Industry News

While it may sometimes be challenging for a business owner to find anything positive in the involved job of doing their yearly taxes, for those looking for a silver lining to the hard work of tax season, the 2005 ABACUS Study may provide the answer by helping storeowners increase the bottom line.

It's seven weeks until Mother's Day!

... which gives booksellers plenty of time to establish the Book Sense Gift Card program in their bookstores.

The program continues to grow -- approximately $4.86 million was spent on gift card sales in independent bookstores since the program launched late 2003. Bookstores are reporting increases in sales, savings in time, and a high satisfaction in being able to offer a competitive and sophisticated product that adds to their store's profitability.

On March 16, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, CFO Eleanor Chang, and COO Oren Teicher announced in an e-mail to ABA staff that ABA had signed a lease for a new space in the Talleyrand Buildings at 200 White Plains Road in Tarrytown, New York. The office space is approximately a mile from the association's present location. The move, which will consolidate ABA staff into one space, will occur sometime after BookExpo America, in mid-June or early July.

BookExpo America (BEA) has announced the panelists for this year's "Editor & Bookseller Buzz Forum." The Buzz Forum allows top publishing executives to present the one or two upcoming books they feel most passionate about to a gathering of booksellers, book reviewers, and other media and industry professionals.

Florida's Books & Books, which in November opened a new location inside the Delray Beach headquarters and showroom of Levenger, Inc., will open another location in April at Bal Harbour Shops, an upscale shopping center north of Miami Beach.

To help booksellers educate consumers about the benefits independent businesses bring to their communities, last December, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) created two posters featuring attention-getting talking points. One poster compared Amazon.com's contributions to California, in terms of taxes, donations, and employment, to that of independent booksellers.

BookPeople Named PW's 2005 Bookseller of the Year

This week, Publisher's Weekly announced that BookPeople in Austin, Texas, was named PW's 2005 Bookseller of the Year. PW noted that "among recent distinctions [BookPeople] helped spearhead the 'Keep Austin Weird' campaign and hosted a book party for a book about a murder committed by a former general manager. The store is distinguished in less-weird ways too, such as by its outstanding staff training, events, community involvement, and merchandising."

Second Story Book Shop in Chappaqua, New York, is in the middle of a wrangle to stay in its current location. The 32-year-old bookstore is on a month-to-month lease and ownership of their building recently changed. The new landlord is considering renting to a new tenant, while the neighborhood is working to keep the bookstore. Currently, the bookstore is in "limbo," said owner Joan Ripley.

Every week dozens of booksellers seek and share advice and information about bookselling and the book industry on BookWeb's Idea Exchange Forums. Here, BTW presents a look at some of this week's topics -- with the hope that more booksellers will join in.

Those who join Book Clubs do so for any number of reasons -- they love to read, socialize, and/or talk books with other bibliophiles. And while Book Clubs can offer its members enjoyment, if there is one potentially difficult aspect to it, it is choosing what title to read next. The same goes for booksellers, who are often called upon by Book Club members to help direct them to the perfect choice for their reading group.