Reflecting the wild popularity of permanent tattoos given at the Independent Publishers Caucus party at Winter Institute 2023 in Seattle in February, Penguin Random House has announced changes in its co-op policy.

As of today, PRH is giving an extra 1% allowance to booksellers for any book-related tattoos offered at events featuring PRH titles. 2% will be given for tattoos that depict specific PRH books. And 3% will be given for tattoos of the PRH logo. Tattoos must be in highly visible locations or at least frequently visible locations. Facial tattoos receive an extra allowance point in addition to the above allowances.

"We're excited about this new promotional idea," the company said in a statement. "These extra, generous allowances reflect the long-term nature of these kinds of promotions."

The following open letter to the book publishing industry was released this morning by Representative George Santos (R.-N.Y.):

Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year. Stole many a man's soul and faith.

Like the beginning of a new song I've been working on?

I'm the new Representative from Long Island. Also a brilliant Wall Street wheeler dealer; a real estate tycoon; salesperson extraordinaire; a powerful politician; best broker and agent; holder of multiple graduate degrees; charity mogul; fantastic consultant; the most observant Catholic, Jew-ish person, Protestant, and any other religion you can name; descendant of royalty, but not a drag queen!

Today I'm here to tell you that while I will be President soon enough, in the meantime I will supplement my political life by capitalizing on another one of my brilliant careers--book publishing. Recall all that I've done in your world, ye of little faith:

• I brokered the deal that got James Daunt to head Barnes & Noble.
• I gave Andy Hunter the idea for Bookshop.org, which saved so many indie bookstores during the lockdowns.
• I've anonymously funded all of Binc. (I just wish they'd put me in charge of disbursements!)
• I hold the record for pitching no-hitters in the publishers softball league, which I organized when I was simultaneously owner of Harper & Row and Bantam Doubleday Dell.
• I invented the e-book and the audiobook, which was after I helped Al Gore invent the Internet.
• Hell, I helped Gutenberg notice that wine presses might be able to hold type.

So I'm making myself available to head any of the Big Five publishers. Actually, I'm in the middle of the hiring process with all five of them. Wait, I mean to say I'm entertaining offers from the five. It's a bidding war! For me! Yeah, that's the ticket!

This is the biggest reason they want me: I've promised I will complete the inevitable merger of the Big Five publishers into the Big One. The key to my strategy is how to respond to government challenges. Wait, it's more not responding to government challenges. Yeah, that's the ticket! We'll just ignore the Justice Department! I've done brilliantly flouting the law. You can, too!

In one of the biggest book world stories of the year, Shelf Awareness is pleased to announce that after almost 18 years, we will begin using the serial comma. That is to say, we're adopting what is variously known as the Oxford comma, the serial comma, and the damned-extra-and-unneeded comma.

Among considerations: in the digital age, avoiding the serial comma doesn't save typesetting costs or use less ink and space on the printed page. In addition, the extra comma fits with usage by U.S. publishers, who will go to extraordinary lengths to lengthen nonfiction book titles, subtitles, and main text. Also, this usage stands in nice contrast to UK publishers who never have met a comma they liked never ever so it seems.

No Shelf Awareness editors were harmed in the making of this decision, although a low point in the vigorous debates was when the pro-Oxford comma contingent labelled the opposing group serial-comma-killers and the anti-Oxford comma contingent retorted by calling the other group commanists.

But we are all, united, now. In fact, we're so, excited, about this change that we're finding, that we're inadvertently, using even more commas than usual. We vow to stop this uncomma practice as, soon as, we humanly can.

In the next round of Shelf Awareness grammarian combat, we are tackling the em dash.

In the wake of dozens of books being removed from school libraries in Martin County, Fla., earlier this month, local author Shirley Bryant filed an official request to have two of her own middle-grade novels, Ditching School and No Supper for You!, added to the list. She described both books, which were published in 2006 by Bryant Press, as objectionable for promoting disobedience and what she called "backtalk."  

Bryant also expressed her support for a local leader of the group Moms for Liberty who had single-handedly sparked the book ban in the district, where officials said the complaints were taken seriously to comply with a directive from the Florida Department of Education to "err on the side of caution" when reviewing books, as part of the implementation of a new law, HB 1467. 

The author noted that the two books in question, along with nine other titles in her middle-grade series, can still be purchased through her website.

More than a decade after the parent company of Borders filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., Al Maya Group, the bookstore chain that operates several Borders locations in the UAE and other Gulf markets, has announced plans to bring the iconic brand back to its country of origin, in a limited way initially. 

