A recent New York Times article pointed to the need for retailers to retool their sites for mobile shopping. There is an opportunity here for book retailers too, if not exactly to lead the way, then at least not to lag too far behind. It would seem like there is no time like the present to get your e-commerce site optimized for the mobile space. It isn’t really rocket science. Here are a few things you may want to consider when thinking about this…
You Need to Know: The Canadian Book Market 2010
Every year BookNet Canada publishes The Canadian Book Market. I think you can guess what it’s about.
The CBM is the comprehensive guide to the Canadian book trade. It includes in-depth analysis, comparative data and statistics making it essential reading for anyone involved in the book industry in Canada.
As the industry changes and becomes more and more competitive, can you afford not to know it inside out?
Are We Relevant Yet?
A Book Algorithm that Works
Many businesses use algorithms to make product recommendations, including book retailers such as Amazon and Chapters. If your customer base is large and mostly online it’s an easy way to generate recommendations for a wide range of customers. But when it comes to books, the system hasn’t always served the customer well.
The Retailer Benefits of CataList
There is no question that moving to online catalogues will benefit everyone. The benefits for publishers and wholesalers may be more obvious, but booksellers will also have new capabilities in CataList that weren’t possible before. These are probably worth a closer look.
Canada Reads 2011: Will the New Format Change Sales Patterns?
Canada Reads 2011 has come to a close with Terry Fallis taking home the prize for his novel The Best Laid Plans.
A few of us at BNC were lucky enough to attend the debates this week.
TEDBooks and Kindle Singles: Spreading Ideas in a Closed System?
Yesterday, TED announced the launch of TEDBooks—“an imprint of short nonfiction works designed for digital distribution”—via Amazon’s new Kindle Singles channel.
Selling Books Using Foursquare
Last week The New York Times published a piece on how businesses should use geolocation services. The article focused on a restaurant and a chocolate store, but Foursquare’s use can obviously be extended beyond food to books. Brick-and-mortar stores can reach out to existing customers and entice new ones easily using Foursquare.
We often roll our eyes at the thought of getting involved on yet another social platform, but can you afford not to?
Capitalizing on the Giller Announcements
The Scotiabank Giller shortlist was announced on Tuesday, and people are absolutely delighted by the number of independent presses represented on this list. But many are also worried. They worry that the independents won’t know how to react. Steven Beattie wrote a thoughtful piece on the plight of the shortlisted indie publisher just yesterday. It’s true. It can be difficult for publishers without much Giller experience to know exactly what to do, when to reprint and how much. BNC can help with that—as long as a print job can be scheduled in time.
Check Out the Giller's Track Record
The fall book season has officially begun now that the Giller longlist is out. Everyone is overthinking how to sum up the jury’s selections, but the longlist does indeed seem like “a fairly balanced affair”.
Politics aside, this is a moment for the nominees to celebrate. The Scotiabank Giller Prize works. It brings considerable attention to Canadian fiction, and it has been proven to generate sales, significant sales.
