BTW News Briefs

PowerHouse Announces Partnership With Perseus

On September 19, PowerHouse Books announced that it is signing with Perseus Book Group/CDS for trade book fulfillment of both its titles and those of its in-house imprint titles and distributed lines, and for the creation of a development partnership for future projects. Fulfillment to the trade will be effective January 1, 2007, and sales representation will continue through Continental Sales.

In a press statement, David Steinberger, CEO of the Perseus Books Group said, "In partnering with PowerHouse and bringing them onboard as a CDS client, we further strengthen our commitment to serving independent publishers, whether they are stand alone businesses, joint venture partners or wholly-owned Perseus imprints."

Get Caught Reading Photo Contest Winners Announced

On September 14, the Great Lakes Booksellers Association announced the results of the 2006 Get Caught Reading Photo Contest. The winning photographer is Stephanie Cochran of Wilmington, Ohio. Her photo -- which shows two young children, reading back to back in a bench swing -- was submitted to a local Get Caught Reading Photo Contest run by Books 'n' More, Wilmington, Ohio. As winner of the GLBA prize, Stephanie wins one night's accommodations for four at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, site of the GLBA's fall trade show, on October 7. She also wins admission to the Saturday Booksellers Banquet and Sunday morning's Children's Book & Author Breakfast. Books 'n' More also won accommodations and tickets to the trade show book and author events.

Stephanie's winning photo is featured on the "Readers of the Great Lakes, 2006" poster, along with other photos submitted to the contest. The poster is the culmination of this year's contest and is distributed to member bookstores, libraries, and other organizations that promote the joys of reading in our region. The poster and other photos submitted to this year's contest can be viewed at www.getcaughtreadingphotocontest.com.

Bookstore members of GLBA will shortly receive a mailing tube containing four copies of the 2006 "Readers of the Great Lakes" poster, plus a kit for holding a 2007 Get Caught Reading Photo Contest in their stores.

NRF Predicts Subdued Holiday Gains in 2006

This week, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that, despite the fact that consumers have shown a "surprising amount of resilience in 2006," retailers should expect a "more subdued holiday season." According to NRF, total holiday retail sales (retail industry sales that occur in the months of November and December) are expected to increase 5.0 percent over last year, bringing holiday spending to $457.4 billion. In comparison, holiday sales in 2005 rose 6.1 percent, to $435.6 billion.

"Consumers have faced a number of economic challenges this year and have taken them in stride," said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells in a statement. "Although sales gains will not be as robust as last year, retailers can still expect above-average holiday sales growth." Over the last 10 years, the average percentage increase in sales for the holiday season is 4.6 percent. One-fifth of retail industry sales (19.9 percent) occur during the holiday season, making it the most important time period of the year for the industry.