Espresso Book Machines? Why, yes!

If you're in the Union Square (NYC), Paramus, NJ, or Willow Grove, PA, Barnes & Noble store soon, try this out! 

It's a print on demand system, and you can print a hard-to-find book, a public domain title, or self publish a book. I have to see this in person, sounds interesting! Wonder if it takes as long as an actual espresso, or longer? 

Read more on Publisher's Weekly here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/retailing/article/63863-b-n-testing-espresso-book-machines.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=5f69cd2758-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-5f69cd2758-304507901

Surprising or Not? Barnes & Noble turns down buyout bid

As a reader and writer, I've been keeping an eye on this and other industry developments. While I'm not surprised they turned down the buyout offer, they certainly keep making headlines with what is to come for their business, with or without Nook. Here's the latest from Forbes: Barnes & Noble Turns Profit, Tightens Nook's Belt And Dismisses Buyout Bid.

Summer Reads — Monday Mysteries

Happy Monday! It's another week of Summer Reads. Check out the Monday Mysteries I posted last week, or try one of these. Share your favorites in the comments below. 

The Hanging by Lotte and Soren Hammer, translated from the Danish version. Excerpt from Publishers Weekly: The Hammers, a sister and brother writing team, make their U.S. debut with this outstanding crime thriller, which introduces Danish Det. Insp. Konrad Simonsen. The title and full description tells me it may be an interesting new thriller, not for the faint of heart.

The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag. The New York Times bestselling author brings back fan-favorite Minneapolis investigators Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska in a new thriller.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews. The author is a retired CIA officer. He shares stories about his long career, and each chapter includes a recipe for a dish the characters consume in the story.  

Barnes & Noble buyout - hold onto your bricks...

Here's news from CNN, you can also find it on several other news outlets this morning. Apparently, the chairman of Barnes & Noble is talking about buying up all the stores and separating the Nook business. 

I'm not sure how this will play out, there are advantages and disadvantages to going private. Will it save brick and mortar stores? Maybe, but it's likely to involve more store closings, most of them already in the works.

Barnes and Noble Store Closings

Barnes & Noble is not denying they have and will continue to close more brick and mortar stores.  

This brief clip explains their plan is to stem losses, not close-up shop for good, that's the story for now. Indies may not all be cheering, but big e-tailers scooping up more of the e-reader and e-book market are. It's a hot market, and something B & N has hoped will help their overall business, if they can grow it. 

This struggle in the e-market has changed traditional publishing. I've read dozens of industry articles about big publishers who have launched or are buying up e-book and self-publishing platforms. The times, they are a-changing, fast. 

Here's a link to the Barnes & Noble article (CBS News).  

Need Gift Ideas for Book Lovers?

Books make a great gift. Take the stress out of selecting the right one by following two simple rules. 


1. Give what you like, like what you give. If you find a topic interesting, share it with a friend or relative who recognizes this is something you enjoy. If you love jokes, perhaps a humorous take on parenting is the perfect gift for a new mom or dad. If finance, cooking or another subject is your favorite, try to find something that relates that subject to the person you're gifting it to. 


2. Give what they like and you can't go wrong. Say you know someone who loves biographies, search sites like Goodreads, Indiebound or Barnes & Noble for ideas. You can search by genre or see what's new and recommended. 


Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

Liberty Media Bids for Barnes & Noble

Another big deal in the works as reported by Publisher's Weekly. An excerpt and link are below. Check it out and feel free to share your thoughts on the industry's recent mergers and acquisitions buzz.

Barnes & Noble announced late Thursday afternoon that it received a bid to acquire the company from Liberty Media for $17 per share in cash. According to B&N, the offer has a number of contingencies, including the participation of chairman Len Riggio, both in terms of his continuing equity ownership and his continuing role in management. The offer is worth about $1 billion. Click here for the rest of the Publisher's Weekly post.