Book Sense

Based on the last four weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Farley Kern, an owner and founder of Elm Street Books in New Canaan, Connecticut, must not waste much time sleeping or eating. Otherwise, she and her staff could not possibly have started up a brand new bookstore, directly across from the town's train station, in a mere seven weeks.

The January/February 2003 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, on sale January 14, will include a Book Sense ad featuring the title Old Flames by John Lawton (Atlantic Monthly Press, 0871138646). Virginia Powers of Olsson's Books in Washington, D.C. provides the Book Sense recommendation.

Another Lawton title, Black Out (Penguin, 0142002763) is also featured in the ad.

For a downloadable PDF of this and other recent Book Sense ads in print, click here.

Though BookSense.com ended its free trial at the end of September, a large percentage of trial participants are continuing with the BookSense.com program. Since October 31, when BTW reported that BookSense.com had welcomed 20 new member bookstores to the fold, another 19 bookstores that participated in the BookSense.com free trial officially joined the BookSense.com program.

Dear Booksellers,

Again, thank you! Right after the regional shows, the recommendations started flooding in. Do note that a lot of the ARC's at the shows were for books pubbing February or later, so I've saved those e-mails of yours for the March/April 76, which is already looking fantastic!!

Actually, there weren't a lot of surprises. These are probably all books you're aware of. I was looking for some backlist and any especially well-priced gifty books in the top 50 of our data.

A new kid's book doing well:

• #24 Christmas Day in the Morning, by Pearl S. Buck; illus. by Mark Buehner (HarperCollins, $16.99, 0688162673) -- originally published in 1955, now reissued as an illustrated book
  

In trade paper:

During the month of November, the following media outlets joined the ranks of those running one of the Book Sense Bestseller lists.

Newspapers:

Greenwood, MS - Greenwood Commonwealth (National list)

St. Croix Valley, MN - St. Croix Valley Press (Midwest list)

Web Sites:

www.madison.com (National list)

Newsletters:

On Tuesday, December 3, NBC News' Today Show announced that the sixth selection of its monthly "Today Book Club" is Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker (HarperCollins). The title was a 2002 November/December Book Sense 76 pick. Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, chose this month's selection. Both Baker and McCourt were guests on the morning show.

The first New Atlantic Independent Bestseller List, published in a cooperative effort between Book Sense and the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA), debuted last week. The NAIBA list is the fifth regional Book Sense bestseller list, joining lists published in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association, the Great Lakes Booksellers Association and the Upper Midwest Booksellers Association, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, and the Southeast Booksellers Association.

Six regional associations are working with BookSense.com to offer to their members who have a BookSense.com Web site the opportunity to add their association's regional holiday catalog to their site. It's as simple as adding a link to their content page, said Len Vlahos, director for BookSense.com. "This is just one more fine example of how regional associations and ABA can work together to the benefit of all their member bookstores," he told BTW.

By Bob Sommer

"The Book Sense Gift Certificate potential is still woefully untapped, and ... we are still sending $$$$$$$ to the chains ... every day." -- Carl Lennertz, ABA

His Honor, mayor of Three Rivers, Michigan (population 7,500), and owner of the town's eponymous Lowry's Books and More, is also the new owner of a bookstore in Sturges, Michigan, 22 miles away. The new Lowry's, formerly a 40-year-old Read-Mor store, is half as big as the 4,000-square-foot Three Rivers store in the larger, more affluent town.

The December 9 issue of The New Yorker, which goes on sale December 2, will include the latest Book Sense insert, "Booked for the Holidays," as well as a full-page ad featuring the November/December Book Sense 76 Top Ten and a smaller ad highlighting Book Sense pick Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford (Crown Publishers).

Book Sense's Good Morning America book club streak continues. The popular morning show's "Read This!" book club chose its sixth title, and all six titles have been Book Sense 76 picks.