In the first quarter ended September 30, revenues at News Corp., owner of HarperCollins, rose 6%, to $2.28 billion, and net income rose 43%, to $215 million. The company said gains were "driven by growth at the Digital Real Estate Services, Book Publishing and Dow Jones segments."

Book publishing revenue rose 9%, to $582 million, "driven by higher physical and digital book sales, reflecting strength in General Books and Children's Publishing." Digital sales were up 6%, attributable to an increase in audiobook sales. "Backlist sales represented approximately 66% of consumer revenues in the quarter compared to 65% in the prior year." The company said sales were particularly strong for Ann Patchett's Whistler, Daniel Silva's Ransom, and R.F. Kuang's Taipei Story.

CEO Robert Thomson noted that company revenue gains were made "despite volatile economic conditions," and said, in part, "Our performance reflects the transformation of News Corp into a thriving, higher-margin business, digitally driven with peerless, profitable content. We believe we are primed for further growth in the AI age, as data centers, chips and water may be necessary components, but high quality content is the very essence of AI.

"We remain vigilant in protecting that priceless intellectual property. We are pleased to have partners in OpenAI and Meta that recognize the importance of our content, and remain optimistic that other platforms will choose compensation over confiscation, principle over plunder. To that end, we will woo and we will sue."

The University Press of Kentucky has launched Fox Hill Books, a literary imprint that will be edited by author Silas House. Fox Hill Books is dedicated to publishing "exceptional literature rooted in working-class experiences" and highlighting emerging voices and established writers "from both urban and rural Appalachia while remaining open to works from beyond the region that align with its mission," the press said. The imprint will publish short story collections, poetry, essays, and novels that offer "nuanced, authentic depictions of working-class and Appalachian communities, to expand public understanding and complexify the lives of those who are often reduced to stereotypes in mass media." 

The imprint will publish four books a year. The first titles, appearing in Spring 2027, are Cannonball: Stories by Chelyen Davis, set in the mountains of contemporary Virginia, and Road to the Stars: Poems by James Long, a collection that traces one man's journey from a hippie childhood in the hills of West Virginia to a career in corporate banking.

Silas House

Silas House has published novels and poetry, and was Kentucky Poet Laureate from 2023 to 2025. In 2022, he received the Duggins Prize, a literary award for an LGBTQ writer. His work has appeared in the Atlantic, Time, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Bitter Southerner, and other publications. As series editor for Fireside Industries, House helped bring several books to publication, including Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop, Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Daughters of Muscadine by Monic Ductan, and The Girl Singer by Marianne Worthington. House serves as the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair at Berea College and teaches on the fiction faculty of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing.

The Blushing Page, a romance-focused mobile bookstore, has been making appearances around northern Virginia since its debut in Ashburn, Va., earlier this year, Ashburn magazine reported.

The bookstore, which carries romance and romantasy titles from both traditionally and independently published authors, is built out of a 1999 Subaru Sambar and debuted this summer. Owner Nicole Connelly, a nurse practitioner, has taken the bright-pink bookmobile to coffee shops, bagel shops, wineries, breweries, farmers' markets, and other locations in and near Ashburn.

Connelly, a lifelong reader, was inspired to create a mobile bookstore after encountering one on vacation in Florida. She told Ashburn magazine: "I immediately thought, 'Wow, I would love to have one of those in Northern Virginia.' "

Connelly added that one of her favorite things has been seeing people's reactions when they see the bookstore for the first time. "They'll do a double take…and then make a beeline over to see what's inside. It's so much fun seeing that excitement."

The Blushing Page's next appearance is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at Two Twisted Posts Winery in Purcellville, Va.

Bibliophile Candle Co.'s new location

The Bibliophile Candle Co., a bookstore and candle studio, will soon be relocating from northeast Columbus, Ohio, to Gahanna, Ohio, WCMH reported.

The all-ages, general-interest bookstore will be moving from 5454 N. Hamilton Rd. in Columbus to a larger space at 116 Mill St. in Gahanna's Creekside District, about four miles away. The Hamilton Rd. space will close on November 7 in advance of the new store opening on November 14. 

Co-owner Kylie Cooper Cyrus, who founded the bookstore with her husband, Justin Cyrus, in 2024, told WCMH: "Our new location will allow us to expand our bookstore, showcase more of our candles and gifts, and create additional space for readers and community events."

The owners will add a dedicated children's section where "children can explore books, get comfortable, and develop a love of reading. We're especially excited to have more room for families to browse and enjoy the shop together."

The candles at the Bibliophile Candle Co. are based on books, with names referencing everything from Little Women to A Song of Ice and Fire. WCMH highlighted the "Sherlock's Library" candle, which has sandalwood, leather, and tobacco scents.

Cooper Cyrus called moving the business to Gahanna a "perfect next step," as she, her husband, and their daughter already lived there. "We're personally invested in this community both as business owners and as residents. Creekside already has such a wonderful mix of local businesses and walkable spaces. We're excited to be a part of its continued growth."

Following voting by American Booksellers Association members, the shortlist has been set for the Indies Choice Book Awards literary prize. Voting for the winners has begun and runs through Wednesday, November 18; winners will be announced on November 25, in time for Indies First/Small Business Saturday.

The award categories include Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Indie Press Fiction, Indie Press Nonfiction, Debut Adult, and Debut Children's. Indie Press Fiction and Indie Press Nonfiction are new this year. Winners in each category will receive $1,500. There are 47 shortlisted titles altogether in the nine categories.

The awards showcase the 487 titles that appeared on the ABA's Indie Next List, Kids' Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce list in 2026. The Indie Next List program features bookseller-recommended favorites for adults and kids from indie bookstores across the country. Indies Introduce is a twice-a-year list of 20 standout debuts--10 adult titles and 10 titles for young readers.

"The Indies Choice Book Awards are a celebration of what makes independent bookstores so vital to the literary ecosystem," ABA CEO Allison Hill said. "These awards are voted on entirely by independent booksellers--people who read widely, recommend passionately, and engage with readers and authors every day. By drawing from titles featured on the ABA's Indie Next List, Kids' Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce book recommendations, these awards reflect a year of thoughtful curation, deep enthusiasm, and books we can't stop talking about. The Indies Choice Book Awards are a celebration and the best way for readers to find their next favorite book."

Rod Clifton. co-owner of Books on the Square in Providence, R.I., died October 24. In a statement announcing his death "with profound sadness," the bookstore noted that 20 years ago, "Rod and [his wife] Merc Clifton stepped up to save Books on the Square from closing its doors. Over the years, they grew it from a struggling shop into a thriving, cherished community asset. Rod was a devoted figure in our neighborhood, balancing his life in education as a Brown University professor of engineering with fostering a deep love of literature through the bookstore. Though declining health reduced his day-to-day involvement in later years, the bookstore remains an important part of his legacy.

Rod and Merc Clifton

"Many of you may remember Rod running the mini-golf putting station on Independent Bookstore Day or helping Merc hand out cookies. Together, Rod and Merc generously opened their home to our staff for countless holiday and summer celebrations. His impact on our lives and the store is immeasurable. We fully intend to keep the bookstore open and to preserve the high standards that Merc and Rod established."
 
A distinguished professor emeritus at Brown University, Clifton was also a scientist, educator, community leader, husband, father, and grandfather "whose resourcefulness, generosity and determination shaped the lives of many people," his obituary noted. 

While attending the University of Nebraska, Clifton met his future wife, Merc, beginning a lifelong partnership that took them from Nebraska to Rhode Island, where they built a family and shared their lives in the community. He earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University before joining the faculty at Brown University, where he spent most of his professional life.

His contributions to the mechanics of materials earned him international recognition, including the William Prager Medal in 1986 and the Timoshenko Medal in 2000. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005. His career reflected both intellectual ambition and a lifelong willingness to tackle difficult problems.
 
In 2007, Rod and Merc Clifton purchased Books on the Square in Providence's Wayland Square neighborhood. At the time, he told the Providence Journal: "Our expectations aren't terribly high. Our retirement does not rely on this." They hoped, he continued, to break even or make a modest profit, and to combine their love of books with the desire to run a business. Their son Jeff, who worked for 10 years at the Providence Public Library, would work at the store, they added. 

"Together with Merc and the store's dedicated staff, he helped sustain a valued neighborhood institution, one that brought books, ideas and people together," Clifton's obituary noted, adding: "Rod's life encompassed extraordinary achievement and ordinary acts of kindness. He could contribute to advances in engineering, guide a community institution and then roll up his sleeves to help wherever he was needed. Those who knew him will remember not only what he built and accomplished, but the stories he told, the gatherings he made possible and the unmistakable determination with which he met the world."

