Industry News

This month, Thomas G. Roberts and Joseph J. Justin, co-owners of Ye Olde Warwick Book Shoppe in Warwick, New York, will open a branch in Greenwood Lake, New York.

In an e-mail on Wednesday, July 22, ABA invited bookstore members to add their names to its July 13 letter to the U.S. Department of Justice. Last week, in an unprecedented joint action, booksellers, authors, and literary agents called on the DOJ to investigate the business practices of Amazon.com.

ABA has opened registration for the Human Resources Workshop, a new in-depth education event, to be offered twice this fall to owners and managers of ABA member stores.

The second quarter of 2015 saw 14 ABA member store openings and four sales of existing businesses to new owners. 

Scott Meyer, owner of Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, New York, died on July 19.

Through July 31, Publishers Weekly is accepting nominations for PW Star Watch, a program designed to recognize exceptional emerging talent in the U.S. book trade. Candidates may come from any segment of the industry, including publishing, bookselling, and libraries, as long as they are based in the U.S.

High sales and much fanfare accompanied the July 14 release of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman at independent bookstores around the country. 

In a Q&A with Bookselling This Week, author Douglas Preston, talks about the reasons behind Authors United’s call this week for the Department of Justice to investigate the business practices of Amazon and the support the group has received to date from others in the book industry.

Submissions sought for 28th Lambda Literary Awards; 2015 Thriller Award winners announced; Ingram launches 1440 accelerator program

The July 15 newsletter provides updates on Kobo device availability, price drop promotions, and new content created by the Kobo merchandising team to inspire booksellers or for use on store websites.

ABA will present the Human Resources Workshop, a new, in-depth education event covering essential aspects of HR for small businesses, in Portland, Oregon, and Providence, Rhode Island, this fall.

Jean Brace, founder of Oklahoma’s Brace Books & More, died on July 11, 2015, after a brief illness. She was 73.

On Friday, July 10, a federal judge in Phoenix permanently blocked Arizona officials from enforcing a 2014 law restricting the display of nude pictures in books, newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet.

In an unprecedented joint action, U.S. booksellers, authors, and literary agents have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the business practices of Amazon.com. The action comes as similar efforts are underway in the European Union.