Global Trade Talk: Russia Over-Publishes, 1M Cool-er Sales, Brazil Book Fair Begins

By Hannah Johnson

Publishing Trends reports that the Russian publishers are struggling, not only because of the economy, but also from the effects of over-publishing. Coping with bookstore returns and warehousing the unsold inventory, distributors are having trouble paying publishers, which financially impacts agents and authors as well. The growth of foreign investments in Russia’s publishing sector could mean a great deal of change as the economy recovers.

British ebook store Interead has sold over 1 million Cool-er ereaders, as announced in The Guardian last week. This puts the device on target to compete with the Sony Reader in the UK. While the Brits are still awaiting the arrival of Amazon’s Kindle, Interead is confident that it will become the number one device and ebook retailer in the UK. The Cool-er reader comes in a variety of colors and is priced at £189 (or $249).

The Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair will take place all this week and the United States is the “honored country” for 2009. With an extensive cultural program and international exhibitor list, this is one of Brazil’s most important book events of the year. Check back here for coverage from the book fair.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.