A memorial service will be held tomorrow, Friday, November 6, at 11 a.m., at the Barrington Presbyterian Church, 400 County Road, Barrington, R.I. Contact the family to attend the service via Zoom.

Mysterious Bookshop in New York City hosted Kasey Lansdale, who discussed her debut novel, First Chance (Blackstone), with Kristin Thorvaldsen. Pictured: (from l.) bookseller Ryan Gilbert, Kristin Thorvaldsen, Kasey Lansdale, and store founder Otto Penzler.

Click here to see the latest Independent Press Top 40, the weekly bestseller list celebrating the bestselling 40 fiction and 40 nonfiction titles from independent publishers, as sold by independent bookstores across the country. The list is sponsored by the Independent Publishers Caucus and the American Booksellers Association.

This week's debut fiction titles:

10. The Once and Future Queen: Deluxe Limited Edition (The Lives of Guinevere #1) by Paula Lafferty (Erewhon Books)
19. Of Karma and Corridors: A Dark Romance (Deluxe Limited Edition) by Sloane St James (Podium Publishing)
23. A Crimson Ridge Christmas: Deluxe Limited Edition by Elliott Rose (Kensington)
31. The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 8 by Mokumokuren (Yen Press)

This week's debut nonfiction titles:

2. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon (Liveright)
18. Connections: Find the Common Threads in 100+ Puzzles of Wit and Wordplay (New York Times Games Books) by the New York Times Games, Wyna Liu (Authors Equity)
26. Thurber's Dogs by James Thurber (Library of America)
39. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty (Norton)
40. This Is What Happens When Women Read by Julianna Glasse (Spiegel & Grau)

" 'The sun is up, TEXAS IS BLUE/ It's beautiful and so are you.' --John Lennon (sort of)," Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop, Tex., posted on Wednesday, noting: "Here are some of our favorite blue things in the store."

"Everyone's favorite cashier is in today," Green Heron Bookshop in San Marcos, Tex., announced.

Today:
Here & Now: Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein, authors of The Two Saddest Kitchens: A Comics Conversation (Bloomsbury, $29.99, 9781639735181).

Fresh Air: Min Jin Lee, author of American Hagwon (Cardinal, $36, 9781538752036).

Tomorrow:
Today: Yung Pueblo, author of Journey: The Year That Changes Everything: 365 Daily Reflections to Build Self-Awareness and Inner Peace (Harmony, $30, 9780593980941).

Drew Barrymore Show: Henry Winkler, co-author of Detective Duck: The Mystery of the Flash Flood (Amulet, $14.99, 9781419780516).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Sunday, November 8
9 a.m. Martha Raddatz, author of The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose (Avid Reader Press, $32, 9781668093801).

10 a.m. Aaron Burns, co-author of Finding Wonderful: Hopeful Lessons from Jimmy Stewart and It's a Wonderful Life (Running Press Adult, $22, 9798894144115). 

1 to 7 p.m. Coverage of the 2026 Printers Row Lit Fest, which took place in Chicago in September. Highlights include:

• 1 p.m. John West, author of The Internet Will Die, and So Will You: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age.
• 1:41 p.m. Eve L. Ewing, author of Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism; and Daisy Hernandez, author of Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth.
• 2:25 p.m. Geoff Bennett, author of Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms.
• 3:03 p.m. Scott Turow, author of Presumed Innocent.
• 3:44 p.m. Reshonda Landfair, author of Who's Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse; and Brooke Nevils, author of Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe.
• 4:28 p.m. Morgan Campbell, author of My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us; and Ed Taylor, author of The Power of the River.
• 5:13 p.m. Omar El Akkad, author of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
• 5:53 p.m. David Ost, author of Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right; and Heather Hendershot, author of When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America.

8 p.m. Trace Gallagher, author of Turns Out They Were Right All Along: Life Lessons I Learned... Eventually (Harper, $32.99, 9780063568839).

