"It's not my job to make people feel badly that we might go away. It's my job to make this a place where people want to buy books."--Roxanne Coady, owner of R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, Conn., in a story in the Connecticut Post about independent bookselling and the new book she co-edited, The Book that Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them (Gotham, $17.50, 1592402100).

Earlier this week IBM filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon.com that IBM said came after nearly four years of trying to negotiation with Amazon, Internet Retailer reported.

Ed Barbini, an IBM spokesperson, said, "These are high-quality patents and important IBM intellectual property that are core to Amazon.com's business. In fact, Amazon.com has built its business model on these patents."

The patents involve "presenting applications in an interactive service; storing data in an interactive network; presenting advertising in an interactive service; adjusting hypertext links with weighted user goals and activities; and ordering items using an electronic catalog."

Amazon is no stranger to patent lawsuits. In the best known-case in the book world, in 1999, it sued BarnesandNoble.com over what Amazon calls "one-click" patent, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reconsidering as possibly overly broad.

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Local papers have varying reactions to two new B&N College stores that aim to serve "civilians" as much as the academic community.

In St. Petersburg, Fla., some neighbors of the new University of South Florida at St. Petersburg bookstore told the St. Petersburg Times they were pleased with the addition of the store. One owner of a nearby condo said, "It's a neighborhood bookstore for everyone," and an artist added, "We're excited to have it. The focus should be on the quality of their books and the depth of their selection."

By contrast, some neighbors of the new Johns Hopkins University B&N in Charles Village, in Baltimore, Md., said there were not enough books in the store, which has no music and about 25%-30% of titles found a typical B&N superstore, according to the Baltimore Examiner. One Hopkins faculty member and Charles Village resident commented: "The store is just too small. There is not enough square feet to do everything they want to do."

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Unshelved, the daily library comic strip available at Overdue Media's Web site, has had such a response to its "pimp my bookcart" series--readers at libraries and schools said they were planning to "customize, augment or otherwise pimp" their bookcarts--that the site is having a "pimp my bookcart" contest for "libraries, schools, businesses and anyone with a bookcart that needs a little something extra."

Entrants should e-mail pictures of the pimped-out bookcart, including front, back and sides. Unshelved artists Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum will judge. First prize is a $250 gift certificate to the Overdue Media Store and a signed, custom drawing of the Unshelved character(s) of your choice by Bill. Runner-up gets a $50 gift certificate. All entries will be posted on the site.

Get pimping now! Deadline is January 15. 

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Kate Kazeniac has been promoted to associate director of publicity from publicity manager for Da Capo Press and Da Capo Lifelong Books.

 

The following is from Wendy Werris, our intrepid reporter at the Southern California Booksellers Association's annual show and Authors Feast held last weekend in Los Angeles. (Werris is a former bookseller, a former publisher, a sales rep, an author escort, photographer and last but not least, now an author.)

Mea culpa! Shelf Awareness invited me to cover the action at the annual SCBA trade show in Los Angeles this weekend, but my reportage turned into a rather slaphappy medley of narcissism. I hope you'll forgive me, folks, but this was the first time I attended the event as an author--not a publisher's rep or author escort.

For instance, I skipped the trade show altogether and didn't arrive until 5:30 p.m. Once I explain my alibi, though, it's up to you to discern if this was a faux pas.

Although it still seems bizarre to me, I am now an author. Having attended most of the 14 SCBA autumn events to date, I always looked forward to the evening gathering known as the Authors Feast. Sitting at my designated table, it was a pleasure to meet a rotating duo of authors as they were escorted about, table-to-table, between dinner courses. On more than one occasion I was an escort myself, observing as my author chatted it up with the booksellers and reps seated with them.

As Fran Lebowitz once said, "Always a godmother, never a God." For years, my twist on this was, "Always an author escort, never an author." Life has finally intervened, though, and my first book, An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books, was released this month by Carroll & Graf. When the SCBA board invited me to participate in this year's Authors Feast, I happily accepted.

