Sen. Ted Cruz (R.-Tex.) took his crusade against books he deems objectionable to a new level this week when he warned against the dangers of selling diaries, journals and other blank books to minors. 

Just days after ranting about the threat posed by anti-racist literature at Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate confirmation hearing, Cruz turned his attention to the potential hazards inherent in blank books sold by retailers nationwide, from bookshops and stationery stores to big-box retailers like Walmart. 

In a speech to constituents, Cruz said, "What many people don’t know is that absolutely anything could be written in those pages. We must protect our kids from their own thoughts." To drive his point home, Cruz displayed a stack of personal diaries that his staff had discovered in their own children's possession. 

A spokesperson for the National Stationery Association commented: "Senator Cruz's words speak for themselves. As has happened with other books and related items he's criticized in the past, dramatically increased sales will be the result. We wholeheartedly support that outcome." --Robert Gray

Elliott Advisors, the private equity fund that in the past four years has bought Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Foyles and Blackwell's, wants to continue to expand in the bookselling world, Elliott and B&N principals confirmed in exclusive interviews with Shelf Awareness.

Elliott has approached a range of bookstore companies in the English-speaking world, including Books-A-Million, Indigo Books & Music, and Dymocks. It also has its eyes on Kinokuniya, the Japanese chain with branches around the world that sell many English-language titles. The goal, as stated by Paul Singer, founder of Elliott Management, is to "leverage the unleverageable, create efficiencies unseen in the book business, and engage in a little world domination, which is about the most thrilling thing a hedge fund guy can do!"

Peter Singer

Singer reported that Elliott's initial contacts tend to be welcomed by the target companies, but that it then takes a while to consummate the deal.

"We've found booksellers value their companies the way they value the books they sell: they won't mark up. They don't even want to sell at list price. They want to bargain us down. It's as if they think they're competing with Amazon for our attention."

Singer added that bookselling chains have been remarkably easy to turn around, making them even more attractive than his firm's typical targets. "Usually we engage in vulture capitalism," Singer explained, "but in the bookselling world, there's no need. It's taking some time to get used to, but I'm warming up to virtue capitalism. It's tolerable... every once in a while."

James Daunt, CEO of the various Elliot bookstore chains as well as founder and owner of Daunt Books, the small chain in the London area, concurred with Singer's take on the sometimes drawn-out buying process. "Booksellers worldwide try to differentiate themselves from one another, but they are alike in this unusual way," he said. "Hey, I'm a case in point! I've been negotiating to sell Daunt Books to Elliott, but there's a snag. I'm gobsmacked by the amount of money they're offering. I can't move on just yet." --John Mutter

MGM will produce 2031: A Blue Origin Space Odyssey, a remake of the classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The project comes in the wake of Amazon's acquisition of the legendary studio and its properties, including Stanley Kubrick's 1968 epic. 

No word yet on who will direct, but Nicolas Cage is rumored to be interested in shaving his head to play the lead role, an old bald billionaire leading an interplanetary mission aboard a spaceship run by a state-of-the art computer system code-named A.L.E.X.A.

In related news, Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk is reportedly in negotiations with Netflix to develop Starman, an animated children's TV series that would feature the adventures of his Tesla Roadster, with a mannequin in a spacesuit sitting in the driver's seat, that served as the dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and became an artificial satellite of the Sun. --Robert Gray

Mitch Hawkins

Books 'n BBQ Bookstore Café, Memphis, Tenn., which opened to considerable fanfare recently, will close next week after less than a month in business. Owner Mitch Hawkins said that despite exceptional community support, the business model, which combined his two favorite things, was simply not sustainable. 

"Goddam barbecue sauce everywhere," he said. "I should've seen it coming, just didn't. I knew people were sloppy, but I thought booklovers would have enough sense to keep their hands clean. Eat, wash your damn hands, then browse. Or browse, then eat. It seemed simple enough to me. Should've put up signs."

Hawkins estimates that 40% of his inventory is already damaged beyond recovery, and none of those books are in any condition to be returned to publishers. 