Winners of the Anthony Awards, announced at Bouchercon and honoring the best in mysteries and thrillers, are: 

Best Hardcover Novel: The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
Best First Novel: Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (Berkley)
Best Paperback/E-Book/Audiobook: Edge by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
Best Children's/YA Novel: Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manasala (Delacorte)
Best Critical/Non-Fiction: Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Tru)
Best Anthology/Collection: On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito, Roger Nokes, and Jay Butkowski (Rock and a Hard Place Press)
Best Short Story: "Aita for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson" by Mindy Carlson

---

The longlist has been selected for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, which honors "a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue" and is sponsored by the Aspen Institute. Finalists will be announced in March and the winner will be named April 29 and receive $35,000.

The longlist:

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda (W.W. Norton)
A Splintering by Dur e Aziz Amna (Dzanc Books)
Dèy by Edwidge Danticat (Knopf)
Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg (Hogarth)
The Disappearers by Marlon James (Riverhead Books)
Kin by Tayari Jones (Knopf)
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee (Cardinal)
Good People by Patmeena Sabit (Crown)
I'll Take the Fire by Leila Slimani (Penguin Books)
Should the Waters Take Us by Stephanie Soileau (Doubleday)
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (Spiegel & Grau)
John of John by Douglas Stuart (Grove Press)
A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia (Grove Press)
Etna by Paul Yoon (Scribner)

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, November 10:

Look at Me by Dustin Hoffman with Ariel Levy (Simon Six, $35, 9781668200698) is the legendary actor's memoir.

Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution by Rachel Maddow (Crown, $35, 9780593444542) explores the history and the recent misuse of the Justice Department.

Take My Word for It: A Memoir by LeVar Burton and Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts (Random House, $32, 9798217198276) is the memoir of the acclaimed actor and activist.

All In by David Baldacci (Grand Central, $32, 9781538758069) is the fourth thriller with a former Army Ranger called the 6:20 Man.

Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo by Janet Evanovich (Atria, $30, 9781668069707) is the 32nd mystery with bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Peregrine Hill: A Novel by Nina de Gramont (Simon & Schuster, $28, 9781668214732) follows a widow and her daughter in Gilded Age New York.

O Now! by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury, $16.99, 9781639739530) is a novella about two aging friends in a small Irish town.

The Man Who Read Books by Rachid Benzine, trans. by Sam Taylor (Cardinal, $20, 9781538781159) focuses on a French photographer hearing the story of an elderly bookseller in Gaza.

Sentinels: Keepers of the Forest by Kate O'Hearn, illus. by Johanna Tarkela (Roaring Brook, $9.99, 9781250419514) is a Warriors-style middle-grade novel about enemy squirrel clans.

The Toast of the Town by Jory John, illus. by Pete Oswald (Harper, $19.99, 9780063589834) is the ninth book in the Food Group series that started with The Bad Seed.

The Girl's Guide to Guts: Everything Your Doc Didn't Tell You (But Your Bestie Would) by Chloe Melas and Judy Batalion (The Dial Press, $29, 9780593979204) gives advice for living with ulcerative colitis. 

The Law of the Sublime by Robert Greene (Viking, $38, 9781984881045) is a self-help guide from the author of The 48 Laws of Power.

Paperbacks:
How to Be Hopeful: A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World by Caitlin Moran (Harper Perennial, $21.99, 9780062893789).

Prudence Marsh Is Not a Nobody Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (Ace, $20, 9780593954324).

Too Cold for Comfort by Nisha J. Tuli (Forever, $18.99, 9781538759288).

Swipe Bite by Alexandra Vasti (Berkley, $20, 9798217189434).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
Queen of Lombard Street: A Novel by Lisa Kleypas (Avon, $30, 9780063247635). "Kleypas has done it again! She effortlessly weaves characters with rich detail and humor into a historical novel steeped in overturning the patriarchy. Kleypas gathers a motley crew and masterfully layers mystery, romance, and feminism during a time of radical change." --Lissa Bak, Book Club Bar, New York, N.Y.

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead (Tordotcom, $24.99, 9781250448613). "I can't love anything more than a talking forest and a gay crime-fighting duo. Havelock and Sebastian are two of my favorite characters and Farleigh forest is up there, too. Cozy mystery at its finest. Oliver K. Langmead has a forever fan in me." --Jenna Gehman, Towne Book Center & Cafe, Collegeville, Pa.

