BTW News Briefs

Books & Books Observes Genocide Prevention Month

Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida, is observing Genocide Prevention Month with a sneak preview of The Last Survivor, a documentary to be released this fall that follows the stories of four genocide survivors who have become anti-genocide advocates. The screening will be held Friday, April 24, at 8:00 p.m.

Speakers will include Michael Pertnoy, the filmmaker; Jill Savitt, director of the Genocide Prevention Project; and survivors of past genocides. Books & Books will also have a display table of "Books of Conscience" throughout April.

Genocide survivors and advocates designated April as Genocide Prevention Month because, remarkably and coincidentally, the tragedies of Darfur, Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, the Holocaust and Armenia all have major anniversaries in April. Survivors of these tragedies are uniting with caring people around the world to protect the people of Darfur now and work to prevent future atrocities.

Anderson's Hosts Packed Freedom Forum

The Chicago Daily Herald reported that several hundred people packed Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois, on Monday, April 20, for a forum on freedom of speech organized in response to the cancellation of appearances by author and former radical Bill Ayers, now an education professor at University of Illinois at Chicago, out of safety concerns. "Almost all who voiced their opinion were in agreement that Ayers should have been allowed to speak," observed the Daily Herald.

On April 8, Ayers was scheduled to speak at Naperville North High School and Anderson's; however, angry phone calls and e-mails from community members were so vicious, said bookstore co-owner Becky Anderson, employees feared for their safety.

At Monday's event, which included a panel discussion and opportunity for public input, "many spoke out against those who used intimidation to prompt the cancellations and said Ayers should have been allowed to speak," reported the Daily Herald. And some called for Ayers to be given another invitation to speak in Naperville. Anderson told the newspaper that she would like to do so.

The Daily Herald reported that Gary Bolt, local deputy chief of police, said that he supports free speech but Anderson's and the school district had to make tough decisions with safety in mind.

A New, Free E-Newsletter for Indie Bookstore Entrepreneurs

Ideas, opportunities, and trends will be the focus of a new free e-newsletter entitled Indie Bookstore Entrepreneur being launched this spring by the Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates "to foster entrepreneurial thought as prospective and new booksellers define, refine, and revise their businesses as the world changes."

"Transitions are fertile ground for innovation and creativity, and there are a number of factors that are driving people to reinvent themselves and develop a career of their own," said Donna Paz Kaufman, founder of Paz & Associates, in a statement. "Most interesting is the financial struggle of corporate stores while citizens are pondering their role in creating sustainable local economies."

Indie Bookstore Entrepreneur will focus on ideas from big thinkers, trends in buying and being, and business possibilities across industries. In addition, the e-newsletter "will offer a periodic dose of what is good for business and communities, what feeds our souls as leaders and citizens, and what makes an indie bookstore a great place to shop ... and work."

To subscribe to Indie Bookstore Entrepreneur, visit PazBookBiz.com.

Unbridled Books and NetGalley Announce Bookseller Contest

In an effort to encourage booksellers to read e-galleys, Unbridled Books will award a SONY Reader to three booksellers who craft the best handselling pitches for Last Night in Montreal, a debut novel by Emily St. John Mandel.

Unbridled Books will chose the winning handselling pitches, which will be posted on www.unbridledbooks.com and shared with media and through social networking sites.

A galley of Last Night in Montreal can be downloaded now at NetGalley. Booksellers who would like to participate are asked to e-mail their handselling pitch with "SONY Reader/NetGalley Promotion" in the subject line to Unbridled Books Sales Director Steven Wallace at [email protected]. The e-mail must include the bookseller's name, store name, and full contact information.

One submission is allowed per bookseller. The contest, which runs from May 1 through midnight on June 1, 2009, is limited to booksellers in the U.S. More information is available from Caitlin Hamilton Summie, Unbridled Books marketing director, at [email protected] and Susan Ruszala, NetGalley director of marketing, at [email protected] or visit www.unbridledbooks.com or www.netgalley.com.

National Retail Federation and Retail Industry Leaders Association Plan Merger

The National Retail Federation has announced that plans are in the works for a merger with the Retail Industry Leaders Association. The merger is likely to be finalized by the end of the summer after each group's respective Board has the opportunity to vote on the issue.

In e-mail communication to members, NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin explained, "This new partnership will allow retailers to have a cohesive, powerful voice on important public policy issues and enable greater networking for retailers in all categories. Our vendor community will be able to take advantage of some economies of scale, reaching out to potential customers through a series of coordinated industry events instead of trying to make decisions on which competing conferences to attend."

After helping with the transition, Mullin, who has been with NRF for more than 30 years, plans to retire.

The Audie Finalists for Audiobook of the Year & Achievement in Production

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced three Audie nominees for the Audiobook of the Year Award and five nominees for the newly created Distinguished Achievement in Production category. The winners will be announced at the Audies awards ceremony on May 29, at the New York Historical Society in New York City.

The three titles that have been selected for Audiobook of the Year contention are:

• Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, read by Gerard Doyle, published by Listening Library
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, read by the author, published by HarperAudio
• A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs, read by the author, published by Macmillan Audio

The five titles that have been selected to compete for the inaugural Distinguished Achievement in Production award are:

• Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren, published by Listen & Live Audio
• Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, read by Sarah Naughton and a full cast, published by Full Cast Audio
• Many Things Invisible by Carrington MacDuffie, read by the author, published by Blackstone Audio
• The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer by various authors, read by Stacy Keach and a full cast, published by Blackstone Audio
• Louis Vuitton Soundwalk: Shanghai read by Joan Chen, published by Soundwalk