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"Southern
Review of Books Archives" hyperlink at the bottom of this page. The search
engine for the current edition and archives may be accessed by the button
at the bottom. The
Southern Review is edited by Noel Griese. The author of 17 books and
numerous articles on various subjects, he has been a newspaper reporter
and editor and has taught English and journalism at the Universities of
Wisconsin and Georgia. Elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi,
he holds three degrees in English and journalism.Welcome
to the
an online
newsletter for publishers, authors, book lovers and booksellers
Vol. 8, No. 10 October 2010
Index (scroll down for stories)
1. Bible, Chairman Mao vie for lead on list of 25 best-selling books
2. Forbes names the 10 highest-paid authors in America
3. Breaking news from the book barons
4. Six-year-old boy gets 23-book contract? Sure, and pigs fly!
5. Blair hops to this side of the Atlantic to promote ‘A Journey’
6. News about bookstores, publishing, marketing
and promotion
7. Books to movies and movies about books
department
8. How bad is it – and what is the book
business doing to cope?
9. Subsidized Rice University Press dies despite all-digital approach
10. We get letters: Readers respond to
top-selling books
11. The publishing revolution: News of e-books
and other new media
12. E-book deal between Wylie Agency and Amazon is no more
13. Book on Muhammad rushed into e-book to exploit Muslim controversy
14. Godin gives up on traditional book publishing, sets sights on e-books
15. Oxford English Dictionary may never again be published as book
16. Graphic novels and comics news
17. Marketing books: what’s new, what works and
what doesn’t
18. Milestones: Records and news of note in book
publishing
19. News of chicanery, dishonesty and tort-feasing
in the book business
20. Writer sued by Penguin over failure to meet deadline on biography
21. Indiana AG sues New Century Publishing of Indianapolis for deception
22. News from trade shows, book fairs and book
festivals
23. GABBS panelists in Boston discuss benefits of bargain books
24. Jonathan Franzen keynotes AJC Decatur Book Festival in Atlanta
25. 2010 Guadalajara International Book Fair set for Nov. 27 launch
26. Leadership Consortium, Tony Rose partner in 2011 Phoenix Book Fair
27. Major upcoming trade shows, book fairs and
book festivals
1. Bible, Chairman Mao vie for lead on list of 25 best-selling books
In the last issue of the Southern Review of Books, we published a list of the 15 top-selling books of all time first published in the Huffington Post.
While that list was a noble attempt, it contained some serious omissions.
Following is a revised list based on compiling the Huffpo list with lists from Wikipedia (http://tinyurl.com/2ko72b), Russell Ash’s Top 10 of Everything, Publishers Weekly and direct contacts with some publishers still active.
We’ve expanded the original Huffpo list to 25 titles (26 if you count the tie for 25th place) to better show where the original 15 fell.
The additions to the original Huffpo list are shown in boldface.
A word of caution. It is extremely difficult to establish precise sales of contemporary books, and virtually impossible to establish exact sales of books published long ago. So the list below of the top-25 is no more than a best guess as to actual worldwide sales.
While it’s virtually impossible to compile a completely accurate list of the top sellers of all time, if you have a candidate you think we’ve left out, email us the details at custserv@anvilpub.com. Be sure to include the numbers.
The list below is a measure of book popularity – and, in some cases, of the willingness of government or private institutions to print and give away copies. It is not a list based on literary merit. Most literary scholars agree that the greatest works of world literature were written by Homer, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Goethe. None of their works made the top-25 list – but perhaps would have if accurate statistics were available.
In the list below, we’ve counted only single-title books, no serials – with the exception of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wikipedia counts the trilogy as one book, but other lists count it as three books.
The list includes two monoserials (books that are intermittently revised as opposed to being reissued annually). The monoserials are Baden-Powell’s Handbook for Boys, which has undergone so many revisions that it’s difficult to say that the most recent edition is the same book as the original, and Noah Webster’s American Spelling Book (Webster’s Dictionary). We have excluded serials such as the World Almanac and Guinness Book of World Records, which otherwise would surely have made the list. It also excludes Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, a monoserial that had estimated sales of 55 million in 2003 and has likely sold millions since then.
So here is the list, submitted humbly in the knowledge that some candidates that made the list may be out of order, and some that should have made the list did not.
1. (Possible tie) The Bible. Multiple authors. There is no single version of the Bible. The books of the Jewish canon date to centuries before the Common Era, while those of the Christian canon were for the most part finalized in the fourth century CE. Total production, including all translations, is estimated at 6 billion.
1. (Possible tie) Quotations from Chairman Mao (The Little Red Book). Chinese, 1964, 800-900 million copies worldwide. A collection of quotations from Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong put together by the People's Liberation Army. One source says 6.5 billion copies were printed and shipped, which would put the publication in competition with worldwide Bible distribution
3. The Qur’an. Arabic. This ancient Islamic religious text has had over 800 million copies produced.
4. (tie) Xinhua Dictionary (primary editor Wei Jiangong). This Chinese dictionary, first published in 1957, is said to have sold over 400 million copies.
4. (tie) Chairman Mao’s Poems, Mao Zedong. First published in China in 1966, 400 million copies in print.
6. Selected Articles of Mao Zedong, first published in China in 1966, 252.5 million copies
7. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens. English, 1859, 200 million copies.
8. (tie) Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship, Robert Baden-Powell. English, 1908, 150 million copies.
8. (tie) The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien. This cult classic by an Oxford professor was published in 1954-1955 and has sold 150 million copies worldwide.
8. (tie) The Book of Mormon, multiple authors, translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. Religious text published in 1830, over 150 million copies worldwide.
11. (tie) The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, Jehovah’s Witnesses/Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York. Published in English in 1968, 107 million copies.
11. (tie) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling. The first novel of J.K. Rowling's famous "Harry Potter" series sold over 107 million copies after its 1997 publication.
13. (tie) And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie. Published in 1939, this murder mystery has sold about 100 million copies.
13. (tie) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien. Published in 1937, 100 million copies
13. (tie) On the Three Representations, Jiang Zemin. Published in China in 2001, about 100 million copies.
13. (tie) Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin. China, 18th century, 100 million.
13. (tie) American Spelling Book, Noah Webster (1783). Up to 100 million copies sold.
18. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis. English, 1950, 85 million.
19. She, H. Rider Haggard. English, 1887, 83 million.
20. (tie) The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown. This wildly popular but historically inaccurate thriller is said to have sold over 80 million copies since its publication in 2003.
20. (tie) Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Published in French, 1943, 80 million.
22. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. English, 1951, 65 million.
23. (tie) O Alquimista (The Alchemist), Paulo Coelho. Portuguese, 1988, 65 million.
23. (tie) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling. "The Half Blood Prince" was the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series. English, 2005. 65 million copies.
25. (tie) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling. Second installment of the Harry Potter series, 1999, over 60 million copies.
25. (tie) Steps to Christ, Ellen G. White. English, 1892, 60 million.
The following books on the original Huffington Post list of the top-15 sellers of all time did not make our list of the top-25.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling. Third installment of the Harry Potter series. 55 million copies.
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling. Fourth book in the Harry Potter series. 55 million copies worldwide.
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling. Fifth book in the Harry Potter series. 55 million copies worldwide.
4. Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Lew Wallace. English, 1880. 50 million copies.
(Ed. Note: A version of this story originally appeared in “Publishing Perspectives” newsletter under the byline of the Southern Review of Books editor Noel Griese.)
2. Forbes names the 10 highest-paid authors in America
In an August article posted on its Web site, Forbes named the 10 authors in America who earned the most money in the 12 months ending June 1, 2010.
Teenie-bopper fans of Stephenie Meyer’s megabuck Twilight series were likely surprised that Meyer did not top the list of authors’ earnings. But the vampire author, who had one novella and one movie issued in the 12-month period, did make second place.
According to Forbes, the author who had the highest earnings is fiction author James Patterson. He reportedly earned $70 million in the 12 months. That number includes his contract to write 17 more books by the close of 2012. That deal alone is worth about $100 million. Overall, Patterson, 63, has sold more than 170 million books worldwide.
Reuters reported that Forbes took books, film rights, television, gaming deals and other income into account when preparing the list of the top- earning authors.
Third place went to Stephen King, who pulled down $34 million, while romance writer Danielle Steel earned $32 million, putting her in fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Ken Follett, who made $20 million in the 12 months.
Dean Koontz was 6th with $18 million, and Janet Evanovich made $16 million. John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks and J.K. Rolling finish up the top 10 earning authors in the world in the last 12 months.
The full list from the Forbes Web site:
1. James Patterson, $70 million
A former junior copywriter at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, Patterson is intimately involved in cover designs and marketing of his own books, although he just outlines the plot and lets others do the writing. One out of every 17 novels bought in the U.S. is authored by Patterson. Over the past two years, he has made some $500 million for his publisher, Hachette.
2. Stephenie Meyer, $40 million
Last fall, Meyer's novels were fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh on USA Today's bestseller lists. Her four-book series, Twilight, has sold 40 million copies in the U.S. and 100 million worldwide. In June the third Twilight film posted the most successful first week box office return of any movie of 2010. Also in June: release of a novella by Meyer entitled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.
3. Stephen King, $34 million
Among King's current projects: a deal with DC Comics to co-write a comic book series; a musical with John Mellencamp; and a drama series with the SyFy network based on his novella The Colorado Kid.
4. Danielle Steel, $32 million
Steel has four new hardcovers out this year and gets an average $7 million advance per book. Among other income she earned this past year: a reported $1 million settlement from her former assistant, who was convicted of embezzling $760,000 from Steel.
5. Ken Follett, $20 million
Follett's The Pillars of the Earth was adapted to a TV series budgeted at $40 million that premiered in July on HBO starring Donald Sutherland. Follett often sets his novels where he lives. He has homes in Stonehenge, London, Antigua and South Africa. Follett's wife was Britain’s minister of culture under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
6. Dean Koontz, $18 million
Koontz's latest book, The Husband, came out in May and was optioned to Focus Features and Random House Films. Forty-four of his novels have been New York Times bestsellers.
7. Janet Evanovich, $16 million
Evanovich may rank seventh, but her selling power is comparable to James Patterson - about 20 million of her titles sell annually. St. Martins failed to agree to a $50 million advance she asked for this year, prompting her to leave her publisher of 15 years and sign a new deal with Ballantine Bantam Dell.
8. John Grisham, $15 million
Grisham's new legal thriller, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, is his first aimed at the tween market. Earlier this year, Grisham's entire 23-title backlist made its digital debut as a Random House e-book.
9. Nicholas Sparks, $14 million
One of the top-selling romance genre writers, Sparks has sold 55 million books. Film adaptations of his novels such as Nights in Rodanthe and Message in a Bottle have also done well. Movies made from Sparks' books have grossed $300 million.
10. J.K. Rowling, $10 million
The Harry Potter series made Rowling the world's first author-billionaire. Existing book sales are still making money for Rowling, although not as quickly.
We invite book lovers, book sellers, chain and specialty store buyers, wholesalers, book distributors, acquisition librarians and K-12 media specialists to browse our catalogs. We're currently offering more than 1,000 titles - with more than one million copies in inventory with a retail value in excess of $14 million. We list new titles, backlist titles, pristine remainders and, occasionally, lightly scuffed returns from book stores. Our Spring Book Show Catalog and Great American Bargain Book Show Catalog are devoted exclusively to remainders and returns. The Summer and Winter Catalogs are devoted to new and backlist titles, with an occasional remainder. The following hyperlink will take you to the mixed skids and bargain book catalog: Mixed Skids Catalog (especially for people marketing books in online stores)
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3. Breaking news from the book barons
It’s rare that Time magazine features an author on its cover, but that’s what happened with its Aug. 23 issue. To celebrate publication of his 4th book, a photo portrait of novelist Jonathan Franzen graced the issue. His third book, The Corrections, published in 2001, and given a boost by an appearance on “Oprah!,” was the literary phenomenon of the decade. It sold nearly three million copies. His fourth novel, Freedom, was released at the end of August. Like The Corrections, it's the story of an American family… Rhonda Byrne’s new Book, The Power, released in mid-August, had 924,000 advance orders prior to publication. Byrne, for those who don’t remember her, is the author of the best-selling The Secret, which sold 19 million copies. According to the Wall Street Journal, Atria delayed the e-book release for some "fine tuning." Byrne will not be doing television interviews in support of the book, so Atria has prepared a campaign of TV ad spots… Another big release: Scholastic announced that it has sold more than 450,000 print and e-book copies of Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay in the first week on sale, and has gone back to press for another 400,000 copies. Print sales in outlets tracked by Nielsen BookScan, representing about 70 percent of the retail market, were a little over 350,000 copies in the first five days of sale through Aug. 28. That’s even better than the early sale of Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in May, or the 350,000 units sold in the first two days of release in June of Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Little, Brown Children’s.
4. Six-year-old boy gets 23-book contract? Sure, and pigs fly!
A number of worldwide newspapers and online news outlets in late August, particularly in Great Britain, carried a story about 6-year-old Leo Hunter, who is said to have been offered a 23-book deal with a U.S. publisher worth thousands of dollars after he supposedly wrote a book titled Me and My Best Friend about him and his dog.