Paperback
The Keeper by Ana Huang (Bloom Books, $19.99, 9781464223341). "A perfect read no matter if you're a newbie to sports romance or a seasoned veteran, complete with a 'doesn't do relationships' goalkeeper hero and his daughter's nanny. (AKA the one woman he can't resist, obviously!)" --Kyra Purgason, Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, San Diego, Calif.

Ages 4-8
Carrots Make Me Suspicious by Robin Mitchell Cranfield (Greystone Kids, $19.95, 9781778403187). "In Carrots Make Me Suspicious readers follow along, exploring carrots from the garden to the gourmet with this young bun on curious terms, not demanding ones. A perfect book for kiddos whose opinions about food deserve to be taken seriously." --Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs, La.

Ages 8-12
Brittle Magic by Kate O'Shaughnessy (Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780593650776). "Brittle Magic is filled with 'warm, maple syrupy' deliciousness--a quick read bursting with quirky charm that kept me hooked from the start. I loved Shiloh's tenacity as she learns to trust her instincts while unraveling family secrets and long-buried grief. A meaningful story about truth and healing." --Kristina Swilley, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Ages 13+ (Indies Introduce)
Where We Go at Night by Ikwo Ntekim (HarperCollins, $19.99, 9781335453853). "Eerie and atmospheric, this debut young adult fantasy is a pulse-pounding adventure filled with fae, mystery, and thrilling twists. Layered and imaginative, this novel will keep you turning pages late into the night." --Michael Leali, Mrs. Dalloway's Literary & Garden Arts, Berkeley, Calif.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

According to data from the National Institutes of Health, of the 800,000 Americans suffering from end-stage kidney disease in 2023, some 68% were receiving dialysis. That wasn't the case in 1961, when an anonymous group of seven Seattle residents convened to consider applications from desperate patients to participate in a program that made long-term dialysis possible for the first time. In The Life or Death Committee, Jillian Medoff (When We Were Bright and Beautiful; This Could Hurt) effectively blends fact and fiction to explore the complicated ethical dimensions of that group's work. She enriches her account with a gallery of well-crafted portraits of invented characters representing the real-life people charged with the awesome responsibility of granting some patients a chance at life and sentencing others to certain death.

Beginning in September 1961, a handpicked committee meets every Thursday afternoon in a small library at Seattle's Swedish Hospital. Six men--a city councilman, a banker, a lawyer, a surgeon, a pastor, and a labor leader--along with a single woman, identified as "the housewife," all of them white, to evaluate applications for the three beds initially available in the hospital's dialysis unit. The committee's early work involves developing a set of criteria to guide its decision-making, but as Medoff reveals, the effort to apply seemingly objective standards to frankly impossible choices quickly breaks down.

The actual committee didn't keep records of its deliberations, but Medoff's re-creation of what must have been at times contentious discussions feels plausible. Her literary skill is most evident in the chapters she devotes to illuminating the lives of each of her committee members. Their stories move the novel far afield from the decisions about which patients will get a spot, but as she reveals the members' distinctive experiences, the challenges of tasking ordinary human beings with these fateful choices emerge. To cite but one example, Medoff evokes the casual but at times overt racial, religious, and gender biases that must have entered into the discussions of these white, middle-class Seattle residents--shocking to 21st-century readers, but less so in that era.

The modern American health care system has many problems, but rationing dialysis for critical kidney disease is no longer one of them. That doesn't mean that hard choices about medical care have disappeared. As Medoff shows in brief scenes drawn from the Covid-19 pandemic that bracket her main story, decisions about allocating scarce medical resources continue to fuel the field of bioethics. The Life or Death Committee credibly illustrates one early approach to this vexing problem and the efforts made to solve it. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: Jillian Medoff offers a vivid fictional account of a group charged with deciding which patients would receive experimental dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease.

Come June, I'll be opening the first woman-owned bookstore this region has ever seen. The learning curve has been a steep one, and I'm nowhere near the summit yet, but I'm invigorated to be embarking on a new venture. Besides, what better way to ward off loneliness.  

The writer of these words is a character in a novel. Her name is Evelyn Cabot. She writes a column, "A Woman's Place," for Mademoiselle magazine, and the excerpt above was published (fictionally) in the April 1967 issue, after she had moved from New York City to the village of Schuywich, N.Y.--hometown of Hazel McIntyre, the woman she loves--and purchased an old farm that eventually became a bookshop, and much more. 

