Shelf Awareness for Tuesday, June 6, 2006


William Morrow & Company: Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

Del Rey Books: Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

Peachtree Teen: Romantic YA Novels Coming Soon From Peachtree Teen!

Watkins Publishing: She Fights Back: Using Self-Defence Psychology to Reclaim Your Power by Joanna Ziobronowicz

Dial Press: Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia Gatwood

Pantheon Books: The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

Peachtree Publishers: Leo and the Pink Marker by Mariyka Foster

Wednesday Books: Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber

News

Notes: Changes at Olsson's; Anti-Anti-Wal-Mart Approach

Robert Starner has joined the corporate staff of Olsson's Books & Records as event coordinator and will handle the scheduling of in-store events and stock signings for all Olsson's stores. He has worked at the Olsson's Lansburgh/Penn Quarter store in Washington, D.C., since last October, where he handled many author events. Earlier he had worked as a part-time bookseller at Olsson's during two holiday seasons and for 14 years was a part-time bookseller at Lambda Rising in Dupont Circle in Washington and was director of online services for Lambda Rising. He may be reached at rstarner@olssons.com or at 301-562-0972 ext. 50.

For the time being, marketing manager Alicia Greene will continue to schedule Olsson's off-site events. Later this year, Starner will take over those responsibilities.

Also Elizabeth Brinkama, who co-administered events scheduling and handled sidelines ordering, is leaving Olsson's to manage Now and Then, a gift store in Takoma Park, Md. Olsson's praised "her dedication and service to the company these past seven years. Her dynamic energy, welcomed humor and bookstore knowledge will be missed, and we wish her the very best in her new position."

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Slate looks at the effect of BookScan's book sales figures, stating, "BookScan has emerged as a powerful tool for the editors and agents whose employers pay several thousand dollars a year to subscribe. But in the hands of journalists and polemicists, BookScan data has becomes a blunt instrument to humiliate, minimize accomplishments, and express joy at the misfortune of other writers." (Editors' note: Shelf Awareness has yet to quote a BookScan sales figure . . .)

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A group called Citizens for Economic Opportunity is circulating a petition against the interim zoning measure passed by the Ravalli County commissioners against big box stores that was supported by ABA president Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Bookstore, Hamilton, Mont., and many others (Shelf Awareness, April 13).

Dallas Erickson, one of the anti-resolution group members (who said he is interested in family values and the threat to them posed by pornography), told the Missoulian that much of the resolution was an affront to free enterprise. "I agree with some of the parts of the resolution, like the landscaping, but I just can't figure out what the cap means. I mean 60,000 (square feet) is O.K., but 61,000 isn't? That doesn't make any sense."

He added that the group believes businesses like Wal-Mart increase sales at other stores and would help the county retain shoppers who otherwise would travel to Missoula.

Depending on how many signatures the group gets and when, its efforts could temporarily stop the commissioners' measure or put the matter on the ballot in November.

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Effective July 5, Books-A-Million has appointed Douglas Markham chief financial officer, replacing Richard Wallington. Markham was formerly senior v-p and controller at Saks and had worked for the retailer for 10 years. Before that, he worked in finance and accounting for 20 years at other national retailers.

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It seems like an odd thing for a competitor to do.

A 44-year-old student at Daytona Beach Community College who has a Web site, falconbooksdirect.com, where students can buy and sell textbooks, has prodded the school's administration to ask for an audit from Follett, which manages the campus bookstore, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Thomas Rebman has charged that Follett is not living up to its contract--particularly the requirement that Follett buy back textbooks under certain conditions for no less than 50% of the original cost.

Explaining the audit, Michael Elam, v-p for student development at DBCC, told the paper, "We want to send a message we're working together" with Follett. "The bottom line is we want to make sure the contract is being adhered to. We are taking Mr. Rebman seriously."

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John Carlson has been promoted to executive director of operations at Chronicle Books. He has been with the company for 12 years, including four years in the sales division. Most recently, he led the operations group and warehouse.

In addition, Dan Janusz has been promoted to controller at Chronicle. For five years, he has been finance manager.


Now Streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME: A Gentleman in Moscow


Courtroom Crib Sheet for Booksellers: Trademarks

The following are tips regarding trademarks from a new Nolo Press audio CD for booksellers called The Bookseller's Little Legal Companion. For a free copy of the CD, write to Nolo at TradeCS@nolo.com. Shelf Awareness will run more tips from the CD over the next few issues.

You probably should consider registering your bookstore trademark if:

  • You're planning on opening more than one bookstore.
  • You're concerned about stopping a competitor with a similar sounding name.
  • You'd like to expand to the Internet.
  • You're creating a sideline business and you're using your bookstore trademark in connection with that.

GLOW: Greystone Books: brother. do. you. love. me. by Manni Coe, illustrated by Reuben Coe


Media and Movies

Media Heat: Bill Bennett on 'The Last Best Hope'

This morning on Imus in the Morning: Ron White, member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and author of I Had the Right to Remain Silent . . . But I Didn't Have the Ability (Dutton, $24.95, 0525949615).

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This morning the Today Show has a slew of authors:

  • Ian Falconer, author of Olivia Forms a Band (Atheneum, $17.95, 141692454X).
  • Ann Coulter, whose new book is Godless: The Church of Liberalism (Crown, $27.95, 1400054206).
  • Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare, authors of Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work (Regan Books, $26.95, 0060837721).

