For the 2009 Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF, Frida Giannini has commissioned author Michael Roberts to create a sequel to his popular children's book, Snowman in Paradise, which was published in 2004. The new book, titled Snowman in Africa, will be exclusively on sale in Gucci stores and on Gucci.com from November 16 through December 31, 2009. Gucci will donate 100% of the retail price of the book to UNICEF.
Giannini has also designed exclusive Gucci accessories as well as a Gucci Gift Card to benefit UNICEF, all of which are inspired by Michael Roberts' magical illustrations featured in the book. Two new medium sized Gucci Joy handbags feature Roberts' illustrations. Symbolic charms representing characters from the book act as key rings or add-on charms to any accessory. The collection also features small leather goods, including a wrist wallet and coin purse. The Gucci Joy handbags and fashion accessories will be available in Gucci stores from November 16 to December 31, 2009, and 25% of the retail price of each item will be donated to UNICEF.
You can see a few more items from the collection here.
Borders is increasing the pace at which it is closing down Waldenbooks outlets. Borders plans to close 200 Waldenbooks stores in January. There latest report indicates there will still be 130 Waldenbooks stores left in malls nationwide after the January closings. Waldenbooks is not closing any of its airport bookstores or kiosks.
It was reported in April that Waldenbooks would be shuttering many mall-based location. The plans then called for just 50 to 60 mall stores to remain.
Reuters reports that Borders has announced it will ship out-of-stock items for free.
The in-stock guarantee announced on Tuesday applies to books and other items carried on the company's web site. When a customer cannot find an item in a Borders store, the company will ship it to the shopper's home for free.
Borders said it believes the program is the first of its kind in the book industry.
The move comes weeks after an online price war for new titles such as Sarah Palin's upcoming book was sparked by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Meanwhile, Borders' main rival, Barnes & Noble Inc, brought out its Nook electronic reader to challenge Amazon.com Inc's Kindle.
The graphic that Borders uploaded to its Twitter account, @Borders, says if you can't find it in a Borders store but they have it in-stock at Borders.com then they will ship the book to you for free. The graphic says it applies to thousands of Borders titles.
TechCrunch reports that Panelfly has partnered with Marvel comic books. Panelfly will be publishing some comics from Marvel in digital form for its mobile comics iPhone application. The first Marvel comic books that will be available for Panelfly's iPhone app include the original Spider-Man series, X-Men, X23, Age Apocalypse, and Iron Man.
You can download Panefly's app from the iTunes store here for free. It costs 99 cents to download each of the comic books. You can find out more about Panefly at panelfly.com.
The Wall Street Journalreports that Amazon.com, Target and Walmart are limiting sales of the the top 10 hottest book pre-orders. The retailers are engaged in a price war with book prices down to $9 for some of the most coveted hardcovers. The WSJ says the retailers are losing money on the books, so they are limiting the number of copies customers can buy to prevent other booksellers from buying lots of copies and reselling them.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has limited its online customers to two copies each of certain bargain books. Amazon.com Inc. has a three-copy maximum on certain discounted titles and Target Corp. has a five-copy limit online.
The price war involves the top 10 hottest book pre-orders. Under the promotion, the three retailers are selling the yet-to-be-released titles, including books by Stephen King, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and James Patterson, at around $9 online, a substantial discount from their list prices of $22 to $35. Walmart.com, for example, is offering Mr. Koontz's thriller "Breathless" for $8.98, 68% off the cover price, while Target.com has it at $8.99 and Amazon charges $9.
Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer at the Boulder Book Store, told the WSJ that he was planning on buying 70 copies of Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna from Walmart.com, Target.com or Amazon, because their prices are "more than $5 cheaper than what we can get it for from the publisher, Harper."
The means Amazon, Target and Walmart are probably losing about $5 a book unless they have a bulk deal with the publisher for less than what small bookstores are charged. The cheap hardcovers are a great deal for readers while they last.
Halloween is fast approaching and there are some marvelous board books out there for babies and toddlers who are still trying to grasp this whole Halloween concept. Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills is just adorable. The bestselling series features good friends Duck and Goose searching high and low for a pumpkin. The look in a log, a leaf pile and even under water, but no pumpkin. Until finally a helpful friends suggests they try the pumpkin patch. Success! A fabulous pumpkin is obtained. The message of teamwork and friendship is perfect for toddlers.
In One Two Boo by Kristen L. Depken (text) and Claudine Gevry (illustrations) children can lift the flaps to count their way through a spooky old house. Of course there are some surprises along the way. The illustrations are just darling and each page has a flap. It's sturdy for a board book, and is sure to be a favorite when kids wants a scary -- but not too scary -- story to make things exciting. Both books would make wonderful, candy-free, Halloween gifts.
