News & Trends: Fast Stats

400 Number of U.S. bookstores a Grant Thorton LLP retail study predicted will close this year, a 500-percent increase over 2008.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, Aug. 26, 2009

9.9 billion Number of kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions that e-readers purchased from 2009-2012 could prevent during that four-year period, compared to print books, magazines and newspapers.
Source: Cleantech Group report, “The Environmental Impact of Amazon’s Kindle”

$4 billion Amount The Walt Disney Co. paid to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc., including its more than 5,000 characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man and X-Men.

3 million Number of active smartphone e-book application users in July, as tracked by research company Flurry. According to the company’s report, “e-books” represents the second-largest application category in the App Store, behind “games,” with a 14-percent share.
Source: Flurry.com