July Bookstore Sales Rise

Bookstore sales rose 1.2% in July to $981 million, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. For the first seven months of 2012 sales rose 0.6%, to $7.96 billion.

Burtenshaw Leaves LBF

Alistair Burtenshaw is stepping down as director of books and publishing at Reed Exhibitions, a job which includes the post of director of the London Book Fair. A spokesperson said he is leaving “to pursue opportunities in the wider creative industries,” and that a successor will be announced “soon.”

Harper Inks New E-book Pacts

As required by the Dept. of Justice’s settlement in the e-book price-fixing suit, HarperCollins has signed new deals with e-tailers that it said “are consistent with the final judgment.” In the new deals e-tailers are free to set prices at whatever level they choose rather than sell e-books under prices set by publishers according to the agency model.

Publishers Appeal GSU Case

The three publishers in the Georgia State University e-reserve case lodged an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn one of the most significant fair use rulings in decades. The AAP said the appeal will challenge rulings that limited the evidence in the case.

Penguin Starts Graphic Novel Line

Penguin’s Berkley/ NAL division is starting a graphic novel line called InkLit, which will do original titles as well as graphic adaptations of already published prose works. InkLit will launch on October 2 with the release of Patricia Briggs’s Alpha and Omega: Volume 1. Richard Johnson, who cofounded Yen Press, will be overseeing the imprint.