Amazon Measures U.S. Election Prospects Through Book Sales
A new feature on Amazon.com takes a look at what Americans are reading, politically speaking. The “Amazon Election Heat Map 2012” categorizes books of a political nature as “red” or “blue,” analyzing sales by state and cumulatively. As of publication, 44 percent of purchases were of “blue” books and 56 percent were of “red” reads. Pennsylvania was colored gray, marking the only neutral state with sales split 50/50. An interesting and entertaining gauge of, perhaps, the country’s political slant, Amazon’s clever map is updated daily and can be found at www.amazon.com/election-heatmap.
Barnes & Noble Enjoys a First Quarter Rise in Revenue
The largest traditional bookseller in the U.S. reported a 2 percent increase in revenue from $1.42 billion to $1.45 billion in the first quarter of 2012, narrowing its net loss. Barnes & Noble’s CEO William Lynch was upbeat in a statement saying, “During the first quarter, we continued to see improvement in both our rapidly growing NOOK business, which saw digital content sales increase 46 percent during the quarter, and at our bookstores, which continue to benefit from market consolidation.” On a conference call, senior management also pointed to improved sales of games, educational toys, and other children’s products, according to the Associated Press.
Requests by Teachers for Ayn Rand up Thirty Percent
Vice-presidential hopeful Paul Ryan is said to have been influenced by the work controversial author Ayn Rand, which is providing a boost in modern popularity for the late philosopher. In 2005, Ryan told the Randian Atlas Society, “The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Ayn Rand Institute, which provides copies of Rand’s novels free to teachers, reports that request for books are up 30 percent, according to Education Week. Rand, who extolled the idea of “objectivism:” has been the subject of much debate as to what the connection to Ryan, who has since tried to distance himself from Rand, means for his political positions and the upcoming U.S. election.
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