Industry News

AAUP gets new name; New York Times op-ed addresses sales tax fairness; Obama names favorite books of the year; Costa Book Award winners announced 

Following the holiday shopping season, many indie booksellers reported plentiful foot traffic, spurred by strong shop local programs, compelling regional association catalogs, and creative promotions and partnerships.

The January Red Box, mailing to stores this week, will include a packet of 50 bookmarks featuring The New York Times Book Review’s picks for the 10 Best Books of 2017.

Booksellers, authors, publishers, distributors, and others with ties to the book industry have until January 8 to submit nominations for the Publishers Weekly Bookstore and Sales Rep of the Year awards.

NCAC condemns Trump administration’s efforts to restrict CDC vocabulary; Abrams names Michelle Ferguson senior vice president, COO; Simon & Schuster to distribute Pike and Powder; France files complaint against Amazon; Man Booker Prize announces plans for 50th anniversary; 2018 PEN America Literary Award longlists announced

As the Book Industry Charitable Foundation ends an unprecedentedly busy year of helping booksellers, its #MoreThanEver year-end campaign has unlocked another potential $5,000 in matching funds.

On Monday, author James Patterson announced the names of more than 300 independent booksellers receiving grants ranging from $750 to $1,250 as part of his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program.

To ensure that store favorites are nominated for next year’s Indie Next Lists, owners and managers are encouraged to post the schedule of 2018 nomination deadlines where all staff members will see it.

Retail sales at U.S. bookstores were down by 4.6 percent in October 2017 compared to October 2016, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census. Sales for independent bookstores, as reported to the weekly Indie Bestseller Lists, were up slightly more than two percent year to date.

Booksellers share updates as California wildfires spread; Voting opens for CBC’s Teen Choice Book Award; Boston Globe reports on indie bookstore resurgence; Bonnier Zaffre expands into U.S. market; FedEx Holiday Help Hub provides shipping assistance; PubWest’s Rittenhouse Award winners, finalists for National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize announced

The bookselling community is striving to become more effective in hiring and nurturing diverse employees. 

Deb Leonard, who has served as the executive director for the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association since 2010, is leaving the organization.