Breaking Bookselling News from BookThink.com

Finding a Fair Price for Free Knowledge

NewsHound — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:39:37 +0000

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227141.000-finding-a-fair-price-for-free-knowledge.html

This article in The New Scientist is the most thoughtful and provocative piece that I have read about free media. here is the beginning:

“TEN years ago, a piece of software called Napster taught us that scarcity is no longer a law of nature. The physics of our universe would allow everyone with access to a networked computer to enjoy, for free, every song, every film, every book, every piece of research, every computer program, every last thing that could be made out of digital ones and zeros. The question became not, will nature allow it, but will our legal and economic system ever allow it?

“This is a question about the future of capitalism, the economic system that arose from scarcity. Ours is the era of expanded copyright systems and enormous portfolios of dubious patents, of trade secrecy, the privatisation of the fruits of publicly funded research, and other phenomena that we collectively term “intellectual property”. As technology has made a new abundance of knowledge possible, politicians, lawyers, corporations and university administrations have become more and more determined to preserve its scarcity.

“So will we cling to scarcity just so that we can keep capitalism? Or will capitalism have to evolve into some new kind of digital economics? The question underlines many things - from music piracy to the woes of the newspaper industry to Google’s efforts to scan all the books in the world.

“This fragile scarcity has a purpose: to make things expensive. Water is plentiful and essential; diamonds are rare and useless. But diamonds are much more expensive than water because they’re much rarer. People in the business of selling information have good reason to want a future where knowledge is valued like diamonds rather than water. Here pharmaceutical giants, Hollywood, Microsoft, even The Wall Street Journal speak with one voice: “Keep expanding copyright and patent laws so our products remain expensive and profitable.” And they pay lobbyists worldwide to ensure this message reaches governments.

“The irony of the battle between advocates of abundance and advocates of scarcity is that both sides are right. It makes no sense to limit and control access now we have technologies to give information to everyone. But it is also foolish to pretend we do not need incentives to help produce and publish that information.”

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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R.I.P. Jeff Falco, aka “Regards, Jeff”

NewsHound — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:21:17 +0000

Over the years, subscribers to the Bookfinder Insider list were privileged to have Jeff Falco as a member. He always signed his posts “Regards, Jeff,” and apart from sharing his knowledge was a very private person.

We always hoped that, when an obscure bibliographic question was asked, it would pique his interest, and we would be treated to another magic show as he revealed the answer. His specialty was the print resources which so many of us overlook in this wired age, and he knew instantly which ones to consult on any specific point.

He turned Arthur C. Clarke’s law, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” on its head. Rather, he demonstrated that “Any sufficiently erudite scholar is indistinguishable from a magician.”

More than that, he was unfailingly generous in his assistance.

We woke this morning to the sad news from his cousin that he had died suddenly after an illness of several months. few details are known, and in any case, they are irrelevant: what matters is that a light has gone out.

Here are excerpts from a few of the tributes that have been posted, which should give some idea of the value of his presence:

“One of the last, true Renaissance men”

“Having enjoyed the sheer brilliance of Jeff’s answers to a broad range of bibliographic questions, I am deeply saddened by his loss. His liberal sharing of his wealth of knowledge was of great help, not only to the questioner, but to all who had the opportunity to experience his intellect.”

“Jeff was the wittiest, most intelligent and knowledgeable person whose path ever crossed mine. Even more, he was always gracious in pointing out my errors, of which I’ve made many, even with him watching over my shoulder.”

“I was so impressed with his manner and his knowledge. I’d like to say that he was politely brilliant.”

“His knowledge silently amazed, never triumphal nor hurtful.”

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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There’s Nothing Like a Good, Old Book in an Economic Downturn

NewsHound — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:21:14 +0000

According to Barron’s Online:

Despite the ravages of the recession and the advances of the digital age, prices of high-end rare books are holding firm.

In fact, Swann Auction Galleries in New York, a specialist in the field, recently garnered a record $72,000 for a book from Latin America. In fact, it was the first book published in Peru (some light reading on Catholic doctrine). Illustrated art books also have been selling well: A signed, first-edition Andy Warhol hardcover from 1967 recently went for $6,000 at Swann.

“People are turning to rare collectibles in an economy like this, because the supply is finite and you are getting something tangible — it is a sounder investment than plenty of stocks,” in the opinion of Swann’s Rick Stattler.
The market hasn’t been as kind to less-valuable collectible books. All told, books and related ephemera are fetching 18% less at auction than they did in 2008, or a median of roughly $400 per lot (usually just one book), reports online-bookselling source Americana Exchange.

But in the luxe market, says Adina Cohen of New York’s Argosy Book Store, a purveyor of antiquarian fare, “We haven’t lowered our prices at all, and if we don’t sell it today, we will sell it next week or next year.”

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB124424147070590315.html

Note that it is only high-end prices that are holding - if you think that in general you are getting about 20% less for antiquarian and collectible books than you did a year ago, you are probably right.

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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Amazon Announces Charge When Ship

NewsHound — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:48:46 +0000

http://www.amazonsellercommunity.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=171484

We are pleased to announce Charge When Ship, an easy way to process orders and keep buyers informed about shipments. All sellers will be using Charge When Ship soon, so we encourage you to learn more and sign up right away.

Though Charge When Ship is new for some sellers, it’s been used by other sellers for quite a while. We are bringing this functionality to you because of Amazon’s commitment to providing the best customer experience possible.

See the bottom of this announcement for answers to the top 10 questions sellers ask about Charge When Ship. They cover getting paid, failed buyer payments, tracking information, timing, cancellations, and other important subjects.

