BTW News Briefs

SSUTA Pays Dividends for Michigan

The Jackson Citizen Patriot reported recently that, since joining the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, Michigan has taken in $5.5 million in Internet sales tax revenue. According to the article, state officials reported that $6.9 billion in sales tax was collected during the 2004 - 2005 fiscal year. Officials also estimated that Internet purchases might be costing the state in the neighborhood of $600 million annually in unpaid sales tax, so while $5.5 million is a good start, it's only a "fraction of what is arguably attainable," the article noted. Michigan is one of 14 states that are cooperating. Member states have agreed to make changes that make it easier for businesses to collect sales taxes.

MBA Announces 2006 Midwest Booksellers' Choice Awards

The Midwest Booksellers Association this week announced the winners and honorable mention recipients of the 2006 Midwest Booksellers' Choice Awards.

The winners are:

• Fiction: The Painted Drum, by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins) 
• Nonfiction: The Children's Blizzard, by David Laskin (HarperCollins) 
• Poetry: Good Poems for Hard Times, Selected & Introduced by Garrison Keillor (Penguin) 
• Children's Picture Book: Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt)
• Children's Literature: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (Candlewick)

The Midwest Booksellers' Choice Awards honor authors from the MBA region and/or books about the region, which includes the states of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

The awards will be presented formally on September 28, during MBA's annual trade show in St. Paul, Minnesota.

SCBA Announces 2006 Award Finalists

On August 31, the Southern California Booksellers Association (SCBA) announced the finalists for its fifth annual SCBA Book Awards. The winners will be announced at SCBA's 2006 Authors Feast & Fall Trade Show, to be held on Saturday, October 21, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Michael Palmer Receives Wallace Stevens Award

On September 5, the Academy of American Poets announced that Michael Palmer was the winner of AAP's 2006 Wallace Stevens Award. The $100,000 prize recognizes outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry. For more information, visit www.poets.org.

Ron Powers Named VP at Lightning Source

Lightning Source Inc., a subsidiary of Ingram Industries Inc. and a provider of demand-based book manufacturing and distribution solutions to the book industry, recently announced the appointment of Ron Powers to the position of vice president of sales and client services, effective September 1. Powers has over 20 years experience as an executive in both book publishing and distribution. Prior to joining Lightning Source, he held key executive positions at Ingram Book Group.