Hardcover History to Return in March With a New Look

Hardcover History, the partnership of Book Sense and The History Channel, will return in March with a new look, a new book, and a chance for booksellers to get lucky. The book, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich (Free Press), is the next selection for the Hardcover History series, which pairs programming with reading. The companion show, Breaking Vegas, will air on The History Channel sometime in May.

The History Channel is also sponsoring a bookseller display contest for Book Sense Hardcover History Participants. The prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas, including airfare and hotel. Look for materials to participate in the promotion in the February White Box.

This month, participating bookstores will receive a reusable 5" x 7" Lucite frame, which can either be hung on a bookshelf or set on a counter to display a mini-poster promoting each month’s featured titles and shows. In addition, booksellers will continue to receive Hardcover History bookmarks, which can now be kept at the cashwrap or used as bag stuffers. Both the bookmarks and the mini-posters will be distributed in Book Sense White Box mailings. Booksellers will also be able to download the posters in a PDF format from BookWeb.org to print and insert in the sleeve.

A mini-poster which promotes each month’s featured titles and shows will be distributed in Book Sense White Box mailings.

Also new for 2004 will be expanded online promotional pages on both The History Channel and BookSense.com sites. The History Channel will add a tag line to the end of each program's promotional page to encourage viewers to visit their local store with Book Sense to learn more about the show’s topic.

To be eligible to win the Las Vegas trip, booksellers participating in the Book Sense program should submit photos, digital or print, of their Hardcover History display for April or May. Digital photos, approximately 3" x 5" and 300 dpi, saved as JPEG or TIFF files, may be e-mailed with the subject line "Hardcover History Display Contest" to Associate Director of Book Sense Marketing Meg Smith at [email protected]. Print photo submissions may be mailed to Meg Smith, ABA, 828 South Broadway, Tarrytown, New York 10591. All entries must contain full store name and address, e-mail, contact name, and telephone number, or they cannot be considered for the contest. Representatives of The History Channel and Book Sense will choose the winner. The length of stay and other details of the trip are to be announced. The deadline for the contest is June 15.

Stores that have previously participated in the Hardcover History promotion will continue to receive materials, but a confirmation of interest in the program is requested. To confirm continued participation, or to begin participating, stores with Book Sense should send an e-mail with the subject line "Hardcover History Materials Request" to Meg Smith at [email protected].