How Charge When Ship works

1. When you ship an order, you confirm the shipment and provide shipping information. You can confirm shipments in Manage Orders, or with text-file feeds, AIM APIs, or a third-party application. (Consult your application provider about confirming shipments with their application.)

2. As long as you confirm that the order was properly shipped, you will be paid in accordance with the Marketplace Participation Agreement. We charge the buyer after you confirm shipment (rather than when the buyer places the order), and then we credit your Marketplace Payments account. Of course, just as now, there may be circumstances where payment may later need to be refunded, for example when the buyer does not receive the order, or it is not as described.

3. We display the shipping information in the buyer’s Amazon account, and we also send the buyer an e-mail notification with all of the shipping information.

Benefits of Charge When Ship

* Buyers contact sellers less often if they know when and how an order was shipped. They especially appreciate tracking information. We provide the shipping details to the buyer once you ship the order and confirm the shipment through Manage Orders or a feed.

* Informed buyers are happier buyers; happier buyers leave better feedback ratings.

* If you are unable to ship an order, you can cancel it instead of confirming shipment; we won’t charge the customer and you won’t have to issue a refund.

* You can easily tell which orders you have not yet confirmed as shipped, and we’ll also send you an e-mail reminder if an order remains unshipped past the promised ship date.

I strongly recommend reading the entire FAQ - it is very comprehensive.

And I even more strongly recommend avoiding the Amazon seller forum threads on this issue; they are full of misinformation and ill-informed speculation. Read them and you will be convinced that the sky is falling!

Are booksellers inherently conservative, or do other trades resist change equally slowly?

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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The Steady Advance of eBooks

NewsHound — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:39:27 +0000

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10263982-1.html

Since switching [to reading e-books via the Kindle app on his iPhone], I wondered how many other books would fall to bits in my phone, limited by DRM to only my hands but with the benefit of slightly lower costs and the convenience of pocket-size access. Eyesight be damned, I’ve fallen in deep. Since announcing this to friends, some have condemned me for abandoning “pulpy books.” I’m a writer, and a lover of fiction, but I say bring it on. As a urban parent and a commuter, if it weren’t for phone reading, I wouldn’t be reading at all.

Meanwhile, the new Kindle DX sold out 3 days after its first release:

http://www.crn.com/retail/217801131

Amazon’s large-screen Kindle DX was all sold out three days after it started shipping late last week, with the next batch of new Kindle DX devices scheduled to be available June 17, according to a note on Amazon.com.

The $489 e-reader — which is a bigger version of Amazon’s popular Kindle 2 and was designed for periodicals, textbooks and other large-format reading — is available exclusively through Amazon.com and looks to be off to an impressive start.

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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Please Sign My Kindle?

NewsHound — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:26:00 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/business/media/15kindle.html

A recent reading in Manhattan at the Strand bookstore by David Sedaris, whose most recent book is “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” may have offered a glimpse of the future. A man named Marty who had waited in the book-signing line presented his Kindle, on the back of which Mr. Sedaris, in mock horror, wrote, “This bespells doom.”

Mr. Sedaris wrote in a recent e-mail message that he has actually signed “at least five” Kindles, and “a fair number of iPods as well, these for audio book listeners.”

Of course what I’m really wondering is, does the iPhone already have an app for author signing?

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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AbeBooks Bookseller Listings on Amazon

NewsHound — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:53:02 +0000

A tidbit from Shaun Jamieson on the AbeBooks Bookseller Forum:

“I thought it would make sense to jump in here and let you know that we are indeed actively working on a new program to allow AbeBooks booksellers (who are not selling on Amazon directly) to sell on Amazon through their AbeBooks account. This program won’t be available for a few more months, but its on the way.”

http://forums.abebooks.com/abecomeng/messages?msg=39892.35

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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Yes, You Matter to Amazon!

NewsHound — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:57:56 +0000

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/third-party-business-fuels-amazons-overall-growth

When Amazon.com began selling goods from other retailers several years ago, many investors saw a foolish move that would crimp the company’s already-slim profit margins.

Now, it appears that the company’s fast-growing third-party business may actually underwrite its ability to offer ultralow prices on its own products, helping it to grow market share despite an economic crunch that has socked many other retailers — online and off.

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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American Writer Michael Thomas Wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Debut Novel

NewsHound — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:20:38 +0000

American writer Michael Thomas has won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his debut novel, Man Gone Down.

The book, hailed as “powerful and moving” by the New York Times Book Review, follows an African-American man as he considers the course of his life, which has left him estranged from his family.

The IMPAC Dublin award, which comes with a 100,000-euro ($155,000 Cdn) cash prize, is one of the world’s most lucrative literary awards. It is run by the Dublin public library.

A panel of judges, which this year includes Vancouver writer Timothy Taylor, considered 145 nominations by libraries around the work before selecting a short list of eight finalists.

Thomas, who was born in Boston and now teaches at Hunter College in Brooklyn, the setting for his book, was announced as winner Thursday in Dublin.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2009/06/11/impac-dublin.html

The first edition was published in 2006, in softcover, by Black Cat Press, and is rapidly appreciating.

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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The Intersection of Text and Pixels

NewsHound — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:01:15 +0000

The best of both worlds?

“One of the most useful, if often-overlooked, features of Google Book Search is the ability to enter your own books and create a personal library which you can then search if Google has scanned those books. (And chances are it probably has). If you are trying to find a passage or a factoid you once read but can’t remember the book no matter how hard you wrack your brain, the ability to search your personal library can come in handy.”

Learn how here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/AR2009060701219.htm

Karin Isgur Bergsagel, BookThink News Editor

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