Among the UK newspapers that were taken in whole cloth by the story were the Daily Mirror, The Sun and The Daily Telegraph. Among the many U.S. outlets falling for the fraudulent story was MediaBistro’s GalleyCat site – which has since retracted the story.
A story by reporter Paul Whyatt at the “This Is Derbyshire” Web site in the UK originated most of the new urban legend that generated worldwide media coverage.
According to that story, Leo’s mother, Jamie Hunter, a novelist who lives in Derbyshire, England, and writes under the pseudonym J.S. Huntlands, “gave her literary agency Leo’s tale, and they brought it to the attention of U.S. publisher Strategic Book Publishing,” which then offered the alleged 23-book deal.
As to Jamie Hunt’s author credentials, she wrote a novel about domestic violence, Nick: Twisted Minds, which she paid to publish with U.S. "pay to play" subsidy press AuthorHouse.
According to TheCelebrityCafe.com, Strategic Book Publishing liked Leo’s book so much that they agreed to a contract in which Leo will receive “20 percent from early sales of the 25-page books. But this will rise to 50 percent if more than 500 are sold.” Leo supposedly will write under the same pseudonym as his mother, J.S. Huntlands, to protect his privacy.
Trouble is, the story is a hoax. Mom Jamie published Me and My Best Friend in July 2009, when son Leo was only 4. In the introduction to the book, she writes, “Thank you to my son for the inspiration to write this series.”
The book has gone just about nowhere since published. On Sept. 5, after the story had moved worldwide, the paperback children’s book was ranked #6,099,472 on Amazon.com in the U.S, about as bad as an Amazon ranking can get. That climbed slightly as word of the hoax spread, to an Amazon.com ranking of 380,491 on Sept. 16, and then began a rapid descent back toward six million by Sept. 18.
As for a publishing deal, Robert Fletcher, the CEO in Strategic Book Group, responding from China, where he attended the 2010 Beijing Book Fair, said there were no contracts at his company with Leo Hunter.
TheCelebrityCafe.com royalty story is not quite right either. According to Hunter's contract, she gets royalties based on net (not gross) of six percent on sales up to 300 copies, 15 percent on sales from 301 to 1,000, and 20 percent on sales of 1,001 up. She can buy copies of her book for $10 each, but the book is selling new on Amazon for $5.51, so to make a profit, she'd have to sell the books herself for well over $10.
AEG Publishing/Strategic Book Group has two imprints. Strategic Book Publishing, which offers a conventional contract along the lines of some Lulu.com contracts, had 568 titles listed on Amazon on Sept. 16. Eloquent Books, which uses a very different type of contract, had 1,824 titles listed on Amazon on Sept. 16.
Many authors believe that publicity sells books, and that any publicity is good publicity. Here we have a story that went around the world, in all probability resulting in millions of impressions. Did all that publicity sell any books? Not very many, if we look at the Amazon rankings. Despite all the publicity, there has been little movement of the book.
There's a place for "pay to play" publishing in the
world, where the author pays to publish, just as there's a place for traditional
publishing, where the publisher pays the author royalties. Granny Smith, who has
written a memoir for the grandchildren and knows nothing about publishing, would
probably do best paying to have her life story packaged and published. An author
interested in making money would in most cases do better with a traditional
publishing contract.
(Ed. Note:
A version of this story originally appeared in “Publishing Perspectives” newsletter
on Sept. 13 under the
byline of Southern Review of Books editor Noel Griese. The story was revised on Sept. 16 and again on Sept. 18 for the Southern
Review of Books.)
We currently have more than four dozen publishing properties listed or listing. For further information about our listings or about selling your publishing property, please click Publisher Brokerage PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE GUIDEBOOK in business for 30-plus years for sale. Popular with high school counselors, the guide had revenues of $175K in 2009. Title sells 9,000 copies per year. Retiring owners took out $80K in salaries in 2009. Ideally positioned for new owner to add e-book version to current paper edition. Asking $250K, which includes inventory in stock. Contact Noel Griese at Anvil Brokers, 770-938-0289, 1-800-500-FLAG or ngriese@anvilpub.com.
NICHE PUBLISHER WITH 23 TITLES in infertility and
adoption area. In business for 29 years, primary emphasis is on books dealing
with creating a family. Distributed by Ingram, with e-book versions
distributed by Smashwords. Owners are retiring. Revenue in fiscal 2008 was
$103K, with revenues 2003-2009 averaging $191K per year. Asking price of $200K
includes $94K in inventory at cost. If interested, call Noel Griese at
770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG, or email
ngriese@anvilpub.com. PUBLISHER OF GLB BOOKS WITH BACKLIST OF MORE THAN 75 TITLES eager to sell for age and health reasons. In business for more than 20 years, with established list of brick and mortar and online customers. Gross revenues in 2009 of $50K est. Asking price of $125K includes $90K in inventory at cost – so you’re buying a viable niche publishing house with a 20-year track record for $35K. Owner willing to finance up to 50% of purchase price for approved buyer. Contact ngriese@anvilpub.com or 1-800-500-FLAG. INVESTORS SEEKING INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE(S) to acquire for use in testing innovative marketing strategies. Contact ngriese@anvilpub.com or 1-800-500-FLAG.
PROFITABLE PUBLISHER OF REGIONAL BOOK TITLES. In business for 30 years,
primary emphasis is on pictorial history books, including ethnic cookbooks,
of Midwestern interest. Currently has 25 titles in print. Distributed by Big
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Revenue in fiscal 2008 was $735K, with net income before taxes of $96K .
Asking price of $660K includes $450K in inventory at cost. If interested,
call Noel Griese at 770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG, or email
ngriese@anvilpub.com.
INVESTORS SEEK TO BUY PUBLISHING
HOUSES WITH $1 TO $5 MILLION IN SALES. Have two clients with cash available
seeking to expand through acquisitions. Prefer houses with 50 or more titles
in print, established sales record. Houses based in U.S. preferred, but will
consider foreign acquisitions as well.
Contact Noel Griese at
ngriese@anvilpub.com, phone 770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG.
DAILY NEWSL PUBLISHER SEEKS TO EXPAND by buying backlist titles or a company in the recovery/addiction/self-help category. The price for acquisition of a publishing company (as distinct from specific titles) would be up to $150,000. Contact Noel Griese at ngriese@anvilpub.com, phone 770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG.
INVESTOR PARTNER
SOUGHT. Book publisher in
ESTABLISHED NEWSLETTER AND BOOK PUBLISHER FOR SALE: Lucrative newsletter dealing with hot current issue, with national and overseas circulation and peripheral information products for sale. In business for 34 years. Assets include copyrights to a number of books and reports related to the core newsletter, which covers privacy issues. Loyal following, 90 percent plus renewal rate. Revenues of $65K in 2007. Approx. value of inventory at cost: $9K. Asking $165K. Contact Anvil Brokers for prospectus and other information. Email ngriese@anvilpub.com or call 770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG.
ESTABLISHED PUBLISHER OF TIGHTLY FOCUSED TRADE BOOKS AND TEXTBOOKS FOR FOR SALE: Financially sound West Coast publisher, 25 titles in print, with associated self-publishing operation. Gross revenues $1.045 million in 2007. Discretionary cash flow after expenses, taxes and owner draw of $42K was $302K in 2007. Organized as sole proprietorship. Includes approx. $49K in inventory at cost. Owner wants to devote more time to a nonprofit. Asking $1.0 million with minimum 50% down, security for balance. Won't last long! For information, email custserv@anvilpub.com or call 770-938-0289. LEADING U.S. PUBLISHER of Afro-American nonfiction for sale. Highly profitable, real estate included. Email ngriese@anvilpub.com or call 770-938-0289 if interested.
DEEP DISCOUNT IN ASKING PRICE FOR EAST COAST
PUBLISHER. We have a listing for an East Coast publisher of 27
nonfiction titles, mostly in the self-help and general nonfiction areas,
with some memoirs. Topics include aging, death & dying, education,
health, fa LITERARY AGENCIES WANTED: Successful East Coast literary agency seeks to expand by acquiring other agencies in the $5K-$250K gross revenue class. Candidates should be willing to disclose list of author clients, publisher clients, agency financial data. Contact Noel Griese at ngriese@anvilpub.com or 770-938-0289 or 1-800-500-FLAG. FOR SALE: Sub-S publisher with 50 titles in print (mix of mostly fiction, some nonfiction), strong online presence. Includes rights to one title being made into major movie this year. Titles distributed by Ingram and Baker & Taylor. Owner wants more time for his own creative endeavors. Revenue in 2004-2006 $75K plus. Sale price includes $25K in inventory at cost. Asking $229,800, but all offers will be considered. Owner willing to finance balance with 50 percent down. Email ngriese@anvilpub.com or call 1-800-500-FLAG. My partner and I together have sold more than 100 businesses. We'd be happy to put you on our contact lists if you'd like to be notified of new listings. Just email us at either custserv@anvilpub.com or anvilpub@earthlink.net to let us know you'd like to be added. |
5. Blair hops to this side of the Atlantic to promote ‘A Journey’
Tony Blair has generated considerable publicity on both sides of the Atlantic following the release on Sept. 1 of A Journey: My Political Life.
The book, for which Blair was paid a $7.5 million advance (which he is donating
to charity) is expected to rank as the bestselling UK political memoir ever.
In the book, Blair admits to deep emotions over the UK's participation in the
Iraq war, saying he has wept over war dead. But, he writes, "I can't regret the
decision to go to war... I regret with every fiber of my being the loss of those
who died. Tears, though there have been many, do not encompass it." He adds "on
the basis of what we do know now, I still believe that leaving Saddam in power
was a bigger risk to our security than removing him and that, terrible though
the aftermath was, the reality of Saddam and his sons in charge of Iraq would at
least arguably be much worse."
Blair reportedly opted to promote the book in the U.S. in order to avoid demonstrations planned in Great Britain to protest the book and his actions.
6. News about bookstores, publishing, marketing and promotion
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, about 125,000 people still work at
bookstores and news dealers.
Another 75,000 work in book publishing. With writers increasingly
self-publishing in electronic format, how many publishers will still be left two
years from now? How many bookstore employees will still have jobs in two years?
Stay tuned… Eva Gabrielsson will not give up the manuscript of Stieg
Larsson's fourth novel easily. Gabrielsson was Larsson’s "best friend, lover
and collaborator of 32 years." She told the Daily Mirror that because the
author died without a valid will, under Swedish law his estate went to his
estranged father and brother. She estimates they've received upwards of £25
million (US$38.9 million) while she hasn't gotten a penny. "Stieg would never
have imagined something like this would've happened," said Gabrielsson. "I mean
the success is something extreme - no one could've foreseen this." The Daily
Mirror reported that Larsson's final manuscript is her leverage now.
"Everyone wants to get their hands on it," she said… In a move similar to
letting restaurants write their own food reviews, the San Diego Union Tribune
let go its arts and book critic, and now allows four area bookstores -
Warwick's, Mysterious Galaxy, The Book Works and The Yellow Brick Road - to
write its book reviews. Each week starting with Aug. 22, one of the stores takes
its turn recommending and writing about a title. Should be interesting to see
how that goes.
June DiMaggio, niece of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and a close friend of Marilyn Monro  e
for 11 years, tells untold stories of the two legendary and very private stars
that are insightful, fun and engaging. First book written by a member of the
DiMaggio clan about one of the most touching relationships of the 20th century.
" Marilyn Joe & Me is an uncompromising and detailed examination of the 20th century's highest profile celebrity marriage: Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. June DiMaggio is the ultimate insider here, and she sheds great light on a subject that has haunted the public for decades." - Mitchell Fink, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Days of Dead Celebrities"Much of what June has to say is startling.... She wanted to
tell it all before she died: the story of the Monroe she knew and what she knows
about Monroe's last moments on earth." - Lisa DePaulo,
A Special Playboy Report: The Strange, Still
Mysterious Death of Marilyn Monroe |
7. Books to movies and movies about books department
John Cusack will play Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven,” which takes place in the last five days of Poe's life, when a serial killer is running around Baltimore using Poe's stories as the backdrops to his killings. Poe and a young detective have a ticking clock to outsmart the killer before he kills again,” Variety reported. Poe's best known work is the poem "The Raven," published in 1845. He died four years later at the age of 40 in Baltimore. In reality, Poe’s last days were not spent looking for a serial murderer. On Oct. 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious, "in great distress, and... in need of immediate assistance,” according to the man who found him, Joseph W. Walker. He was taken to Washington College Hospital, where he died on Oct. 7, 1849. Newspapers at the time reported Poe's death as "congestion of the brain" or "cerebral inflammation,” euphemisms for deaths from disreputable causes such as alcoholism. The actual cause of death remains a mystery.
