The Bookseller is reporting on reactions from BookExpo America to Amazon’s choice of former TimeWarner CEO turned agent Laurence Kirshbaum to head up its publishing division. Independent booksellers were fairly optimistic, some suspecting Amazon might even offer them better deals than chain bookstores due to potential pushback from chains who see Amazon as their chief competitor. Publishers were more worried, however, fearing that the Amazon move could reduce competition. Agent Richard Curtis, who also runs E-Reads, said: "However, because of Amazon's dominant retail position, their wealth and leverage could have a dampening effect on...

Michael Cader, Publishers Lunch; Bob Kohn, Royaltyshare; Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks; Scott Lubeck, moderator, Book Industry Study Group Raccah: we must experiment with business models, different approaches, royalty structures. Unclear that this should be called an agency model. Remember that Google Editions will enter the market soon and this may cause more model changes. Clearly in transition and evolving. Wants to test this model with all sorts of different businesses because this is very new and don't how it will work out in different segments and markets. Google Editions will be acting as a real wholesaler in their model. ...

Newsweek is confident they’re not dead yet. It points out that the number of books in print in 2008 was up by 38% over the year before—for the second year in a row. Newsweek lays the credit mostly at the feet of Google Books—or, more accurately, a side-effect of Google digitizing all those books from university libraries. Quite apart from Google making them available for sale electronically (depending on whether the pending settlement goes through), the universities themselves have been offering out-of-print or public domain titles for sale through print-on-demand company BookSurge. Of course, those books being...

Here’s the view from the ferry that I take from New Jersey over the Hudson to New York.  The ferry terminal is only 2 blocks away from the Javits Center so it makes for a pretty good commute. Not only are books on display, but also book accessories.  Here is a booth from Periscope, who makes a book light for the Kindle and regular books as well. You can find it here, by the way. Downstairs is another floor that is composed of primarily children’s book publishers.  Very strangely, it is also the venue for contract...

  Here is the Dover books.  They don’t do ebooks, and don’t plan to (I asked), but I love their books so I couldn’t resist posting this picture.             Here’s one of the main entrances to the exhibit hall           People are lining up all over to get books signed.  There are even separate book signing venues.  Also, if anyone is offering a free book the table is mobbed, almost like...

Here’s Kat Meyer from Follow the Reader (left) and Natasha Maw from Maw Books at the “”Meet the Bloggers'” booth: Kat was followed by Jason Boog (left) of GalleyCat and Andrew Savikas of Tools of Change The Amazon booth is nothing special and the Sony booth looks exactly the same except for a Sony sign.  They are directly across from each other. Actually, they are both pretty crummy compared to most of the booths at the show. ...

Here are a few shots to give you a feel of what is going on here.  There are booths from the biggest publishers as well as booths from university presses and tiny publishers.  A friend who works for a small publisher, who has a booth here, tells me that in years past the major attendees were book buyers.  This has dropped off a lot, she says, in the last few years and now there is a huge media contingent who prowls around looking to find out what is new and trendy.  Also, she says that rights buyers are making up...