Let’s take a look at the most important Publishing News around the world.
Bulletin N°4
The Publishing Guide
Amazon closes physical bookstores
In March, Amazon closed all its physical bookstores, which initially opened up in November 2015. Amazon Books was one of the largest bookstore chains in the US and continued to grow over the years. However, the company has also decided close other 68 stores to focus on Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, Amazon Styles and Whole Foods Market.
The closing dates for all the bookstores will vary depending on the location. To alert customers, the company will post signs at the stores. Overall, most Amazon bookstores had 20 employees. But, they will have the option to work at another Amazon store nearby.
To read this article in Publishing Perspectives. Click here!
Book piracy cost €771 million to the Italian book publishing industry
A research released by Gli Editorial on March 29 of the current year, found that book piracy has cost €771 million to Italian publishers. However, that is not all, this issue has also impacted 5,400 jobs in the industry. The worst part is that this study only represents a third part of the overall market.
Ricardo Franco Levi, vice-president of the Federation of European Publishers, says people should be aware of this issue to address it. Further, institutions should also commit to eliminating this issue since it is impacting various parts of the Italian creative industries.
Most of the book piracy committed in the Italian industry has been in hands of university students, who download all kinds of material online.
Read the entire article here.
Indie ‘Russian Scribes’ protest
In the middle of the Russian world against Ukraine, Russian publishers have been caught up in the middle. But, they are also voicing their opinion against the war, assuring they do not support Putin’s actions.
Winner of the 2022 Audies
‘Project Hail Mary’ wins the 2022 Audie Awards. This audiobook runs for 16 hours and 10 minutes, narrated by Roy Porter. The great part about this audiobook is that it helped Andy Weir’s story, released in May 2021 by PRH.
IPA new training course
This is an expansion on the ‘IPA’ program mentioned above. This training opportunity created in association with other 3 educational programs, will feature experts from all parts of the industry including some of the Big 5.
Writers protest against war on Ukraine
At the Riga Book Fair, a large number of writers protested against the unprovoked war on Ukraine. However, in the midst of this war, there are many conflicted feelings. While some organizations believe it is prudent to ban Russian publishers, others think we should welcome them at international events.
From either side, this is a difficult situation because any Russians who are aligned with a public protest could face a prison sentence. Then, how can Russian publishers voice their opinion? And how can we support Ukraine at the same time?
Read the full article in Publishing Perspectives here!
‘IPA’ Academy to start on March
The IPA Academy is an incredible program that will help publishers gain the necessary skills to cope with this new digital world. There would be several courses in which experts will give instruction and guidance on different markets of the publishing industry.
The program will be available to all IPA members/organizations.
Read the article here.