New Business Models

IPG to import Cuban books; University of Georgia Press to outsource distribution to Longleaf; Bloomsbury to restructure, shift focus to non-consumer books; Isabel Allende to receive PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award; 2016 O. Henry Prize stories announced

Main Street businesses, such as bookstores, that create relationships with their local farmers’ markets can benefit their own bottom lines while contributing to a community environment that nurtures social ties.

On Thursday, May 12, at BookExpo America, HarperCollins Publishers announced a “New Bookstore Development Program” for independent booksellers in the U.S. who are opening new stores or expanding to additional locations.

Kepler’s Books recently received Sustainable San Mateo County’s Sustainability Award in recognition of the bookstore’s transformation into a sustainable cultural institution.

In April, Nashville’s Parnassus Books will host its fourth readers’ retreat at the Rivendell Writers Colony in Sewanee, Tennessee. This spring also brings with it the introduction of a new bookmobile and the beginning of the store’s expansion project.

We Need Diverse Books partners with Penguin Young Readers for writing contest; Author Pat Conroy dies at 70; Poll examines barriers millennials face in starting a business; 28th Annual Lambda Literary Award finalists announced; Adam Johnson wins 2016 Story Prize; 2016 NAIBA Legacy Award winner announced; Amazon Books to open in San Diego mall this summer

Podcasts of PubWest 2016 keynote speakers now available; Ingram Content Group promotes three; Barnes & Noble to open “digitally influenced” bookstore; 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize honorees and finalists announced

Major publishers are offering expedited order fulfillment programs this holiday season and booksellers who have utilized similar programs in the past say they offer big benefits that all stores should consider.

Several major publishers are once again offering expedited shipping to indie bookstores this holiday season and, in some cases, beyond. Here’s a look at previously announced programs from Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Perseus, and Simon & Schuster.

This week, Penguin Random House announced that, for the first time, Penguin adult and children’s print new releases, frontlist, and backlist will be part of the company’s annual Two-Day Transit holiday shipping program. Weekend shifts added at two distribution centers through the year-end will also expedite order fulfillment.

On Friday, October 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted final rules that will allow companies to offer and sell securities through crowdfunding.

HarperCollins is once again offering independent booksellers in the U.S. expedited shipping for the holiday season.

Hachette Book Group announced on Tuesday that it has created a new program to speed the delivery of the publisher’s titles to independent retailers in the continental U.S.

The Perseus Books Group has announced an agreement with FedEx that will significantly improve shipments to bookstores and other outlets nationwide.

Following a month of remodeling, Anne Mery has opened the West Grove Collective, one of two independently owned businesses now operating in the former location of The Grove.