"I can't even sell them at discount," he added. "Too many pages stuck together." --Robert Gray

Earlier this year, the Barnes & Noble in the Oviedo Mall in Orlando, Fla., changed its name to B. Dalton Bookseller, the once-ubiquitous mall-store chain B&N acquired in 1987--but a name that hasn't been used in real life for almost a decade. The move has proven so popular among staff and customers that B&N is encouraging name changes by other B&N locations.

"Let's face it," CEO James Daunt said. "In many areas, the B&N brand is as dusty and worn as a lot of our '90s-era stores. As I've said many times since starting in 2019, we aim to give B&N booksellers the power to make all kinds of decisions that used to be done centrally. We've seen great strides already in buying, in displays, in programs geared to the stores' communities. Giving our booksellers the power to name the store they're working in is the next major step in that process."

Daunt noted another advantage of the approach: "If we change the brand and signage," he continued, "people think everything about the store has changed. It's an easy update."

Already several B&N stores in Manhattan are in discussions over changing their names to Doubleday Book Shop or Scribner Book Store. In addition, the store near New York University plans to take the Student Book Exchange name, in honor of former B&N CEO Len Riggio's first venture in bookselling.

Farther afield, the B&N in Ann Arbor, Mich., plans to redub itself Borders. In Texas and California, several B&Ns are ready to taking the Bookstar name. And the Stamford, Conn., B&N plans to reinvent itself as Basset Book Shop.

Daunt noted that B&N booksellers who want to rename their stores won't be limited to chain brands, most of which B&N holds the rights to. "There're also plenty of iconic indie bookstores that sadly are no longer with us that resonate with book lovers," he said. Among possibilities and the areas they are in: Chinook in Colorado; Oxford in Georgia; Kroch's & Brentano's in Chicagoland; Harry W. Schwartz in Wisconsin; Pickwick Bookshop in California; A Different Light in California and New York; Jocundry's in Michigan; and the Remarkable Bookshop, Westport, Conn.

Daunt observed: "Finally B&N can officially be what Len Riggio always insisted it was: not a chain, but a group of independent bookstores." --John Mutter

Noting that one of the downsides of most bookshop cats is their lack of interest in reading--much less pawselling--books, Silicon Valley bookstore ReadTech is beta-testing Bookie, a lifelike AI feline who looks like a cute orange tabby but actually has been programmed to interact with patrons and recommend titles with surprising accuracy and understanding. 

"Living in this area, we're not easily shocked by AI developments, but this one hits a little too close to home," said bookstore manager Harold Seldon. "Bookie's memory chip stores not just titles, but contents, reviews and so much more. That's not the point though; that's just algorithms crunching data. What Bookie brings to the table is a real understanding about how humans function as book readers. She listens and responds. You never feel like you're being put through a process. It was a little odd at first watching her in conversation with people, but we've gotten used to it much more quickly than I could have imagined. And no, she's not a mouser." --Robert Gray

Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y., shared a photo of the shop's sidewalk chalkboard message for shoppers today.

Beta-testing Kobo's VR e-book reader.

As Kobo continues development of its prototype VR e-book reader headset, the company announced it is now working with Vermont's OVR Technologies to add the option of a scent cartridge to the hardware. This would allow e-book readers (or "e-bibliophiles" as the VR users will be called) to smell much-loved traditional scents like "old book," "new book," "bookstore cafe" or "antiquarian bookshop" as part of their virtual experience.

"It's very interesting to me scientifically but also psychologically, because smell has such a big impact on consumer behavior," Aaron Wisniewski, CEO and co-founder of OVR Techologies, recently told Vermont Public Radio, though he made no mention of the Kobo deal. 

A small cartridge, containing vials of scents, snaps onto a VR headset and fits over the user's nose. Wisniewski noted: "We hope one day when, you know, VR headsets and [augmented reality] glasses are as commonplace as our smartphones, our technology will be integrated in them the same way that audio technology is implemented into all those devices."

