Industry News

Free speech groups, educators, parents, librarians, authors, and publishers continue to criticize New York State's Education Department, Board of Regents, and legislature, for the altered and deleted wording in literary passages on the state-mandated English Language Arts Regents Exam. In a letter dated January 6, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and many others, restated their objections.

Bookstore retail sales for November 2002 continued the downward slide begun in October. November sales of $1,173 million lagged 4.8 percent behind the $1,233 million for November of the previous year.

While not robust, overall retail sales managed to eke out a slight gain. Overall retail sales for November were $303 billion, or 1.7 percent better than the $298 billion of the previous year.

November is the 10th month in a row in which bookstore sales failed to keep up with overall retail.

Here are the top 50 of ALL bestsellers -- hardcover, paperback, and children's combined -- at America's independent bookstores from November 25 to December 29, 2002.

Of note: The top two bestsellers, both novels, summarize the independent bookstores' power to sell both the literary surprises of the year, as well as the commercial blockbusters thought to be the province of the mass merchandisers.

When Kayt and Donald L. Huttlin, Jr. purchased a house on Second Avenue in Lexington, North Carolina, one of the selling points was its close proximity to Frazier's Bookstore. Kayt Huttlin, a former librarian, had always been a book lover, so she enjoyed the idea that she could just pop into the community bookstore on a whim.

Just over six months later, Huttlin enters the store not on a whim, but with a purpose: She's one of Frazier's new owners.

The long-awaited new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by British author J.K. Rowling, is scheduled to be published on June 21, 2003, Rowling's publishers announced today. The fifth book in the bestselling series will have 38 chapters and will be over a third longer than Rowling's previous book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

By Chris Finan, ABFFE president

With only five shopping days remaining before Christmas, Vermont bookseller Linda Ramsdell took a day off. It was not a mental health day. In fact, she longed to stay in her store selling books.

On Friday, January 10, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would hear Nike v. Kasky. The court's decision is good news for a group of prominent media and free expression organizations that filed an amicus brief in support of Nike in mid-November. The groups, which include the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), contend that the case has serious First Amendment implications. "I think it's good that the Supreme Court will be hearing [Nike v. Kasky]," Theresa Chmara, counsel for ABFFE, told BTW.

Booksellers should be aware that the New York Times Book Cash Certificates expire on January 31, 2003. Times Book Cash checks were sent as gifts to consumers who upgraded from a trial subscription to a full subscription to the newspaper and are good for $10 towards payment for any book purchase.

I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother: A Novel, by Allison Pearson (Knopf), was selected on January 9 as the next title to be read by the USA Today book club.

Here 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 handbook@bookweb.org or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 1263 or 1261.

Hundreds of booksellers nationwide have signed on to an ABA letter calling on U.S. governors in the 45 states that collect sales tax to enforce existing tax regulations by making sure that retailers with a physical presence in their states collect sales tax on online sales. Close to 300 booksellers have already responded to an e-mail last week from ABA COO Oren Teicher about the communications effort.

BookExpo America (BEA), in partnership with the Open eBook Forum (www.openebook.org), will present the eBook Experience, a unique business and learning environment, at this year's convention in Los Angeles, May 29 - June 1. The special interactive center will provide book industry professionals with the opportunity to learn about the latest digital technology on display by participating exhibitors.

Jason Starr, it would seem, is the perfect author to help kick off Vintage Crime/Black Lizard's ambitious 2003, 13th-anniversary campaign, "The Year of the Lizard."

On Monday, January 13, NBC News' Today Show announced that the seventh selection of its monthly "Today Book Club" is Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (Delta trade paperback, 0385337639; Dial hardcover, 038533611X). The title was a Top Ten 2002 March/April Book Sense 76 pick. Mary Higgins Clark, who appeared on the popular morning show with Lawson, chose the book.

The citywide book club trend, which began in Seattle six years ago, continues its remarkable popularity, with new community-reading initiatives sprouting up around the nation at an amazing pace. When BTW first published a listing of citywide book club initiatives in March 2002, there were 45 community-reading events listed. Eleven months later, the number has almost tripled, and now lists 124 cities, counties, or states that have organized (or are organizing) events that encourage communities to read the same book at the same time.