Industry News

Bookstore sales turned downward in February after a brief upturn in January. February retail sales for bookstores of $1,069 million were 4.3 percent lower than the $1,117 million generated in February 2002.

Overall retail sales of $271 billion for January 2003 were 3.0 percent ahead of the $263 billion for the previous year. February is the 13th month in a row in which bookstore sales failed to keep pace with overall retail.

Below is an outline of the most recent changes to the data in the ABA Book Buyer's Handbook online.

Publishers can update their online listings and add special offers at any time using the Publisher Editing Tools at http://handbook.bookweb.org/pubhome.jsp. Questions about access to the editing features of the Handbook online should be e-mailed to [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 1263 or 1261.

When the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. on June 21, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will bring its magic to booksellers everywhere. Local events including sleepover parties, midnight openings, and costume balls are in the works at independents around the country. Now Book Sense has brewed a special sweepstakes -- Make Some Magic with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- for every purchaser of the book between 12:01 a.m. on June 21 and 11:59 p.m. on June 26. The sweepstakes will have one winner, chosen at random from all entries.

On Tuesday, April 8, ABA held a Booksellers Forum, in conjunction with programming of the Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA), in Katy, Texas. ABA and MSIBA members met with MSIBA president and ABA Booksellers Advisory Council member Tamra Dore of Katy Budget Books and ABA COO Oren Teicher.

Baker & Taylor has teamed up with Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment to present to independent booksellers a promotional offer meant to make it easier for booksellers to market DVDs in their stores. The companies are offering bookstores a Disney DVD display rack featuring a selection of 16 Buena Vista Home Video titles. Bookstores that participate in the promotion will receive a $100 placement fee, 90-day payment terms, and a free merchandising display unit. The offer is limited to the first 500 customers.

Independent bookstores participating in the Book Sense marketing program reported that total 2002 book sales were slightly ahead of the results for 2001, reflecting the mixed experiences of the entire book industry during 2002.

May 7 is the deadline for ABA bookstore members to cast their ballots for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards and for the ABA Board of Directors elections. Both ballots were mailed to bookstore members at the end of March.

The ballot for the ABA Board of Directors must be returned in the special postage-paid envelope addressed to KPMG, and must be postmarked by April 30. Ballots sent directly to ABA will not be counted.

The American Booksellers Association will be holding a Booksellers Forum in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) on Thursday, May 1, at the UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut.

Booksellers who would like to participate in Scholastic's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Retailer Coupon Program must sign-up by April 30. A registration form is available on the Scholastic Web site at http://www.scholastic.com/custsupport/booksellers/hpv/vendors.asp. Retailers without Internet access may contact their sales representative to sign up.

Former Wisconsin bookseller (and database software manager of the San Francisco Giants) Nick Glass has introduced a free Web site, TeachingBooks.net, useful for anyone involved with children's books. The comprehensive site offers useful links for all booksellers -- original multimedia information about authors, tour schedules, reading guides, and more arcane bits.

As part of its extensive educational programming at BookExpo America (BEA), ABA is sponsoring a three-day booksellers school, facilitated by Donna Paz and Mark Kaufman of Paz & Associates. The school program is designed to enhance the skills of anyone thinking about opening or buying a bookstore, as well as those of booksellers who are new to the business or who are new to, or aspiring to, management and leadership roles, and industry professionals who want a better understanding of book retailing.

Four advocacy groups' Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the government over how it is using the widespread surveillance powers it has been granted under the USA Patriot Act continues.

Support for H.R. 1157, the Freedom to Read Protection Act, continues to grow. In the last week, seven more members of Congress became co-sponsors of the bill, which would remove a threat created by the USA Patriot Act to the privacy of bookstore and library records. They join Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and 58 other members of Congress.

Dear Booksellers,

As I have been traveling around the country over the last few weeks to ABA Booksellers Forums and other events, it is clear that many of you are concerned about the rapid deterioration of business in the retail world generally and in your bookshops specifically. These are indeed challenging times for independent booksellers, as the continued softness of the national economy and international events have hit many of our members hard.