8. How bad is it – and what is the book business doing to cope?
Book sales in the U.S. peaked in 2007. By 2009, they had fallen
by nearly five percent, according to the Association of American Publishers
(April 7, 2010 AAP Report). Bookstore sales peaked in 2007 and have fallen
since, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The major bookstore chains have been
especially hard hit, with a 12 percent sales decline between 2007 and 2009
(Publishers Weekly, April 12, 2010)… About 80 percent of the book market
consists of nonfiction, with the remaining 20 percent fiction. The average
U.S. nonfiction book is now selling less than 250 copies per year and less than
3,000 copies over its lifetime… Borders reported second quarter sales of $526
million, down 11.5 percent from a year ago (when sales were down 17.7 percent
compared to 2008--when sales were also down.) Sales in the second quarter
were $617 million in 2009; $749 million in 2008; and $945 million in 2007. The
loss from continuing operations was another $51.6 million, or 74 cents a share,
worse than $45.1 million a year ago. The operating loss of $37.7 million was
also worse than the $25.7 million recorded a year ago.
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The
Southern Review of Books has once again organized an outstanding
faculty that will inspire and inform you. We're offering a comprehensive one-day seminar on writing.
The seminar will be held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston,
Mass.,on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Attend and you get free admission to the Great American Bargain Book Show, a $50 value.
9. Subsidized Rice University Press dies despite all-digital approach
Rice University officials have announced that they will close Rice University Press in September, pulling the plug on an experiment aimed at making it less expensive to publish scholarly works.
But even as an all-digital operation, the press proved too expensive to sustain, former Provost Eugene Levy said in a statement released by the school.
Rice closed the press once before, in 1996. Levy, now a professor of astrophysics at Rice, provided funding for it to resume operations in 2006, when he served as the school's chief academic officer.
Every book accepted for publication was made available online for free, but none were printed until they had been ordered and paid for.
The print-on-demand format was intended to make the project self-sustaining - there was just one full-time employee, no sales staff and no warehouse space needed to store the books. University spokesman B.J. Almond said that the university subsidy was between $150,000 and $200,000 a year.
"Combined with pressures on the university budget from the broad fiscal crisis of recent years, the university concluded that it could not continue indefinite subsidy of the RUP experiment, as painful budget reductions were being absorbed across the entire university, including in the core of Rice's educational and research mission," Levy said. (Source: Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle, Aug. 20, 2010)
10. We get letters: Readers respond to top-selling books
I always heard that the Poky Little Puppy from Golden Books was a big seller, but maybe not as big as these. I bet you it’s been read more often. I'd also object to the World Almanac and the Guinness Book of World Records being listed. I think annuals shouldn't count, as the books are different. One person might buy 30 different years of the World Almanacs in their life, so it’s not the same as 50 million people buying a novel, which they'd likely only buy once. If you count "monoserials" such as that, how about the Old Farmers Almanac? How about the Boy Scout Handbook (celebrating 100 years next year)? - Marc D. Sanders, MLIS, CCR, Manager, Course Book Department, UWM Bookstore, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
SROB responds: “The Poky Little Puppy” has distribution of 15 million copies, according to Wikipedia. When it comes to children’s books, “The Little Engine That Could” might well be the most widely read work. Regarding your other comments, all well taken, see the first story above.
I don't have numbers, but I believe that Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan should be on that list. mains@spiceisle.com
SROB responds: You may well be correct, but we haven’t been able to find statistics on the number of copies produced. However, Martin Seymour-Smith (1928–1998), the British poet, critic and biographer who wrote “The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written: The History of Thought from Ancient Times to Today” (1998), includes Pilgrim's Progress in his list.
11. The publishing revolution: News of e-books and other new media
The Wall Street Journal reported that in a recent study of 1,200 e-reader
owners, conducted by Marketing and Research Resources Inc., and paid for by
Sony, "40 percent said they now read more than they
did with print books. Of those surveyed, 58
percent said they read about the same as before while two percent said they read
less than before. And 55 percent of the respondents... thought they'd use the
device to read even more books in the future." The study looked at owners of the
Kindle, iPad and Sony Reader. The Journal also noted that the study found
86 percent of e-
reader owners read on their device more than once a week and 51
percent on a daily basis… I’d Know You Anywhere, a thriller by
Laura Lippman released by HarperCollins on Aug. 17, sold 4,739 e-books versus
4,000 hardcover versions during the first five days the title was available,
according to the publisher. The book got favorable reviews. That translates
more quickly into e-book sales than p-book sales – it’s a lot faster to download
an e-book than go to a bookstore to buy a copy… Despite the rivalry between
Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s new iPad, the Kindle is still generating more sales,
according to anecdotal evidence. Author Joe Konrath said sales of the Kindle
versions of his titles are outselling Apple’s iBoostore at an estimated 60-to-1
ratio. Writing at his blog, Konrath said he sells 200 books per day for the
Kindle, versus 100 per month for the iPad.
12. E-book deal between Wylie Agency and Amazon is no more
An exclusive e-book deal between Amazon.com and the agent for such classics as The Invisible Man is no longer a deal.
Random House Inc. and the Wylie Agency announced on Aug. 24 that Invisible Man, Rabbit Is Rich and more than a dozen other works were being removed from a program brokered between Wylie and Amazon that offered them as e-books available only through the online retailer.
Instead, Random House, which had claimed electronic rights, will publish the books on a “non-exclusive basis.”
The original deal had enraged publishers and rival booksellers and led to Random
House suspending business with Wylie.
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13. Book on Muhammad rushed into e-book to exploit Muslim controversy
In order to exploit the controversy created by a Florida pastor threatening to
create a bonfire out of Islam’s holy book, the Qu’Ran, publisher
HarperCollins rushed the e-book version of Muhammad: A Story o
f
the Last Prophet, Deepak Chopra's fictional biography of the Prophet
Muhammad, into distribution on Sept. 8. The e-book release came two weeks before
the hardcover's release date of Sept. 21, the New York Times reported.
The controversy was initially fueled by plans for construction of an Islamic
mosque a few blocks from the site where the twin towers of the World Trade
Center in New York were attacked by terrorists who hijacked and flew jetliners
into the towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
The release marks the first time HarperCollins has sold an e-book edition before the printed version of the same book.
In a statement, Michael Morrison, president and publisher of HarperCollins's general books division for the U.S. and Canada, said, "Books spark conversations, and in this case a national conversation has erupted. As the publisher, we want our titles to be available in a timely manner to meet consumer demand and increase readership for our authors; digital publishing allows us to react quickly to achieve these goals."
14. Godin gives up on traditional book publishing, sets sights on e-books
Writer and marketing guru Seth Godin doesn’t plan to publish any more books in the traditional mode.
