Play's the Thing—American International Toy Fair 2002
Based on a February 12 visit to the American International Toy Fair 2002, it appears that designing a successful plaything this year involves selecting popular toys and games from three or four decades ago and making them edible or covering them with licensed brand or team names. Another popular option is creating something kids can play together with their parents, or even better, with their grandparents, in the safety of their own homes dressed in facsimiles of the uniforms of firefighters and police officers (also known as community workers).
In conjunction with BookExpo America, a number of organizations have come together to launch a campaign to encourage New York City residents to join a citywide book group. Earlier this month representatives from the organizations voted to select as the featured title the novel Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee, (Riverhead Books).
The number of consumers redeeming Book Sense gift certificates grew at a prodigious rate in 2001, and that trend continued into the first month of January 2002 -- with a record number of consumers redeeming gift certificates at independent bookstores around the country. This is according to recent Book Sense figures charting store-to-store gift certificate redemptions (the figures do not include gift certificates that were purchased and redeemed in the same store).
In talking to booksellers, it’s apparent that they feel a special camaraderie with small presses. The small press’s ability to offer a unique, independent voice and a breadth of choice in many ways mirrors their own talent for offering the consumer insight and individual attention.