At PubWest's annual conference last week in Pasadena, Calif., Shelf Awareness co-founders Jenn Risko and John Mutter (above, flanking American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher) received the Rittenhouse Award, which honors "those who have made a real contribution to the western community of the book." PubWest executive director Kent Watson commented: "In creating Shelf Awareness, John and Jenn took a spark of inspiration that has now turned into a daily publishing, bookseller, and reader frenzied fire. Shelf Awareness is a trusted source for news and information for everyone interested in the printed and (e-printed) word." And in his introduction, Teicher said in part, "I appreciate that the book business is not without many challenges as we grapple with the changing ways in which consumers access content, but I can say--without any equivocation whatsoever--that the innovative and creative ways in which our friends at Shelf Awareness have helped make books and news about our business more readily available has made a real difference for the good. On a personal note--I've been in this business now for almost 30 years--and I've had the privilege of knowing and working with many remarkable people, both in bookselling and in publishing, but I can't think of two people with higher integrity than Jenn and John. They make our business better, every single day. No one knows more about the book business than John and Jenn. They seem to know everyone, and everyone knows them."
