at 142 N. Vermilion St. in
Danville, has new owners: Curt and Rhonda Ellis of Danville.
"The Ellises have been Danville residents since 1997. They plan to keep
the same book programs and book clubs started by original owner Vicki
Auditore. Auditore's family is moving out of the area and sold the
downtown Danville store.
"Rhonda Ellis will operate the store. Curt Ellis is a State Farm Insurance agent."
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In an amusing essay in yesterday's
New York Times Book Review
called "Hell Is Other Customers," Charles Taylor argues that the idea
that the customer is always right has gone too far, particularly at superstores. His first circle of hell:
"The comfy chairs Barnes & Noble and Borders have placed around
their stores, objects that daily inspire the equivalent of the Oklahoma
land grab, are limited in number. Therefore, aisles and floors become
the designated drop zones. The unlucky chairless sprawl against the
shelves or between them. Often it's impossible to stand within three
feet of these living obstacles since, arrayed around them, they have
their cellphones, their Blackberrys, their coffee, 10 or 12 books
they've pulled from the shelves (whether or not there are other copies
of a particular title and whether or not they are looking at those
titles), and frequently there are accompanying boyfriends or
girlfriends with the same accouterments splayed around them."
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Reuters examined the
Natural Cures
phenomenon and found some worrisome second opinions. The chair of the New
York Consumer Protection Board, which has issued a warning about the
book, told the service, "This book is exploiting and misleading people who are
searching for cures to serious illnesses."
Author Kevin Trudeau responded, "There are multiple ways to cure cancer
without drugs or surgery," adding, "I'm doing this virtually as a
non-profit. I'm not doing this for the money. It's a passion."
