Digital Publishing, E-Books, Publishing Industry News, Technology

Sony Catches Up with new eReader

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No doubt the eReader sector is a tough business. One has to have the right balance of device manufacturing skills, end-user service, available titles, etc. Sony has been late to the show, even though they were an early mover. Their devices were over-priced and their customer-facing services and stores were cumbersome at best.

But yesterday, Sony has jumped in with both feet and announced a device that meets readers’ needs.

Available in October, the PRS-T1:

  • sports a 6″ eInk screen that is full TOUCHSCREEN (works with both fingers and stylus)
  • wi-fi enabled
  • weighs less than 6 ounces (making it barely lighter than Nook and Kindle)
  • costs only $149
  • has native support for checking out library books from Jefferson County libraries

That’s a pretty impressive list of specs for a company that’s been lagging behind. And it is about time. One thing Sony knows how to do is make things. They should have done this years ago. I’m just glad they did. Competition is a good thing and will keep Amazon, Apple, etc. honest and customer-focused. Which is where Sony has to focus now. Their Harry Potter deal is interesting, but not the overhaul that’s needed. I started e-reading on a PRS-505 and Sony lost me as a customer years ago. Everything was just too hard to do. I know it was early in the industry and I tried to cit them some slack. But Amazon and others just blew past them and I jumped ship. They seem to have come a long way since then.

Of course, we still have to wait on some real-world testing. I wonder if the screen really can work as advertised. But I’m anxious to see how the reading public responds to the $149 price-point and what Sony does to try and keep their readers coming back to buy books.

Birmingham, Bookstores, library

Birmingham Central Library Bookstore Updated

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**This is an old post. The Library Bookstore has a new location. You can see and read about it here.**

The Friends Bookstore at the Central Library downtown has been re-vamped and re-opened. For the past couple of weeks, patrons have been able to come in a peruse the newly culled (and VERY well organized) stock of surplus library and donated books.

The Friends Bookstore is even entering into the service side of things, as you can now email them (bplfriendsbookstore [at] gmail.com) and ask to be added to the “new stock” distribution list. So every time the shop adds to their shelves, you’ll get an email. Pretty nifty.

They have even left shelf space for the new additions. So you can run in on a lunch break and see if there is anything new, without having to cruise through all the shelves.

The new set-up also sports new reading chairs and more shelf space for kids and teen books.

One of my favorite new tweaks is that now the overstock magazines are folded in with the books. So when you’re looking at the books on history or crafts, the magazines that fit in that category are on the shelf with the books. The shelves also have new bright green category labels and shelf-talkers, making it easier to navigate the sections.

The books still run from 50 cents (paperback) to $2 (hardback). So the prices are sure to keep you coming back.

The store is on the 2nd floor of the downtown brancj and will be open Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 2:30-5:30 p.m. It is maintained by the Friends of the Birmingham Public Library.

News, Publishing Industry News

Print Sales Falling Faster & Faster

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Publishers Weekly shared some Nielson BookScan data showing that sales of print books fell by 10.2% in the first half of 2011, with sales of mass market paperbacks falling the fastest at 26.6%. This time last year, it was the same song except that print sales were down only 0.4% in the first half of 2010, with sales of mass market falling the fastest at “only” 4.6%.

An acceleration from .4% to 10.2% and 4.6% to 26.6%, in only a year’s time, is a crazy thing to wrap my mind around. I hope everyone in ANY kind of publishing is cranking out new ideas to respond to what and how readers want to read.

Also, I should mention that BookScan covers about 75% of the shops out there and they do not yet track ebook sales. So any comparison or shift in consumer behavior is guessing based on their data.

Birmingham, Bookshelf, Bookstore Tourism, Bookstore Travels, Bookstores

Church Street Coffee & Books

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Church Street Coffee & Books
81 Church Street
Birmingham, AL 35213
Church Street Coffee & Books (site) @81ChurchStreet (twitter) Church Street (facebook)

Church Street opened its doors on July 2, 2011. I stopped by on opening day to see what they had to offer, in the way of books. The selection there was great! It’s not huge, but very well curated. You can tell that this is a shop isn’t just run by folks who like coffee… they are also readers. It doesn’t take a customer long to figure out that some real thought and research went into the books part of the business. The first thing you see when you walk in is a floor-to-ceiling double bookcase of fiction titles. It was great fun looking through what they had and it felt kind of like visiting a neighbor’s home and perusing their personal library. There is usually just one copy of a book on the shelf and no floor stacks of the latest big-name thriller. So stop by and see what Birmingham’s newest indie bookstore has to offer.

They also have about 8 tables and a couple of big comfy chairs to sit in. I didn’t check to see if they have wi-fi and it was too hot, of a day, for me to buy coffee. But I did pick up a copy of Deborah Blum’s “The Poisoner’s Handbook“. It’s been my experience that coffee shops see books as an “add on” type deal. That’s obviously not the case here and I’m excited to see what they have to offer on down the road.

Below are some photos of what the shelves looked like on opening day.

This is what greets you when you enter the shop.
They have a mostly-fiction section under the banner “Summer Reads”
The kids section is tucked in the corner. Complete with bean bag chair.
I like the shelf talkers that start each section. The look like bookmarks.
The first case of non-fiction is to your right as you walk in.
The other case of non-fiction is across from the coffee counter.
Lots of books on little tables & around the registers. They even have books on the walls.

Books, Publishing and Birmingham