By Neal Coonerty

Whew, this Christmas stunk! Or, to be more precise, this Christmas retail season really stunk. As we closed the doors of our bookshop at 7:00 p.m. after an exhausting Christmas Eve, our sales were down 5.6 percent. Not only was the season bad, it was scary. On December 14, our sales were running nearly 10 percent down, and we were wondering if it might get even worse.

Anyone with doubts as to the popularity of gift certificates and books among holiday shoppers should check out the 2002 American Express Retail Index (AERI) on holiday shopping. According to AERI, gift certificates and books rank in the top five of items consumers plan to give or hope to receive this holiday season.

The January/February 2003 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, on sale January 14, will include a Book Sense ad featuring the title Old Flames by John Lawton (Atlantic Monthly Press, 0871138646). Virginia Powers of Olsson's Books in Washington, D.C. provides the Book Sense recommendation.

Another Lawton title, Black Out (Penguin, 0142002763) is also featured in the ad.

For a downloadable PDF of this and other recent Book Sense ads in print, click here.

By Bob Sommer

"The Book Sense Gift Certificate potential is still woefully untapped, and ... we are still sending $$$$$$$ to the chains ... every day." -- Carl Lennertz, ABA

The December 9 issue of The New Yorker, which goes on sale December 2, will include the latest Book Sense insert, "Booked for the Holidays," as well as a full-page ad featuring the November/December Book Sense 76 Top Ten and a smaller ad highlighting Book Sense pick Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford (Crown Publishers).

The December 9 issue of The New Yorker, which goes on sale December 2, will include the latest Book Sense insert, "Booked for the Holidays." The special feature presents the holiday picks of 13 independent booksellers, and the titles are drawn from the November/December Book Sense 76 list. (The full 76 can be reviewed here.)

By Peter Schertz, co-owner of Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colorado

Last week, Book Sense and the History Channel announced that Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colorado, was one of three bookstores recognized for their efforts in orchestrating a Fire on the Mountain fundraising campaign (for full story, click here). In the following article, Peter Schertz, co-owner of Maria's Bookshop, details the store's winning promotional campaign, and the steps taken to create it.

By Carl Lennertz

November/December 76 Picks just out:

The flyers are still on press, but will be mailing soon, and here is a reminder about the November/December Top Ten picks already out: