The New York Times

Just a few years ago, readers paid little attention to books published by independent (indie) authors. Self-published books were considered second rate, not worth the investment of hard-earned cash. Today, with attractive eBook prices and quality that rivals that of books published by New York houses, readers are turning in droves to indie-authored books. In fact, more than half the top 20 books on Amazon’s current Kindle “Movers and Shakers” list—hot books rising fastest up the Amazon sales ranks—are indie or small press published. Why then, given their popularity, are so few indie

Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that 16 of the top 100 best-selling paid Kindle books in March are exclusive to the Kindle Store and available for Prime members with a Kindle to borrow for free through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.  These 16 books, which include only paid units and do not take into consideration borrowed or free units,  include Kindle Singles “An Unexpected Twist” by Andy Borowitz and “Bearded Lady” by Mara Altman, “Easily Amused” by Karen McQuestion, books 1-3 in Michael Wallace’s Righteous Series, and independently-published books from T.R. Ragan and A.K. Alexander. Other popular Kindle-exclusive books include Kurt Vonnegut’s new Kindle Single “Basic Training” and Stephen Covey’s groundbreaking business book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

From A Kindle World blog.  More details at the site. “The New York Times’s Art Beat writer, Julie Bosman, wrote a few days ago that long before Vonnegut became famous, the Saturday Evening Post in the 1940s rejected his 22,000-word novella, “Basic Training,” written under the pseudonym of Mark Harvey. He went on to write [...]

An energized Publishing Business Conference and Expo, Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines’ annual event at the Times Square Marriott Marquis, March 19-21, was grounded in optimism and realism, and primed for a promising future in the digital age for book manufacturing and print-based book production.

Addressing the overflow audience at the Marriott's Astor Ballroom, our very own Joan of Arc at the ramparts, Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski—fully armed with the arguments of comon sense and history to support her—sounded a much-needed balancing and defiant keynote to prevailing “stiff upper lip” scenarios about the decline of the publishing industry. She reminded us, paraphrasing from both Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the Encyclopedia Britannica blog’s notice that it had discontinued its venerable print edition, that publishing is not dead, change is okay, and that the future is alive with new opportunities in our pursuit of continued success and excellence in the publishing business.

Thousands of publishing executives from the book and magazine publishing industries will convene at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square, March 19-21, for the Publishing Business Conference & Expo—North America’s largest conference and expo of its kind.

The conference—produced by Publishing Executive and Book Business (industry-leading business)—features more than 40 sessions and nearly 100 speakers, including: David Carey, President, Hearst Magazines; Josh Tyrangiel, Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek; Josh Quittner, Editorial Director, Flipboard; David Carr, Columnist and Reporter, The New York Times; Deborah Forte, President, Scholastic Media; Marcus Leaver, President, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. (owned by Barnes & Noble); Michela O’Connor Abrams, President, Dwell Media (who is also the conference chair); Maureen McMahon, President/Publisher, Kaplan Publishing; Peter Meirs, VP, Production Technologies, Time Inc.; Matt Bean, AVP, Mobile, Social and Emerging Media, Rodale Inc.; and Christopher McKenzie, VP & Director, Institutional Sales, Americas & EMEA, Wiley InterScience Sales, Wiley.

Random House Children’s Books will publish 13 of beloved author Judy Blume’s classic books for young readers as ebooks, it was announced today by Beverly Horowitz, VP & Publisher, Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers. Blume’s stories have entertained, informed, and generated discussions among readers about universal issues for more than 40 years, and now the legions of Blume fans who have grown up reading her books in print, as well as a whole new generation of readers, will be able to read them electronically. The new ebook editions will be available beginning March 21 in the U.S. and Canada, wherever Random House ebooks are sold.

Nancy Pearl, the famous librarian (and action figure!) who recently partnered with Amazon ( NSDQ: AMZN ) to republish a handful of out-of-print titles each year, tells the New York Times and Seattle Times that based on the reaction she’s received it’s a “hard question” whether she’d do it again.

Amazon Publishing is launching Pearl’s line at a time when many in her community—independent booksellers, librarians and some authors—are very angry at Amazon for what they see as predatory business practices, relentless discounting and attacks on independent bookstores.

Lagardère SCA announced 2011 full year revenues today, noting that the divisions demonstrated resilience despite a difficult economic environment. Highlights of the company's financial performance are as follows:

The Publishing Business Conference & Expo announced today that David Carr, media and culture columnist and reporter for The New York Times, will be interviewing Flipboard's Editorial Director, Josh Quittner, at the conference's "Keynote Event," March 19.

The Publishing Business Conference & Expo announced today that David Carr, media and culture columnist and reporter for The New York Times, will be interviewing Flipboard's Editorial Director, Josh Quittner, at the conference's "Keynote Event," March 19.