Evelyn lives in the recently published novel Upstate by Kim Van Alkemade (Morrow), which is a November Indie Next list pick. Evelyn shares that bookish space, in alternating chapters and across time, with 34-year-old writer Audrey Beacon, who has escaped the city more recently, after the death of her husband during the early, harrowing days of the Covid epidemic. Audrey purchases the farm and bookshop that Evelyn had established long before. Like her predecessor, she has no experience as a bookseller or a farmer.

There is yet another thread woven into the story in the form of long, narrative letters written by Hazel to Evelyn after the closure of Red Barn Books in 2015, for reasons I won't divulge here. The letters are beautiful, at once heartfelt and heartbreaking.

Bookshop-themed novels have been around for a long time, but perhaps they've never more abundant and popular than during these post-Covid years. There is something healing in the ideal of a cozy little bookshop. Those of us who have been booksellers know the fantasy is complicated, but even we can sometimes fall under the bookish spell. 

Upstate is much more than just a cozy bookshop tale, however. Kim really gets it--the complications, I mean--in part because she was inspired by personal experience. She was living in Carlisle, Pa., when she learned that a bookstore on a farm in upstate New York (You can check out the history of Owl Pen Books and local legend Barbara Probst here) was for sale. She seriously considered making an offer, but ultimately did not, though Probst's legacy proved to be inspirational. 

Even as a jaded former bookseller, I had no trouble immersing myself in the parallel worlds of Upstate. The bookshop ideal remains intact, while being tempered by reality: the daily challenges of running a business; the enriching and sometimes annoying interactions with a local community; the curious intricacies of a bookish life; and, ultimately, the complexities of love and inevitable loss. 

Kim Van Alkemade at Northshire Bookstore

Although she ultimately decided not to buy Owl Pen Books, Kim remained in the region and in fact has become, in addition to her career as an author, a frontline bookseller at the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which recently held a launch event for Upstate that included the reveal of a full wall display for her novel.  

So... a bookshop novel by a bookseller. Naturally I had questions, beginning with what Kim's perception of the word "bookseller" as opposed to--or in relation to--"bookshop owner" had been before she considered taking on the role herself.
 
"I had not yet become a bookseller when my partner and I considered becoming bookstore owners," she said. "Like most people who don't actually work in bookstores, I imagined booksellers spending long hours reading between moments of customer service. When I pictured myself as a bookshop owner, I imagined long hours of writing while staffing the store. Now I know how far from the truth both of these notions are."

Kim has been a bookseller at the Northshire since 2023. I asked if she ever thinks about how radically different her life would have been as Owl Pen's owner compared to being a bookseller in a relatively new shop. 

"So different!" she replied. "Writing Upstate allowed me to imagine owning a rural bookshop in a barn and renovating a hundred-year-old house, but working at Northshire made me realize that if I really did own such a bookshop, I'd never have enough time to write a novel....

"As an author, being a bookseller gives me a unique perspective on the business. I've learned about the role of platforms like Edelweiss in spreading the word about upcoming releases, the importance of the Indie Next List for recommending books to booksellers, and the magic of handselling a book I love to a customer looking for a good read. That experience motivated me to visit independent bookstores from Schenectady to Lake Placid and throughout Vermont to deliver advance copies to booksellers in my quest to get Upstate nominated for the November Indie Next List. Northshire has been so supportive of the release, with co-workers writing reviews and Rachel Person, our events director, hosting the launch."

I wondered if she'd returned to Owl Pen Books as a customer. "When I started writing Upstate, which is inspired by the experience of almost purchasing Owl Pen Books, I wanted my imagination to be free to create a new story," she replied. "This summer, I returned to Owl Pen for the first time in five years to gift the new owners an advance copy of the novel. The bookshop was even more charming than I remembered, but smaller than it had become in my imagination."

Because Halloween was approaching when Kim shared her thoughts with me, I had to ask if she had become permanently haunted by the ghost of Owl Pen founder Barbara Probst.
 
"A good haunting, for sure!" she replied. "For my partner and me, the prospect of continuing Barbara Probst's legacy was a big reason we tried to purchase Owl Pen. After I finished writing the novel, my partner, Mariel, researched more about Barb and her partner, Jean Slocum. Mariel's findings contributed to Owl Pen Books being included in the New York State LGBTQ+ Statewide Historic Context Exploratory Project."