Amazon Sues New York

Amazon has filed suit in New York challenging the constitutionality of the state's newly signed measure requiring out-of-state online retailers to collect sales tax on purchases made by residents of the state. The company maintains that because it has no physical presence in the state, it has no nexus requiring it to collect tax. The New York statute says that members of Amazon's affiliates program does provide nexus.

Quebecor Has $2 Billion Loss

Printing giant Quebecor World reported a net loss from continuing operations in 2007 of $2.20 billion, compared to earnings of $30.6 million in 2006. Revenue in the year fell 6.5%, to $5.69 billion. Much of the loss stems from charges associated with Quebecor's January bankruptcy filing, including goodwill impairment charges, impairment of assets, and restructuring and other charges, which amounted to $2.1 billion. In addition to the charges, Quebecor said profitability was depressed by lower volume, pricing pressure, underperforming European assets and higher expenses. The decline in revenue was attributed in part to the closing of several older plants in North America. The company said it has made good progress in restructuring its operations.

Hachette Plans Canadian Office

The Hachette Book Group will open a Toronto office January 1 to take over the sales of its American titles to Canada's national accounts. Since 1990, Hachette's U.S. books have been distributed by HB Fenn, which will continue to handle sales and marketing to independent accounts. Appointments to the Toronto office will be made later this year. No original publishing for Canada is planned.

Booksellers Protest Abe Charges

The decision by AbeBooks to place an 8% surcharge on seller shipping expenses has angered many of the online retailer's booksellers, who called the move shortsighted and said it discriminates against international booksellers. Abe maintains that the fee is necessary to cover higher costs and has the dual effect of raising revenue while discouraging gouging on shipping costs by booksellers who sell books for pennies and make their profit on shipping charges. Booksellers said the charge will result in higher shipping costs to consumers who order books through Abe.

Perl Headed To S&S

Liz Perl will join Simon & Schuster May 19 as senior v-p, marketing for adult publishing. She will report to Michael Selleck, executive v-p of sales and marketing, and take over the marketing duties Selleck performed before being promoted to his current position. Perl leaves Rodale a few weeks after Karen Rinaldi joined the company as senior v-p, general manager and publishing director of Rodale Books.

Cotler Exiting HarperCollins

Joanna Cotler, publisher of the HarperCollins children's imprint Joanna Cotler Books, is stepping down from her position. The imprint will live on in a limited fashion, with Cotler continuing to work on a handful of titles as editor-at-large.

New York Passes Libel Law

New York State has enacted a law that will make it harder for “libel tourists” to threaten authors and publishers with foreign libel suits. The Libel Terrorism Protection Act prohibits the enforcement of a foreign libel judgment unless a New York court determines that it satisfies the free speech and free press protections guaranteed by the First Amendment and the New York State Constitution. The law provides jurisdiction over foreign libel plaintiffs with a presence in the state. The AAP hopes other states will pass similar laws.

Audible Forms Sci-Fi Imprint

Audible has formed a new imprint, Audible Frontiers, which will offer a range of exclusive science fiction and fantasy titles that will be available as digital downloads solely through its Web site. The imprint will feature a number of original works as well as titles from six publishers.

Penguin Inks 'Star Wars' Deal

The Penguin Group has won a global license to publish books based on Lucasfilm's new 3D-animated film and TV franchise, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The program will extend across several imprints within Penguin Young Readers Group, DK Publishing and Penguin in the U.K.