After writing 12 books, he doesn’t think the traditional publishing process is “worth the effort,” he said in an interview with Mediabistro.
Godin, the author of bestsellers such as Purple Cow and The Dip, has a bleak view of the paper book (p-book).
“I like the people, but I can’t abide the long wait, the filters, the big push
at launch, the nudging to get people to go to a store they don’t usually visit
to buy something they don’t usually buy, to get them to pay for an idea in a
form that’s hard to spread,” said Godin.
“I really don’t think the process is worth the effort that it now takes to make
it work. I can reach 10 or 50 times as many people electronically,” Godin said.
15. Oxford English Dictionary may never again be published as book
A spokesperson for Oxford University Press told the Oxford Times, in response to a story in the Telegraph contending the next edition of the OED will be all-digital, that "No decision has yet been made on the format of the third edition. It's likely to be more than a decade before the full edition is published and a decision on format will be taken at that point. Lexicographers are currently preparing the third edition of the OED, which is 28 per cent complete. No final completion date is yet confirmed."
The Telegraph had quoted Nigel Portwood, CEO of Oxford University Press,
as saying, "The print dictionary market is just disappearing, it is falling away
by tens of percent a year." When asked if he thought the third edition would be
printed, he replied, "I don't think so."
Simon Winchester, author of The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the
Oxford English Dictionary, told the Telegraph that "Until six months
ago I was clinging to the idea that printed books would likely last forever.
Since the arrival of the iPad I am now wholly convinced otherwise. The printed
book is about to vanish at extraordinary speed. I have two complete OEDs, but
never consult them - I use the online OED five or six times daily. The same with
many of my reference books - and soon with most. Books are about to vanish;
reading is about to expand as a pastime; these are inescapable realities."
16. Graphic novels and comics news
While still portrayed as a high school student, Archie of comic book fame is
actually 68 years old.
With more than $40 million in print and digital sales last year, Archie Comics,
based in Mamaroneck, N.Y., is a small player in a the comic universe dominated
by DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment. Archie titles have less than one percent
of sales at comic book specialty shops, and the competitive challenge is
growing: Comics in general are battling the popularity of other distractions
like video games and YouTube. In addition, traditional readers of comics are
aging, with no steady stream of new ones to take their place. Nonetheless,
Archie doublebacks are still popular with dealers… IDW Publishing and HBO
have announced a second printing for True Blood #1. The first issue
of the new comic book series, with a printing of 53,000 copies, sold out, but
IDW was rushing to get more into stores by Aug. 25.
17. Marketing books: what’s new, what works and what doesn’t
According to an article by Heather McCormack, book review editor for Library Journal, U.S. public libraries in 2008 spent $954,540,970 on print materials (both books and periodicals) and $155,646,650 on digital acquisitions, including e-books, e-serials, and databases. Public libraries had 1,433,734,000 visits in 2009.
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18. Milestones: Records and news of note in book publishing
Is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird the most taught novel? Perhaps in the U.S., where it’s required reading in many high schools, but certainly not in the world. The world title goes to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which many view as the world’s first science-fiction novel… Christian author Max Lucado has been writing for 25 years and has sold 65 million books. To celebrate his silver anniversary, Thomas Nelson is publishing Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference ($24.99) on Sept. 14, 2010.
19. News of chicanery, dishonesty and tort-feasing in the book business
Last month, we reported that “Girls Gone Wild” entrepreneur Joe Francis had sued to stop publication of a book critical of him by a former cameraman. Now, the publisher has filed a counter-suit. In the filing, Francis is called a “convicted felon; child molester; jail-baiting pervert; pimp; sick bastard; sleaze-peddler; tax cheat; rapist; sleazehole; the epitome of a true misogynist, coked-out amoral direct marketer; violent thug; juvenile smut-peddler; sexual predator; one of the 50 most loathsome people in America; and the Douche of the Decade.” The legal documents were filed by 4th Street Media, which is publishing a tell-all book by former Girls Gone Wild employee Ryan Simkin to stop Francis from blocking the sale of the book, entitled FLASH! Bars, Boobs, and Busted: 5 Years on the Road with Girls Gone Wild.
20. Writer sued by Penguin over failure to meet deadline on biography
Publishing house Penguin Books has filed a lawsuit against Yahoo! sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski after the writer failed to meet his deadline for a biography on former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano, The New York Post reported.
The federal court filing says Wojnarowski - the National Basketball Association (NBA) columnist for Yahoo! Sports - initially promised to produce a 130,000-word manuscript about the controversial coach by Aug. 1, 2007.
After Wojnarowski repeatedly failed to deliver the book, his $400,000 deal was slashed to $325,000 and he got a "final delivery date" of June 1, the suit says.
On June 14, Penguin canceled the contract and demanded repayment of its advance. On July 19, it offered (Wojnarowski) terms for repaying the $140,000 first payment made in anticipation of delivery of the manuscript.
Wojnarowski told The Post the problem was "a miscommunication between my agent and me" and said that he would be returning the money to Penguin Books.
The book, Jimmy V: The Life and Death of Jim Valvano, was still listed on Sept. 1 as available for pre-order on Amazon.com. (Source: Bruce Golding, The New York Post)
21. Indiana AG sues New Century Publishing of Indianapolis for deception
The Indiana Attorney General's Office has filed a civil lawsuit against an Indianapolis book publisher seeking a court injunction regarding his business practices and refunds for customers.
David Caswell, owner of Indianapolis-based New Century Publishing, has been under scrutiny in recent weeks because of allegations that he failed to provide authors with books they had paid for but hadn't been delivered. Most paid at least $1,500, some much more.
"Our investigation into the consumer complaints indicates that he intentionally misled consumers," Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a written statement. "He also has a history of deceptive business practices."
The suit asks for fines and civil penalties that could total $88,000 plus repayment to the authors.
Dixie Richardson, an Indianapolis writer who paid $1,500 but didn't receive copies of her book, said, "We weren't stupid. We knew this was a vanity publisher and we were buying a product. But he has made a career of misleading people."
Consumer complaints were received from Indiana, North Carolina, Wyoming and Wisconsin regarding New Century.
The lawsuit, filed in Marion County, names 16 victims and claims Caswell violated the state's Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.
The state said that it had been told that "Defendants (Caswell and New Century Publishing) have not accepted manuscripts since or about late March 2010 and that if any consumer-author demands to be released from any obligations under his/her publishing agreement with Defendants, that demand will be honored."
Regulators are critical of Caswell's dealings with customers and how he operates his business, claiming he "has ignored, controlled, and manipulated the corporate and other legal forms of his company in an attempt to mislead and deceive consumers."
