Technology

When Xtine Hanson, an artist and professor of Visual Communication at California State University, Fullerton, was visiting New York and looking for a cafe in SoHo, she had several to choose from -- all of them Starbucks. Dissatisfied with her lack of choice, Hanson, who prefers to frequent independent businesses, returned to California with the germ of an idea.

Part II of a Bookselling This Week miniseries about web-centric undertakings that will help you stay current -- and stay connected to the tens of millions of people who engage in online conversations about books and reading. (Read Part I, "Booksellers Befriend MySpace.") Becoming a blogger changed Jessica Stockton Bagnulo's life.

Beaufort Books Publishing Deal with Goldman Family On August 14, Beaufort Books announced that it had finalized a publishing deal with the Goldman family for the O.J. Simpson tell-all book, If I Did It. The news comes some eight months after News Corp. and ReganBooks announced the cancellation of the controversial Simpson book and television special following a firestorm of protest raised by booksellers, Fox TV station affiliates, and many in the general public who vehemently decried the project.

Part I of a Bookselling This Week miniseries about online endeavors that will keep you on trend and put you in touch with the tens of millions of people who engage in online social networking. Coming up next week: bookseller-bloggers, and why you might want to become one.

Last November, Pubnet unveiled Instant Response, an alternative to the direct electronic order (DEO) dial-up systems that several publishers began phasing out with the introduction of ISBN-13 in January. Instant Response allows bookstores to place orders and receive backorder acknowledgements, invoices, and advance shipping notices through standardized electronic methods.

Books Inc. of Palo Alto to Move This week, California's Books Inc. announced that it would be moving its Palo Alto store from the Stanford Shopping Center -- where it opened in 1957 -- to the newly renovated Town and Country Center on February 1, 2008. The 50-year-old store's new location will be 4,000 square feet.

By Len Vlahos, ABA Director of Education & of BookSense.com There I was, deep in the heart of Silicon Valley. No Blackberry, no roaming broadband connection for my laptop. Just a guy with a briefcase and hardcover copy of Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower to keep me entertained.

"The New Rules of Marketing and PR for Retailers" was presented at BookExpo America on Saturday morning by David Meerman Scott. The hour-long session was based on Scott's new book of the same name subtitled, "How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly."

At the meeting of the BookSense.com Users Group on Friday, June 1, at BookExpo America, BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos and other members of the BookSense.com team discussed some of the e-commerce site's newest features, as well as several planned enhancements. The "Next Big Thing," said Vlahos, is the site's eventual migration to Plone, an open source software that will allow for a much more nimble and dynamic BookSense.com.

On Tuesday, May 22, BookSense.com officially launched a functionality that provides consumers with the option of purchasing eBooks through participating stores' websites. The eBooks, which are downloaded to the consumer's computer and/or handheld device, are accessible through all BookSense.com templated websites. Ingram Digital Ventures will fulfill eBook orders in three formats -- Palm OS, Adobe, and Microsoft Reader.