Industry News

Booksellers and others in the book industry have been passionate respondents to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. After first watching the loss of life and homes with horror, independent business owners have felt additional distress for those who face, at best, the daunting task of repairing damage done to their bookstores, or, at worst, the prospect of abandoning their ruined enterprises and, with it, their livelihoods.

Effective January 1, 2007, the length of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) will officially change from 10 digits to 13 digits. This change has ramifications for everyone in the book business, including booksellers, librarians, publishers, wholesalers, and POS vendors.

BookExpo America is inviting the book industry to submit proposals for BEA 2006 Special Events and Education Programs, which will be held from Thursday, May 18, through Sunday, May 21, 2006, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center.

The American Booksellers Association is seeking booksellers and other industry professionals to serve on a task force that will offer input on the world of Spanish-language bookselling, in both Spanish-language stores and within general trade stores. The goal of the task force will be to explore possible new ABA programming and services to meet the needs of booksellers who are currently selling Spanish-language books and those who would like to expand into this area.

The task force will meet at a time and location to be determined.

As a helpful reminder, here is a "Three-Month Bookseller Action List" highlighting important dates related to ABA/Book Sense programs and events for the period September through November 2005. The list may also be downloaded in PDF format.

A week after New Orleans' levees broke, unleashing devastation on the city, the full scope of Hurricane Katrina's damage has yet to be realized. With the major levee break repaired and the Army Corps of Engineers now pumping water out of the beleaguered city, anxious friends and relatives of those still missing brace for what will be found when the flood waters are gone. For most, the future is uncertain: They have lost their homes, their businesses, and, in the worst circumstances, loved ones.

As BTW went to press today, ABA learned that Michele Lewis of Afro-American Book Stop and Mary Price Dunbar of Beaucoup Books, both of New Orleans, were both safe and staying with family in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Nashville, Tennessee, respectively. Lewis reported losing her home and her stores to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, former bookseller and ABA Board member Kevin McCaffrey was out of New Orleans when the storm struck and was safe.

The American Booksellers Association is announcing the creation of a Bookseller Relief Fund to assist booksellers affected by Hurricane Katrina. Contributions to the fund will be accepted, and ABA is seeding the relief fund with an opening donation of $25,000.

In the aftermath of Katrina, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), UPS, and FedEx report significantly impacted operations in hurricane-affected areas. Delivery services in some of those areas are currently unavailable or are very limited.

Here is a listing of information from USPS, UPS, and FedEx about suspended and/or delayed service:

On Wednesday morning at around 9:00 a.m., Kepler's bookstore suddenly shut its doors, bringing an abrupt end to what had been a Menlo Park, California, institution for over 50 years.

As the weakened Hurricane Katrina headed north from the battered Gulf Coast, dangerous floodwaters rose in New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the historic city became the epicenter of what might be the largest natural disaster in the U.S. since the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

The Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) 16th Annual Trade Show will be held Friday, September 30, through Sunday, October 2, in Rosemont, Illinois, at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O"Hare.

The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) Annual Trade Show will be held Friday, October 7, through Sunday, October 9, in Oakland, California, at the Oakland Convention Center.

The American Booksellers Association Nominating Committee, chaired by Cathy Langer of the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colorado, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors.

The American Booksellers Association is asking booksellers, publishers, and others in the book industry to check their various mailing lists to make sure they reflect the association's new office address:

200 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591