Should Amazon be the Only Business on the Hot Seat?

Apparently, the New York Times article detailing Amazon's workplace environment has piqued more than the public's interest. Thousands of people are said to have posted responses to the NYT article both in favor of and in opposition to the description of Amazon as a "bruising workplace" environment. 

And now, the government is involved. I read in this Publisher's Weekly post after the article appeared, Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi paid Amazon HQ a visit to check things out and discuss the Equality Act. Maybe it's just to keep them in line, but an article and a trip like this doesn't go unnoticed.

Coming to his company's defense is Nick Ciubotariu, Head of Infrastructure and Development, Amazon.com Search Experience, writing this response. 

All this public back-and-forth is interesting. In my corporate experience, I felt first-hand the pressure to perform above and beyond, and work extra hours. Sometimes this pressure came directly from management, sometimes from peers, sometimes it was internal pressure to get my job done, and be a great employee, to advance in the ranks, or at times, to just keep a job. 

I don't know how you can put only one business on the hot seat for this. I hear people from companies all over talk about being tied to their job, or their smartphone, and struggling with work-life balance. Is it fair this goes mostly unwritten, but is expected? What is your take on this? Are heavy workloads and long hours Standard Operating Procedure these days, are Amazon's employees being treated unfairly, or other?

Speculation Begins on Amazon, S&S Deal

When Amazon and Simon & Schuster confirmed on Tuesday that they had reached new sales terms on the publisher's print and digital titles, scant details about the deal were revealed. Nonetheless, a raft of stories has appeared about the situation, with many in the press speculating on who benefits, and who loses, from the agreement. (Read more on Publisher's Weekly)

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

Seuss Saturday

We have kids; therefore, we know something about Dr. Seuss. Confession, I'd probably read the occasional Seuss book even if we didn't have kids, but since we do, it gives me a reason to enjoy Green Eggs and Ham more often.

This year is the 110th anniversary of Dr. Seuss'/Theodor Geisel's birthday. In honor of Dr. Seuss, I thought it would be fun to share a list of books we’ve enjoyed from the Seuss collection. Some you may know, others might be new. Pick a few and share with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, or read them yourself, it's okay, really. 

Sampling of Seuss Books:

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs and Ham

Hop on Pop

Horton Hears a Who!

The Lorax

Yertle the Turtle

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Fox in Socks

The Foot Book

The Eye Book

Dr. Seuss ABC

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

The Sneetches

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Here's a brief blurb from Publisher's Weekly about the debut of an online Birthday Club you may want to check out too. The rest is here.

March 2 marked the 110th anniversary of Theodor Geisel’s birth, and Random House Children’s Books, in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, is commemorating this milestone and the enduring legacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author with the debut of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday Club. The online venture offers a platform for families to become better acquainted with the colorful characters that populate Dr. Seuss’s books (worldwide sales of which total 600 million copies), and provides members with tools and ideas for hosting a “Seuss-ational” birthday fete. (PW)

Here’s a link to the Dr. Seuss Birthday Club.

Here’s a link to Seussville, a site with games, activities, books and more!

Happy reading!

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.  

Indies Sue Amazon, Publishers over E-book DRM

Publisher's Weekly reports the latest in the ongoing battle for digital supremacy (said with sarcasm). 

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.

Possible Borders Sale Gains Traction from PW

Publisher's Weekly reports that there may be a sale of Borders on the horizon. It looks like a lot of comments focus on the fact that Borders waited too long to go digital. This is interesting considering the e-book explosion and the wireless reading device competition has been making industry headlines for some time now - long enough to jump on board, perhaps. 


Here's a link to the PW news brief. We'll talk more about books in the digital age as well as check out some new Summer Reads and Recipes, so check back again soon. 


Good Day and Good Reading!