Browsing by topic: Philip Downer

UK E-Congress Defends Print, Disses DRM, Pushes Partnerships

Philip Downer pointed out print books still sell, just more often in non-traditional stores.

Surprising ideas emerged at the recent World E-Reading Congress in London, including advocacy for sustaining print books, abandoning DRM, partnering and more.

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Monetization is Top Topic at UK World E-Reading Congress

Charlie Campbell

We preview the May 15-16 World E-Reading Congress in London, where monetizing content, agenting, publishing and book retail are all on the agenda.

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What Do NYC Bookstores Have that London’s Lack?

McNally Jackson, a favorite of many New Yorkers (Photo@ Yvonne Brooks)

UK retail consultant Philip Downer tours New York City’s bookstores and can’t help comparing them–sometimes favorably–to those in London.

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What Can Waterstones Learn from Russian Bookselling?

waterstones-11

For a westerner, Moscow’s bookstores can feel like returning to a lost world and, with a new Russian owner, Waterstones might benefit from their example.

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Free Market Threatens Diversity, Says Former CEO of Borders UK

Philip Downer said at TOC Frankfurt that protected book markets in Europe preserve diversity of publishing and bookselling in contrast to markets like the UK.

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Mature Bookstores & Vigorous Digital Market: Can They Coexist?

Philip Downer, former CEO of Borders UK, suggests there’s not room for both a mature physical bookshop market and a vigorous and growing online/digital offer.

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James Daunt’s Difficult Task: Remake Waterstone’s, But In Whose Image?

Like Jesus, Waterstone’s MD James Daunt will have to perform a miracle to multiply the magic of his six-strong bookstore chain to feed the masses.

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#LBF11: Waterstone’s to Close 200 Shops in the UK?

By Roger Tagholm LONDON: A shadow hangs over the aisles this year and if it’s not made up of volcanic ash this time, the consequences  … 

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Is Borders Guilty as Charged?

By Philip Downer In this exclusive essay for Publishing Perspectives, Philip Downer, the former CEO of Borders UK, discusses whether Borders’ management really is to  … 

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