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13th October 2008

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Report: AAP annual meeting

06.03.08 Gayle Feldman

US publishers raised concerns about territorial rights on Kindle, while Borders' George Jones spoke about the US retailer's decision to develop exclusive content and expand its new 'concept' stores in the US, at the Association of American Publishers annual meeting.

Questioned by Hachette c.e.o. David Young, Borders' c.e.o. George Jones, said that its new "concept" store had been a "big success". Borders would open 14 this year, hoping to "mesh the internet with bricks and mortar to a degree not done except for the Apple stores".

Amazon senior v-p Steve Kessel was less voluble. In a Kindle-centered Q&A with AAP chair Richard Sarnoff of Random House, Kessel avoided hard numbers and real answers, simply replaying over and over again Amazon's commitment to "a great customer experience".

Recently retired S&S c.e.o. Jack Romanos warned that the industry was under prepared for when Oprah went off air. The internet provided "a huge opportunity" to begin to think about how to "replace the Oprah phenomenon".

Gayle Feldman's blog from the meeting

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