Publisher News

This past fall, HarperCollins Publishers' backlist promotion "Harper Celebrates Six Years of Book Sense Selections" benefited both booksellers and publisher. Participating retail accounts earned an extra discount when they promoted select Harper backlist titles that had appeared on the Book Sense lists. "The promotion ranks as one of the more successful retail promotions we ran last year," said Jeanette Zwart, vice president of field sales for HarperCollins. "We were very, very pleased with the results."

Advanced Marketing Services Files Chapter 11

Southern California Booksellers Association Announces Name Change

At the end of November, Pubnet unveiled Instant Response, a program that gives booksellers immediate acknowledgement for purchase orders placed with participating publishers. Instant Response was also introduced as an alternative to direct electronic order (DEO) dial-up systems, which some publishers will be phasing out after the introduction of ISBN-13 in January 2007.

Whether they are called gifts or sidelines, non-book products added to a bookstore's inventory mix can help boost the bottom line. In this second of a two-part series, booksellers share some of their consistent top-sellers not only for the holidays but year-round.

Throughout the holidays, sidelines -- with their healthy margins and appeal to impulsive shoppers -- are the gifts that keep on giving ... back to bookstores. After the rush, many of the staples, including candles, puppets and plush toys, travel guides, and music CDs, continue to boost the bottom line year-round.

In this first of a two-part series, booksellers share their consistent top-sellers for the holidays and beyond.

"The 500 booksellers who will be attending the American Booksellers Association's Second Annual Winter Institute in Portland, Oregon, on February 1 and 2 will be the beneficiaries of the generosity of more than 30 sponsors.

Pubnet, an electronic ordering option for booksellers from Bowker, has announced the introduction of Instant Response, a program that gives booksellers immediate acknowledgement for purchase orders placed with participating publishers. In addition, Instant Response is designed to serve as an alternative to a publisher's direct electronic dial-up ordering system. According to Pubnet, it is anticipated that some publishers will be phasing out such systems after the introduction of ISBN-13 in January 2007.

Simon & Schuster has become the newest Publisher Sponsor of the American Booksellers Association's Second Annual Winter Institute, which will be held in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2, 2007. Simon & Schuster is providing financial support for the institute and is sponsoring a scholarship that will be awarded randomly to an ABA member bookseller who has an account with the publisher.

When it comes to Book Sense Picks, Unbridled Books is on a roll: Twelve of its last 21 titles have garnered the necessary support from independent booksellers in the Book Sense program to be selected as Picks -- including, in September, small acts of sex and electricity by Lise Haines and, in October, Goodnight, Texas by William J. Cobb.

Canadian publisher Groundwood Books has created The Groundwork Guides, a new series of "edgy, opinionated guides" for teen readers about important political and social issues.

Booksellers on the East and West coasts are holding screenings for Indies Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore, an award-winning documentary film about the struggles of independent booksellers in California's Bay Area.

As stores gear up for a busy holiday season, retail experts predict the popularity of gift cards will continue to increase. Last year, the National Retail Federation reported that, in 2005, consumers spent $18.48 billion on gift cards during the holidays, an increase of almost seven percent from the previous year.

HarperCollins Publishers recently launched a new promotion, "Harper Celebrates Six Years of Book Sense Selections." Between September 15 and November 3, 2006, retail accounts may earn an extra discount to promote select Harper titles that have appeared on the Book Sense lists.

Houghton Mifflin is calling on booksellers "of all stripes" -- including managers, owners, and frontline staff -- to participate in its "Best American Comic Drawing Contest."