BTW News Briefs

Nominations Open for CBC’s Teen Choice Book Awards

The Children’s Book Council is now accepting nominations from readers for the 9th Annual Teen Choice Book Awards. The five titles that get the most votes will become the finalists for the Teen Choice Book of the Year. 

Voting for the winner will be open from March 8 to April 25, 2016.

Booksellers can also help spread the word that nominations are open using these sample tweets and Facebook posts: 

• Nominate your favorite YA titles now @Teenreads.com! svy.mk/1QfIeop@CBCBook #CCBA16
• Voice your choice! Nominations for @CBCBook’s Teen Choice Book Awards are open through Feb. 2 @Teenreads.com! svy.mk/1QfIeop #CCBA16

Learn more about the nomination process here.

Books-A-Million Becomes Private Company Again

Books-A-Million is once again a private company, according to AL.com, which noted that shareholders who control 89 percent of the Birmingham, Alabama, company’s common stock had voted in favor of the move.

In an announcement on Thursday, December 10, the company affirmed that Clyde B. Anderson will stay on at the company as executive chairman of the board and as a director, and Terrance Finley will continue to serve as president and CEO. 

The Anderson family already owned 58.2 percent of Books-A-Million. In January, the company announced that Anderson had offered to acquire the necessary shares to take the company private again; in July, Books-A-Million announced it would start the process of closing the $21 million deal.

Ingram Acquires Aer.io

Ingram Content Group has acquired Aer.io, a service that allows publishers, retailers, and authors to sell and fulfill print and digital book orders directly to readers via their websites, blogs, and social networks.

“The addition of Aer.io addresses our customers’ growing desire to connect more directly with their readers,” said Marcus Woodburn, vice president of digital products at Ingram Content Group. “Aer.io extends the sales network of anyone with a web presence — whether a publisher, author or bookseller — and will provide the ability to sell content worldwide.”

Through Aer.io’s marketing platform Aer.io Flyer, publishers, authors, and booksellers can promote e-books and print books with a direct link to buy, taking advantage of access to the full inventory of Ingram’s e-book and print-on-demand catalog, as well as the on-the-shelf inventory at Ingram distribution centers in the U.S.

Penguin Random House Raises #GiveaBook Campaign Level to 50,000 Books

With less than two weeks remaining in its annual #GiveaBook charitable social media campaign, Penguin Random House (PRH) has raised the donation limit from 35,000 to 50,000 books for children in need during the holidays.

For a second year, PRH invited people to use the hashtag #GiveaBook on Facebook and Twitter between Monday, November 16, and Thursday, December 24. The initiative has already resulted in more than 34,500 #GiveaBook hashtags and social media posts. For every use, Penguin Random House will donate one book to the literacy charity First Book.

On December 15, Penguin Random House author Celeste Ng tweeted a message announcing the increase in the donation limit. Other Penguin Random House authors backing #GiveaBook on Twitter include Anthony Marra, Gretchen Rubin, Margaret Atwood, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

New for this year’s campaign is The Giving Map, an online searchable map where visitors can find out where they can make a donation at a local bookstore or library.

For book retailers and librarians, the #GiveaBook website offers shareable marketing materials and resources.

For details about how to donate, click here.