July 15, 2014

Over the weekend, Chicago held its first Independent Bookstore Day throughout the city, after—as Claire Kirch describes it in Publishers Weekly—not much more than a month of planning. By all accounts,… Read more »

Independent Booksellers

News and interviews from the wild, wild world of independent bookselling.

Otto's---one of the country's oldest bookstores---is up for sale — Chad Felix
Barnes & Noble takes penultimate step to exiting Queens — Liam O'Brien
Penguin Random House UK announces possible warehouse layoffs due to ebooks — Liam O'Brien
In the city that spends the most on books, it's only indies now — Julia Irion Martins

Richard Russo: Amazon does not think “books are different and special”

Alex Shephard

Last Tuesday, Amazon offered to “take authors out of the middle” of its dispute with Hachette by paying them “100% of the sales price of every Hachette e-book” sold on… Read more »

Using a middle initial might be “priggish”… but how else do we find each other?

Kirsten Reach

Wile E. Coyote is still en vogue. But initials are over, reports the New York Times. We can forgive an extra initial if it belongs to a cartoon character, but… Read more »

Wax sculpture of Jane Austen said to be most accurate depiction of writer, is creepily made of wax

Bradley Babendir

Jane Austen never had an official portrait of herself made. Despite being one of the most popular and revered writers to have ever lived, nobody really knows what she looks… Read more »

Not the Booker Prize returns, offers authors a mug

Benjamin Sandman

Now in its sixth year, the Not the Booker Prize is back. Sponsored by The Guardian, the award––billed as “the world’s most democratic”––is largely decided by readers. Like its namesake,… Read more »

Melville House Books

Chicago proclaims its Independent Bookstore Day a smash success

Nick Davies