News Summary: Publishing industry gathers for show
INDEPENDENT BOOST: Core membership of the American Booksellers Association, the trade group for independent booksellers, is up for a third straight time after years of declines.
MORE SALES: Nielsen BookScan, which tracks around 75 percent of print sales, says the number of books sold through mid-May by around 500 ABA stores increased by 13.4 percent compared to last year.
THE BACKDROP: Independent booksellers had been facing threats from superstore chains and online sellers such as Amazon.com. Yet the independents have stabilized even as the economy suffers and the market shifts dramatically from physical stores to digital purchases.
