Book News, In Brief

It's Independent Booksellers Week...in England. In America, it's business as usual.

Barbara Walters has refused to read the sex stuff on the audio version of her autobiography. On behalf on weak stomachs and sensitive ears everywhere, allow me to scream, THANK YOU BARBARA! No one wanted to hear you lisp your way through your affairs in the Lincoln bedroom (with Abe Lincoln) anyway.

Anytime a blogger wants to bash The Behemoth, I'm willing to toss 'em a link. But when The Los Angeles Times takes on Amazon.com (and its controversial Kindle with the unreleased sales figures), I've gotta add a 'Hallelujah!'
So, um...Hallelujah!
Update: Seeking Alpha also put out an article yesterday calling into question Bezos' e-book hype: Amazon's Kindle Numbers: All Fluff, Zero Substance.

Indiana court protects porn peddling, via PW:
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression took a victory yesterday when a federal judge dismissed an Indiana law requiring retailers to register "sexually explicit" material with the state.
This is a victory for free speech, and a blowjob to the traditionally uptight state of Indiana. Lest they forget, one can't spell Hoosier without the 'Ho.'

Book News, In Brief

Know someone who’s 100? The National Centenarian Awareness Project is looking for subjects for an upcoming book. But act fast, cuz -- let's face it -- most folks don't live to be 101.

When looking at other people's book shelves, what secrets can we learn? What warning signs may we glean? Can we really tell if the owners are smarter/stupider than us? The Oregon Live takes a look.

Everyone knew that factions of the Muslim community were going to get sour about Salman Rushdie's knighthood, but what I want to know is: What took Iran so long? Hell, Pakistan was bitching about it two weeks ago.

The good news, via PRWeb: HBF Publishers (HBFP) is leveling a digital cultural imbalance by giving African American authors opportunities never before available: control of the content and delivery of their books with immediate access to a growing and profitable African American reading market, cultivated over the years by QBR The Black Book Review and the Harlem Book Fair.
And the bad news, via us: Amazon won't sell the books.
But wait! There's some more good news: Us. The Inkwell. We'll sell the books...
A li'l more bad:...or we'll return them, unsold...
And Good:...but at least we'll try...
Bad: ...which is more than Amazon will do.

Book News, In Brief

(Adjective) birthday, Mad Libs! You're 50 (plural noun) old!

Angry Little House fans take switch to HarperCollins over updated cover art; bonnets suspiciously missing, covered wagons nowhere to be found.

Either the bookstore was amazing, or the author is O.C.D.
Via East Bay Express: Bob Calhoun, aka Count Dante (author of the self-described "punk/wrestling tell-all" Beer, Blood, and Cornmeal), will still present his scheduled booksigning at Cody's tonight, even though the store has been closed since June 20.

The publishing industry wants Dave Eggers to be more like Mary Higgens Clark.
The details, from The San Diego Union Tribune: In an age when reading for pleasure is declining, book publishers increasingly are counting on their biggest moneymaking writers to crank out books at a rate of at least one a year, right on schedule, and sometimes faster than that. Many top-selling writers, such as John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark, have turned out at least one book annually for years. Now some writers are beginning to grumble about the pressure, and some are refusing to comply.

Sneak Peek: Paul Pope's Battling Boy

For Pope's own thoughts on the project, click here.

Book News, In Brief

I love articles about indie bookstores as much as the next indie bookstore employee, but goddamn -- do they always have to focus on the stores' cats?! No wonder people are turning to big box bookstores and online behemoths. Instead of hyping our intelligence and experience, we've made ourselves look like a bunch of crazy neighborhood cat ladies.

It's what the kids call 'backpedaling', via The Huffington Post:
Author Of 'Obama Can't Win' Book Doesn't Believe Himself
Author Shelby Steele now says, "I regret that subtitle. It was an afterthought. And I don't argue that in the book. He can definitely win." Oh, and while he's setting the record straight, Steele is just a pen name. He chose it to offset his malleability.

Sunday's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review featured an article titled, Retailers in Step With Trends Shift Focus to Web Commerce. In addition to the usual blah-blah-blah about e-commerce (It's cheaper! You don't need as many employees! People like shopping while naked and viewing porn!), the article mentioned this depressing bit of gossip: A possible Amazon.com merger with Borders.
I don't know about you, but I just lost my erect**n.

Bail Was Posted. Back To Blogging.