books

Can You Solve these Typographic Riddles? (Help Us, Then, Please)

Cliff Kuang — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:00:46 -0500

Harry Pierce, a graphic designer and partner at Pentagram, is an avid collector of a type of puzzle the British call conundrums, graphic representations of common phrases. They can be devilishly hard, and when you find out the answer, you usually slap your head.

Kindle Outsells Every Other Product on Amazon (And What That Really Means)

Gizmodo Staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:51:24 -0500

According to a breathless press release, the Kindle ereader is the "#1 bestselling product across all product categories on Amazon." That means it sold more than the iPod Touch. More than the Wii. More than Going Rogue. How? It's easy!

Can Chegg Beat the Kindle at the Textbook Game?

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:27:03 -0500

The Kindle may be the king of e-readers, but it has a long way to go before being accepted as an acceptable replacement for textbooks. When Amazon's device was introduced at Princeton for classroom assignments recently, it received mostly negative reviews.

How to Write a Book Proposal That Sells

Adam Penenberg — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:22:27 -0500

Since Viral Loop hit bookstores a month ago, I've chronicled the Viral Loop Facebook application that was designed to spread and accompany the iPhone app to promote the

The Biggest Stories of Our Time, Visualized

Cliff Kuang — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:15:50 -0500

Germany's Open Air Library Is Made Out of Beer Cartons

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:31:01 -0500

Books and beer are more than just a great late-night combination; they're also both integral to Magdeburg, Germany's new Open Air Library. The pop-up library started with the facade of an old warehouse and ended up as an open-air library constructed out of over 1,000 beer cartons.

Simon & Schuster to Sell E-Books by the Chapter

Chris Dannen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:37:01 -0500

Several big-box retailers scared the hell out of book publishers two weeks ago by announcing they'd be selling popular hardcover books below cost.

Small Booksellers Game Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon

Chris Dannen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:40:55 -0400

Books: Nowhere is there a more poignant battle between small businesses and their corporate competition. While music, movies, and TV were long-ago digitized by the forces that be, books are the laggard medium, making for a fight that seems downright anthropological.

Booksellers Say Wal-Mart/Amazon Price War Is Anticompetitive

Chris Dannen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:54:31 -0400

Earlier this week I reported that Sears seemed to have won the book price wars started by Wal-Mart by giving away books essentially for free. At the time, I speculated that the move might actually have positive ramifications for smaller booksellers and for publishing companies. But if that's the case, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) isn't waiting around to find out.

Death of the Book Review

Adam Penenberg — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:40:42 -0400

My first book, Spooked, a hard look at corporate espionage, came out in 2000 and received about 30 reviews in all sorts of publications. There were the usual suspects, like The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, and Library Journal, to the less usual--National Post, Electronic Business--to the now defunct (Business 2.0).

Did Sears Just Whoop Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Target in the Book-Price War?

Chris Dannen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:18:12 -0400

Viral Loop iPhone App Predictions Game

Adam Penenberg — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:57:07 -0400

First there was the book, then the Facebook widget, and now the Viral Loop iPhone app, which went officially live today. It just goes to show that marketing a book ain't what it used to be.

'Viral Loop' Book Signing With Fast Company's Adam Penenberg

Clay Dillow — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:15:02 -0400

Stemming from a May 2008 Fast Company cover story, contributor Adam Penenberg’s book Viral Loop explores the phenomenon catalyzing the explosive, feedback-driven growth characteristic of today’s social media environment. Join Adam for a brief reading and a book-signing at 396 Avenue of the Americas (at 8th Street) in New York this evening.

Is the Stand-Alone E-Book Doomed?

Kit Eaton — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:50:19 -0400

The e-book may be a hot news topic, with Amazon taking the Kindle overseas for the first time, but some other information that's surfacing has us wondering: Is the electronic book concept doomed before it even takes off?

IRex e-Reader: A Step Back in Innovation?

Zachary Wilson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:55:53 -0400

Viral Loop: Jason Calacanis Q&A From the Top of the Leader Board

Adam Penenberg — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:40:12 -0400

Three E-Readers That Could Change Publishing Forever, and One That Won't

Kit Eaton — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:40:42 -0400

Okay, we know the e-book revolution is just fomenting beyond the horizon, soon to sweep the publishing world. But which electronic devices will be at the vanguard, and which ones won't?

The Everything Guide To Being A Paralegal: Sandy Hutchens Book Review

Sandy Hutchens — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:59:24 -0400

The Everything Guide To Being A Paralegal: Winning Secrets to a Successful Career! by Steven Schneider is a fantastic handbook for brand spanking new paralegals or existing professionals looking to advance their careers. It is also valuable for people who are wondering if the paralegal profession is for them.

Landlord and Tenant Issues: Students at risk of being scammed

Sandy Hutchens — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:20:20 -0400

Students looking to rent accomodations before school starts are being targeted by an internet scam, according to Ottawa police.

The fraud involves dozens of apartment listings posted on the internet, such as one that university student Mr. Yeaman found on Craigslist, describing a fully furnished condo right downtown at a rock bottom price.

"I was happy," Yeaman recalled. "I thought I'd found kind of the diamond in the rough."

Interview: "Twitter Wit" Author Tweets About Being Witty on Twitter

Dan Macsai — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:36:08 -0400

Twitter might leave you dazed, confused, and emotionally void, but it can also make you laugh.

Google Books Deal Faces Challenge by Tech Giants

Kit Eaton — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:26:15 -0400

Google Books' deal to scan an archive of published books has been controversial right from the start, and now faces its biggest challenge yet: From a powerful coalition that includes Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon. Is it all about search engines?

Move Over, Books: The Kindle Is the Carbon Efficiency King

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:04 -0400

Remember last week when we looked at a study showing that downloading music is more carbon efficient than buying CDs? It turns out the same thing holds true for downloading books on the Amazon Kindle (or other e-readers) versus buying books.

Expert Fraud Investigation review by Sandy Hutchens

Sandy Hutchens — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:29:02 -0400

Expert Fraud Investigation: A Step-by-Step Guide by Tracy Coenen keys in on the brass tacks of investigating fraud, providing meaningful information every turn of the page. As Coenen shows, it is a sensitive matter that can be a minefield for the newbie and those lacking caution.

The Five Signs of Financial Fraud

Sandy Hutchens — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:38:15 -0400

Sandy Hutchens, August, 2009 - The book was a sleigh ride, very entertaining. With Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford, this is the first decent lowdown as to how they were able to do what they did, and how its very easy to spot a fraud - if you know what you're looking for. If are a small investor, because even small investors were taken in by Madoff and the rest, this book will be a boon to you.

2nd Anniversary of the Final Harry Potter Book

Clay Dillow — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:55:29 -0400

Though overshadowed by last week’s release of the sixth Harry Potter film, today marks the second anniversary of the final Potter book, the Deathly Hallows. So while the media fixates on The Half Blood Prince’s record-breaking $104 million opening day, consider this: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 44 million copies, many at $30 a pop (in the U.S. alone, more than one million were pre-ordered hardcovers—do the math). Overall, the seven-book series has moved more than 400 million copies, and they’re still selling years later. That’s not just a good story for a franchise.