Marketing

Ray Barone, the title character on the CBS hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, now in its sixth year, is not really the bookish type. But in the episode airing October 14, Raymond and his long-suffering wife, Debra, attempt to raise his cultural IQ by attending a lecture by the fictive author of Hidden Treasures of the Amazon at Sidewalk Books, an invented Book Sense bookstore on Long Island, New York.

ABA's Prescription for Reading is in full swing, and booksellers who spoke to BTW reported that they are having great success with this year's program. "We started out with 200 books [for the program]," said Lee Kimball, manager of The Library Shop in Richmond, Virginia. "We ended up having to order another 1,000 more."

A Treasure Trove of Knowledge and Publicity

By Carl Lennertz

We are archiving the rich data coming from 350 stores each week, so we can go back at any time and run reports by BISAC code covering one, two, four, or more weeks. The hope here is you might discover a book or two selling around the country that your POS system may have let slip out, or maybe it's a book you never tried. If you end up selling five to10 copies, all the better for you, the author, and the publisher.

Nationally, booksellers are continuing to promote the special Book Sense/History Channel fundraiser -- "The Fire on the Mountain, Campaign for Communities: Firefighter Fundraiser" promotion, which began on September 9.

The Book Sense/History Channel fundraiser -- "The Fire on the Mountain, Campaign for Communities: Firefighter Fundraiser" promotion -- officially kicked off on September 9. Nationally, hundreds of booksellers have set up special displays using materials that tie in with the October 28 History Channel documentary based on Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire by John N. Maclean (Washington Square Press).

By Carl Lennertz and Mark Nichols

In addition to our ongoing and successful advertising in The New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly, spearheaded by ABA Marketing Officer Michael Hoynes, we are expanding the Book Sense presence in some notable book-only magazines and reviews.

Bookmark contests create big community involvement, if The Village Book Store in Littleton, New Hampshire, and Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, are representative of other stores between the coasts. Nationally, many independents currently are gearing up for their annual bookmark contests to coincide with National Children's Book Week in November when winners are announced.

Following the participation of Firehouse.com, the leading fire and emergency services Internet portal, there is growing consumer awareness and interest in the Book Sense and History Channel "The Fire on the Mountain, Campaign for Communities: Firefighter Fundraiser" promotion.

ABA has announced that the successful Prescription for Reading program will be expanding to include a number of other organizations providing services for children. These include daycare centers, preschools, nursery schools, independent pharmacies, local Y's, day camps, senior citizen centers, or any organization that serves parents or grandparents of young children.

By Carl Lennertz

Tip of the Week:

Like the Car Guys and their Puzzler, Tip Guy is still on hiatus.

Full blurbs are up for the two latest 76s at http://www.bookweb.org/read/1474

The Book Sense Bestseller lists are currently carried in over 60 local and national newspapers and magazines, and each month the number continues to grow. In addition to publishing the national list, national media, industry publications, and local newspapers are carrying Book Sense regional bestseller lists and specialty bestseller lists.

Larry Abramoff credits his "mid-life crisis" as a catalyst for some new directions at his bookstore. After founding Tatnuck Bookseller & Sons in Worcester, Massachusetts, 27 years ago and expanding to five locations (including the main store, which houses a full-service restaurant and publishing company), Abramoff was ready to do some event retooling.

This month, the New York Times began sending Book Cash checks as a gift to consumers who upgraded from a trial to a full subscription to the newspaper. It is expected that the Times' Book Cash check, which is good for $10 towards payment for any book purchase, will be distributed to as many as 20,000 consumers. Booksellers could start seeing customers with the checks as early as this week.

By Neal Coonerty

As a savvy and experienced bookseller, you should be able to name the best-selling single item in your bookstore in the last 12 months. Until I investigated, I couldn't.

First, I immediately thought about titles of hot books, but our best-selling book sold 845 paperback copies in the last year and wasn't even close to our number-one selling item. In fact, I found out that we sold 4,969 copies of our best-selling item last year, almost six times the number of our best-selling book.

By Carl Lennertz

Tip of the Week: Booksellers are reporting that they have had great success tucking a copy of the current 76 flier into titles waiting on the hold/special order shelf.

Sales News: Here's an update from data gathered from 350 indies. (Booksellers: Some of this information went out by e-mail Tuesday; let me know if you're not getting that e-mail, along with the national list and the "On the Rises." Publishers: Let me know if you're not getting the list on Tuesday.)

Hardcover Fiction: