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Picture This: Our ALA Photo Essay
With a record number of attendees turning out for the ALA’s annual conference last weekend, there were plenty of photo-ops with children’s book authors. Read on to peruse our ALA photo essay, in which we’ve rounded up some of the highlights of the author appearances, featuring Ashley Bryan, Florence Parry Heide (who celebrated her birthday at the show), Neil Gaiman, Lauren Myracle, Kadir Nelson, Sharon Robinson, Brian Selznick, Lane Smith, Melissa Sweet and many others.
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Scholastic Stars Read, Joke with Librarians
"Cher? Cher who?" But Avi—that’s a one-word name my 12-year-old daughter knows. She got to speak with the Newbery winner last Sunday, at Scholastic’s author brunch during ALA. But before Jazzy met Avi, she and more than 300 librarians waited and talked outside Ballroom E at the Marriott in downtown Chicago. "Those librarians are just as loud as the people they tell to be quiet," Jazzy noted.
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Settlement Likely in E-Reserves Case?
In its initial suit, publishers charged that Georgia State University's e-reserve system was far too liberal, making over 6,700 total works available for some 600-plus courses without permission of the copyright holder. But recent developmenrts, including the adoption of a more conservative copyright policy at the school and a June 22 protective order by the judge limiting the plaintiffs’ discovery, could force a resolution.
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Broadway Contest Will Send a Teacher to Antarctica
To promote a forthcoming book on the environment, Broadway Books is sending one American or Canadian teacher on a trip to Antarctica. Robert Swan, author of 2041: My Quest to Save the World’s Last Wilderness, which Broadway will publish in October, is leading the trip, dubbed the 2041 International Antarctic Treaty Expedition, in November.
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Booksellers Celebrate Independents Week
Rainy Day Books and Anderson's Bookshop are two of many bookstores with events marking Independents Week.
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Retailers Enjoy Big Bounce
Led by a remarkable rebound by book retailers, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index jumped 23.9% in the first six months of 2009, easily beating the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which declined 3.7% in the January through June period. Borders Group, whose stock spent the end of 2008 trading below $1, had the best performance on the PWSI with its share price skyrocketing 820%, as investors expres...
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Barnes & Noble.com Launches Bookstore iPhone App
Users can purchase items, view B&N Recommends lists, watch video interviews with authors and access other features of BN.com.
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Chelsea Green Sets Up Wish List for Librarians
Online wish list will let patrons buy Chelsea Green titles to contribute to local library.
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Carl Weber Expands Urban Books Company
At a time when the number of bookstores is shrinking and regional chains have all but disappeared, Carl Weber is opening more African-American bookstores as part of his four-year-old Urban Knowledge brand. And in May he launched Beach Reads, the first of what he plans to turn into a chain of general bookstores with strong African-American sections, with a second store set to open in August.
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Alexander Street and Arcadia Publishing Launch Online Local History Collection
Electronic publisher Alexander Street Press and local history book publisher Arcadia Publishing are collaborating on a research website that will collect images and text from every region and state in the U.S. and many areas of Canada. The site will eventually contain more than one million searchable images, including photos, postcards and maps.
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Blue Marble Celebrates 30 Years
The Blue Marble, a children’s bookstore located in Ft. Thomas, Ky., celebrated its 30th anniversary with an in-store celebration Saturday, June 20. Seventeen local authors and illustrators spent the day mingling with customers. The daylong celebration culminated in a dinner that included the day’s featured authors, past and present store employees, a few sales reps, and friends of the store from the community.
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Springer Lets Library Patrons Buy Paperback Versions of E-books
The academic publisher has extended its MyCopy eBook service to all academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada that have purchased Springer e-book collections. Registered library patrons can order paperback copies of Springer e-books at www.springerlink.com.
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Online Cookbook Store Jessica's Biscuit Going Strong
Jessica’s Biscuit stocks a dizzying array of cookbooks, from brand new releases to award winners to more obscure titles (for instance, there are eight books listed under its “Alaskan Cooking” category). Books are priced low, with most new books coming in just below Amazon’s prices. How does the Newton, Mass., company do it? “We buy right,” says the COO. Nearly 30 years of experience in cookbooks has taught the company to be smart and cautious, and it has paid off.
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NECBA's Pub Crawl: Two Publishers, One Day
Given the early hour at which the New England Children’s Booksellers Advisory Council kicked off its June 10th meeting, aka Pub Crawl, it’s probably just as well that co-chairs Kenny Brechner, owner of Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Me., and Vicky Uminowicz of Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, Mass., weren’t thinking of that kind of pub.
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Tor Launches Online Bookstore
Science fiction/fantasy publisher Tor has launched an online bookstore, selling Tor books as well as books published by other houses. In keeping with the "publisher-agnostic" attitude of Tor.com, the Tor.com Store offers science fiction and fantasy media from most major publishers, the only requirement being that books relate to the genre.
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McGraw-Hill Education Announces Digital Initiative
McGraw-Hill Education today announced the creation of its Center for Digital Innovation, a research and development center that will focus on bringing technology to elementary and secondary classrooms. The Center will be led by McGraw-Hill Education’s team of former teachers, engineers and software developers.
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ReadingGroupGuides.com Releases Survey Results
ReadingGroupGuides.com recently conducted a survey of book club members and found that 83% of groups read both hardcovers and paperbacks, and that at least half of book club members are on Goodreads or Facebook.
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Bookseller Teams with New Publisher on Obama Book
Chicago bookseller John Presta has written a memoir that combines his experiences as a bookseller with his participation in President Barack Obama's early campaigns. The Elevator Group, located near Philadelphia, will publish it in January.
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Bookstore Sales Down Again in April
Bookstore sales fell 2.6% in April, to $969 million. For the first four months of 2009, bookstore sales were down 3.8%.
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Shaman Drum Silenced as of June 30
Plunging textbook sales and a weak economy are forcing Karl Pohrt to close Shaman Drum bookstore after 29 years.
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