Each Monday, here on Editor's Corner, I run through the latest issue of the Bookseller magazine and pick out the bits and pieces of book industry news that catch my eye.

This quick round-up of book stuff is culled from the pages of last Friday's 3rd July issue:

• publishers "are vying to be the first to market with a Michael Jackson book with at least four new titles commissioned in the days following his death"
• W H Smith "chief executive Kate Swann has defended the exclusive travel book deal with Penguin... [writing] that the deal was in response to a declining travel market"
• Waterstone's m.g. Gerry Johnston "has remained bullish after the company reported falling sales and profit in its annual results"
• Borders UK "has launched a new e-book reader into stores that it is marketed as a cheaper option to the Sony Reader"
• James Gurbutt "whose position as associate publisher at Harvill Secker was one of those recently made redundant at Random House, is to head a new fiction imprint at Constable & Robinson"
• library proposals aired by Roy Clare "risk giving a green light to local councils to close branch libraries"
• the Frankfurt Book Fair "has responded to the recession by launching new exhibition areas and events with a tight focus on digital publishing"
• independent publishers "have called for more compliance checks in chain stores to ensure promotional books are correctly positioned and stickered in every branch"
• me, your 'umble editor, has been mentioned in annual Hospital Club 100 list again (the list "ranks the most influential creative and media people") -- I was the "Emerging" winner in the Books and Literary category!
• The Book Depository has been shortlisted for Direct to Consumer Bookselling Company of the Year at this year's Bookseller Retail Awards