BTW News Briefs

Bookstore Tourism Guru to Launch Friends of Indie Bookstores USA

Larry Portzline, founder of the National Council on Bookstore Tourism and author of Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies (Bookshop Junkie Press), has announced that he will launching a national nonprofit organization, Friends of Indie Bookstores USA (FOIB), before the end of this year.

Portzline plans to create FOIB as a membership organization similar to the Friends of Libraries USA. "Its primary mission will be to promote and support independent bookstores by actively engaging indie 'fans' in a variety of ways, including news, events, advocacy, information sharing, bookstore tourism, social networking, and marketing programs," said Portzline.

Portzline said that what will make his organization different from existing groups or efforts is that "its primary audience will be 'consumer evangelists' (or 'citizen marketers') for indie bookstores -- the people who not only shop there, but hang out there, meet friends there, study there, and encourage other people to go there."

Hilton Publishing to Be Distributed by Ingram Publisher Services

Hilton Publishing, a provider of health literacy content with a special focus on minority issues, will be distributed by Ingram Publisher Services, beginning January 2008.

Hilton Publishing, which was founded in 1996 by cardiothoracic surgeon Hilton Hudson, is currently distributed by Independent Publishers Group.

Amazon Releases Kindle eReader

On November 19, Amazon.com introduced Amazon Kindle, a portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers to a high-resolution electronic paper display. To download, no PC is required, and the Kindle wireless delivery system uses the same high-speed data network as advanced cell phones. According to Amazon, books can be downloaded in less than a minute and magazines, newspapers, and blogs are delivered to subscribers automatically. Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity for Kindle.

International Digital Publishing Forum Names New Executive Director

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the international trade and standards association for the eBook and digital publishing industry, has named Michael Smith its new executive director. Smith will be responsible for leading the operational and strategic efforts of IDPF and reports to its nine member Board of Directors. The IDPF is comprised of approximately 100 publishing, technology, and non-profit companies and organizations.