In China, 2021 was a ‘grim’ year for physical bookstores, and online book sales also leveled off, according to research from Beijing OpenBook.
Interview: Andy Hunter on Bookshop.org’s Second Anniversary
Developed in a hurry for the US and UK, online retailer Bookshop.org is gearing up for international expansion to support indie booksellers.
Barcelona’s Swank Llibreria Finestres: A Cultural Enterprise
Opened in April, Barcelona’s new, upscale Llibreria Finestres is a bookstore, its staff says, ‘on a human level.’
Croatian Publisher Fraktura and Its Bookshop: ‘To Present Quality Books’
Now in its second year, the publisher-owned Fraktura bookshop serves as a hub of literary events and trusted recommendations in Zagreb.
Germany’s Börsenverein Cheers New EU Flexibility on VAT Rates for Books
ECOFIN’S adoption of a new allowance for VAT reductions means EU member-states have an option to lower taxation on books and more.
Börsenverein Welcomes Principles of the German Coalition’s Draft
Urban revitalization efforts and funding opportunities for publishers are encouraged by the Börsenverein as the country’s political parties debate initiatives.
Canadian English-Language Bookstores: 2020 Shipping Cost Increases
A 2020 BookNet Canada survey of English-language Canadian independent booksellers shows that many stores had set up e-commerce before the pandemic.
France’s Rentrée Littéraire: Books About COVID? Not Interested
‘Publishers tried, but it really didn’t work,’ says one Paris bookseller about the question of pandemic-related books this year.
PRH Publisher Services to Distribute IDW Comics Internationally
The IDW-Penguin Random House Publisher Services agreement sees comic books, trade collections, and graphic novels going to ‘direct market.’
Aaliya’s Books Closes Amid Beirut’s Economic and Political Crisis
Aaliya’s Books, a much-loved Beirut bookstore named for a character in a Rabih Alameddine novel, has lost the battle to stay open—for now.