March 20, 2008 most enjoyed handselling during 2007, will be presented at ABA's TABLE OF CONTENTS: annual Celebration of Bookselling on Thursday, May 29, at Hotel • Announcing the 2008 Book Sense Book of the ABA (the Renaissance Hollywood). Year Winners .................................................... 1 "We hope the entire industry will join us at Hotel ABA to honor • ABA Joins Retail Council of New York in this year's Book Sense Book of the Year Award winners," said ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz. "Each is an indie favorite that has Albany E-Fairness Effort .................................. 2 been handsold to customers at ABA member stores during 2007. • BTW News Briefs ............................................. 2 We look forward to applauding these winning authors and • Booksellers Forums in Colorado, Georgia & illustrators for their unique contributions to the diversity of titles Oregon Next Week ........................................... 3 sold at independent bookstores nationwide." • On California Minds: E-Fairness, Localism, Fiction Honor Books BookSense.com ............................................... 4 • The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins) • Hilton Atlanta to Host Spring Book Show, ABA • Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (Knopf/Random House) & SIBA Programs ............................................. 5 • Away: A Novel by Amy Bloom (Random House) • Creating a Compendium of Green Resources • Run: A Novel by Ann Patchett (HarperCollins) .......................................................................... 5 Nonfiction Honor Books • From NY to DC: A Mini Bookstore Tour ........... 6 • The World Without Us by Alan Weisman (Thomas Dunne • Bookstore Sales Up for 7th Consecutive Month Books/St. Martin's) .......................................................................... 6 • Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin • Hotel ABA Reminder ........................................ 7 (Scribner/S&S) • The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam (Hyperion) BOOK SENSE THIS WEEK • The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to • Bestsellers Bookstore & Coffee Co. Thrives on Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs (Simon Courthouse Square .......................................... 7 & Schuster) Children's Literature Honor Books MARKETPLACE • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman • Classifieds ........................................................ 8 Alexie (Little, Brown Young Readers) • Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Young Readers) • Other Advertising .............................................. 8 • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Abrams Books for Young Readers) • The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic) Announcing the 2008 Book Sense Book Children's Illustrated Honor Books of the Year Winners • Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss-Glasser (Illus.) (HarperCollins) March 20, 2008 -- The winners of the 2008 Book Sense Book of • Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long, David Shannon the Year Awards as voted by the owners and staff of American (Illus.) (Harcourt Children's Books) Booksellers Association member bookstores are: • The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis •Fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Frances Foster Books/FSG) (Riverhead/Penguin) • Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney (Viking •Nonfiction: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Juvenile/Penguin Young Readers Group) Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver The Book Sense Book of the Year winners and honor books were (HarperCollins) selected by ABA members from titles most often nominated for the •Children's Literature: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Book Sense Picks lists in 2007. Booksellers were also able to write Selznick (Scholastic Press) in titles on the ballot. Only books published in 2007 were eligible. This year's winners will receive prizes provided by Book Sense •Children's Illustrated: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken 5 Identity by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books for Children) partner Levenger, Inc. , a catalog and Internet seller of high-quality tools for reading and writing. The awards, which recognize the titles independent booksellers In addition to being honored at the Celebration of Bookselling, the Book of the Year winners and honor book recipients are being © 2008 American Booksellers Association. http://news.bookweb.org/ 1 BOOKSELLING THIS WEEK March 20, 2008 invited to ABA's Book Sense Author Luncheon on Friday, May 30, and quality -- not be dictated by special favors to out-of-state at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The luncheon, open retailers." exclusively to stores with Book Sense, is a festive gathering of At a time when New York is facing a budget deficit of more than booksellers and dozens of authors whose books they have made $4 billion, the groups stressed to each lawmaker how the state's past or present Book Sense Picks. Reservations are limited to two unwillingness to enforce existing sales tax laws negatively effects people per bookstore. Since seating is limited, booksellers are crucial revenue streams for the state, and that this situation will urged to make their reservations as soon as possible via an only get worse as the number of people who shop online grows. electronic form on BookWeb.org 6 . Questions regarding the luncheon should be addressed to ABA Senior Director of Publisher Teicher noted that, while it is unclear which provisions will be Initiatives Mark Nichols at [email protected] 7 . --Rosemary included in the final budget, he believed that the legislators with Hawkins 8 whom ABA and the Retail Council met now have a much fuller understanding as to why this issue is so crucial to the financial ABA Joins Retail Council of New York in health of New York State retailers of all types, and to the vitality of Main Street. Albany E-Fairness Effort "With fewer than two weeks before the April 1 budget deadline, it March 20, 2008 -- Following up on letters sent by New York is imperative for New York booksellers to keep the pressure on by booksellers to their state legislators, on Wednesday, March 19, writing to their legislators to urge them to keep the Internet Sales American Booksellers Association staff joined representatives of Tax provision in the final budget," said Teicher. "While there is no the Retail Council of New York in Albany, where they met with guarantee that the budget will be passed by the deadline, currently, key legislators from both the Assembly and Senate in support of there is no indication that this budget will be delayed -- so it is the Internet Sales Tax provision's inclusion in the final state budget. critical to write your legislators now." At the meetings, the groups urged legislators to include in the final budget the Internet Sales Tax provision, which would enforce ABA has created template letters reflecting the latest developments existing sales tax laws by requiring out-of-state retailers like regarding the budget and the Internet Sales Tax provision that New York booksellers are urged to send to their assembly member and Amazon.com to collect and remit sales tax on sales made to New 9 York residents. senator. The letter to the assembly member thanks him or her for keeping the executive budget intact and urges a firm stand on Initially, a series of lobbying events with independent booksellers keeping the Internet Sales Tax proposal in the final budget. The had been planned for the day, but these appointments were letter to a bookseller's state senator 10 urges him or her to reinstate canceled on the recommendation of the Retail Council after the the Internet Sales Tax provision. Booksellers who have already abrupt resignation of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer thrust the written their legislators are being asked to write them again. capitol into an unprecedented state of uncertainty. Before the day's Booksellers can find their assembly member here 11 and find their start, it was unclear how all the upheaval would affect the day's 12 focus, but the meetings with legislators proved to be a positive step senator here . ABA also asks booksellers to send copies of their letters to ABA Public Policy Liaison Dave Grogan at forward for both ABA and the Retail Council on behalf of their 13 14 members. [email protected] . -- David Grogan "We had a long day and some encouraging meetings in Albany with our ABA partners," said Retail Council of New York State BTW News Briefs President James R. Sherin. "With the hard work ahead of us during March 20, 2008 -- the next two weeks, it's important that individual retailers keep up the pressure with letters to their local legislators to let them know Borders, Strapped for Cash, Up for Sale? the importance of this budget proposal and their appreciation for Borders Group may put itself up for sale and has lined up $42.5 the legislature's support to date. The [letter-writing] outreach so far million in loans to help continue operations, according to the has been critical and was an excellent table-setter for today's 15 Associated Press . The second-largest bookstore chain in the U.S. sessions. You can count on the Retail Council to keep up the work is examining a range of possibilities, including selling part of the here in Albany until this budget is done." company or some of the company's divisions, said the AP, which During the day, ABA and the Retail Council met with the offices of noted that Borders has lost book sales to both to online companies State Senators Jeff Klein (D-Bronx), Frank Padavan (R-Queens), and to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Center), Owen Johnson (R-Babylon, and Borders said the financing commitment comes from investment Senate Finance Committee Chairman), and Dale Volker funds affiliated with Pershing Square Capital Management LP, a (R-Depew); Assembly Ways and Means Chairman Denny Farrell major shareholder in Borders, and includes an offer to buy the (D-Manhattan); Assembly member Jim Tedisco (R-Schenectady, company. and Assembly Minority Leader); and the office of Assembly Ways and Means Director Steve Pleydle.