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Just in time for breakfast: this morning Good Morning America welcomes Teri Crane, author of Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro (Fireside, $11.95, 0743273133).

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Present and accounted for today on WAMU's Diane Rehm Show: Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer, authors of AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes From Military--And How It Hurts Our Country (HarperReference, $24.95, 0060888598).

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Tonight on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart: William J. Bennett, whose new book is America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War (Nelson Current, $29.99, 1595550550).

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Tonight on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Tim Russert, author of Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters From Daughters and Sons (Random House, $22.95,1400064805).


BINC: Apply Now to The Susan Kamil Scholarship for Emerging Writers!


Books & Authors

Sales Pitch: World Cup Book Lineup

Kickoff for the World Cup is this Friday, and even though Americans have tended to stay on the sidelines of the world sport, the U.S. hosting of the Cup in 1994 and the U.S. inclusion among the 32 teams that qualified for the month-long soccerfest in Germany this year are eroding our solid defenses. The enthusiasm of many foreign-born fans here doesn't hurt either. For both true fans and "beginner fans" in the U.S., several books probe soccer and the World Cup from different vantage points.

The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey (Harper Perennial, $14.95, 0061132268), which has appeared on some bestseller lists, is the soccer equivalent of some of the best baseball writing. Besides statistics and charts, the book features essays on each of the 32 participating countries. The editors have managed to collect some true gems here: among them are Nick Hornby on the strange state of English soccer; Tim Parks on the Italian way of rooting for the Azzurri; former East German Alexander Osang, who has an unusual perspective on the host country's "national" team; Jorge Castaneda, who explores the notion that Mexicans may oddly expect more from their Cup team than the government; and Dave Eggers, who takes an amusing, ironic look at tenuous relationship between the U.S. and soccer.

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National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer by Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist (Brookings Institution Press, $26.95 hardcover 0815782586; $19.95 paper 0815782594) is a 2005 title with a new preface. In the book, the authors contrast and compare the history and institutional structures of baseball and soccer, particularly Major League Baseball and the English Premier League. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two organizations have borrowed from the other sport. For example, Major League Baseball just put on the World Baseball Classic, which operates much like the World Cup.

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The World Cup: The Ultimate Guide to the Greatest Sports Spectacle in the World by Fernando Fiore (Rayo, $14.95, 0060820896) and its Spanish-language version, Vamos al Mundial!: Lo Que Necesitas Saber para Llegar a la Final (Rayo, $14.95, 006082090X). Fiore, the Univision TV sports announcer who will call the World Cup, has a fittingly chipper and conversational style. He discusses all the qualifying teams, putting the accent on Latin American soccer and Cup history. A fun touch: based on his travels, Fiore discusses the host German cities and offers his favorite places for good Latin nightlife and food.

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The World Cup: The Complete History by Terry Crouch (Aurum Press, $24.95, 1845131495) is an encyclopedic work about the Cup from its origins in 1930 and includes the results of every match and the listings of ever player on every team.

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Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano (Verso, $17, 1859844235). This is a new edition of a passionate short history of soccer by the Uruguyan poet and writer.

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Soccer for Dummies by the U.S. Soccer Federation and Michael Lewis (Wiley, $21.99, 0764552295).

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Soccer (Penguin, $18.95, 0028627253).


Attainment: New Books Out Next Week

The following are two last-minute additions:

Terrorist by John Updike (Knopf, $24.95, 0307264653) makes its appearance today. In the book, Ahmad, the son of an Egyptian father and an Irish-American mother, pursues his father's Islamic practices to an extreme--and becomes involved in a deadly plot.

Lying in Bed by M.J. Rose (Spice, $13.95, 0373605080). Taking a break from psychological suspense, Rose offers an erotic novel about a woman who was once fully passionate and now uses her mind but not her heart to compose love letters for clients--until a new client appears.

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The following are new titles appearing next week, with laydown dates of Tuesday, June 13:

Swapping Lives by Jane Green (Viking, $24.95, 0670034800), which focuses on a married mother and a single woman with a high-powered professional life who each discovers how the other lives.

Blue Screen by Robert B. Parker (Putnam, $24.95, 0399153519) stars Sunny Randall as she attempts to solve a murder with the help of small town police chief Jesse Stone.

The Wrong Hostage by Elizabeth Lowell (Morrow, $24.95, 0060829818) follows a desperate mother who discovers her rich ex-husband and son are being held by a Mexican drug lord. A former lover, the member of an elite private investigation service, comes to her aid.

The Delta Belles by Penelope J. Stokes (Doubleday, $19.95, 0385510144) is about four sometimes troubled, female college graduates who reconstruct their musical quartet for their 25th reunion.

Shadow Man by Cody Mcfadyen (Bantam, $24, 0553804650) chronicles FBI agent Smokey Barrett's quest to find a serial killer, even after a different murderer killed her husband and daughter.

Seminary Boy
by John Cornwell (Doubleday, $24.95, 0385514867) recounts the author's dysfunctional childhood and days as a troubled adolescent.

Baby Proof by Emily Griffin (St. Martin's, $23.95, 0312348649) follows Claudia as she divorces her husband, Ben, over an affair.



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