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Shipping Delays Hit Books, Other Products, at Amazon
The surge at Amazon for such items as household staples and health and medical goods has resulted in extended shipping times for other products, including books.
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Indie Black Booksellers, Publishers Hold National Pandemic Conference Call
A coalition of African-American independent booksellers and publishers convened a national video conference call to survey the state of black books around the country in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic.
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Strand, Books & Books Lay Off, Furlough Booksellers
The Strand Book Store in New York confirmed Sunday that 188 employees, the majority of the bookstore’s staff, have been let go in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Miami's Books & Books has furloughed 80 of its own.
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This Week's Bestsellers: March 23, 2020
Memoirist and motivational speaker Glennon Doyle has the #1 book in the country with ‘Untamed.’ Plus Hilary Mantel wraps up her Wolf Hall trilogy with ‘The Mirror & the Light,’ #2 in the country, and novelist Kate Elizbeth Russell debuts with ‘My Dark Vanessa.’
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Print Unit Sales Down 5.7% in Mid-March
A large decline in the adult nonfiction segment dropped sales of print units 5.7% in the week ended Mar. 14, 2020, compared to the similar week in 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan.
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Powell's Closes for Eight Weeks as Laid Off Employees Fire Back
In a letter to employees, Emily Powell, owner of Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., said the store would be closed for a minimum of eight weeks, forcing layoffs. Former employees rejected her explanation, saying it "added insult to injury."
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B&N's Daunt: 'Books Are Essential'
While total sales have fallen slightly since the outbreak of the new coronavirus at Barnes & Noble, company CEO James Daunt is confident the bookstore chain can continue to be a profitable venture with one provision—that it is allowed to keep its stores open.
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ABA Donates $100K to BINC, Offers Strong Support
American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill said the organization had donated $100,000 to the Binc Foundation. In addition, it is reducing membership fees, paying out for e-commerce faster, and running a daily open forum for members.
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Half Price Books Closes All 126 Stores Temporarily
Half Price Books became the largest U.S. bookstore chain to close its doors as a result of the pandemic. The company, which has 126 stores in 17 states, said there would be no layoffs among its 3,000 employees.
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More Bookstore Layoffs as Pandemic Worsens
Denver's Tattered Cover and Posman Books in NYC and Atlanta are the latest bookstores to close temporarily and put employees on leave.
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Canada's Indigo Closing Until End of March
Indigo Books and Music, Canada's dominant bookstore chain, is closing all of its 199 retail locations from the end of business today until March 27.
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Major Indie Bookstores Lay Off Hundreds
Three prominent bookstores, McNally Jackson in New York City, Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., and Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., have together laid off more than 600 employees as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
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Independent Bookstore Day Has Been Postponed
Independent Bookstore Day, which was scheduled for April 25, has been postponed. The American Booksellers Association, which manages the promotion, said the event would be rescheduled.
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Amazon Deprioritizes Book Sales Amid Coronavirus Crisis
As it works to meet the surge in demand for "household staples, medical supplies, and other high demand products," Amazon has sent a letter to other suppliers, including publishers, telling then to expect reduced purchase orders and extended delivery windows for existing purchase orders through April 5.
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January Bookstore Sales Fell 4.8%
Bookstore sales dropped from $1.14 billion in January 2019 to $1.02 billion in 2020, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Hachette Offers Indies Discount for Deliveries
Hachette is offering independent booksellers a 5% discount off of MSRP for any title that is sold and delivered to customers in their local community by staff or courier.
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Regionals Tweaking Spring Forum Formats, Scheduling
While some regional indie bookseller organizations have canceled spring forum meetings, others are creatively tweaking schedules to put on unique events, ranging from virtual gatherings to mini-forums.
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B&N, BAM Remain Open
Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million are currently continuing to operate all of their stores, although both noted they are closely monitoring new developments related to Covid-19.
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Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Company Unionizes
Booksellers of the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle voted to unionize on Friday. The independent rank-and-file union is called the Book Workers Union.
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Chronicle Books Offering Extra Discount to Indies
Effective immediately, Chronicle Books is giving indie retailers an extra 5% discount and 90-day dating on its standard 10-unit minimum.
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