News & Trends: Fast Stats

$100,000 The value of what is said to be the world’s most expensive book. “Michelangelo. La Dotta Mano,” which was recently published by Italy-based FMR, is a 62-pound, velvet- and marble-bound tome depicting the life and work of Michelangelo. It takes six months to make each book, and more than 20 copies have been sold.
Source: Associated Press, Nov. 25, 2008

180% Increase in page views of the message boards in Scholastic.com’s “Kids Community” over last year. Scholastic attributes the record increase to “innovative new features and improved experiences and content following a site-wide redesign.” One of these new features is “The Stacks,” an online community for tweens centered around books and reading.

$125 million Amount Google will pay as part of an out-of-court settlement that resolves two copyright-infringement lawsuits filed by authors and publishers over the Internet search giant’s Google Book Search tool. The money Google is required to pay will be used to establish a Book Rights Registry, to resolve existing claims by authors and publishers, and to cover legal fees.
Source: Book Business Extra, Nov. 7, 2008

6,000 Number of backlist titles Random House plans to add to its current e-book library, including those from its children’s and adult divisions. With these additions, the publisher will have nearly 15,000 titles available in the digital format.
Source: Associated Press, Nov. 24, 2008