Industry News

In a complex decision that provided neither side with exactly what it wanted, on May 13, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that had declared the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) unconstitutional. In a vote of 8-1, the Supreme Court vacated a decision of the Third U.S. Court of Appeals, which had held that COPA was unconstitutional because the law’s use of "community standards" to identify material that was harmful to minors was "substantially overbroad."

In an atmosphere described by attendees as buoyant and energized, greater numbers of booksellers and industry professionals than in recent years returned to New York for the city's first national booksellers trade show in over a decade. Scheduling considerations placed the show a full month earlier than usual, but few complained about an early spring visit to New York, particularly when the weather turned perfectly sunny and balmy and so many unique activities were within reach.

The millions of fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books might not be able to return to Hogwarts for new adventures until 2003. Rowling spokesperson Rebecca Salt told A.P. on May 9 that the author is unlikely to finish the manuscript of the fifth Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, until the end of the year. "It could be this year and it could be next year," she said.

After 24 months of uninterrupted growth, bookstore sales dropped below their performance of a year ago. Preliminary February sales figures of $1,066 million lagged 8.3 percent behind the $1,163 million of February 2001. This decrease is in stark contrast to the nearly 29 percent increase in sales shown in January of this year.

For the same period, overall retail managed a modest increase. Overall sales of $263 billion for February were 3.5 percent over the $254 billion for the previous February.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has announced that it is extending its online auction and adding many autographed items from BookExpo America, including concert posters signed by the Rock Bottom Remainders -- Stephen King, Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, and Kathi Kamen Goldmark. The Remainders performed at New York's Webster Hall on Saturday, May 4.

In the competitive world of publishing, independent presses, as always, face a number of challenges. At this year’s BookExpo America, held May 1-5 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, many indies acknowledged this reality, yet were quick to point out the benefits of being independent. Sporting a cheery yellow shirt and tie, and a smile to match, Ten Speed Press CEO Philip Wood noted, "It’s a difficult time, but also a good time, to start and have an independent press. The new technology has democratized the business….

Big crowds were moving through the trade show floor all day Saturday collecting galleys, autographs, and totebags.

And the Winners Are….

At this year's Celebration of Bookselling at BookExpo America, Leif Enger's Peace Like a River (Atlantic Monthly) won the Book Sense Book of the Year award as best adult fiction title.

The winner for adult nonfiction was Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House), and the winner of the rediscovery award -- presented for the first time this year -- was given to My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett (Random House).

Competing as smarter retailers has become a key strategy for independent booksellers, and the almost 400 independents attending a full day of ABA special educational programming at BookExpo America filled panels and seminars to hear the latest on everything from marketing and inventory control to the "best ideas" in newsletters and staff development. In addition to the panels on business operations and personnel issues, there was an extensive offering of programming on children's bookselling and African-American bookselling.

Thursday, May 2, will mark the beginning of a very busy New York City visit for independent booksellers and others in the book publishing industry as BookExpo America opens at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Set to run from May 2 - May 5, the show will feature full days of networking, educational panels, meetings with publishers on the busy trade floor, and lots of opportunities to hear authors discuss their latest works.

Anne Irish, longtime bookseller and the interim executive director of the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC), has now been named the association's executive director, following the work of a search committee headed by Dennis Ronberg of Linden Tree Children's Recordings and Books in Los Altos, California.

In the mid-1970s, Irish founded Pooh Corner in Madison, Wisconsin; 20 years later she sold the business but continued working for the new owners. In January 2001, she left the company.

At this year’s BookExpo America, the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) will honor Becky Anderson Wilkins, co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, with the 2002 Charles S. Haslam Award for Excellence in Bookselling. The annual award is given to a bookseller who "has achieved excellence in the field," and includes a $1,000 cash prize and plaque. Incoming ABA President Ann Christopherson will present the Haslam Award at the ABA Celebration of Bookselling, held from 5:30 p.m.

ABA has announced that David Walker of Washington, D.C., an independent consultant in the book industry, will be working with the association on matters relating to industry relations.

Walker has been an independent consultant for the past five years. During that time, he worked with ABA on a number of projects, including the processing of claims relating to the Penguin lawsuit settlement.

Prior to becoming an industry consultant, Walker was general manager of Olsson's Books in Washington, D.C. He worked at Olsson’s for 11 years.

On Saturday, May 4, while booksellers attending BookExpo America at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center are visiting publishers, grabbing advance readers’ copies, and networking, Annie Bauman will be ladling Kool-Aid at the grand opening of Village Books in Roslindale, Massachusetts. The 900-square-foot store is opening in a resolutely independent community midway through its renaissance.

The Christian Science Monitor has expanded its coverage of things Book Sense-related with the publication, in its April 25 edition, of the Book Sense Poetry 76 Top Ten. The paper regularly includes the Book Sense Fiction and Nonfiction Bestseller lists in its Books section and has also published select Book Sense Specialty Bestseller lists.