Traditional Sales

Nielsen Values Indian Publishing at $3.9 Billion
October 21, 2015 at 2:16 pm

The India Book Market Report released by Nielsen at Frankfurt Book Fair last week values the print book market in India, including book imports, at $3.9 billion. This positions India among the largest English-language book markets in the world. The compound annual growth rate of the market is 20.4% between 2011-12 and 2014-15, according to…

To Defy Amazon, Kinokuniya Plans to Monopolize More Titles
October 5, 2015 at 12:15 pm

In the wake of the positive response to its direct purchase of Haruki Murakami’s latest book, asiaone.com reports that the Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya “plans to increase direct purchases of books from publishers – as opposed to the conventional practice of buying them through wholesale booksellers.” As we reported last month, Kinokuniya purchased 90,000 copies…

Using Technology to Boost Bookstores
October 5, 2015 at 11:36 am

Technology and innovation probably aren’t the words that come to mind when you think about your local grocery store. Bar code scanners in the 1970s were probably the last recent advancement in the grocery store industry. As you’ll see in this article, however, at least one grocery chain is leveraging a new form of technology…

B&N Says it is (Still) “Considering” Smaller Stores, But is Actually Closing Stores
September 10, 2015 at 5:08 pm

B&N said they are considering smaller stores, but what they're actually doing is shuttering stores right and left. And that is the real story here, not that a "book retailer considers new store prototype". Actions speak louder than words, which is why you should look at what someone is doing rather than what they are…

U.S. Book Sales Fall in First Five Months of 2015
September 1, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Book sales of traditionally published books in the US fell by almost 6% in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period the year before. Overall sales for trade fiction and non-fiction, children, higher education, professional and university presses were down 5.8% from January to May 2015 to $4bn, compared to…

To Defy Amazon, Japanese Bookseller Corners the Market on New Murakami
August 26, 2015 at 1:45 pm

Kinokuniya, the largest bookstore chain in Japan, has announced that it will snap up 90% of initial print run of Haruki Murakami’s latest title to sell at brick-and-mortar stores and make sure that customers who want to purchase the book will have to go to an actual physical bookstore. It is a move largely seen as…

The State of U.S. Illustrated Book Publishing
August 20, 2015 at 4:18 pm

How much more likely are you to pick a book off a shelf or table if it is beautiful? If the cover appeals to you? Or better yet, if the whole physical package grabs your attention? The jacket may feature a spot gloss title on a matte finish or have no jacket or even a…

'Times' Exposé of Amazon Workplace Draws Gov't Attention
August 19, 2015 at 1:00 am

This weekend's damning 'New York Times' article painting Amazon as a "bruising workplace" continues to draw attention, this time from the government. According to the AP, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has assured the public that the company will be complying with various labor standards.