The 50 authors came together for an early dinner before heading into the cocktail hour of the trade show. I sat at a table with Janet Fitch, Kenneth Turan, Carolyn See and other friendly Southern California writers who all made me feel at home. Much to my delight, PW's Bridget Kinsella stopped by to chat with us and I was finally able to meet her after seeing her byline for years. She's a delight, and has her own first book coming out about women who fall in love with men in prison. Over dessert, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on author Deborah Ginsburg at the next table talking up Shelf Awareness with her group of writers.

Walking into a grand ballroom at the historic Biltmore Hotel, where the trade show was wrapping up, I slowly made my way to the bar. Dutton's Bookstore had a big presence at the event. It was wonderful to see staff members from both their Brentwood and Beverly Hills stores holding glasses of wine and engaged in conversation with reps from Holtzbrink, Random, S&S and others in our L.A. tribe. But I needed a drink, damn it, to calm my wayward nerves, and forged ahead to the mirage-like bar in the far corner of the room.

My friend Sherrie Gallentine, to whom I sell books at Vroman's in Pasadena, cut me off at the pass so we could share a hug. For a couple of minutes we gossiped and chatted, I met her handsome boyfriend, and just as I was getting my wallet out to pay for a drink, Sherrie off-handedly said, "Do you know your book will be on the L.A. Times bestseller list tomorrow?"

I admit to having dropped a lot of LSD in the '60s and experiencing a variety of acid trips. Nevertheless, in the decades since passed, I never had what Mr. Leary referred to as a "flashback"--until that moment. Time stopped. I went deaf, saw stars, thought Sherrie was Mr. Pickwick. Then I screamed. Finally, I wobbled to the bar.

Glenn Goldman, owner of Book Soup in West Hollywood, was standing in my way. Grabbing his arm, I said, "Buy me a glass of wine, Goldman--I made the bestseller list!"  He seemed as stunned as I as we toasted this milestone, a slot on the paperback non-fiction list: number ten with a bullet!

Moments later I sat down at the first table I was assigned to for the Feast, where my escort was Melony Vance from Books in Nooks, Julian, Calif.  She introduced me to the others at the table, who ate the appetizer course as I talked about An Alphabetical Life with each of them. To my right sat Glenn Geffcken, senior project manager for the L.A. Times Festival of Books. He's been at the helm there since 1999 and since then, he told me, "Books have changed my life. I love this job!"

Moving on to my second table assignment, I was met by Amy Pickell of Warwick's in La Jolla, who moonlights as the secretary of SCBA. As my tablemates consumed their Mystery Fowl, I chatted with Debbie Mitsch, the owner of Mystery Ink, who was forced  to close her bookshop last year because of a rent increase. Now operating as an Internet business, Debbie hopes (as do I) to see the store re-open in the near future.

Also at the table were Kim Dower, book publicist extraordinaire, and her client Karen Mack, co-author of Literacy and Longing in L.A. When the book won the SCBA award for best novel of the year, our table made so much noise I thought my wine glass would break.

Anne Mery of the Grove bookstore in San Diego greeted me warmly at my final table of the Feast. As I devoured my second dessert of the night, Anne told me that she's had to approach her business with a creative open-mindedness. In addition to books, the Grove now also sells yarns, furniture, clothing and art. "We own our building, too," Anne added. "It's the only way we can survive these days." Sadly I heard many similar tales at the SCBA Authors Feast. Every story of a struggling independent bookstore makes me more determined to spread the word of their plight. On the eve of my book tour for An Alphabetical Life, I'm reminded that wherever I make an appearance, it's my responsibility to urge people to continue--and increase--their patronage of our beloved indies. It will be my privilege to do so.

 

This morning the Today Show tees off with former golf pro turned CEO Greg Norman, who offers advice from The Way of the Shark: Lessons on Golf, Business, and Life (Atria, $29.95, 0743287746).

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Today on the Early Show: Philip Rosenthal, author of You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom (Viking, $25.95, 0670037990). Rosenthal will then keep the laughs going on the View.

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Today on KCRW's Bookworm: Marisha Pessl, author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics: A Novel (Viking, $25.95, 067003777X). As the show put it: "While Marisha Pessl's first novel has a bright and witty narrative voice, it has mysterious depths and a hidden Nabokovian counterstructure. We explore the author's ambitions and her decision to keep the book's secrets well-hidden."

