• Three-year-old manga publisher Aurora Publishing reportedly is in danger of going out of business. The culprit? Book returns, apparently. To recoup some of its loss, the company is holding a sale. Simon Jones has some commentary.

On a related note, Yamila Abraham of Yaoi Press comments on the sting of returns: "Returns are a racket in the publishing business. A few companies will return books just to get a credit on a bill with the distributor. They reorder the same books they're returning, often at the same time they return them. This isn't a wash, because publishers like Yaoi Press and Aurora get charged a fee for every US return." (via Brigid Alverson)

• ICv2.com reports that Dust Press, the Michigan-based publisher of Biblical comics, has closed.

• Rich Johnston has word that employees of Diamond Comic Distributors have been told they'll receive pay cuts. Also, the Forbidden Planet International location in Derby, England, initially set to close this week, will remain open for at least three months.

• Christopher Bird looks at the comics industry's Internet business model, comparing it to that of the music industry. A lengthy discussion follows in the comments.

• Colleen Doran reposts tips for creators on how to spot, and manage, business scammers.

• Jason Thibault compiles links and general guidelines to 65 comics publishers who accept unsolicited submissions.

• A near-mint copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #2 sold for $24,600 on eBay.

• The Christian Book Expo, a first-of-its-kind event held last weekend in Dallas, attracted just 1,500 attendees -- far less than the anticipated 15,000 to 20,000. This leads Heidi MacDonald to wonder whether comics, and comics conventions, are leading a "charmed life."

• Japanese anime, game and music production company Marvelous Entertainment is asking for 20 employees -- or about 17 percent of its 120-person workforce -- to take voluntary retirement in an effort to reduce costs.