"I think what the electronic bookselling model has revealed is that yes, the book can function as almost the ideal commodity.... The quintessential mass-marketed item. But what gets lost in the process, is everything that surrounds the book materially. I think it's an opportunity for us to think of a book as not a thing in and of itself, but as part of a larger process.... The act of actually browsing in a bookshop is just as valuable, or bumping into somebody and having a conversation about the books, or seeing two books together that you wouldn’t necessarily think of, and that creates a different relationship in your mind."

--Jason Rovito, owner of the Toronto bookstore Of Swallows, Their Deeds, & the Winter Below, in the Star.com.

 

Apple has sold more than a million iPads in its first month, and users have downloaded 12 million apps and 1.5 million e-books. MarketWatch reported that sales of the device "have already outstripped initial Wall Street estimates and the company cannot fully meet all the demand.... Most analysts had been expecting Apple to sell between 1 million and 2 million iPad units for the quarter ending in June."

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Kindle and iPad owners continue to purchase more traditional books than e-books, according to a survey by the Codex Group, a book-market consultancy. The Wall Street Journal reported that "Kindle owners bought only 37% of their books in the Kindle format and 50% of their books in print, while iPad owners bought 46% of their books in either Apple's iBookstore or in the Kindle store, which also allows books to be read on the iPad."

The long-term forecast is a bit more cloudy, since the survey results "support the idea that the devices are boosting Amazon's--and now Apple's--share of the book market," the Journal wrote.

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Macworld has tested the iPad against everything else, so why not put it to the ultimate challenge: "The iPad clearly threatens gadgets like netbook computers and smartphones. But just how does it fare against that marvel of tried-and-true technology, the book? Pretty well, in fact. Though it's not without flaws, the experience of reading on the iPad is positive enough to earn the device yet another solid passing grade on its report card of features."

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Customers will form "an old-fashioned bucket brigade of books" to help Clinton Book Shop, Clinton, N.J., move to its new location next Sunday. MyCentralJersey.com reported that manager Rob Dougherty and owner Harvey Finkel have signed up about 53 volunteers thus far and hope for as many as 125 helpers "to create a chain of people between the two locations, passing buckets of books from the old shop to the new shop, not unlike the original fire department might have done with water buckets during a fire during the late 19th century."

"It's pretty much right on target," said Dougherty, who expects the new store to reopen May 11. "The counters are done, shelving is up and the new children's space is finished."

"The building is coming full circle," Finkel added. "The new space, rich in history, will have the look and feel of what we are proud to be--a small town, independent book shop in New Jersey's most beautiful town."

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William Harris has opened Just Imagine, a shop featuring books and toys, in Chelsea, Mich., at a location previously occupied by Resale Bliss and Cranesbill Books, the Chelsea Standard reported.

"I think it's important to have an independent book store in the community and I think it's an important part of the downtown business community," Harris said. "I definitely think an independent book store can work in Chelsea. We're close enough to the central hub of downtown and I think we can draw people in to visit."

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NYU Local recommended a visit to Housing Works Bookstore Café in New York City, where "people don't usually go to look for a specific book. Rather, it's perfect for browsing your favorite genre or just looking for a new read. You'll be delighted by all the treasures and weirdos you can find."

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Free Comic Book Day crimefighter's update: In Adelaide, Australia, Spider-Man (or rather, a comic bookshop owner in disguise) apprehended a shoplifter attempting to steal an X-Men omnibus, the Guardian reported.

"We had about 40 people dressed up as their favorite superheroes to celebrate International Free Comic Day, so he didn't have much of a choice but to hand the X-Men omnibus back after a little bit of a scuffle," said Michael Baulderstone, owner of Adelaide Comic Centre. "One of the funniest things about the incident was that I called for people to stand near the door and it just so happened we had people dressed as Jedi knights there blocking the exit, the Flash was there at some point too."

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In a slightly altered take on the shop local credo, Alison Fryer, manager of the Cookbook Store, told the Toronto Star that the "core thing book retailers need to remember sometimes is that we're not only competing with other bookstores, we're competing with other retailers. I want the customer to spend their hard-earned, disposable dollars on my store. I don't want them to buy new shoes, a piece of clothing. I'd rather they buy books."

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A belated happy birthday to girl detective Nancy Drew, who turned 80 last week. Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life blog noted that "her influence is global. Nancy Drew books are published in 25 languages, and have sold 200 million copies worldwide."

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Anne Frank is "definitely not a household name" in the Arab world, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported, noting that the 50th anniversary of the Anne Frank House "will pass practically without notice in the Middle East. Although the diary of the Jewish girl who went into hiding in a house on an Amsterdam canal during World War Two has been translated into Arabic and Farsi, it cannot be sold everywhere in the region."

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Book video of the day: Lost Soul: Burning Sky by Jordan Weisman (Running Press), the first book in a trilogy about a young boy who must help save the world before the end of the Mayan calendar.

