BTW News Briefs

Mary Gordon Wins the Story Prize

On February 28, The Stories of Mary Gordon (Pantheon Books) was named the winner of the third annual Story Prize at the packed New School's Tishman Auditorium in New York City. The Lives of Rocks by Rick Bass (Houghton Mifflin) and In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders (Riverhead Books) were the other contenders for the award.

During the evening's festivities, the three finalists read from their books and discussed their work onstage with Larry Dark, the director of The Story Prize. The winner was announced by the prize's founder, Julie Lindsey, at the end of the program.

"It's a joy to celebrate the form of the short story," Gordon told the audience when she accepted the award, $20,000 -- the largest first-prize amount of any annual U.S. book award for fiction -- and an engraved silver bowl. The other two finalists, Bass and Saunders, each received $5,000.

Established in 2004, The Story Prize annually honors the author of an outstanding collection of short fiction. Eligibility is restricted to collections (containing at least two stories and/or novellas) by a living author, written in English.

The three finalists for The Story Prize were selected by Dark and Lindsey from among 65 books, representing 44 different publishers and imprints, entered for consideration in 2006. Among the three judges who selected the winner was former ABA President Mitchell Kaplan of Florida's Books & Books.

Elaine Katzenberger Named City Lights Executive Director

On March 1, City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, cofounded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953, announced that Elaine Katzenberger will replace Nancy J. Peters as executive director. Katzenberger joined the staff at City Lights in 1987. Since that time, she has served in a number of capacities: In the bookstore she was a bookseller, book buyer, and facilitated financial operations. In the publications wing of the business, she began as marketing director and quickly assumed a major editorial role. Since 2004, she has been vice president and associate director of City Lights. She will now serve as executive director, vice president, and editorial director of City Lights Publications.

Peters began at City Lights in 1971 in the editorial department. She became editorial director in 1982, and co-owner of the business and executive director in 1984. She will continue to serve on the Board of Directors.

Amazon.com Invests in Shelfari

On February 28, Shelfari, a social media site for readers, announced that it had completed its Series A round of funding and among the lead investors was Amazon.com, "along with several other strategic angel investors."

Launched in October 2006, Shelfari provides bibliophiles with a new place to meet online. Proceeds from the financing will be used to fund site development, sales and marketing initiatives, and general administrative costs.

Shelfari also announced the formation of its board of advisors. These individuals include Alex Algard, founder of CarDomain.com and WhitePages.com; Geoff Entress, an experienced entrepreneur and venture investor; Brad Feld, a managing director at Foundry Group; Andy Sack, a co-founder of Judy's Book; and Kelly Smith, a partner in Curious Office. Stefan Pepe, director for Amazon's Books & Magazines stores, is joining the Shelfari Board of Directors.

Multiple Sclerosis Society Names Best Self-Improvement Books

This week, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced the recipients of the "Books for a Better Life Awards" at the 11th annual Books for a Better Life Awards benefit at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Manhattan. The awards honor the best self-improvement books of the preceding year and raise awareness and funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

This year, 45 finalists in nine categories were selected by a panel of experts. Among the categories are inspirational memoir, motivational, psychology, relationships, spiritual, wellness, the Suze Orman first book, and childhood/parenting. The list of this year's winners is available on the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website.