Waterstones defies the bookstore apocalypse with 80% rise in profits. Barnes & Noble looks the other way.

Back in early 2011, BEFORE ebooks took off, Britain’s biggest bookstore chain was not so much staring into the abyss as halfway down the cliff. Borders UK had already fallen, and Borders US was close behind.

Then the Kindle UK store went from novelty to mainstream.

“Put simply, Waterstones hadn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving, and for most observers the only question was whether Borders in the US would beat Waterstones in the liquidation race.

“Yet here we are in 2018 declaring an 80% increase in pre-tax profits for 2017, despite having to close several profitable stores.”

Yes, you read right. Waterstone’s is in the black again despite having to close profitable stores.

And this in the second-most dominated-by-Amazon country on the planet.

Read more over at The New Publishing Standard.

It’s only January, but already Filipino readers are excited about binge-buying at the Manila International Book Fair in September

It’s only January, but already Filipino readers are excited about binge-buying at the Manila International Book Fair in September.

We’ve seen a tremendous rise in attendance in recent book fairs, and have now expanded the exhibit space to make room for more books and book-related events, to pack this year’s MIBF with even more experiences.

For career indies and publishers, taking the easy option is rarely the best option. But for those willing to step up their international game and not allowing themselves to be shackled by borders, formats and insular thinking, the Philippines is an exciting opportunity for authors and publishers alike.

Read more over at The New Publishing Standard. Tracking the Global New Renaissance as it happens, day by day.

Marvel comics court China and Asia with eastern superheroes.

Marvel wants in on the Asia comic scene, and is going for gold with two new Chinese characters, Sword Master and Aero,

 

The stories will be based in China, Marvel’s editor-in-chief Cebulski explained, drawn in the eastern manga style, and will be

 

“heavily based on Chinese culture and Chinese mythology but set in the modern world and they will interact with the other heroes (in the Marvel universe).”

 

Next month Marvel’s African superhero movie the Black Panther is expecting top open to $120 million plus box office receipts.

 

But as I note over at TNPS, Marvel’s biggest “black” superhero characters, the Black Panther and Luke Cage, date back to the 1960s-70s, when Marvel also had its first Chinese hero, Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu.

 

Cebulski’s claim Marvel wants to have “stories that are reflective of every culture” will take more than two new characters set in China and revived characters from the last century if it is to ring true.

 

Read more over at The New Publishing Standard.

NB: Mark Williams now writes daily on global publishing matters over at The New Publishing Standard.

 

12 mind-blowing book events you probably never knew happened in 2017

A lot of publishing records were broken in 2017.

No, not the number of Barnes & Noble stores that were closed this year.

In fact my review of 2017 mostly avoids the USA, because while it may be the single biggest and most convenient market for us indies, the rest of the world is where the real excitement lies.

Check out 12 mind-blowing publishing stories from the year, over at The New Publishing Standard.

Oh, and that futuristic building in the picture? That’s the world’s largest book store, that opened this year. No, not in the USA. It’s three times bigger than the largest US bookstore.

And be assured that, unless you caught this story at the time, you will be surprised at where it is.

The New Publishing Standard. Tracking the Global New Renaissance as it happens, day by day.

 

Mark Williams now writes daily on global publishing matters for The New Publishing Standard.