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Jessica Krakoski is joining the Cave Henricks Communications staff this month and will relocate to the media relations and consulting firm's Austin, Tex., headquarters in August.

She was most recently a publicist at Basic Books and earlier was a publicist at Simon Spotlight Entertainment.

 

Carl Lennertz, v-p, independent retailing, at HarperCollins, remembers Melvyn Zerman, who died last month (Shelf Awareness, April 28, 2010):

As a young sales rep fresh from St. Louis, with a desk in the Random House offices in New York, I was both intimidated and respectful. Some of the old-timers had no time for the fresh face, but one man in particular was welcoming and helpful: Mel Zerman.

I haven't seen Mel in years, and he sadly passed away April 19, but I can still see perfectly has quick smile and the way he'd put the tip of his glasses in his mouth in thought. He also had one of the best and fastest laughs around.

This was music to me, that this dapper, very intelligent bookperson had the time of day for me, and even better, thought me funny at times. Mel was always paper-deep managing all of Random House's reprints all by himself, but he always had time for a question and chat. Now that I think of it, I suspect he enjoyed the questions from a young pup, as do I now. Mel went on to start Limelight Editions, a wonderful publisher of theater-related books.

I am positive that if Mel walked into any publishing house today, he'd see--and smile at--all the changes, especially supply chain charts and speedy desktop access to information, but I think he would really be moved by the number of young people who still want to be in the line of work he chose for a living, and still all focused on one thing, as he was: the making of good books.

 

At a launch party last week at the Paley Center for the Media in Los Angeles for The Days of Our Lives: The True Story of One Family's Dream and the Untold History of Days of Our Lives by Ken Corday (Sourcebooks): (from l.) Alison Sweeney, who plays Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives; DOL executive producer Corday; and Kristian Alfonso, who plays Hope Brady.

 

 

 

 

Today on Talk of the Nation: Patricia Morrisroe, author of Wide Awake: A Memoir of Insomnia (Spiegel & Grau, $25, 9780385522243/038552224X).

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Tomorrow morning on the Today Show: Beth Ostrosky Stern, author of Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend (Gallery, $25.99, 9781439160299/1439160295).

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Tomorrow morning on the Steve Harvey Morning Show: Victoria Rowell, author of Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva (Atria, $16, 9781439164426/1439164428).

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Tomorrow on Hannity: Laura Bush, author of Spoken from the Heart (Scribner, $30, 9781439155202/1439155208).

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Tomorrow on the Joy Behar Show: Paul and Shannon Morell, authors of Misconception: One Couple's Journey from Embryo Mix-Up to Miracle Baby (Howard, $25, 9781439193617/1439193614).

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Tomorrow night on the Colbert Report: Dave Isay, author of Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps (Penguin, $21.95, 9781594202612/1594202613).

Director Oliver Stone and author Bruce Wagner have struck a development deal with Epix, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which wrote that their initial project will be "a one-hour scripted dramatic series titled Still Holding, based on Wagner's novel."

"I'm interested in the possibilities in television," Stone said. "When a company like Epix comes along, it's a chance to break new ground. They want to make their mark. They want to entertain and provoke; they don't want their drama or comedy watered down."

 

Stephen King's Dark Tower series is the subject of feature rights talks involving the author, Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road, and Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment. Variety reported that the project, "which had been in development at J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner, hasn't been set up yet at a studio."

 

Winners of the James Beard Foundation awards were announced Sunday night in New York City. The Independent reported that honorees included:

Cookbook of the Year: The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews
American Cooking: Real Cajun by Donald Link with Paula Disbrowe
Baking and Dessert: Baking by James Peterson
Beverage: Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology by Randall Grahm
Cooking from a Professional Point of View: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts by The French Culinary Institute with Judith Choate
General Cooking: Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller
Healthy Focus: Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes by Anna Thomas
Photography: Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, photographs by Santiago Solo Monllor
Reference and Scholarship: Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita, translated by Maureen B. Fant
Single Subject: Pasta Sfoglia by Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Suhanosky
Writing and Literature: Save the Deli by David Sax
Cookbook Hall of Fame: A Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

James Beard award–winning chefs and restaurants were named Monday night. The Boston Globe featured a list of winners.

 

Selected new titles appearing this week and next:

Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together by the Dalai Lama (Doubleday, $25, 9780385525053/0385525052) advocates the peaceful coexistence of people based on shared human experience.

War by Sebastian Junger (Twelve, $26.99, 9780446556248/0446556246) follows a platoon fighting in Afghanistan.

Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance by Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm (Penguin, $27.95, 9781594202506/1594202508) examines the current recession in the context of past economic crises.

Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball by Bill Madden (Harper, $26.99, 9780061690310/0061690317) chronicles the career of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies and a Company Called DreamWorks by Nicole LaPorte (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28, 9780547134703/0547134703) is a behind-the-scenes look at the Hollywood studio formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar (Delacorte, $17.99, 9780385736626/0385736622) tells the story of a high school student whose parents force him to drive his elderly rich uncle to bridge games.

