TODAY'S NEWS

Southern California Booksellers, Publishers Cope With Wildfires
By Rachel Deahl
As wildfires continue to burn through huge swaths of Southern California, booksellers and one publisher in the region are dealing with dips in business and, in severe cases, closures. With news reports that more than 500,000 resident had to be evacuated, local booksellers and publishers PW  talked to are adapting to a rapidly changing situation. Read on »

Amazon Media Sales Soar, But Loses Money on 'Hallows'

Sales in Amazon's North American media segment soared 38% in the third quarter ended September 30, to $1.08 billion, while sales for the entire company jumped 41%, to $3.26 billion. Net income rose to $80 million from $19 million in the comparable period in 2006. In the period, Amazon sold 2.5 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows worldwide, making it the largest new product release in Amazon history. Because of the deep discounts on the title, however, Amazon did not quite breakeven on sales of Deathly. The company said media sales also benefited from sales of Potter "attachments". Read on »

Linn Named Publisher of Taunton Book Group

Don Linn, former owner and CEO of Consortium, is the surprise choice to succeed Jim Childs as publisher of Taunton Press' book group. Read on »

MySpace Does Branded Book with HC
By Rachel Deahl
Tapping into some corporate synergy at News Corp., HarperCollins and MySpace have teamed to publish a YA book on environmental activism. MySpace/Our Planet: Change Is Possible is slated to be published on April 22, 2008, which is Earth Day. With an announced first printing of 200,000 copies, the book will be printed on 100% recycled paper, and marks the first branded book from the social networking site. Read on »

Random House Reader's Circle Celebrates 10 Years
By Lynn Andriani
Random House Reader's Circle Celebrates 10 Years Read on »

Blogs

AUTHORS ON THE AIR

Authors on the Air: Anne Geddes’ Labor of Love; Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges; Walter Mosley's Blonde Faith
Today, baby imager Anne Geddes stopped by Good Morning America with Labor of Love: An Autobiography (Andrews McMeel, $50). The photographer uses this photo-filled memoir to look back at her remarkable 25-year career and reflect, through anecdotes and observations, on some of her most recognized images. Read on »

Authors on the Air: Alice Sebold; James Lipton; Walter Mosley
Today, Alice Sebold visited Good Morning America with her new novel The Almost Moon (Little, Brown, $24.99; Hachette Audio unabridged CD, $39.98).   Read On »

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Not Phoning It In
Waters Works Famed California chef Alice Waters was at The Book Works in Del Mar, Calif., on Sunday signing copies of her new book, The Art of Simple Food. The indie sold 700 copies of the book at an event which included a wine and cheese tasting, hosted by wine and cheese shops next to the bookstore. Waters, pictured here (seated) with her book in front of her, celebrated the success of the event with the staff of Book Works. Milane Christiansen, the founding owner of the store, is to Ms. Waters' left. Lisa Stefanacci, the store's new owner, is kneeling. Read on »

JOB OF THE DAY

PW VIRTUAL EDITION