Caswell was also accused of "comingling New Century Publishing's funds with his own, directed consumer funds to purposes other (than) those for which they were specifically paid, and otherwise conducted his personal and New Century Publishing's business as one."
Caswell has not spoken publicly about his troubles, other than a statement on Facebook in August.
"Neither my attorney nor I are responding to media inquiries until we have more
to say, but it is our hope that we will soon be able to offer the few authors
who still have pending projects, the choice of their books, or receiving a full
refund," he wrote.
Caswell has a history of fraud. He was convicted of impersonating an attorney in
the 1980s, and was sentenced to 14 months in prison on 1993 charges of fraud and
income tax evasion. Caswell paid only $600 of nearly $99,000 in court-ordered
fines and restitution for previous complaints.
The current case is the third time in 20 years the Indiana attorney general has sued the 58-year-old Indianapolis man and his job placement or publishing companies.
22. News from trade shows, book fairs and book festivals
The London Book Fair has announced that China has signed on as the "market focus" partner for the 2012 convention… BookExpo America and the American Library Association are considering a joint convention in Chicago in 2012. Reed Exhibitions, parent company of BookExpo America, is in discussions with the American Library Association regarding the possibility of taking over ALA's annual convention in June and midwinter meeting in January. According to Publishers Weekly, the "process is far enough along that Reed has talked to a number of the major trade houses about the prospect and about the idea of combining BEA with the ALA annual meeting."
23. GABBS panelists in Boston discuss benefits of bargain books
Attendance at the Great American Bargain Book Show, held Aug. 19-20 at the Hynes
Convention Center in Boston, was even with last year. Bargain book buyers, the
most important category for vendors, numbered 264, compared to 268 buyers in
2009, and vendors reported brisk sales.
The GABBS show caters to buyers who order 25 copies or more from among 40,000 titles being remaindered or sold as overstocks. Buyers come from both brick and mortar stores and online sellers.
This year’s show offered more educational sessions designed to help retailers understand the bargain book business.
One seminar was organized by three regional trade associations for independent bookstores - NEIBA, NAIBA, and SIBA. Panelists included Sean Concannon at Parson Weems Publisher Services; Alie Hess, buyer for Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, Mass.; and Sue Little, owner of Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport, Mass. They discussed how to make remainders profitable.
According to Judith Rosen of Publishers Weekly, Little added bargain and remainder titles to her line 25 years ago. She told the audience that remainders are a way to lure readers to her 7,000 sq. ft. store. She prefers to buy one, two or at the most three copies of a single title to add a range of low-price books at Jabberwocky.
Hess’s strategy is different. She buys 200 to 300 copies of a single title. The same book might be shelved for sale in three different sections - used, remainders and new. One of the biggest changes she’s seen in remainders since she started buying for Brookline Booksmith a decade ago, she said, is “a shift toward trade paperback remainders. People don’t want to lug a hardcover around.” About 70 percent of the store’s remainders are now trade paperback.
Another session was aimed at online sellers of bargain books. Panelists included Barbara Seibert, founder of Purple Turtle Productions (www.purpleturtleproducts.com), which ships 400 books a day, and David Strymish, cofounder of 12-year-old e-tailer Jessica’s Biscuit (www.ecookbooks.com) and co-owner of New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton Highlands, Mass.
According to the Rosen article, Strymish told the audience that “Pricing is not as simple as what each book costs. Most things when you buy them are worth the same or less than you pay for them.” Strymish said that his staff spends half their day making sure orders are legitimate.
Siebert described some of the scams that go on in online selling. In a typical scam, penny sellers will bring down the price of a given title. Then when it drops, they buy up the existing inventory and raise the price. For her, price erosion is the biggest challenge facing bargain book e-sellers.
Karin Wilson, president of the Page & Palette bookstore of Fairhope, Ala., gave booksellers her tips for success. Another panel featured publishing consultant Michael Friedman and World Publications Group president Jeff Press. (Source: Larry May, show co-owner, and Judith Rosen, Publishers Weekly, Aug. 23, 2010)
24. Jonathan Franzen keynotes AJC Decatur Book Festival in Atlanta
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival presented by DeKalb
Medical
observed its fifth annual celebration on Sept. 3-5, and for once, the weather
was gorgeous, sunny, temperatures in the 80s, no rain.
A host of authors used the event to launch their latest books.
Keynote
speaker and National Book Award winner Jonathan Franzen - who in August became
the first auth
or
to grace the cover of Time magazine since Stephen King in 2000 - led the list of
nationally renowned authors who participated.
Franzen’s keynote on the evening of Sept. 3 launched his national tour for his first book since The Corrections, which won the 2001 National Book Award for fiction. Franzen’s widely anticipated new book, Freedom: A Novel, was released Aug. 31.
Among other participants launching book tours from the Atlanta platform (sorry, no room to name all of the authors who participated, just those launching book tours):
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New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare launched her new novel, The Clockwork Angel, at the AJC DBF. The book is the first in a new series, The Infernal Devices, which follows Clare’s popular The Mortal Instruments series that includes City of Ashes and City of Bones. |
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Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of The Hero of Ages and Warbreaker, launched his new novel, The Way of Kings at the show. The novel is the first in his new fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive. |
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Four-time National Poetry Slam champion Patricia Smith read from Blood Dazzler, her collection of poems set just before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. |
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Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey launched her new book, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. |
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David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for The Washington Post, chronicled the 15-month deployment of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion in Baghdad during 2007 and 2008 in his book, The Good Soldiers at the show. |
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George Dawes Green, author of The Juror and founder of not-for-profit storytelling organization and Public Radio program “The Moth,” spoke twice . He presented on “The Influence of Flannery O'Connor and other Insights,” and “The Moth.” |
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Ridley Pearson, The New York Times bestselling author of a dozen young adult novels, and more than two dozen adult crime fiction novels, discussed “In Harm’s Way and Other Adventures” and “Peter Pan, Kingdom Keepers, and Other Cool Characters.” |
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New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin talked about her new book, The Heart of the Matter. |
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At the Children’s Stage following a children’s parade, Anna Dewdney, author of
the Llama Llama children's book series, talked about her new book,
Roly Poly Pangolin. |
25. 2010 Guadalajara International Book Fair set for Nov. 27 launch
Book lovers will once again convene in Guadalajara, Mexico, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5, for the 2010 Guadalajara International Book Fair (Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, or FIL for short).
Last year, more than 600,000 visitors came to the fair, including 17,000 publishing professionals and about 1,900 publishing houses from over 40 countries.
FIL is the most important book fair in the Spanish-speaking world.
More than 3,000 book-related events are available to choose from.
