David Carr on Google.
The New York Times
At a New York City press gathering similar to one held just three months ago when the Kindle 2 was unveiled, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos once again addressed a crowded auditorium Wednesday morning to talk about his “Kindle vision”—to have every book ever written, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds. Perhaps taking another step forward in achieving his ultimate goal, Bezos introduced the Kindle DX, which, at 9.7 inches, boasts a display screen that is two-and-a-half times the size of its slightly older sibling, the Kindle 2.
"Wherever women are, we are,” says Malle Vallik, director, digital content and interactivity for Harlequin Enterprises. You’ll hear this mantra uttered by other Harlequin executives, but it is much more than corporate speak. It is part of a “deliberate strategy,” says Vallik, and the driving force behind Harlequin’s evolution over the past 60 years.
From multimillion-dollar acquisitions to multimillion-dollar best-sellers, powerful women stand at every pivotal, decision-making point in the book publishing process. Book Business’ first annual “50 Top Women in Book Publishing” feature recognizes and honors some of these industry leaders who affect and transform how publishing companies do business, and what—and how—consumers read.
Maybe divine intervention will reverse the profit slide for religious book publishers. But industry experts believe it also would be prudent to consider scaling back on titles, reducing returns, making intelligent use of data, investing in digital opportunities and otherwise adapting business models for future success.
An article in The New York Times reported that the Justice Department has begun exploring possible antitrust implications of the Google Settlement.
Dan Brown's new novel, a follow-up to his "The Da Vinci Code"—which was the best-selling hardcover adult novel of all time with 81 million copies in print worldwide—will be released in the United States and Canada by Random House imprint Doubleday Sept. 15, announced Sonny Mehta, chairman and editor-in-chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Steve Mettee picks up ideas from the world around him. Traveling, reading the paper, browsing in a bookstore—he’s the type to notice what’s there and what’s missing, and think about how the publishing company he founded, Quill Driver Books, can meet needs and fill in gaps. And once he’s latched on to an idea, he’s loathe to let it go.
Amazon.com will introduce a second version of its Kindle e-reading device in New York City on Feb. 9, reported The New York Times (http://Bits.Blogs.NYTimes.com/2009/01/27/amazons-kindle-2-will-debut-feb-9/). The online retailer sent out e-mail messages to the media this week announcing a news conference on that date to be held at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. According to the Times, Amazon has confirmed that CEO Jeff Bezos will host the event. No other details have been released.
In preparation for the release of "Faefever," the third installment of Karen Marie Moning's “Fever” paranormal thriller series, Bantam Dell decided to utilized a varied set of promotional tools. Regular installments of a free podcast containing the full audio of "Darkfever," the original book in the series; a mass-market paperback release of "Bloodfever," the second entry in the series; and online excerpts of the first few chapters from the new title all helped push “Faefever” onto The New York Times Best-seller List.