Five categories are performing particularly well at Borders this
season, according to Bill Nasshan, senior v-p of trade books: cooking;
humor and games; biography and autobiography; history and politics; and
literary titles.
In cooking, several celebrity titles are steaming along, including Rachael Ray's new Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats, her backlist and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. The company is also happy with sales of its own Cooking Essential series, six basic cooking titles with washable covers that retail for $9.95 each. Last year Borders offered a Beautiful Cookbook exclusive series.
(The company's proprietary publishing program is limited to areas where there are "gaps in content," Nasshan said. Recent efforts outside cooking include some titles in the categories of crafts, home, how to, gardening and test prep. "The goal is to increase category sales, not take sales away from branded products," Nasshan added. "We're not doing it just to do it.")
In humor and games, "all things sudoku," at least 15 titles, are selling well. "This has staying power," Nasshan commented. And The Complete Calvin and Hobbes has been "a fantastic replacement" for The Complete Far Side.
In biography and autobiography, hot titles are The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Dean and Me by Jerry Lewis, The Beatles by Bob Spitz, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey and the "cute" Marley and Me by John Grogan.
History and politics sales are "being driven" by Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Other big sellers in this area are 1776 by David McCullough, Teacher Man by Frank McCourt and Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter.
"It's been a very literary year," Nasshan noted, citing high-level sales for The March by E.L. Doctorow and Christ the Lord by Anne Rice. Most impressive, according to Nasshan, has been Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, which he singled out for its "tremendous" sales. The company has been displaying it "front and center," and even though the movie has had only very limited release, "it's surpassed our expectations." He added that the publisher, Vintage, had done well "tying the cover to the ad to the movie trailer, much like The Chronicles of Narnia. It's really clicked with people."
In children's, publicity manager Beth Bingham said, it's "all things Narnia. We've had great sales since the release of the movie trailer in the spring."
So far, there have been no major disappointments in sales, although one field in which "we could have had more published," as Nasshan put it, was sports. "Typically it's a very, very good category." The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam has scored for the company. Driven from Within by Michael Jordan is slowly moving upcourt. Payton by Connie, Jarrett and Brittney Payton is also picking up speed. In addition, Sports Illustrated: The Football Book and ESPN College Football Encyclopedia have attracted fans. Still, the field of sports books this year "does not have the same power as last year," when one of the leaders was Phil Jackson's The Last Season.
Nasshan added that it has "not been a particularly strong year for genre fiction."
Borders has had no problems obtaining some of the titles reported by wholesalers and other booksellers to be in short supply although "there have been times where it was shaky." The reason the company has been well stocked, Nasshan said, is because it has been "quick getting information to publishers who have worked very diligently to respond." Also Borders anticipated well, he said. For example, the company took "a big stand" on The Complete Calvin and Hobbes based on two years of experience with The Complete Far Side. The company has even had adequate supplies of Rachael Ray 365, not easily available every day of the latter part of this year.
Borders was "very pleased with the performance" of its unusual promotion involving Robert Sabuda's Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-Up Journey. Beginning November 1, Borders and Walden stores had huge pop-up scenes based on the book and sold some exclusive related gift items. "They held up very nicely," Nasshan said.
In other Borders news, the company and its customers raised $400,000 in the month ended December 15 to support First Book, which, through some 240 organizations around the country, gives books to children from low-income families.
Also, the company's Metairie, La., store, the only Borders store in the New Orleans area, has been open and running for some time. "It's one of the few retail locations in the area to be open all day, and customers in the area are so appreciative," Bingham said. "It's a refuge in all the craziness." Bingham added the company is proud of the store and staff, who were aided in part by the Borders Foundation, which helps employees in need.
In cooking, several celebrity titles are steaming along, including Rachael Ray's new Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats, her backlist and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. The company is also happy with sales of its own Cooking Essential series, six basic cooking titles with washable covers that retail for $9.95 each. Last year Borders offered a Beautiful Cookbook exclusive series.
(The company's proprietary publishing program is limited to areas where there are "gaps in content," Nasshan said. Recent efforts outside cooking include some titles in the categories of crafts, home, how to, gardening and test prep. "The goal is to increase category sales, not take sales away from branded products," Nasshan added. "We're not doing it just to do it.")
In humor and games, "all things sudoku," at least 15 titles, are selling well. "This has staying power," Nasshan commented. And The Complete Calvin and Hobbes has been "a fantastic replacement" for The Complete Far Side.
In biography and autobiography, hot titles are The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Dean and Me by Jerry Lewis, The Beatles by Bob Spitz, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey and the "cute" Marley and Me by John Grogan.
History and politics sales are "being driven" by Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Other big sellers in this area are 1776 by David McCullough, Teacher Man by Frank McCourt and Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter.
"It's been a very literary year," Nasshan noted, citing high-level sales for The March by E.L. Doctorow and Christ the Lord by Anne Rice. Most impressive, according to Nasshan, has been Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, which he singled out for its "tremendous" sales. The company has been displaying it "front and center," and even though the movie has had only very limited release, "it's surpassed our expectations." He added that the publisher, Vintage, had done well "tying the cover to the ad to the movie trailer, much like The Chronicles of Narnia. It's really clicked with people."
In children's, publicity manager Beth Bingham said, it's "all things Narnia. We've had great sales since the release of the movie trailer in the spring."
So far, there have been no major disappointments in sales, although one field in which "we could have had more published," as Nasshan put it, was sports. "Typically it's a very, very good category." The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam has scored for the company. Driven from Within by Michael Jordan is slowly moving upcourt. Payton by Connie, Jarrett and Brittney Payton is also picking up speed. In addition, Sports Illustrated: The Football Book and ESPN College Football Encyclopedia have attracted fans. Still, the field of sports books this year "does not have the same power as last year," when one of the leaders was Phil Jackson's The Last Season.
Nasshan added that it has "not been a particularly strong year for genre fiction."
Borders has had no problems obtaining some of the titles reported by wholesalers and other booksellers to be in short supply although "there have been times where it was shaky." The reason the company has been well stocked, Nasshan said, is because it has been "quick getting information to publishers who have worked very diligently to respond." Also Borders anticipated well, he said. For example, the company took "a big stand" on The Complete Calvin and Hobbes based on two years of experience with The Complete Far Side. The company has even had adequate supplies of Rachael Ray 365, not easily available every day of the latter part of this year.
Borders was "very pleased with the performance" of its unusual promotion involving Robert Sabuda's Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-Up Journey. Beginning November 1, Borders and Walden stores had huge pop-up scenes based on the book and sold some exclusive related gift items. "They held up very nicely," Nasshan said.
In other Borders news, the company and its customers raised $400,000 in the month ended December 15 to support First Book, which, through some 240 organizations around the country, gives books to children from low-income families.
Also, the company's Metairie, La., store, the only Borders store in the New Orleans area, has been open and running for some time. "It's one of the few retail locations in the area to be open all day, and customers in the area are so appreciative," Bingham said. "It's a refuge in all the craziness." Bingham added the company is proud of the store and staff, who were aided in part by the Borders Foundation, which helps employees in need.