Among the highlights:
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The International Illustrator Forum is having its debut at the fair |
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The FIL Rights Center for authors, publishers and agents |
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Panel discussions, seminars and conferences with and for book professionals |
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Important book prizes like the FIL 2010 Literary Award |
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An academic program in conjunction with the University of Guadalajara |
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The 8th Reading Promoters Conference |
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The “Pleasure of Reading” forum |
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FIL Children - FIL Niños, a special book fair for children and teenagers (see below) |
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Many concerts, shows and special events on the fairgrounds and in Guadalajara |
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Guest of Honor
at FIL 2010: Castilla y León |
26. Leadership Consortium, Tony Rose partner in 2011 Phoenix Book Fair
The Leadership Consortium, the organizers behind the annual Arizona Black Expo,
has announced a partnership with Tony Rose’s Amber Communications Group for the
2011 Phoenix, Ariz., Book Fair.
Michael Kelly is the co-founder, president and chair of The Leadership
Consortium, which has produced the annual Arizona Black Expo since 2004. Tony
Rose is publisher and CEO of Amber Communications Group, the nation's largest
African-American publisher of self-help books and music biographies. Together,
they will produce the Phoenix Book Fair and Art Festival for the Arizona Black
Expo.
Rose, who hails from Boston, Mass., and now resides in Phoenix, made his mark in the music industry as a writer, producer and music publisher. He teamed up with Maurice Starr to create the Boston Music Scene, which led to the discovery of the international blockbusters Prince Charles and the City Beat Band, The Jonzun Crew, New Edition and New Kids On The Block.
Rose created the African American Pavilion at BookExpo America in 2004.
Michael Kelly said in a statement, “Together, we hope to become the flagship multicultural business/literary event in the country.”
Date, time and venue for the event to be staged in early 2011 will be announced shortly.
27. Major upcoming trade shows, book fairs and book festivals
September
Sept. 21-22. New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association , Trump Marina, Atlantic City, N.J. www.newatlanticbooks.com
Sept. 23-25. Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association, Denver,
Colo.
www.mountainsplains.org
Sept. 24-26. Baltimore Book Festival, attracts more than 100 authors,
http://www.baltimorookfestival.com.
Sept. 24-26. Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, Daytona, Fla. www.sibaweb.com
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. New England Independent Booksellers Alliance, Providence, R.I. http://www.newenglandbooks.org/
October
Oct. 1-2. Midwest Booksellers Association, Saint Paul, Minn. www.midwestbooksellers.org
Oct. 6-10. Frankfurt Book Fair 2010. This is the Big Daddy of all book shows, the biggest in the world. Argentina is the Guest of Honor. Held in Frankfurt, Germany. www.book-fair.com
Oct. 7-9. Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, Portland, Ore. www.pnba.org
Oct. 8-10. Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word, http://tn-humanities.org/festival/index.php, Nashville, Tenn., attracts more than 200 authors from throughout the U.S.
Oct. 14-16. Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. www.nciba.com
Oct. 23. Celebrate the Book, Carlisle, Penn. Featured author: John Grogan, author of Marley and Me. http://www.celebratethebook.orgOct. 28-31. CIROBE, Chicago Hilton. www.cirobe.com
Oct. 30. Louisiana Book Festival, Baton Rouge, http://lbf.state.lib.la.us.
October. Great Lakes Booksellers Association. www.books-glba.org
October. Litquake, San Francisco’s Literary Festival. Event was held Oct. 9-17 in 2009. We’ll post the 2010 dates when we get ‘em. Meanwhile, visit http://www.litquake.org.
October. Southern California Independent Booksellers Association – www.scbabooks.org
October. Oklahoma Independent Booksellers Association – info@stevessundrybooksmags.com
November
Nov. 3-7. Vegas Valley Book Festival, Las Vegas, Nevada. http://vegasvalleybookfestival.org.
Nov. 4-6. PubWest 2009, Tucson, Ariz. www.pubwest.org.
Nov. 14-21. Miami Book Fair International, Miami Dade College, draws hundreds of thousands of people. http://www.miamibookfair.com.
Nov. 27-Dec. 3. Guadalajara International Book Fair, Guadalajara, Mexico. Claims to be the second-largest international book fair in the world, after Frankfurt, with 600,000 attendees. Guadalajara International Book Fair Is Second Largest Book Expo http://www.suite101.com/content/guadalajara-international-book-fair-is-second-largest-book-expo-a279578#ixzz0ywvkmkzR
January 2011
Jan. 7 -11. American Library Association's Midwinter Conference. www.ala.org
Jan. 11-13. Inspirational Value Book Show (IVBS). www.ivbshow.com
Jan. 16-17. Ciana Remainder Book Show, London. http://www.ciana.co.uk
February
Feb. 25-March 1. The National Association of College Stores Conference. www.nacs.org
Ninth Hispanic Book Festival. www.hispanicbookfestival.com or call Andres Puello, Festival Director, 281-558-3052
South Carolina Book Festival. http://www.scbookfestival.org
March
March 25-27. Spring Book Show, Cobb Galleria/Renaissance-Waverly Hotel, Atlanta,
Ga. SBS is one of the largest remainder and bargain book shows in the world.
www.springbookshow.com
National Association of College Stores (CAMEX). www.nacs.org
Bologna Children’s Book Fair. www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com
April
April 11-13. London Book Fair . www.londonbookfair.co.uk
April 30- May 2. Museum Store Association’s Retail Conference & Expo
May
May 23-26. BookExpo America, New York. www.bookexpoamerica.com
National Stationery Show, New York.
June
June 24-29. American Library Association, Washington, DC. www.ala.org
June 27 – 30. ICRS - International Christian Retail Show, St. Louis, Mo www.christianretailshow.com
Printers Row Book Fair, Chicago. http://www.chicagotribune.com/about/events/printersrow
The Australian Booksellers Associations, Melbourne.
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For more information about the book business, visit:
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Novel: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman |
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Novella: "The Erdmann Nexus" by Nancy Kress |
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Novelette: "Shoggoths in Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear |
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Short Story: "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two) |
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Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998–2008 by John Scalzi |
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Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright |
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Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E, story by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter; screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon; directed by Andrew Stanton |
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Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, written by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen; directed by Joss Whedon |
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Editor, Short Form: Ellen Datlow |
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Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell |
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Professional Artist: Donato Giancola |
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Semiprozine: Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer and Stephen H. Segal |
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Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima |
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Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan |
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Fan Artist: Frank Wu |
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The winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines) is David Anthony Durham. The Big Heart Award for service to fandom went to Andrew Porter, and Jeremy Kratz won the Hugo logo design compe |