Can Niche Bookstores Survive in the Age of Digital?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Niche bookstores are being squeezed on both side: first from the chains which offer an increasingly broad range of products and second from digital, which offers virtually all products. To survive, niche bookstores — whether focusing on mysteries, travel, or mind-body-spirit (such as Watkin’s Books, discussed in today’s feature story) — will need to be offer to …

Free E-books from PEN World Voices Festival Writers

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka The PEN World Voices Festivals has an extraordinary line up of writers this year. In case you weren’t able to make it to New York, the Festival organizers are offering free e-books summarizing some of the writing from each day’s participants and tailored to that day’s programming. Instructions: click on the version you want to download. Open …

Mark Your Calendars for Book Expo America

In News, What's the Buzz by Erin L. Cox

By Erin L. Cox This year, Book Expo America returns to New York City’s Javits Center for events starting May 24th and, back by popular demand, the show will return to three full days in the exhibit hall.  With a little something for everyone, “the largest publishing event in North America” is sure to be a blockbuster this year. For those …

UAE in NYC for BEA

In Feature Articles by Edward Nawotka

ABU DHABI: “It is very difficult to get American publishers to come to the United Arab Emirates,” said Beatrice Stauffer, the program manager for Kitab and The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), “That is why we’re taking our story to New York.” Stauffer is one of dozens of publishing professionals hopping Etihad or Emirates flights to New York for …

Muslim Voices: In Tune with the Times

In Feature Articles by Edward Nawotka

NEW YORK: “As a man of culture, it is my view that we often neglect culture as a bridge between civilizations and people,” says Mustapha Tlili, the Tunisian scholar and novelist who is one of the principle organizers of a new cultural festival, Muslim Voices: Arts and Ideas, which runs from June 5-14 in New York City. Muslim Voices promises …