Industry News

Retail sales for bookstores for December 2002 continued the decline that started last October. December bookstore sales of $2,160 million fell 1.7 percent behind the $2,197 million of December 2001.

By contrast, overall retail sales experienced a modest increase. Overall retail sales for December of $351 billion was 4.2 percent better than the $337 billion of the previous year.

December is the 11th month in a row in which bookstore sales failed to keep up with overall retail sales.

New Travel System and $30 Day Passes for ABA Bookstore Members

Traveling and registering for BookExpo America (BEA) has never been easier or more cost efficient. For the first time, BEA show organizers will be offering one-day passes to ABA bookstore members for the show, which will be held from May 30 - June 1 in Los Angeles.

Scholastic's "Harry Potter Bookseller Desk" has released a fact sheet answering a number of key questions regarding the publication of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is scheduled to be published on June 21, 2003.

Included in the FAQs is information regarding shipping, delivery requirements, Scholastic's on-sale date contract and affidavit, carton quantities, and more.

Arguments to Be Heard in the Supreme Court on March 5

The American Library Association's (ALA) and American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) legal challenge of a federal library filtering law, which will be heard by the Supreme Court in March, continues. On Monday, February 10, ALA and the ACLU filed their response to the U.S. government's brief appealing a lower court's ruling that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is unconstitutional.

Other groups present the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Pulitzers … now readers in Red Lodge, Montana, population 2,000, can boast their own awards, the Lodgies. The awards are the brainchild of author and bookstore owner Gary Robson. The "First Annual Top Authors of Red Lodge Awards Ceremony" was held in January at the Elks Club in downtown Red Lodge.

Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, by Jane Leavy (HarperCollins), was selected on Thursday, February 13, as the next title to be read by the USA Today book club.

Today is the last day to submit nominations for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards (BSBY) via fax or online form. Ballots returned via mail had to be postmarked no later than Friday, February 7.

Every current ABA-member bookstore is entitled to nominate five books in each category: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Illustrated Children's, Rediscovery, and Paperback Book of the Year.

An Exclusive Money-Saving BEA Hotel Deal for ABA Member Booksellers

Getting the best housing deal possible at BookExpo America is always a major concern for independent booksellers. This year, BEA management, together with ABA, has found a great solution for any ABA member bookseller interested in the best hotel value at the show.

Below is an outline of the most recent changes to the ABA Book Buyer's Handbook online.

Publishers can update their online listings and add special offers at any time using the Publisher Editing Tools at http://handbook.bookweb.org/pubhome.jsp. Questions about access to the editing features of the Handbook online should be e-mailed to [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 1263 or 1261.

On Thursday, February 6, approximately 30 booksellers attended an ABA Booksellers Forum, held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA), at Weber's Inn in Ann Arbor, Michigan. According to a number of attendees, ABA's sales tax fairness initiative was the hot topic of the discussion.

Scholastic announced today that the suggested retail price for the next Harry Potter title, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be $29.99.

The fifth book in the bestselling series by J.K. Rowling will be published on June 21, 2003. The title will have 38 chapters and will be over a third longer than Rowling's previous book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This week over 560 independent booksellers nationwide joined ABA President Ann Christophersen in signing letters urging their state governors and other elected officials to immediately take steps to enforce state tax laws fairly and uniformly. Specifically, the letters call for states to require retailers with a physical presence in their respective states to collect sales taxes on online sales. (To read the full text of the letter, click here.)

On Thursday, February 6, NBC News' Today Show announced that the eighth selection of its monthly "Today Book Club" is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor). The title was an Autumn 2002 Top Ten Book Sense Mystery 76 pick.

New York City's independent bookselling landscape continues to change. On the heels of news that Oscar Wilde Bookshop was sold and Bluestockings Women's Bookstore may close, New York City's Coliseum Books announced that it is set to reopen in a new location directly across from the main branch of the New York Public Library. The store signed a lease with Tishman Speyer last Friday. Coliseum owner George Leibson told BTW, "I'm euphoric in signing a new lease, but also terrified. I'll probably be running on adrenaline for quite awhile."

Last week, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) President and Publisher Jonathan Galassi announced that the company was dropping its commission sales rep network and that accounts visited by a commission rep would now be served by the Holtzbrinck Publishers Sales Group. The move affects titles published by both FSG and its distribution clients. The FSG in-house sales force will remain intact.