Amazon.com will soon launch Kindle for PC, a free application that lets readers enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC). Kindle books can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, and PC. Kindle for PC features Amazon's Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. The Kindle for PC also lets people buy and download books from the Kindle store. The software is billed as a companion for people who own a Kindle.
"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for folks who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to read the most popular books of today even if they don’t yet have a Kindle."
IGN says the download will be available sometime next Month. You can signup at http://www.amazon.com/KindleforPC to receive an email when Kindle for PC becomes available. IGN's story also says Amazon plans similar Kindle applications for Macs and BlackBerry devices.
Amazon.com reported robust third quarter net profits which were up by a whopping 69% to $199 million from last year. Sales were up by 28% to $5.45 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos has attracted customers by expanding overseas, offering shipping promotions and introducing new versions of the Kindle electronic reader. Amazon.com also announced four acquisitions this year, including the online shoe seller Zappos.com Inc., to broaden its reach.
"This level of outperformance was unexpected," said Sandeep Aggarwal, an analyst at Collins Stewart LLC in San Francisco. He rates the shares hold and doesn't own any. "They are doing everything right."
Amazon.com predicted that fourth quarter sales will rise to somewhere between
$8.13 billion and $9.13 billion.
Amazon.com and Wal-Mart started the book price war by reducing prices on top selling hardcover books to $9. Then Target jumped in and undercut Amazon.com and Wal-Mart by 1 cent. Target cut prices on highly anticipated books to $8.99.
The price wars come two months before the holiday season, which analysts say will be characterized by big promotions. Retailers are hoping consumers associate their brands with value in a year in which unemployment is rising and consumer confidence remains weak.
Last Thursday, Walmart.com, the online division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), cut prices on 10 yet-to-be-released hardcover books to $10 each, sparking a price war with Amazon.com.
After both online retailers then cut their prices on those books to $9 each, late on Friday Walmart.com shaved a penny off that price and was selling titles such as Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue: An American Life" for $8.99 each -- discounts of nearly 60 percent or more off the cover price
Now Sears.com has jumped in with an amazing offer. They promise to give everyone who bought one of the qualified discounted books at Walmart.com, Amazon.com or Target.com a $9 Sears.com credit. Qualified discounted books purchased at Sears.com will also be given the $9 credit.
"The $9 credit can be used at Sears.com on the purchase of any items so it's like getting the books for free," said Imran Jooma, senior vice president for Online at Sears Holdings. "We believe this program will benefit the thousands of customers who buy books every day by putting more money into their pockets."
Sears.com is simple and easy to use. The Web site offers the option to create a helpful profile that allows customers to keep track of their purchases, lists and addresses. Creating a profile makes returning to shop at Sears.com easy and worry free, particularly with the holidays right around the corner.
You can read the Sears.com offer here. The site also lists the ten books the $9 offer credit is good for. Customers who have already purchased the books from Amazon.com, Target or Wal-Mart need a copy of their receipt to get a Sears.com credit. For example, if you purchased Stephen King's new hardcover Under the Dome at Amazon.com, Wal-Mart or Target then you can email your receipt to Sears.com and they will give a $9 Sears.com credit.
Ace of Cakes Duff Goldman has a new book out called Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes. The book is not a cookbook. Instead the book tells the story about how Duff Goldman's unusual bakery, Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, became a success. Duff Goldman studied pastries at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at the French Laundry under acclaimed pastry chef Steven Durfee, at the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort, and at Todd English's Olives restaurant in Washington, D.C. Duff's brother William is the co-creator and coexecutive producer of the Ace of Cakesshow on the Food Network.
Duff Goldman says the coolest cake they every made is actually being made right now. It's a life-size working model of a Ducati motorcyle. Take a look:
The new book giveaways sponsored by our sister sites, ReadersRead.com and WritersWrite.com, include:
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (HarperCollins),
the fourth book in the wildly popular Night Huntress series
starring half-vampire Cat Crawfield.
The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Avon), the thrilling first
novel in a new historical romance quartet from the internationally
bestselling author.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray (Delacorte Press), the absurdist,
dark comic novel from the bestselling author of A Great and
Terrible Beauty.
Now Write! (Nonfiction), Edited by Sherry Ellis, the
best creative nonfiction exercises from Gay Talese, Ishmael Beah,
Reza Aslan, John Matteson, Lee Gutkind and more.
There's no entry fee of any kind and all email addresses are kept strictly confidential. Winners are selected from a random draw. The entry form for the Book Giveaways can be found
here.
