Industry News

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is urging booksellers to add their store names to the growing list of those endorsing the Book and Library Community Statement Supporting The Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157); The Library and Bookseller Protection Act (S. 1158); and The Library, Bookseller, and Personal Data Privacy Act (S. 1507).

On Saturday, November 15, the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) asked central Texas residents to forego chain store shopping for one day in favor of local merchants.

Internet Sales Take Ever-Larger Bite Out of Tax

The following editorial, calling for the collection of sales tax for online purchases, appeared in the October 25, 2003, edition of The State, a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina.

Remember the first time you surfed the Internet? The first time you bought something over the Internet? Probably not. Cyberspace has become so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget that most people didn't even know what "online" meant a mere decade ago.

Good news continues to fill the cash registers of booksellers, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) in the second installment of its 2003 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, published on November 17. The survey revealed that 60.8 of consumers intended to purchase books, CDs, and DVDs as a holiday gift. Only apparel -- at 62.2 percent.

Over the course of his long tenure at Giovanni's Room -- "America's World-Class Lesbian & Gay, Transgender & Bisexual Bookstore with all the trimmings" -- Ed Hermance has seen the second-oldest gay and lesbian bookstore (Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York City is the oldest) through some sea changes.

Many recent consumer surveys are predicting a banner holiday season for retailers, and among the hot ticket items this season will be gift cards. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2003 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, there will be a significant leap in the gift card sector, with 48.4 percent of consumers indicating that they would like to receive gift cards this year, up from 41.3 percent last year.

September bookstore sales were disappointing in the wake of their strong showing in August. September 2003 sales of $1,491 million also lagged 0.9 percent behind the $1,505 million performance a year ago.

September was the first month in the last four that bookstore sales failed to show improvement over the previous year.

Overall retail sales of $309 billion for September 2003 came in 8.8 percent ahead of the $284 billion in September of 2002.

The King County Council of Seattle is presently considering a resolution to oppose any amendments in the USA Patriot Act that it deems to infringe on the constitutional rights of its citizens -- including Patriot Act amendments that allow for invasion of privacy, expanded government surveillance, and denial of due process, as reported by the Seattle Times.

Mindful that booksellers are entering the important -- and busy -- holiday season, here's a very quick Book Sense 76 reminder.

The deadline for the January/February Book Sense 76 is Friday, November 21, just a little over a week away. This is an important list to start the new year, and receiving nominations over the next week is very important.

When Joseph Biernat and his wife, Elizabeth, bought Hudson Valley Book Stop in Kingston, New York, from Elizabeth's parents last September, they weren't counting on a chain bookstore opening directly across the street. But, as in nature, in business adaptation is key, so the Biernats developed a plan. They are going to allow customers to bring in their used books for credit towards new or used books at Hudson Valley. "We'll use [the chain] for what they're good for, which is getting more books into the market," Joseph Biernat said.

Margie Ghiz (left), owner of Midnight Special in Santa Monica, California, with staff.

Midnight Special, closed since February, was finally able to open its doors on November 6 in a new location less than a half-mile from its previous site on the Third Street

National Children's Book Week, which will be held from November 17 - 23, turns a venerable 84-years-old this year. Since 1919, booksellers, educators, librarians, and families have celebrated National Children's Book Week during the week before Thanksgiving to help bring more children in contact with quality children's literature.