People

Former NCIBA executive director Hut Landon is looking to expand readership for “Hut’s Place,” his weekly e-newsletter focusing on book recommendations.

Oprah’s Book Club selects Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad; Hefner First Amendment Awards seeking nominations; NAIBA names Ian Doherty sales rep of year; Library of Congress National Book Festival to feature 120 authors, illustrators; S&S to distribute Ryland, Peters & Small; Tracy Nelson promoted to S&S director of retail field sales

Hastings Entertainment to close all stores; Ingram launches Ingram Academic Services; IPG to distribute five new publishers; Hachette Book Group reorganizes sales staff; 800-CEO-READ appoints new CEO; Midwest Booksellers Choice Awards winners announced

Minnesota’s Village Bookstore purchased by mall; Page & Palette’s Karin Wilson running for mayor; L.A.’s The Last Bookstore subject of new documentary

Zenith Bookstore to open in Minnesota; Mesilla Book Center marks half a century; Hans Weyandt to manage Milkweed bookstore; Bookstores to celebrate National Coloring Book Day

Steve Bercu of Austin’s BookPeople delivered the keynote speech at the Booksellers New Zealand annual conference earlier this month, where he talked about why bookstores in the U.S. are thriving despite the challenges they face.

At the ABC Children’s Institute, Dominican-American author Julia Alvarez inspired booksellers with the story of her transformation from a poor student and reluctant reader to a prolific novelist and humanitarian.

Award-winning journalist and bestselling humor author Dave Barry kept booksellers laughing at last month’s ABC Children’s Institute with his keynote speech about the fun of writing for children.

Darrin Pratt to lead Association of American University Presses; Sara Nelson to join HarperCollins; Barnes & Noble launches self-publishing platform

Two-time Newbery Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo moved booksellers to tears at the Children’s Institute with her opening keynote “Owning the Power of Stories, Harnessing the Power of Connection.”

Benjamin Rybeck, the marketing manager at Brazos Bookstore, is the author of The Sadness, a debut novel about failure, film, complicated family ties, and the pitfalls of romantic obsession.

Binc Foundation names new development director; Amazon to open third brick-and-mortar bookstore; Patricia Hespanha appointed executive director of HarperCollins Brasil; Scholastic to publish new edition of Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts; Fodor’s Travel sold to Internet Brands 

Tattered Cover co-owner Len Vlahos shared his confidence in the future of independent bookselling in an opening keynote at last month’s Australian Booksellers Association Annual Conference.

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters imagines a present-day America in which the Civil War never happened and slavery is still practiced in four Southern states.