Kobo said its VR e-reader is still in the R&D stage, but hopes to have a working prototype in the next 2-5 years. --Robert Gray

BookBar, Denver, Colo., has announced a new bookselling policy aimed at protecting customers. Owner Nicole Sullivan explained it for Shelf Awareness:

Don’t Worry. Read Happy. We've heard you. Life has been particularly fraught with anxiety and fear these last few years. Coming out of a terrifying and isolating pandemic accompanied by racial reckoning on par with that of the civil rights movement, only to potentially run smack into World War III is leaving many of us on edge. In times like these, it's best to just put blinders on and tune out anything that might feel upsetting and uncomfortable. We get it. Starting April 1, we will use our book expertise to steer our customers only to books that are guaranteed to create feelings of contentment, and subject matters that we all can't help but agree on.

Click here to learn more about some of the difficult decisions we've had to make to achieve this goal.

In general, we will no longer be selling any books that in any way lead to sadness, fear, regret, rage, or any negative or uneasy feeling, really. We just can't get behind literature that is less than uplifting and affirming. It just doesn't feel good. But don't worry--we're here to protect you. You know what does feel good? Trees. We'll be the first to admit it, they have been known to fall on people, but nothing is perfect, except maybe giraffes but they also eat the leaves off of trees so we'll be sure and slap warning labels on both types of books so no one will be unprepared. So come see us for a book on trees and maybe one on giraffes. Grab a cup of coffee from our bar while you're at it. We fresh brew it lukewarm so you don't burn yourself.

Working in Publishing: How to Achieve Work/Life Balance by Jeremiah Eccleston (The Final Word Publishing, $23.99, April 1, 2022, ISBN 420-2022-0401-X

In the fourth volume in his informative series about the publishing world (following Working in Publishing: Foot in the Door), Jeremiah Eccleston, currently owner of the used bookshop The Final Word in Duluth, Minn., tackles a problem common to many industries, but especially prevalent in publishing: maintaining work/life balance.

After recounting in extensive detail over several chapters how a series of "low-level" jobs in editorial at a number of Big 5 publishing houses left him feeling burned out and unsatisfied (yes, he names names), he finally pauses to examine the many causes of such emotions.

Again recalling personal experiences, Eccleston focuses on a common cause of workplace dissatisfaction: the toxic boss. Citing a recent study that found that 60% of workers were miserable due to poor management and 46% sought mental health support as a result, Eccleston notes that this is an extremely common complaint among publishing house staffers. He offers some tips for coping with toxic managers, but his strongest recommendation is to "wait it out. Many of these Toxic Managers will themselves burn out and fade away. Perseverance is what you need here. In other words, buck up!"

He cites another study: "More than a quarter (29%) of respondents had caring responsibilities for children, with the majority (96%) of respondents' managers being aware of this." Such employees are often told to "get your mother to babysit" or "can't you find a daycare" when they request time to care for their children. Eccleston concludes: "Unfortunately, parenthood and a concurrent starting career in publishing can be incompatible."

Eccleston approaches his topic from a white, male perspective, though he does proffer some general tips and strategies, including:

• Combine work with leisure, social, or fitness activities (e.g., read manuscripts at the gym or local bar).
• End work at a set time. As an example he suggests you "allow yourself enough time to commute home to the two-bedroom apartment you share in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, and enjoy free time with your seven roommates (read manuscripts while watching Netflix)."
• Use technology to help you de-stress; read manuscripts on your phone.
• Lunch with supportive co-workers can help bolster your mood. Especially if you can scrounge leftovers from a senior staff meeting. Read manuscripts while eating.
• If necessary, take time off, though Eccleston acknowledges this may cause a financial crunch. Explore ways to cut expenses: perhaps an additional roommate could sleep on an air mattress in the kitchen? Read manuscripts while considering this.

Eccleston acknowledges that a certain percentage of workers--like himself--will simply find their situation untenable and will not be able to sustain a publishing career. For those people, Eccleston recommends a different career direction. He notes that McDonalds' starting salary is $17 per hour. --Harriet Charles