BTW News Briefs

IndieBound to Launch in U.K. Next Week

IndieBound is set to launch in the United Kingdom next week, according to The Bookseller. Meryl Halls, head of membership services for the Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom & Ireland (BA), told the audience at the London Book Fair's Independent Initiatives Seminar on Tuesday afternoon, that the marketing campaign was both "quirky" and "intelligent."

Last November, ABA announced it would be working with the BA to facilitate the IndieBound campaign in the U.K. Under the arrangement, the BA is licensing IndieBound marketing materials for use by members of its Independent Booksellers Forum.

The Bookseller noted that 200 registered booksellers would be receiving an IndieBound point-of-sale kit, including bookmarks, posters, paper bags, and campaign materials, and an IndieBound website for booksellers was scheduled to go live next week.

ABC Announces 2010 E.B. White Read-Aloud Shortlist

The Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) has announced the shortlist for the 2010 E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. The winners will be announced at ABC's Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction at BookExpo America on Tuesday, May 25.

Picture Books:

• 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (Peachtree)
• Once Upon a Twice, by Denise Doyen, illustrated by Barry Moser (Random House)
• Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated), by Florence Heide Parry, illustrated by Lane Smith (Random House)
• The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Older Readers:

• Leaving the Bellweathers, by Kristin Clark Venuti (EgmontUSA)
• Tumtum and Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Mouse Hall, by Emily Beam, illustrated by Nick Price (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., by Kate Messner (Walker)
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Voting Open for 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards

The Children's Book Council is inviting children, teachers, booksellers, and librarians to cast their ballots for the 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards. Votes can be cast online at www.bookweekonline.com/voting between now and May 3. The winners will be announced at a gala event hosted by author Mo Willems in New York City on Tuesday, May 11, in conjunction with Children's Book Week (May 10 - 16).

Information and resources for celebrating Children's Book Week are available at bookweekonline.com.

Macmillan to Publish Online Catalogs via Edelweiss

On Tuesday, Above the Treeline announced that Macmillan would publish selected frontlist catalogs on the web via Edelweiss, its interactive publisher catalog system.

With the addition of Macmillan's frontlist titles, Edelweiss said that its web-based publisher catalogs would now encompass more than 50,000 titles across 750 imprints from over 27 publishers.

Retailers, librarians, publicists, and other end users of publisher catalogs will be able to review a selection of Macmillan's fall 2010 titles, including the Henry Holt Adult, Picador, St. Martin's Griffin and Roaring Brook Press catalogs, via Edelweiss by the end of April.

Consortium Adds Four Publishers

Consortium Book Sales & Distribution has announced the addition of four publishers to its list of distribution clients for the fall 2010 season. Titles from Ballistic Publishing, Frame Publishers, Monster Girl Media, and Totem Books will be available from Consortium, a member of the Perseus Books Group, beginning June 1.

SBA Extends Recovery Lending Through May

Last Thursday, President Obama signed legislation providing $80 million in additional funding to continue enhancements in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 7(a) and 504 loan programs. Established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the enhancements include a higher guarantee on some SBA-backed loans and small business fee relief. SBA estimates the $80 million will support about $2.8 billion in small business lending under the programs.

In February 2009, SBA received $730 million to help small businesses, including $375 million to increase the SBA guarantee on 7(a) loans to 90 percent and to reduce borrower fees on most 7(a) and 504 loans. The funds for these programs were exhausted in November 2009, and additional funding was authorized several times. Under the new extension SBA may continue to reduce loan fees in its 7(a) and 504 programs and to provide higher guarantee levels on 7(a) loans through May 2010, or until the funds provided under the bill are exhausted.