BTW News Briefs

Binc Foundation Launches “Think Binc” Fundraising Campaign

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) has launched its 20th anniversary, year-end “Think Binc” fundraising campaign, which aims to collect $100,000 toward its goal of becoming a sustainable entity.

This year, the nonprofit dedicated to financially assisting booksellers in crisis is once again participating in Giving Tuesday, a day designated to raising money to kick off the holiday season for nonprofits. As such, the Binc board of directors has offered to match all donations up to $3,700 through December 15. Each board member has also committed an additional gift of support this year.

To donate to Binc, visit the organization’s fundraising page.

E-commerce Tops Shopping in Brick-and-Mortar Stores Over Black Friday Weekend

The National Retail Federation (NRF) found that over Black Friday weekend more consumers engaged in online shopping than shopped at physical stores, Fortune reported.

A survey released Sunday by NRF found that about 108.5 million Americans shopped online over the weekend, compared to the 99.1 million who went to brick-and-mortar stores. Last year, an even number of people shopped online and in stores.

According to the NRF, Target and Kohl’s, among other traditional retailers, reported record online sales on Thanksgiving, with online shopping passing $5 billion for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and U.S. online sales from Thursday to Saturday rising 17.3 percent to $7.23 billion. NRF found that many retailers, including Walmart, began their Black Friday deals online right after midnight on Thanksgiving morning; many have also invested in improving their e-commerce options and shopping apps.

NRF has predicted that sales in November and December will be up 3.6 percent, despite a 3.5 percent drop in spending per person from last year. The rise in sales would make this holiday season one of the most high-performing Christmas periods in recent years.

Authors and Translators to Attend 2016 New Literature From Europe Festival

The New Literature from Europe Festival, an annual celebration of literature in translation from across Europe, will take place in New York City on December 7–10.

The event will feature readings and discussions between leading and emerging literary voices from Europe and appearances by some of America’s foremost authors, translators, and critics. Some of this year’s featured guests include writers Salman Rushdie, Tommy Wieringa, Yoko Tawada, and Colin Barrett and translators Susan Bernofsky, Peter Constantine, Ross Ufberg, and Julia Sanches.

Founded in 2003, the NLE festival is jointly organized by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and New York-based European cultural institutes. Most events are free and open to the public.

For more updates and information, follow the NLE festival on Twitter or like NLE on Facebook.

Book Industry Study Group Expands 2017 Programming

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), which is expanding its programming in 2017, will discuss its updated strategy and plans for the year ahead in a webinar on December 6 at 1 p.m. ET. The webinar is free and open to both members and non-members. The plan approved last week by the organization’s board features two dozen webinars, six topic-driven programs, and four events that will take place in 2017.

“The new schedule will help us showcase the significant work our committees and working groups have been doing,” said BISG executive director Brian O’Leary. “The first webinar each month will explain what our committees are working on, why it matters and how members can join in to shape their work. We’ll typically use the second webinar each month to explain product updates and highlight new releases that benefit our membership and the industry.”

Going forward, all programs will be offered without charge to members and at a reasonable cost to non-members when space is available.

Forbes and Advantage Media Group Introduce ForbesBooks

Forbes has partnered with Advantage Media Group to launch ForbesBooks, the first book-publishing imprint for the global media company.

The new imprint, according to Advantage, will provide top business leaders with a publishing solution featuring a speed to-market model; supportive marketing services; author-retained copyright; and multi-platform reach via the opportunity to submit articles to the ForbesBooks Authors group blog on Forbes.com.

When considering submissions, the ForbesBooks editorial team will look at a prospective author’s experiences and credentials, the uniqueness of their message, and the resonance of the content to the Forbes brand and audience.