Industry News

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) recently filed amicus briefs in two cases challenging First Amendment rights.

In early November, ABA launched new and improved forum software on the BookWeb.org Idea Exchange, providing all ABA bookstore members a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and share thoughts with fellow booksellers or with the ABA Board and staff.

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Suzanne Staubach of UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut, is seeking qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Any ABA member may submit nominations, which must be received no later than Friday, December 17.

The Winter 2004/2005 Children's Book Sense Picks can now be previewed on BookWeb.org. To see the full list, click here.

Booksellers should be receiving the Children's Picks fliers at their stores within a week.

Very many thanks to all the booksellers -- both children's specialty stores and general independents -- who sent in their enthusiastic nominations, without which there would be no list!

As senior researcher with the New Rules Project (a program of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance), a board member of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), and author of the book The Hometown Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores and Why It Matters (Institute for Local Self-Reliance), Stacy Mitchell has become a leading advocate for indep

Bookstore sales in September continued the downward slide that began in April. Sales have been lower than last year’s sales for six straight months now. September 2004 bookstore sales of $1,526 million were 3.8 percent below the $1,586 recorded in September 2003.

Overall retail sales continue to outperform bookstore sales. Overall retail sales of $332 billion for September 2004 were 8.1 percent better than the $307 billion reported in September 2003.

Tatnuck Booksellers & Sons, founded by Larry Abramoff in 1975, now has a lot more shelves to fill. On Monday, Abramoff will open a new store in more than 30,000 square feet of space in Westborough, Massachusetts.

For the past few years, the popularity of gift cards among consumers has grown dramatically, and, according to a number of recent surveys, this year doesn't appear to be any different.

HarperCollins Reorganizes

As part of a major structural reorganization, HarperCollins has named Michael Morrison president and group publisher of the newly created HarperMorrow division of its General Books Group, overseeing the HarperCollins, William Morrow, HarperEntertainment, Morrow Cookbooks, HarperPerennial, Avon, Eos, Dark Alley, Amistad, HarperAudio, HarperLarge Print, and PerfectBound imprints.

With the holidays looming and a recently released NRF survey indicating that debit cards are now more popular than credit cards, it's conceivable that consumers' confusion and indignation over debit card fees found on their bank statements could soon become a significant issue for retailers -- if it isn't already.

When independent publishing house Newmarket Press and Book Sense partnered to create Book Sense Best Books: 125 Favorite Books Recommended By Independent Booksellers, it was intended to provide booksellers, librarians, and customers with a resource for "'New Classics,' destined to have a long

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Suzanne Staubach of UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Under ABA's bylaws, the terms of three members of the nine-member board expire each year, and at least one of the three candidates cannot have served on the current board. Board members are eligible to be elected for two three-year terms.

The Southern California Booksellers Association (SCBA) held its 2004 Fall Seminars on Friday, November 5, at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and its Authors Feast on Saturday, November 6, at the Aquarium of the Pacific, also in Long Beach. "It went well," said outgoing SCBA president Lise Friedman of Dutton's Brentwood in Los Angeles.

Two well-known bookstores on opposite ends of the country recently moved into larger spaces, and both have seen positive results reflected in both sales and customer satisfaction. In October, Chuck and Dee Robinson's Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, increased its size by a third. And in New York City, on November 4, Peter Glassman moved 24-year-old Books of Wonder two doors down, more than doubling sales-floor square footage and gaining room for a cafe and a larger events space.

This week, the sponsors of the Campaign for Reader Privacy (CRP), www.readerprivacy.org, vowed to continue their efforts to amend Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. Last week's re-election of President George W. Bush almost ensures there will be a major battle next year over the reauthorization of Section 215, as well as other controversial sections of the act that are set to expire on December 31.