Monday, July 01, 2013

Industry News and Wilmington, NC Photos

Barnes and Noble announced last week it will no longer be in the tablet business. Their quarterly report revealed that sales for the Nook Tablet had tanked. It also revealed that retail sales have dropped 10%, and some speculate this is in part to the fact Barnes and Noble is stocking few titles. You can read the full article at Melville House.

Hachette Book Group announced they will purchase Disney’s adult trade publishing imprint, Hyperion. Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher and licensor of children’s books, will retain all of its Disney and Disney-Hyperion branded children’s and young adult book titles though. Looks like Disney just wants to focus on titles for kids now. Read the full article at Book Business.

And Vice Magazine has withdrawn from it Web site a photo series depicting famous female authors committing suicide, after the piece drew widespread criticism for being “breathtakingly tasteless.” (You think???) Petapixel had the article and a sample of the photos (blurred) on their site.


Wilmington, NC is a favorite place to visit and I’ll be there again on July 18 doing my Publishing 102 seminar at Cape Fear Community College. Thought I would share some photos from last month’s trip with my husband’s parents, including a rare shot of me. (When you’re the photographer, there are never photos of you.)





28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not surprised. B&N made it very difficult for authors outside the US to upload their work for sale. I couldn't do it at all.

Readers are going to go where there is more choice.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Great pictures of a lovely place!

Hmm. Didn't realize the Nook tablet was doing so poorly.

Stina said...

I'm with Donna regarding B&N. And not only that, readers outside the US can't download the Nook apps onto their reading devices and read Nook books, nor can they gift books to their US friends. That's a lot of potential revenue they lost because of those poor business decisions.

Unknown said...

Wow. I know I was off the grid last week, but the news about Barnes and Noble shocked me. I knew their stores weren't doing well, but I had no idea about the Nook. Great pictures by the way!

M.J. Fifield said...

My significant other bought a Nook Color, but then rooted it and turned it into a tablet on which he installed the Kindle app.

I just bought a Kindle. Seemed easier...

And you're right...when you're the photographer, there are never photos of you. Which is why I am always the photographer.

Tasha Seegmiller said...

I never thought the Nook had the user friendly functions that Kindle did, either as the device or the app. While it's sad to see them go, I am enjoying that as they are marking down their prices, Amazon is matching many on their ebooks.

shelly said...

All I can say is, I love my Kindle. Much easier to navigate. Anyway, what moron would put up pics of female authors committing suicide? Morons!

Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly

David P. King said...

Curious news and great pics. Makes you wonder what the future holds in "store" for B&Ns ... :)

Bish Denham said...

I heard about B&N... Nice shot of the seagull and you, but what are those metal contraptions?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cool photos! And bummer about Barnes and Noble.

Steven said...

B&N never seemed to get how to make a great tablet. And who posts pictures of anyone committing suicide??

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Love the shades. I'm not surprised at B&N. I bought my daughter a Nook about three years ago and she probably bought one book on it in the last six months.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Donna, that's a good point.

Stina, and these days you HAVE to be world wide to compete.

MJ, sometimes being the photographer pays off.

Tasha, that is good to know.

Bish, those cranes load and unload containers from the ships. They are huge.

Happy everyone like the photos!

Carol Kilgore said...

Great photos! And good to see you, too :)

What were they thinking with the femal authors??? Some people don't think.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Nice pictures. Poor Nook.

Southpaw said...

That's sad about the Nook. I know a few people who got them for Christmas. I wonder how they'll take the news....

M Pax said...

I love my Nook. And my crit group meets at a B&N, so I hope they don't tank completely.

True about the photographer rarely appearing in photos. Have fun in NC.

Johanna Garth said...

I saw that Vice piece before they withdrew it and I was horrified. Really!! Such bad taste. Some of those authors still have family members mourning them!!

LD Masterson said...

So I guess my Nook is going to end up a rather expensive paperweight.

Lovely pictures.

Stephen Tremp said...

Im not surprised at all regarding the news of the Nook. And thanks for sharing the cool pics. Good luck with the seminars.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, L.Diane,

I am NOT surprised about the Nook... but I really hope B&N stays in business. I love how cozy the bookstore is. WE only have one left near me in Chicago, but it's a mile and a half away. When I first moved to my neighborhood the BN was only four to five blocks away and the super two-story Borders about the same distance. Now both are gone. I HATE IT!

Lovely pics.... You look GREAT!!!!!

Ella said...

Hi Diane..that is sad! I love B&N, I too hope they make it!
I love your photos and happy to see one of you! I was just reading about the series Under The Dome-set in a Maine town,filmed in Wilmington, NC ....it was winter in Maine, so they came down this way~

Martina Boone said...

I have to admit, I'm less enthusiastic about B&N after seeing what they are doing to S&S authors. But I hope they get their act together. I don't know that spreading out into other types of merchandise is going to do it though. Sadly.

Love the pics!

Jo said...

I love Wilmington, a delightful town. Nice to see a pic of you too.

Michelle Wallace said...

Great pics Diane!
I don't know too much about Nook... is it another version/ form of an e-reader?

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I have a personal vendetta against Barnes & Noble. (They published and sell a book with highly anti-Semitic content to which there is no disclaimer. No response at all to my letter of complaint.) I have faith that indie bookstores will far outlast B&N.

You look lovely, as does NC.
xoRobyn

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Carol, I don't believe actual thought was involved.

Mary, you are invested then.

Johanna, you caught it fast then.

Michael, their college stores are doing great, like the one at Georgia Tech where I've done several signings. Those might be the survivors.

Ella, I'd read that they filmed here. Wilmington is a popular place.

Martina, it's hard to say at this point.

Jo, I love it! We're going back in two weeks.

Michelle, it is B&N's ereader, yes.

Robyn, I think the indie stores will far outlast them.

Jai Joshi said...

Vice magazine had a photo series about WHAT?

Amazing. As that lady said in that film I can't remember the name of: "I never heard of such bad taste."

Jai