Industry News

In 1998, as a result of the devastation of Hurricane George, many Puerto Ricans were left without power and other services for two weeks. During that time, members of the Muñoz family had the opportunity to consider and reconsider some of their life choices. The five children of an anesthesiologist and an administrator included two physicians, one medical resident, and two lawyers. According to eldest son Carlos J.

Tolkien Banners Still Available

The two-page downloadable PDF file of Book Sense 76 shelf-talkers available at www.bookweb.org/read/2833 now includes shelf-talkers for seven of the top ten titles on the November/December Book Sense 76(http://news.bookweb.org/read/1918). The PDF file also includes a blank shelf-talker (see right) that booksellers can use for their own quotes or for quotes clipped straight from the Book Sense 76.

In September, Stacey's Bookstore in San Francisco celebrated its 80th anniversary with a day-long party replete with a string quartet, a huge cake, and an active popcorn machine, and throughout the month the store's front window featured a rotating exhibition of vintage photographs and memorabilia. Sydney Hannan, a staff member at Stacey's since 1979, joked that the customers had their priorities straight because they came in and immediately asked for cake.

As the California wildfires continue to blaze, BTW received reports from booksellers at San Diego's Mysterious Galaxy and Pasadena's Vroman's Bookstore.

Independent bookstores are renowned for their uniqueness, and independent booksellers for their knowledge and love of books. And, aside from the local independent bookstore itself, nowhere are these traits more apparent than in the Book Sense Bestseller List. Compiled from data gathered from hundreds of independent bookstores with Book Sense, the Book Sense Bestseller List is both timely and distinctive, consistently providing consumers with knowledgeable handsells not often found on other bestseller lists until weeks or months later, if at all.

'Tis the season to be jolly -- especially if you are a retailer. That, at least, seems to be the conclusion of a new National Retail Federation (NRF) survey. The NRF 2003 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch for NRF, found that the average consumer plans to spend $671.89 this holiday season, up 3.6 percent from 2002 when consumers spent an average of $648.85.

BEA Sets Sights on International Growth

On October 28, officials at BookExpo America announced several new programs and initiatives, including hiring a European-based consultant who is a former executive at the Frankfurt Book Fear, to help define and develop BEA's presence in the international publishing community. With the international sales and rights communities viewed as especially important areas of growth, BEA officials note that they are eager to set useful, achievable goals that will have an immediate impact.

The past few months have turned out to be quite volatile for the eBook industry. In June, Gemstar-TV Guide International decided to drop out of the eBook business. This was followed by PalmGear's acquisition of Palm Digital Media, which produces eBook reading software and is an eBook supplier, and, then, Barnesandnoble.com dropped a bombshell in September when it announced that it would no longer carry eBooks.

Although the colors of New England's foliage may have peaked, the enthusiasm of booksellers attending the 30th annual New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) trade show in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 24 - 26 continued to grow throughout the show. The Rhode Island Convention Center was the sole venue for all programming including NEBA's annual meeting, an ABA open forum, and presentation of the 2003 New England Book Awards.

For about five months now, Midnight Special's planned reopening on Second Street in Santa Monica has been hampered by financial woes and unexpected delays. Now, a movie star, a famous slam poet, three independent presses, and a literary arts club want to help put the bookstore back on its feet.

On November 15, the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) will ask central Texas residents to celebrate their independence by foregoing chain-store shopping for one day in favor of local merchants. Local Austin businesses organized the event, Austin Unchained, in an effort to prove that even one day of shopping at locally owned businesses would have a significant economic impact on the city of Austin.