Barnes and Noble has entered the ebook wars with its own ebook device called the Nook. The Nook is a Wi-Fi enabled $259 paperback sized reader with an E-ink Vizplex electronic paper display. At the bottom of the reader is a 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD that lets you change books by touching the book cover. The Nook runs on Google's Android software. The Nook can store up to 2GB of books, which is approximately 1500 ebooks. It also provides the ability to expand memory using a Micro SD expansion slot.
Ebooks for the Nook can be ordered wirelessly through Barnes and Noble's ebookstore. Other feature with the Nook at the ability to sync your ebooks to your iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Mac or PC. Barnes and Noble also says you can read any ebook for free in a Barnes and Noble store. B&N is also launching the Nook with accessories including designer covers from Kate Spade and Jonathan Adler.
The Nook arrives November 30th but it is available for for preorder online at bn.com/nook or nook.com. Amazon.com's Kindle has a big head start when it comes to ebooks. The Wall Street Journalreports that the nook already controls 60% of the ebook market. Barnes and Noble has posted a Nook and Kindle comparison chart here in an attempt to convert Kindle users to the Nook.
He has two Michelin stars and swears like a sailor. He's intense and isn't interested in catering to all tastes. Now Chef David Chang of Momofuku in New York is publishing his first cookbook which The Wall Street Journal describes as "long, wordy and laced with profanity about the restaurant business."
Mr. Chang has been widely lauded for his signature cooking style, which combines Asian and all-American flavors, makes meticulous use of French technique and incorporates a dash of molecular gastronomy experimentation. He is almost equally well known for his blunt attitude and penchant for cursing.
With his first book, titled "Momofuku," Mr. Chang will take his message to a wider audience. The 303-page book, coming out Oct. 27 and priced at $40, aims to replicate Mr. Chang's natural voice, which means occasional use of the word "like" to punctuate Mr. Chang's thoughts, and liberal use of profanity. Readers are instructed not to "f— it up" when handling a pricey piece of foie gras, for instance. Some of the recipes are likely to be daunting to home cooks—such as one that requires boiling a pig's head ("if there are any hairy patches, dispense with them" with a blowtorch, the recipe directs).
*****
The book's editor, Rica Allannic, says she "suggested cutting down on a few f-bombs here and there if they were excessive or not adding anything to the sentence." A healthy dose remains, which is better than "a sanitized version of Momofuku," she says.
The buzz for the book is very good. Is David the Anthony Bourdain of Asian fusion cooking? Take a look:
Momofuku is available for pre-order for a big discount at
Amazon.com.
Amazon.com and Wal-Mart are engaged in all out war: a book price war. Wal-Mart is determined to steal Amazon.com's business and so has lowered prices on new hardcovers. Amazon.com then matches Wal-Mart's price. Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue was marked down to a ridiculously low price of $9 by Wal-Mart. Amazon.com followed suit.
Wal-Mart triggered the online skirmish Thursday when it began selling its 10 most anticipated hardcovers for $10 apiece when pre-ordered on its Web site. Amazon matched the offer hours later and Wal-Mart then chopped its price to $9. Friday morning Amazon had matched the price.
"I'm worried about the major book-selling chains, and I'm concerned about the implications for publishers and the public alike," saidDavid Young, chief executive of Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group, one of the country's largest book publishers. He and other publishers said they feared the online pricing could hurt small independent book sellers and big retail chains.
A Walmart.com spokesman said Friday that the discount giant was prepared to make further cuts. The retailer's Web site will continue to adjust its prices, spokesman Ravi Jariwala said in an email, "so that Walmart.com offers the lowest online prices." Late Friday afternoon, it dropped its price a penny, to $8.99.
Walmart.com CEO Raul Vazquez said in an interview Thursday that the retailer "will go as low as we need to" to underscore Walmart.com's intent to be a low-price leader online. The retailer this month has sought to expand its Web presence, creating an Amazon-like online marketplace for other retailers and offering home delivery for purchases such as shampoo and diapers.
The major publishers and retail chains are quite upset. A spokesman for Hachette said that when major retailers are allowed to sell below cost, the price deflation destabilizes the market. He noted that in France it is actually illegal to sell books below cost. When publishers don't make enough money, they start cutting mid-list authors and won't promote new authors, which means there will be fewer books to choose from. But it's not just price wars on hardcovers that are hurting the book industry. The lower price of ebooks is also cutting into profit margins.
As for independent bookstores, you may have noticed that are becoming more and more rare. Soon, they won't exist at all. No one will buy a new Stephen King novel for $35 (full price) when she can buy it from Amazon.com or Wal-Mart for $9 -- especially in this economy.
Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, the airline pilot who brought crippled US Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, reads an excerpt from his new book, Highest Duty, from his home in this clip from USA Today. Captain Sullenberger describes the birds that brought down the plane as reminding him of the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds. Take a look:
Borders is 
The Wall Street Journal 
