Industry News

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.

Nancy Kranich, chair of the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee

As bookseller concern continues to grow regarding the current state of civil liberties in a post-9/11 world, here's a comprehensive resource list of Web sites

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.

Three weeks ago, BookExpo America (BEA) show managers launched a City Survey Poll of the book community to find out where the industry would like to see the convention held in the future. The Web-based survey solicited feedback on sites for confirmed dates (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York) and cities that the convention has not visited in recent years that are also under consideration, which included:

In a letter to Vermont's congressional delegation, Vermont booksellers and librarians contend that the USA Patriot Act contains provisions that "undermine" Americans' constitutionally protected right to read and to access information without government interference. The letter, which is being distributed to Vermont-based bookstore members of the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) for signature, urges Senators Patrick Leahy and Jim Jeffords and Congressman Bernard Sanders to introduce legislation to eliminate these provisions.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching -- and the starting gun for the holiday season poised to fire -- many consumers appear ready to turn to the Internet for gift buying.

Over 800 people gathered last night at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel for the 53rd annual National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner. The formal gala was hosted by comedian and author Steve Martin, who quipped in his opening remarks that "the total number of authors [nominees] I've heard of totals two." By the end of the night, however, at least four authors had made a name for themselves by winning the prestigious NBA.

In recent weeks, usage of the new online ABA Book Buyer's Handbook has continued to increase dramatically. The number of successful requests for information in October increased 61 percent over the previous month, and usage has grown over 140 percent since the online launch in May.

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

Publishers with questions about access to the editing features of the Handbook online should send an e-mail to [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 1263 or 1261.

The release of the new film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has again sparked protests from those who claim that the writing of best-selling author J.K. Rowling promotes witchcraft and pagan religion. The movie adaptation of Rowling's second title in the series opened nationwide on November 15 and grossed an estimated $87.7 million in its first three days.

By Robin Whitten

Author readings are among the most popular bookstore events. It's hard to beat the experience of hearing an author read live, often in the intimate setting of a bookstore. But, reading from the book for 10 - 15 minutes and reading the entire book for an audiobook recording are totally different.

Bookstore sales in September rebounded from the modest decline in August. September sales were 3.2 percent better than September of 2001.

While the improvement in bookstore sales in September was encouraging, the results once again failed to keep pace with overall retail. Overall retail sales of $285 billion for September 2002 were 5.2 percent better than the $271 billion realized in September of 2001.

September is the eighth month in a row in which bookstore sales failed to keep up with overall retail.

Books and Gift Certificates Are Noted as Favorite Gift Items

Perhaps the most closely watched yearly retail prognostications are the annual fall estimates for holiday retail sales. This year, analysts are factoring in not only a soft economy but also consumer concern over personal debt levels and anxiety regarding job security.

Bookseller response to the new online ABACUS reporting system continues to grow -- and has been extremely positive.

Recently, booksellers touted the new ABACUS on BookWeb.org's Booksellers General Forum and on the e-mail listserve of the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA).

Spurred by reports from regional trade shows regarding an increase in new independent bookstore openings, Bookselling This Week decided to survey each regional booksellers association to see if it was true. Was there an increase in newly opened bookstores joining regional associations in 2002?