The New York Times

NEW YORK, N.Y. - It could all change quickly, but independent booksellers again have good news to report as the publishing industry prepares for its annual national convention, BookExpo America. Core membership of the American Booksellers Association rose by 55 over the past year, from 1,512 to 1,567. It's the third straight increase for the independents' trade organization after years of double digit and triple digit declines brought on by superstore chains and online sellers such as Amazon.com. The independents have stabilized even as the economy suffers and the market shifts dramatically from physical stores to digital purchases.

A group of attorneys general from 29 states filed documents last week, which included charts illustrating the many phone calls made between CEOs of the top publishing companies as Apple prepared to launch the iBookstore. Apple and the publishers are accused of conspiring to fix e-book prices. (Credit: Screen shot Greg Sandoval/CNET) commentary Amazon.com has outmaneuvered Apple in the e-books sector. Nowhere was this made more apparent than in court documents released last week. In antitrust lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and others, Apple stands accused of conspiring with five of the six largest U.S. book

Auryn, Inc., the most award-winning digital publisher of interactive children's stories for the iPad and other tablet devices, today announces the availability of Trixie and Jinx, the second ebook app by blockbuster author Dean Koontz.

Nonfiction works of cloak-and-daggery will be the focus of a new joint venture between the non-profit Long Island Spy Museum, multimedia book publisher Shadow Lawn Press and Eye Spy Intelligence Magazine, the world’s only independent publication dedicated to espionage and intelligence.  The venture launches Long Island Spy Museum Publishing, a nonfiction imprint dedicated to the espionage genre.

Zondervan has announced a new YouTube channel where readers have access to almost 100 video-based Bible study sessions from Christian thought leaders including New York Times best-selling authors Tim Keller and Lysa TerKeurst. In addition, users will also be able to browse more than 150 audio book first chapters and share these via media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

LID Publishing, Inc. announced as part of their growth plans in the US, Karl Weber has taken on the position as Editorial Board Chairperson.  In his new role, he will oversee the quality and content of the company¹s publications. Mr. Weber will advise on titles for LID¹s publication plans, help with the strategy and development of the company in the US, and work with other board members to achieve the successful progress of the company within the business sector.

Owning a Kindle just got a whole lot better for magic-loving Muggles.  Starting June 19, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is adding all seven Harry Potter books (in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish) to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL).  Harry Potter is the all-time best-selling book series in history, and Amazon has purchased an exclusive license from J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore to make the addition of these titles possible.

The 2012 Publishing Business Conference & Expo brought together more than 1,300 industry experts and solutions providers for three days of education, idea sharing and opportunity at the New York Marriott Marquis. This year's conference theme, "Cashing in on Cross Media Content," highlighted emerging opportunities for magazine and book publishers. It also aptly described the optimism among speakers and attendees at this signature event for publishing professionals.

Zondervan has announced a collaboration between Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, Nancy Tillman. The pair has signed on to create a unique picture book based on the creation story from Tutu's highly successful Children of God Storybook Bible.

The picture book will feature Nancy Tillman's whimsical and imaginative illustrations bringing to life Archbishop Tutu's heartwarming narration about God's wonderful creation. Zondervan holds world rights to the project and plans to release the premium picture book in Spring 2014.

Computerworld — Spending $150 to $200 on a tablet won't get you much these days: In most cases, you're looking at an off-brand Android product with a single-core processor, barely any RAM and a low-resolution, low-quality display. Depending on the device, you might not even have access to Google's app market or other basic services — and while that approach may work with retailer-backed, limited-use products like Amazon's Kindle Fire, when it comes to more traditional Android tablets, it doesn't usually lead to the best user experience. It's a stark contrast from what you get at the high end