Why Social Commerce Could Be the Next Step for Publishers

Today's Feature: Publishers who want to sell direct-to-consumer need to make payment processes as frictionless as possible. New social media purchasing tools may be the answer.

Discussion: Call for Stories for the London Book Fair 2013 The 2013 London Book Fair on April 15-17 is right around the corner and we want to know what you'll be doing there, about your new products, books, apps and projects.

More News from PP: Will UK Bookstores’ Plot to Poach Customers From Amazon Work? UK bookstores are experimenting with exclusive chapters and other offers to lure customers into stores and away from online shopping at Amazon, but some doubt its efficacy. Goldsmiths Launches 10,000 GBP Prize for Innovative Fiction The new Goldsmiths Prize and 10,000 GBP will go to an innovative UK novel. The prize was inspired by the works of writers Laurence Sterne and Denis Diderot. South Korean Book Sales Plummeted by 20% in 2012 Sales of new books in South Korea fell by 20% in 2012, according to Statistics Korea. Han Ki-ho, head of the Korean Publishing Market Research Institute, is very concerned.

From the Archives: Why WHSmith Remains the Most Remarkable Story in UK Bookselling A tightly focused strategy on maintaining margins has enabled WHSmith to persist after than two centuries at the heart of UK bookselling, inspiring admiration and ire alike.