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Today WAMU's Diane Rehm Show welcomes actress Ellen Burstyn, author of Lessons in Becoming Myself (Riverhead, $25.95, 1594489297).

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Today on Fox & Friends: Lynne Cheney, author of Our 50 States: A Family Adventure across America (S&S, $17.95, 0689867174).

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Tonight in a repeat of a show earlier this month, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart features David Mark, author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning (Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95, 0742545008).

 

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 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 Web site.

Saturday, October 28

8 a.m. History on Book TV. In an event hosted by the University of Oregon, Thomas Hager, a correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association and a former director of the University of Oregon Press, discussed his book The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug (Harmony, $24.95, 1400082137). In the book, Hager focuses on Dr. Gerhard Domagk and his quest to find cures for the kinds of infections that killed so many on the battlefields of World War I.

5:15 p.m. General Assignment: Fall Book Previews, Part 1. Nancy Bass Wyden, co-owner of the Strand bookstore in New York City, recommends new and upcoming nonfiction books and talks about the history of the store and the buying habits of its customers. (Re-airs on Sunday at 8:15 a.m.)

5:30 p.m. General Assignment: Fall Book Previews, Part 2. Brad Miner of the American Compass, a conservative book club that is part of Doubleday and Bookspan, recommends some new conservative books and discusses the preferences of the members of the club. (Re-airs on Sunday at 8:30 a.m.)

6 p.m. Encore Booknotes. In a segment that first aired in 2002, John Taliaferro, a former senior editor of Newsweek, discussed his book Great White Fathers: The Story of the Obsessive Quest to Create Mount Rushmore (PublicAffairs, $18.95, 158648205X), about the creation of the presidential sculptures on Mount Rushmore, which were completed 65 years ago this coming Tuesday.

9 p.m. After Words. Robert Litwak, director of international security studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, interviews Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Affairs and a contributing editor for the National Interest, about Takeyh's book Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic (Times Books, $25, 0805079769). In Hidden Iran, Takeyh analyzes the relationship between the U.S. and Iran and proposes a new approach. (Re-airs Sunday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.)

Sunday, October 29

2 a.m. Public Lives. During an event held at a Borders in Wynnewood, Pa., near her hometown, ABC correspondent Lynn Sherr discussed Outside the Box: A Memoir (Rodale, $25.95, 1594862575). She told of her successful battle with colon cancer and explained why she decided never to stop grieving for her husband, who died of cancer. (Re-airs at 8 p.m.)

The 2006 Whiting Writers' Awards, worth $40,000 each and sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, have been awarded to 10 "emerging writers of exceptional talent and promise":

Sherwin Bitsui. Born on the Navajo Reservation, his collection of poems, Shapeshift, was published by the University of Arizona Press in 2003. He lives in Tucson, Ariz.

Charles D'Ambrosio. His most recent collection of short stories is The Dead Fish Museum (Knopf, 2006). He teaches at University of Montana.

Stephen Adly Guirgis. His new play, The Little Flower of East Orange, premieres at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2007. He lives in New York City.

Tyehimba Jess. His first book, leadbelly, was published by Verse Press in 2005.  He teaches at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

Suji Kwock Kim.  Her first book, Notes from the Divided Country: Poems, was published by LSU Press in 2003. She lives in New York City.

Yiyun Li. Her collection of short stories, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, was published by Random House in 2005. She teaches at Mills College, Oakland, Calif.

Micheline Aharonian Marcom.  Born in Saudi Arabia, her most recent novel is The Daydreaming Boy (Riverhead, 2004). She is a visiting writer at Mills College.

Nina Marie Martínez. The daughter of a Mexican-American farm worker, she is the author of a novel, ¡Caramba! A Tale Told in Turns of the Card, which was published by Knopf in 2004. She lives in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Bruce Norris. His most recent play, The Pain and the Itch, opened this fall in New York at the Playwrights Horizon. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Patrick O'Keeffe. Born in Ireland, he is the author of a collection of stories, The Hill Road, which was published by Viking in 2005.