BTW News Briefs

Newmarket Announces Special Offer

Newmarket Press has announced a special offer on the July Indie Next List title How Shall I Tell The Dog?And Other Final Musings. Booksellers will receive an additional discount of three percent on their first order of How Shall I Tell The Dog? by Miles Kington (Newmarket Press, July 2009).

To take advantage of this special offer on five copies or more, an order must be placed by August 31, 2009. This offer applies to one order only and is available only to retailers. Purchase orders must include the Promo Code DOGR3, and booksellers should not include other titles on the order. The minimum order is five copies.

Scholastic Offers Downloadable Harry Potter Summer Activity Kits

In advance of the July 7 paperback release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Scholastic has made available a downloadable Harry Potter poster and summer activity kits. The first kit focuses on the paperback release on July 7. The second kit contains general Harry Potter activities for new readers to enjoy throughout the summer.

The 12-page "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Paperback Release Event Planner," downloadable here, offers general planner tips plus "reproducibles to turn what is sure to be a magical day into a spectacular event." The 12-page "Harry Potter: It's Your Turn to Join the Adventure Event Planner," downloadable here, similarly offers planning tips and general planner tips.

Two Longtime Bookstores Announce Closings

This week, on his store website, Karl Pohrt announced, "On the advice of my accountant and my business manager, I am closing Shaman Drum Bookshop June 30. Despite a first rate staff, a fiercely loyal core of customers, a very decent landlord and my own commitment to the community of arts and letters in Ann Arbor, it is clear to me that the bookshop is not a sustainable business." Shaman Drum Bookshop had been in business for 29 years.

Pohrt stressed, "In spite of the downturn in the economy, Ann Arbor continues to be an excellent book town. There are wonderful independent stores here (Crazy Wisdom, Nicolas's Books), fine specialty book stores (Vault of Midnight, Aunt Agatha's) and great used bookshops (Dawn Treader, West Side Books, Motte & Bailey). They need your support." He explained that over a year ago, Shaman Drum had begun a process to become a nonprofit center for the literary arts, and that he is "decoupling Shaman Drum Bookshop from the Great Lakes Literary Arts Center, which should simplify and streamline our IRS application. I will pursue this new venture after we close the store."

And in Appleton, Wisconsin, John Zimmerman announced the closing of the 113-year-old Conkey's Book Store. Zimmerman wrote on the store site: "It has been a hard decision to make. Nevertheless, as the fifth proprietor of this establishment, and as the previous owners before me have done, we have given it our all. We take pride in our part of bringing famous authors and illustrators to the area, providing new and local authors a place to sign and sell their new works, and above all, bringing people and books together for several generations. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and your families, friends, and neighbors. "

Google Book Deal Probe Heating Up

Based on recent requests to Google and publishers, there are signs that the Justice Department might try to block or "force a renegotiation" of the Google Book Settlement, the Wall Street Journal reported recently. The Justice Department has sent formal Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to publishers and Google Inc. for information about the deal, WSJ noted.

In October, 2008, the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and Google announced a settlement agreement in a class-action suit brought by book authors and the Authors Guild and a separate lawsuit filed by five publishers representing AAP's membership. The lawsuits, filed in fall 2005, challenged Google's plan to digitize, search, and show snippets of in-copyright books and to share digital copies with libraries without the explicit permission of the copyright owner. As part of the settlement, Google agreed to make payments totaling $125 million that will be used to establish a Book Rights Registry to resolve existing claims by authors and publishers and to cover legal fees. U.S. copyright holders whose works have already been digitized will be able to register and receive compensation from institutional subscriptions, book sales, ad revenues, and other possible revenue models, as well as a cash payment.

The settlement drew criticism from groups like the European Booksellers Federation, as well as some industry execs, who fear that the deal will give Google "broad copyright immunity" and inhibit competitors from entering the market for digital titles, WSJ reported. A New York publishing executive told WSJ that the Justice Department is requesting documents about pricing, digital strategy, and conversations with other publishers related to the Google settlement.

Pritzker Military Library Literature Award Announcement to Be Webcast

The third annual Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing will be announced via live webcast on Monday, June 22 at 1:00 p.m. Central/2:00 p.m. Eastern (time subject to change) at www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org. The $100,000 honorarium, citation and medallion, sponsored by the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, will be presented at the Library's annual Liberty Gala on October 24, at Chicago's Palmer House Hilton.

The Pritzker Military Library Literature Award recognizes a living author for a body of work that has profoundly enriched the public understanding of American military history. The recipient's contributions may be academic, non-fiction, fiction, or a combination of any of the three, and his or her work should embody the values of the Pritzker Military Library. To learn more, visit www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org.