Book Sense

Following the participation of Firehouse.com, the leading fire and emergency services Internet portal, there is growing consumer awareness and interest in the Book Sense and History Channel "The Fire on the Mountain, Campaign for Communities: Firefighter Fundraiser" promotion.

By Carl Lennertz

Sales news from data gathered this week from 350 indies.

Hardcover fiction:

To watch:

For over 400 years, shipwrecks have landed hapless voyagers on the shores, or in the waters, of Bermuda. Now thousands come eagerly on titanic cruise ships to enjoy the sand, surf, and shops of the balmy island. As the boats reach port in Hamilton, Bermuda's capital and only city, those looking out can see the sign for The Bermuda Book Store awaiting them on the corner of Front and Queen streets.

NBC's The Today Show has announced that the latest selection of its book club is A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel (Broadway Books). In its Doubleday hardcover edition, Kimmel's memoir of small town life was a Book Sense 76 Top Ten selection for the March/April 2001 list.

Click here to view this list in a downloadable PDF format.

By Carl Lennertz

Tip of the Week:

Like the Car Guys and their Puzzler, Tip Guy is still on hiatus.

Full blurbs are up for the two latest 76s at http://www.bookweb.org/read/1474

Based on the last four weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Thanks to all the stores that report, the new expanded electronic reporting options, and the software our team here has built to sort and slice a ton of data according to BISAC categories, this is the latest of many subject category lists to run in BTW. These are intended as inventory checking tools for booksellers, alerts to publishers as to what’s selling, and lists that the media can run.

The Book Sense Bestseller lists are currently carried in over 60 local and national newspapers and magazines, and each month the number continues to grow. In addition to publishing the national list, national media, industry publications, and local newspapers are carrying Book Sense regional bestseller lists and specialty bestseller lists.

By Carl Lennertz

Knowing that a Monday holiday means an extra hectic week for you, we’d like to experiment this coming September 3 with an extra day of reporting sales to the Book Sense Bestseller List.

This week marks the trade paper publication of Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. The title was an independent bookseller favorite from the moment it was published. It was a No. 1 Book Sense 76 pick and won the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year Award for fiction.

By Carl Lennertz

Tip of the Week:
Like the Car Guys and their Puzzler, Tip Guy is taking the week off, devoting himself only to sales stuff.

Sales news from data gathered this week from 350 indies, and some regional highlights, too:
Look at what news-making book hits SEBA's list!

Book Sense recently welcomed Creative Publishing international to its ever-growing family of Publisher Partners.

Based on the last eight weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Last week, we ran a list for teens and up, so here's one for the Middle Readers. Yes, Harry and Redwall appear on both lists, but there are a lot of great-selling, new and classic books for ages nine to 12. And kudos to Aladdin and their $2.95 paperback reissues.

Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at [email protected] for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

Here's the complete list of the September/October Book Sense 76 to give you a heads up for planning and ordering. Watch future coverage in BTW for the complete list with booksellers’ quotes.

1. THE LAST GIRLS, by Lee Smith (Algonquin, $24.95, 1565123638; in stores Sept. 17) Also Highbridge Audio (1565117018; CD, 1565117026)

2. MIDDLESEX, by Jeffrey Eugenides (Farrar, $27, 0374199698; Sept. 4) Also Audio Renaissance (1559277807)

Based on the last eight weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Here is a fantastic cross-section of SF and fantasy fiction, new and classic, for teen readers up to us oldsters. (Dune is still my favorite book of all time.) Look for The Two Towers to make a run at #1 soon. A few nice surprises on this list.

Next week: A younger readers' fantasy list. (No, that can't include a wish that summer would never end…)