Daily book biz round-up: Oprah likes Dickens; Atwood likes Wilkie Collins; and more

Today’s book news:

• Oprah chooses two Dickens classics for her book club
• PW names the notable newsmakers of 2010
• Borders may take over Barnes & Noble
• Margaret Atwood likes Wilkie Collins
• A new web hub for teenage authors is launched
• Natalie Portman wears Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, a handbag

Daily book biz round-up: Gawker/Palin flap; Bishop-Stall’s U.S. tour; and more

Today’s book news:

• HarperCollins sues Gawker over Sarah Palin book leak
• Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall forges ahead without Soft Skull
• James Frey defends his literary sweat-shop
• Borders to shut down 17 locations after Christmas
• Gary Shteyngart contemplates moving to Canada in 2012

Daily book biz round-up: Borders pop-up stores; Kobo goes wireless; and more

Today’s book news:

• Borders comes up with terrifying new strategy: seasonal pop-up stores
• Kobo finally introduces wireless e-reader
• Annabel Lyon names the top 10 books on the ancient world
• News flash: Canadian athletes willing, able to read books
• Chapters.ca banner finally comes down

Daily book biz round-up: Borders closure; B&N closure; and more

Special death-of-bookselling edition:

• Borders closes major San Fran location!
• B&N closes major New York location!
• Borders cuts price of Kobo e-Reader to $129!
• Staples to start selling Kindle!
• And finally: Dick and Jane and Vampires

Price drop rumored for Kobo eReader

When it launched in May, one of the Kobo eReader’s big selling points was that it was one of the cheapest e-reading devices on the market at $149. But now, with Barnes & Noble selling the new wi-fi Nook for $149, and Amazon selling the new wi-fi Kindle for $139, the Kobo eReader – which requires a Bluetooth connection – suddenly has a lot less to recommend it. No surprise, then, that a Kobo price drop appears to be in the works. Though nothing has been announced officially as of yet, a current online-only piece in The New Yorker suggests that Kobo will be lowering prices very soon.

Reporting on a swanky rooftop party Kobo recently hosted in Toronto, The New Yorker had this to say:

Kobo is perhaps the scrappiest and most focussed player in the e-book war. Its online store has a vast and rapidly expanding catalogue of e-books that can be read on almost any mobile device (notable exception: the Kindle). And its own e-reader’s simplicity and affordability (it will reportedly be down to $99 in time for Christmas) has spawned a cult following. In Amazon’s rear-view mirror, Kobo is quickly gaining ground.

When asked by Q&Q to confirm the $99 rumor, Kobo vice-president of content, sales, and merchandising Michael Tamblyn said he wasn’t currently at liberty to comment on future pricing.

Daily book biz round-up: Borders clams up; Lisbeth Salander cast; and more

Today’s book news:

• Things so bad at Borders they’re not talking to the press any more
• Somebody named Rooney Mara to become Lisbeth Salander
• Emma Thompson taking over Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit
• HarperCollins Canada to go ahead with Bob Probert memoir
• Scott Pilgrim vs the print book

Daily book biz round-up, April 1

No foolin’ here, just the straight dope:

• Borders escapes death-watch via refinancing
• Shocker! Amazon goes to agency model with HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster
• Non-shocker! Wolf Hall among Walter Scott Prize nominees
• Marcel Theroux, Kim Stanley Robinson among Arthur C. Clarke Award nominees
• Gore Vidal joins Roth and Grisham in fabricated interview scandal
• The New York Times gets all science-y about Why We Read Fiction

Daily book biz round-up, March 23

All the news that’s fit to blog:

• U.S. indie distributor Perseus signs deal with Apple
• Hachette Livre says “non” to new French Publishers Association head
• Borders has date with destiny on Apr. 1 (I had a date with destiny once… but she stood me up…)
• Why OR Books decided not to sell on Amazon
• Sheila Heti does podcast for The Guardian
• LeVar Burton teases us with promises of Reading Rainbow 2.0
  
• Profits up at Random House U.K., not due to sales, but to “cost reductions”
• Amazon demos the iPad Kindle app

Kobo spins off from Indigo, partners with Borders

When Shortcovers announced earlier today that it has re-branded itself as Kobo, it was clear some big changes were afoot at the company, which was founded just 10 months ago by Indigo Books & Music.

This afternoon, Indigo announced that it is transferring all of Kobo’s assets into a separate company, with Indigo as the main shareholder. According to a press release, Kobo has raised $16 million from a group of investors that also includes the U.S.-based Borders Group, Instant Fame (a subsidiary of Cheung Kong Holdings), and REDgroup Retail, which operates Australia’s Angus & Robertson and Borders chains.

The new partnerships will give Kobo distribution partners across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the E.U., Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and other territories. As part of the announcement, Borders U.S. will also launch a Kobo-powered store through its website and begin selling Kobo-branded mobile apps.

“We have assembled a strong syndicate of investors and partners across key categories – retail and mobile distribution,” said Kobo CEO Mike Serbinis in a press release. “We have a unique opportunity to power the e-reading revolution by reaching consumers everywhere they shop today, on any device they choose.”

The re-branding of Shortcovers comes amid rumours that the company is preparing to launch its own e-reader. Last month, Shortcovers filed a trademark with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for a wireless e-reader also called Kobo. According to the press release, Kobo plans to “extend its platform by launching additional smartphone support, desktop and tablet apps, and its own dedicated e-reader devices.”

Kobo’s partnership with Borders gives the struggling U.S. chain a foothold in the burgeoning e-book market. Borders’ main U.S. competitor, Barnes & Noble, recently released its own dedicated e-reading device, known as the Nook.

“Our vision for a digital strategy that’s right for Borders is taking shape today through our investment in Kobo,” says Borders CEO Ron Marshall. “Borders shares Kobo’s vision to provide any e-book on any device, and we look forward to working closely with Kobo on content and distribution.”

Says Indigo CEO Heather Reisman,“We are very excited about the vision of Kobo and the opportunity to play a leading role in the emerging e-reading revolution. We look forward to partnering on the introduction of new services and reading devices and to providing our customers with the richest e-reading experiences.”

Amazon doesn’t want to get physical

Rumours that Amazon U.K. might be considering opening bricks-and-mortar stores have been greatly exaggerated, according to an Amazon spokesperson. Over the weekend, the Sunday Times published an article suggesting Amazon was “planning a surprise invasion of the British high street”:

Property landlords said that the American company, which has a market value of $59.1 billion (£35.6 billion), had launched a secret search for bricks-and-mortar stores to support its rapidly growing website. It is understood to be scouring the country for high-profile sites just as the Borders book chain is shutting up shop.

No sooner had the rumours begun circulating on the Internet than a spokesperson for Amazon announced that there was absolutely no truth to them. The ABC News website cites an unnamed Amazon spokesman asserting that the company “has no plans to open stores anywhere in the world.”

The article concludes by saying:

The Amazon spokesman declined to comment any further on the report, including whether it could partner with retailers, or its future plans.