Indie News is edited by Michael Coffey andKevin Howell; e-mail us at PWIndieNews@reedbusiness.com
Dem's Fightin' Words
Accuse an esteemed poetry-only press of overdoing it on the W.S. Merwin and you know the fur's gonna fly. A review in the venerable ("since 1912") and increasingly feisty Poetry called out Copper Canyon Press for its "super-sizing" (545 pages) of Merwin's new and selected poems. "Reading Migration," said the reviewer, David Biespiel, "is like walking into a massive, overcrowded retrospective," giving Biespiel cause to wonder what's behind Cooper Canyon's urge to "publish and republish" Merwin, whose work has nowhere fallen out of print. That was in November, before the book won the National Book Award. This month in Poetry, both Copper Canyon editor Michael Wiegers and marketing director Joseph Bednarik defended their big book in passionate terms. But they needn't have done more than refer Biespiel to no less hip a dude than Jonathan Lethem, who in a November NYTBR essay called for just this kind of book from major writers—omnibus treasuries—and gently chided publishers for making only limited homage in uniform editions for writers like Italo Calvino and Henry James. As for Copper Canyon's publishing acumen, the market seems to approve. Migration has sold 15,000 copies after a first printing of 7,500. Wiegers told PW, "After the NBA, we remained cautious. We amassed 11,000 in backorders before ordering another printing. We were careful. We did it right this time," he said, having been burned by heavy returns after their Ruth Stone won the NBA for poetry in 2002. "Orders rush out," he said, "returns rush in." But Migration seems permanent.
Bookseller/Rep of the Year
If you're looking for an outlet to sing the praises of a favorite bookseller or sales rep, PW is seeking nominations for our 13th annual Bookseller of the Year and Rep of the Year awards.
Nominees for Bookseller of the Year should operate a professional storefront retail bookstore in the U.S. Nominations are due by midnight, January 29.
Nominations for Sales Rep of the Year are open to both phone or in-person salespeople, as long as that person is someone you use for information, guidance and support. Share a story or provide an example of your rep's commitment to excellence. Get your nominations in by midnight, January 31.
Nominations should be submitted to Donna Paz Kaufman at dpaz@pazbookbiz.com or faxed to (904) 261-6742. Include your name, phone number and industry affiliation. Candidates cannot nominate themselves. Your nomination will be included with the packet of materials used by the jury to select this year's winners.
