US retailer Barnes & Noble is “developing a partnership with Waterstones to add the Nook to its locations this year”, according to reports on news site Bloomberg Businessweek which quotes an unnamed source “familiar with the situation”.

via B&N ‘developing partnership’ with Waterstones over Nook | The Bookseller.

Cork based independent publisher The Collins Press has revamped its website.

The changes which feature a separate section dedicated to eBooks and mean that purchasing both print and eBooks is easier and simpler for readers.

Separately the company also announced an extension of the ebook range. Collins has now converted much of its backlist titles to electronic editions including one of the publisher’s most successful titles, An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean – Antarctic Survivor by Michael Smith.

The company says ‘Ebooks are now a significant part of publishing and we are embracing them with enthusiasm’

A CAMPAIGN asking consumers to spend more in (possibly more expensive) independent retailers this festive season, as the Government prepares to give us all yet another hair shirt for Christmas,may seem rather quixotic so it is perhaps fitting it has been launched by a bookseller.

This tilt at windmills has been orchestrated by Bob Johnston, theowner of the Gutter Bookshop in Dublin’s Temple Bar who had what he calls “a mad, crazy idea” last weekend as he was sitting on the Dart going into work.

via Building an Irish-indie Christmas – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 21, 2011.

The trial phase of Eason’s new eStore feature is now finished and the company now has 25 in-store ebook and ereader sections. Several of the stores are in Northern Ireland and the rest in the Republic.

The company is currently selling four ereaders the Elonex 621EB at €99, the  iRiver Cover Story (EB05) at €129, the  iRiver Story HD (EB07) at €149 and  Sony’s Reader PRS-T1 at €149. The devices are displayed on a dedicated shelving section alongside specialized accessories and information about ebooks and how customers can buy and download ebooks.

The spread of prices put the Eason offering in a very competitive position in comparison with the Kindle which is for sale in PC World, Curry’s and Tesco (as reported on IPN last week) for between €109 and €195 depending on the model.

US aggregator, OverDrive, is supplying Easons with the content for the ebook retail side of the operation. Overdrive has been in the Irish market for some time as they supply ebooks to a number of Irish library services.

IPN spoke with Stephen Boylan of Eason and will post details of that interview and discussion of Eason’s ebook strategy next week.

Liberties Press, Ireland’s leading independent publisher, is seeking to appoint a full-time sales representative to join its dynamic Dublin-based team. Reporting to the MD, the successful applicant will be responsible for securing orders for wholesale and retail accounts and helping formulate an overall sales strategy to drive growth. Relevant experience essential.

Please apply in writing with CV and covering letter by end November to Sales Representative Position, Liberties Press, GEC, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8.

Contact sean@libertiespress.com for more information.

Eason, Ireland’s leading retailer of books, officially unveiled an innovative new children’s experience called The Artemis Project.

The Artemis Project offers children and teens a creative environment where they can explore and interact with some of their favourite characters both old and new.  According to the company the project is specifically designed to encourage children and young teens to read, discover and think.

Special features include a Mr Men wheel, a “Go Fish” wall game, a chill out area where parents can enjoy reading their favourite books with their children and a special teen zone. The teen zone provides a separate, more grown up, space with high seating and a meeting area.

Speaking about the Artemis Project at the launch today, David Field, Head of Marketing & Retail Development for Eason said ‘We are really thrilled with the outcome of this project.  As part of our long term strategy we wanted to create an environment that would allow children and young adults to be excited and engaged by our products and reading.  Our new concept not only delivers on being an exciting new space but tells young people and teens that Eason is the destination for all the latest trends and where you will find the next big thing on shelf before anywhere else. We are committed to creating on trend spaces that are innovative and interactive for both children and young adults in-store and on-line. Eason Dundrum is the first Eason store to host the new look destination for children – The first roll out of this new children’s is part of a major retail development strategy’

The newly designed space which spans across 130 square meters, took inspiration from some of the most recognisable and iconic children’s characters including The BFG, The Gruffalo and the Very Hungry Caterpillar and the newer additions such as Judy Moody, Skulduggery Pleasant and The Hunger Games.

Jamie Healy from Dynamo design studio said. ‘From the start, the team at Eason were sure of one thing, that reading and enjoyment were central to the design. The results are something really special. We drew inspiration from around the world to create this magical space, from the Tate Modern in London to an extraordinary school in Brooklyn.  The colour palate we used is zingy, lively, fun and sure to put a smile on people’s faces – whatever the age.’

Regular author’s events will also be held at The Artemis Project with the next event on 9 November bestselling American author of young-adult novels Maggie Stiefvater will be holding an interactive evening at Artemis including a reading and book signing. Maggie will also be on hand to answers any questions from fans of her books including her latest The Scorpio Races.

The Artemis Project at Eason is now open on Level 3, Dundrum Town Centre.

Tim Smyth, who managed of the Bookshop at Queens University in Belfast until it was closed earlier this year, has joined the Ulster Historical Foundation as Business Development Officer.

Smyth will be responsible for increasing the organisations publication output, which currently includes around ten projects a year, promoting collaboration with other publishers as well as exploring new areas like heritage tourism.

Speaking to Irish Publishing news Smyth said that he hope to ‘work with other colleagues in Irish publishing’ to promote good relationships and collaboration in what were difficult financial times.

Smyth said that he was really up for the new challenge and would enjoy working with the foundation to promote the history, heritage and culture of Ulster and the island as a whole, something he was noted for doing in his role at the bookshop.

The foundation was founded in 1956 and has developed an impressive family history research arm alongside a publishing and bookselling arm.

Last week Easons celebrated it 125th Anniversary with a gala event. Here’s some pictures.

This arbitrary day in autumn is so named because it offers the best chance for potential Christmas bestsellers to launch on the mass market. Strong contenders for 2011 include a clutch of autobiographies by leading comedians, confirming that the light entertainment life story is now the publishing industrys safest bet – despite the fact that many of the prominent titles launched this time last year failed to sell as well as expected.

From Thursday, books by James Corden, Johnny Vegas, Lee Evans and Jason Manford are set to lead the pack, but a second tranche by well-known comedians is due to come out two weeks later, on 13 October, with the hope of coming up on the inside track. These include Rob Brydons Small Man in a Book, which publishers Michael Joseph have billed as “a funny, heartfelt, honest, sometimes sad, but mainly funny, memoir of how a young man from Wales very, very slowly became an overnight success”.

via Publishers expect comedy memoirs to top bestsellers list this Christmas | Books | The Observer.

Hughes & Hughes booksellers, the Irish owned chain which collapsed in February 2010 before being revived under new ownership later that year, has opened a branch in Jervis Street shopping centre.

The new store opened earlier this month and occupies space previously the home of Waterstones until that chain closed two of its Dublin stores earlier this year.

The opening of the store in Jervis means that Hughes & Hughes now has seven stores in total. The bookseller plans to revamp for their website in the run up to Christmas.

Image Credit
http://www.jervis.ie/dublin/shopping/hughes_hughes