Book Sense

In 1859 Darwin published his conclusion that species that were adequately different from each other could co-exist in one environment, since they were not directly competing for the same niche. More recently, after owning and running Maxwell's in Bismark, North Dakota, for 13 years, Karen Sakariassen has determined the same thing.

As the Book Sense Gift Card program gets into full swing and the holiday season draws closer, booksellers planning to join the Book Sense Gift Card Program should note that they can still order the gift card branded with their own store logo and receive them in time for the holidays. Jill Perlstein, ABA's marketing director, told BTW that a store logo coupled with a gift card's popularity just makes good business sense for a bookstore.

Booksellers who were among the first to sign up for the Book Sense Gift Card program are now receiving their card orders from Givex. Training manuals are being sent in PDF format to booksellers via e-mail from Givex, and ABA is sending a folder to participants that includes a window decal, counter card, and shelf-talkers to help promote the gift cards in the store.

The October 6 issue of The New Yorker -- on sale now -- features the latest Book Sense insert, "Just Kidding -- Great Books for Children and Young Adults." The five-page special feature presents the handselling favorites of 12 independent booksellers -- all titles drawn from the fall 2003 Children's Book Sense 76. (To view the full 76, click here.)

Last week, Book Sense announced the Autumn 2003 Top Ten JFK Picks. The list is based on the nominations of independent booksellers nationwide and is the second time Book Sense has compiled a list in association with The History Channel, which will air a week of specially themed programming focusing on JFK and his times next month. November 22 will mark 40 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

On October 7, Entrepreneur Press launches its There's No Business Like Sports Business Sweepstakes, to publicize The Business Playbook: Leadership Lessons From the World of Sports by sports marketer Brandon Steiner. Book Sense booksellers and their customers could each win a Grand Prize: a chance to meet a Hall of Famer (and game tickets) for the sport of their choice.

Based on four weeks of sales ended September 28, 2003, at hundreds of independent bookstores across the U.S.

Past Category Bestseller lists are available at www.bookweb.org/read/5677.

Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at [email protected] for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

This week, Book Sense is announcing the latest Book Sense 76 Top Ten list, the Autumn 2003 Top Ten JFK Picks.

According to the rules of the Bacardi Mixers/Book Sense Book Club Sweepstakes, participating stores must take down their store displays and ballot boxes at the end of the business day Tuesday, September 30.

Booksellers Harriett Christy and Ann and Bruce Dybvik of Bookends, open for just less than six months, have been getting an appreciative welcome from the community in Menomonie, Wisconsin. "Sometimes people passing by just open the door and shout, Thank You!" said Ann, who is the daughter of Christy. Menomonie was without a bookstore until Bookends opened in May, and it's the only independent within a 125-mile radius.

Over the last few weeks as ABA staff has spoken with booksellers about the new Book Sense electronic gift card program, a number of booksellers have asked the question: "In purely financial terms, how many more gift cards will I have to sell to achieve the same number of gross profit dollars as I would have selling paper gift certificates?"

To provide an answer to this question, ABA has prepared a three-year analysis of potential returns comparing paper gift certificate and electronic gift card sales.

The assumptions are:

The September/October Book Sense 76 includes The Oath: The Remarkable Story of a Surgeon's Life Under Fire in Chechnya, by Khassan Baiev with Ruth and Nicholas Daniloff (Walker), a powerful book suited for a graying season with shorter, darker days. Most Western readers know of Chechnya through fleeting, horrific, and often confusing news headlines.

Here are the independent booksellers' picks for the top ten Halloween titles for the fall. This list of children's and adult titles was developed by Book Sense in collaboration with the Association of American Publishers' Get Caught Reading initiative. Look for more such lists in the upcoming months, and many thanks to all the independent booksellers who contributed a wealth of enthusiastic nominations for this list. Pads of the list are included in the September White Box mailing.

Tuesday, September 30, is the last day for stores participating in the Bacardi Mixers/Book Sense Book Club Sweepstakes to accept entries deposited in their store displays. At the end of the business day, stores must take down the ballot box.