Sales of “The Cheesehead Night Before Christmas” to benefit the American Red Cross
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt says no to new books
Deep discounts have hurt British booksellers
French government is fighting for independent booksellers, against chains
Category Archives: Bookselling
Reactions to Nobel for Literature
No doubt you have already reacted to the announcement of this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature going to Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, the French author whose books have been one our shelves for years. You heard the news and said, “Why should I care about that?” I know. We are alike in this way. The Literary Saloon has a good bit of reaction.
Nobels
There’s talk of Nobels at The Literary Saloon. Apparently, former winners made the nominations for this year.
Top Ten Books for Banned Books Week
“Free access to information is a core American value that should be protected,” said Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Not every book is right for each reader, but an individual’s interpretation of a book should not take away my right to select reading materials for my family or myself.”
This quote comes in an article headlining the fact that “And Tango Makes Three” was the most challenged or “banned” book last year, and I think this may highlight our argument for Banned Books Week. How does “free access to information” apply to children’s stories or any story for that matter? If parents believe a book, which the librarian believes with worth reading, should be placed in a somewhat restricted access section in order to guard young reader, do that bar anyone from access to whatever information is in it? Of course not.
But as readers of this blog have said before, the best parental guard against children reading inappropriate material is parental involvement and moral instruction. Children can understand a good bit with loving instruction. Where “And Tango Makes Three” is concerned, it may be a good idea for children to read it, ask questions about what makes a family, and receive thoughtful answers from their parents. Perhaps a book like this makes the top of the challenged list because some parents don’t want to face uncomfortable issues.
I believe we live in difficult times, and I don’t think Christians and god-fearing people will gain any ground by trying to shut out bad ideas or “information” from their libraries. We have to know the truth, love our neighbors, and speak appropriately about issues wherever we can–to speak as a humanist. To speak as a Christian, we should love our Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and then know the truth, love our neighbors, and speak appropriately.
No Lil’ Bratz in Scholastic School Flyers
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is claiming a victory in a children’s publisher’s decision to pull Lil’ Bratz-related books from its book club and fair fliers. Scholastic, Inc. is not going to recommend picture books based on the Lil’ Bratz dolls in their sales fliers, and many parents are glad for it.
Oxford UP End of Summer Sale
The Oxford University Press is having a sale on some interesting anthologies, studies, and books on many subjects.
Of course, there’s always sites like BookCloseouts.com for perpetual sales.
And I just found this site which collects info on library book sales and those by non-profit organizations across the country. Oh, look, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County library is having its sale at the end of the month.
Price War
“Amazon is in conflict with the Hachette Group, Britain’s largest publisher, over terms and discounts and is refusing to sell its titles,” reports the Times Online. Amazon usually buys books at half the cover price, but it is pushing for more, apparently at the expense of author royalties.
Another Times reporter comments, “If [the price war] continued, it would not be long before Amazon got virtually all of the revenue that is presently shared between author, publisher, retailer, printer and other parties.”
Books Sales Are Up This Year
Book sales are up 4.9% this year, ringing in 6.6 billion so far. How can this be without a new Harry Potter release?
Television Killed the Literary Snob
A popular British TV couple started a book club four years ago, and now “the R&J Book Club accounts for 26% of the sales of the top 100 books in the UK, and Amanda Ross, the club’s creator and book selector, is the most powerful player in British publishing.” Anyone heard of this R&J pick for the summer? It looks interesting.
The Pirate’s Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson (Headline Review). A multi-generational story based on the extraordinary true story of Errol Flynn‘s arrival in 1940s Jamaica. The Pirate’s Daughter follows Ida, a girl who falls for Flynn’s charms. Through the eyes of Ida and her daughter, May, it also tells the story of their home, Jamaica, before and after independence.
(By way of Books, Inq.)
New Law in Oregon Against Distributing Sexual Material
Since January 1 in Oregon, giving sexually explicit material to anyone under 13 or material which intends to arouse the reader to anyone under 18 is a criminal act. The ACLU of Oregon and a group of bookseller and advocacies are suing to get it stopped. They say the law is too broadly written and could be abused by “overzealous police and prosecutors.”
Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany), said, “This law was carefully written to respect Oregonians’ First Amendment rights. It is clearly targeted at individuals who use pornography to lure and harm Oregon’s kids. No adult and no bookstore should be in the business of providing kids with the kind of content that is specifically listed in this law.”