A spokesperson for Al Maya Group said five cities are under consideration for the test run, but would confirm only one of them: Ann Arbor, Mich., site of the original Borders Bookstore and corporate headquarters. The spokesperson added that long-running negotiations with a select group of "influential American business leaders" (names unavailable at press time) had smoothed the path for the deal, which was made for a "substantial" but as yet undisclosed sum. 

Borders remains a core part of the Al Maya Group's portfolio, which is otherwise dominated by its supermarket chain and foodstuffs trading. Full regional rights to the Borders brand had been purchased in 2006, and the first store was opened in Mall of the Emirates. Al Maya Group negotiated with the new owner in 2015 to acquire lifetime rights to Borders in the Middle East. The U.S. deal marks a significant change in direction for the company's global aspirations, according to the spokesperson.

After Wi2023, the first in-person Winter Institute in three years, we received several inquiries that have led us to create a new Shelf Awareness feature: personal/missed connections ads. Among the submissions:

Looking for that special Coben fan in the crowd.

"At the Elliott Bay-Shelf Awareness party, you mentioned Harlan Coben. I said I loved him. Give me a clue or two and I Will Find You."

"I heard you recommended The House Is on Fire. I love it too! Let's burn the house down with one another!"

"In the galley room, we both took copies of Hello Beautiful. I whispered the title. You smiled. I smiled back, but I should have said more. Contact me, and I'll happily say hello again."

Recognizing that the pandemic is mostly over and that thankfully civility, mutual respect, a sense of humor, and a desire to exchange ideas is back, Shelf Awareness is proud to announce an occasional series that will investigate and discuss some of the most pressing, difficult, controversial issues in bookselling and the book world. But with a special sensitivity, we are experimenting with a new system that skirts words, phrases, or concepts that might be upsetting, so that readers can avoid being triggered. Herewith our first installment of the series:

For some time, debate has raged concerning XXXXXXX . Proponents say that XXXXXX is necessary for the healthy functioning of the industry and has a long tradition that has bolstered XXXX, which of course is essential to the XXXXxx of XXXXXXX. Opponents retort that XXXX leads the industry into murky waters and avoids addressing the problem of XXXXXX. They argue, too, that historically XXXX has been used by XXXX to XXXXXX and to XXCCCXX, making a mockery of its premises.

Several important groups have weighed in on the controversy. XXXX says it respects XXXX but calls for some revision of some aspects of it, particularly where it states XAAXXX AAA XXX. XXXX of XXXX has noted, too, that XXXXXX is key to a fundamental understanding of XXXX. On the other hand, XXXX, president of XXXX, has stressed that XXXX allows for a flexibility that can meet the varying circumstances of real-life situations and not wind up in rigid approaches that cause even more damage. XXXX of the international branch of XXXX notes that outside the U.S., XXXX has been successfully instituted through judicious use of XXXX.

In conclusion, XXXX YYY ZZZZ AAAABBB.

We invite your comments and opinions. Please send them in confidence to XXXX@@shelf-awareness.com.

Book lovers in Peoria, Ill., have a reason to rejoice: a new bookstore is opening. The Book Haven will be located at 11 Main Street, in a charming old building with a cozy interior.

The Book Haven will offer a curated variety of books ranging from fiction to nonfiction, including bestsellers, classics, children's books, and young adult novels. In addition, The Book Haven will also specialize in local authors.

Sarah Johnson, owner of The Book Haven, has always been passionate about books. She studied English literature at the University of Illinois and worked in various bookstores throughout her college years. After graduating, Johnson worked as an editor for a major publishing house in New York City. However, she never forgot her love for bookstores and eventually decided to return to Peoria to start her own bookstore.

Book Haven will have a cozy reading area and cafe serving coffee, tea and light bites. The store will also host book clubs, author signings, and other literary events.

Local residents are excited about the new addition to the city, with many expressing their support on social media. One customer, Sarah Brown, wrote on Twitter, "I'm so glad we'll finally have a bookstore in town! I can't wait to visit and find my next favorite read."

Johnson added, "I've always had a passion for books, and I wanted to create a space where people could come and experience that same love for reading. I'm thrilled to be able to share my passion with the community and help promote literacy in Peoria."

Many thanks for inspiring suggestions for this special issue to Marilyn Dahl, Robin Lenz, Jennifer M. Brown, and Matt Baldacci. And thanks to John Mutter and Robert Gray for amusing stories.

By the way, the first sentence of one of these stories is true.