Fever Dream by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston (Grand Central, $26.99, 9780446554961/0446554960) is the 10th thriller starring FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin (St. Martin's, $26.99, 9780312554163/0312554168) explores the adulterous temptations facing a pediatric surgeon.

The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer (Minotaur, $25.99, 9780312622879/0312622872) follows a recently imprisoned CIA agent forced to reassert his loyalty through difficult test missions.

 

Rick Riordan first started thinking about ancient Egypt as a setting for a book while writing the second novel in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Sea of Monsters. He envisions The Kane Chronicles, #1: The Red Pyramid as the first in a trilogy, starring Carter, 14, and Sadie, 12, siblings who have been raised separately due to powerful bloodlines that trace back to the Egyptian pharaohs. It's a modern tale with roots in the distant past--and rife with magic. Riordan, a former teacher, comes across as an avid learner as much as a passionate instructor--whose student body has grown exponentially. The Kane Chronicles, #1: The Red Pyramid goes on sale today (Disney Book Group, May 4, 2010).

By now you must be good at plotting the overall arc for a storyline. Do you have all three Kane Chronicles mapped out?

It's a combination of planning it in advance and letting it unfold organically. I have the broad strokes figured out, I know the ending, but then I plan each book and the details always surprise me. Hopefully it's like alchemy, more than the sum of the parts.

Did you do a lot of research on where Egyptian artifacts are located around the globe?

Egypt is in the public consciousness; everyone knows about the pyramids and mummies, and central to the book is magic. For the Egyptians, magic can be summoned by these artifacts that are now spread all around the world. Everyone wants a piece of ancient Egypt, their obelisks and hieroglyphs. The idea of making this a global story--not just in the U.S. like Percy Jackson--was very appealing and emphasizes how huge Egypt really is in the modern imagination.

Did you begin with a character, a setting or, in this case, a period in history?

[This project] is something that had been brewing for a long time, even as early as when I was doing Sea of Monsters. As I talked to kids across the country, the one area they were all interested in and that fired their imaginations was ancient Egypt. Part of my philosophy as a teacher and writer is to pay attention to them. I took their ideas seriously. Then it was a matter of figuring out the premise, to make it funny, modern and relevant for kids. That's the challenge I'd had as a teacher: this happened 3,000 years ago, why should I care? How is it relevant to me? How can I make kids part of it and make it matter in a meaningful way--and not feel like you're in school.

The dynamic between Carter and Sadie nicely allows them to "show off" what they know and also impart information to readers.

It was important to me that the book have two narrators, one boy and one girl. I wanted each gender to have a touchstone in the series. Although the Percy Jackson books have been touted as boy books, that's not what you see at events; the audience is usually about half and half, boys and girls. It made sense that [Carter and Sadie] would be brother and sister. Having them alternate, they could contradict each other.

What prompted the idea to feature a mixed-race family?

On a very pragmatic level, they are loosely based on a brother and sister I'd taught in San Francisco. The way they self-identified was very interesting, and the way they interacted was interesting because they didn't see their heritage in the same way. On a broader level, I thought it was important to put Egypt in its context as not just a root of Western civilization. I think it's been appropriated by the European culture. It's an African heritage, and Egypt for hundreds of years had been a crossroads of cultures. A mixed-race family would have the same issues today that they had hundreds of years ago.

One especially poignant moment in the book is when his father tells Carter that "[f]airness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need."

Carter's relationship with his dad is like mine with my son. I made Carter home-schooled because Haley was home-schooled with us during sixth and seventh grades. We were making sure he wasn't being isolated, that he was not too far out of the mix of his peers, but it was also amazing how much he could learn when all the distractions were taken away. I got closer to him at a time when most kids were pulling away from their parents. It does create an identity issue. Carter is a little out of synch. He's really smart, very capable, but in an average American middle school, he wouldn't have a clue how to interact in that environment.

What was your favorite discovery, during your research?

The House of Life, the ancient school of Egyptian magic--I'd had no idea that that existed. To know that magic pretty much originated in the culture of ancient Egypt--the way they practice magic is accurate in the book--it puts a different spin on the idea of magicians and the practice of magic. When they say the pharaoh's magicians came out and did their magic in front of Moses, that's who the magicians were. The House of Life reference was because they could heal with their spells, but they also made charms that protected the pharaohs--they were very busy.

And the hieroglyphs you represent in the book are actual hieroglyphs?

I did quite a bit of research, and had shelves of books on hieroglyphs and how magic pertained. The ancient Egyptians considered all writing magic. They had to be careful: if they created the word "cat," they had to deface it slightly, because they believed they could create a cat. The idea was that the ultimate form of magic was to speak and the world began. You see that influence in the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word." All these ancient cultures dovetail, and they were all forming and evolving at the same time. --Jennifer M. Brown