BTW News Briefs

NRF Reports Gift Cards Continue to Be a Popular Holiday Request

The National Retail Federation (NRF)'s 2006 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that the average consumer plans to spend $791.10 this holiday season, up from $738.11 last year. Shoppers will also take advantage of sales and discounts during the holiday season to spend an additional $99.22 on themselves. The survey also noted that gift cards will continue to be a popular request: 52.8 percent of respondents said that they would like to receive a gift card this year.

According to the report, most shoppers' wish lists will include traditional favorites, from clothing and accessories (53.3 percent) to books, CDs, DVDs, videos and video games (55.2 percent). While the majority of shoppers continue to say that everyday low prices and sales or price discounts bring them into stores, more shoppers this year said that other factors like customer service, product quality, and merchandise selection are the most important when determining where to shop. Additionally, 6.5 percent of shoppers said they choose stores with the most convenient location. NRF continues to forecast that holiday sales will increase 5.0 percent this year to $457.4 billion.

Eleanor Lerman Wins Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize

On October 17, the Academy of American poets and The Nation magazine announced that Eleanor Lerman's collection Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds (Sarabande Books) was chosen to receive the 2006 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, which awards $25,000 to the most outstanding book of poetry published the previous year. Eleanor Lerman published her first book of poetry, Armed Love (Wesleyan University Press), in 1973 when she was 21.

Mystery of New Pittsburgh "Bookstore" Solved

Last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on a "new bookstore" -- The Book Barn, located at Richland, Pennsylvania's Richland Mall -- that cannot and will not sell books to customers: The storefront was built as a set for the movie, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which is filming in and around Pittsburgh. "The set is so realistic," the newspaper noted, "many shoppers have tried to enter to look for books."

According to the Post-Gazette, disappointed customers have asked clerks at the nearby supermarket when the store was going to open, and members of the movie crew are asked similar questions each day, producer Jason Mercer told the paper.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is based on bestselling author Michael Chabon's novel of the same name, published by Harper Perennial.

Stephen King MWA's Newest Grand Master

The Mystery Writers of America have announced that Stephen King will receive its highest award: the Grand Master Award, which recognizes important contributions to the mystery field over time and a significant output of consistently high quality. King will receive the award at the 61st Annual Edgar Banquet to be held on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.