Industry News

At a September 28 press conference in New York City, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) offered a preview of its new study on used book sales, reporting that used books are one of the fastest growing segments of the industry, driven by large increases in online sales and characterized by positive purchasing experiences for consumers.

Among the key findings:

In 2004, there were $2.2 billion in used book sales, which was an 11.1 percent growth over 2003. Used book sales now comprise 8.4 percent of total consumer spending on books.

The American Booksellers Association is encouraging as many member stores as possible to join together on Saturday, October 1, to raise funds for the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF), which will provide bookstore owners and employees with humanitarian relief for such items as temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, and/or other personal items lost or damaged. (The funds will not be granted to rebuild a business.)

As the Gulf Coast region deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, most accounts coming out of the area indicate that, while the storm's wrath was devastating in its destructive force in some areas, the consequences could have been far more tragic. First projected to hit the Houston area, the storm veered eastward to less populated areas. Nonetheless, Rita still packed a terrible and tragic punch, hitting towns along the Texas-Louisiana border with over 100-mph winds and leaving them under up to 15 feet of water.

Changing Hands Receives Spirit Award

Changing Hands Bookstore, a 31-year-old independent bookseller based in Tempe, Arizona, was one of five companies that received the 2005 Spirit of Enterprise Award on September 27. The award is presented by the Center for the Advancement of Small Business at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University to recognize ethics and excellence in entrepreneurship.

The awards were presented at the ninth-annual Edward Jones Spirit of Enterprise Award luncheon at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa.

By Andrea Avantaggio of Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colorado

By Lisa Baudoin of Main Street Books in Pella, Iowa

A new, 22,000-square-foot Cody's Books is officially set to open on Thursday, September 29.

On Saturday, October 1, the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA), which makes it easier for online and other retailers that do business in multiple states to calculate, collect, and remit existing use tax, will become effective in 13 states: Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Currently, there are five states that plan to implement SSUTA within the next two years: Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming.

Matching the excitement of last year's release of the movie version of The Polar Express will be the November 11 release of the film version of Zathura, also based on a bestselling novel by Chris Van Allsburg. And to add to the opportunities for booksellers to cross promote with the film, Houghton Mifflin will be publishing a number of Zathura movie tie-ins in mid-October, including an early reader, a junior novel, a deluxe storybook, and more.

Eight regional booksellers associations are joining to create a new national spring catalog for consumers that will help their member stores sell more books and that "will assist publishers in selling more books through the independent channel," said Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) Executive Director Wanda Jewell.

Publishers, wholesalers, marketers, and other bookselling industry professionals gathered at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, September 22, to discuss the state of the book world.

Book Summit 2005, sponsored by The Book Standard and Nielsen BookScan, explored book trends, emerging technologies, the development of book readership, and retail channels during four panel discussions.

The winners of the first annual Quill Literary Awards will not be revealed until October 11 at a black-tie gala to be held in New York City. What has been revealed, however, is the name of the bookseller who won a trip to the red carpet awards ceremony at Chelsea Piers in a contest sponsored by the American Booksellers Association.

Larry Portzline, author of Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies, takes to the road for an author tour to four of the Southwest's premier, independent bookstores.

By Larry Portzline

Just 10 days before the kick off of this year's Banned Books Week, an Arkansas school board voted on Thursday, September 15, to lift restrictions that it had imposed on three sex education books. At a special board meeting attended by about 70 people, the Fayetteville School Board voted four to three to drop its requirement that students obtain parental permission to check out the books from the schools' libraries, as reported by the Northwest Arkansas Times (NAT).

As Banned Books Week continues through Saturday, October 1, Bookselling This Week is asking participating booksellers to let us know how they marked the occasion and to send photos of Banned Books Week promotions and displays for inclusion in a future article. Photos and contact information should be sent to [email protected].