Jarring news from Denver for the many fans of the Tattered Cover bookstore: Barnes & Noble is buying the storied, struggling independent for $1.83 million. Tattered Cover's owner--Bended Page--accepted B&N's offer late yesterday. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court must approve the deal.

According to Denverite, B&N has agreed to continue running the bookseller under the Tattered Cover name, keep the four Tattered Cover stores open, and employ "substantially all" staff. B&N has not had a presence in the city of Denver since 2015.

A spokesperson for Bended Page told Denverite, "In addition to the best purchase price, the purchaser's offer provided the best continuity of operations for our customers, staff, landlords, and community. Other bids did not contemplate the continuation of our operations at all existing locations."

Tattered Cover filed for bankruptcy last October, closing three of its seven stores and letting go about a quarter of its 103 employees. In March, it submitted a plan to emerge from bankruptcy by June, but in April, it announced that there was interest from "individuals and businesses across the U.S." in buying the company, a move it had decided was "in the best long-term interests of the company, current investors, employees, suppliers, and Colorado's literary community." Last month, Tattered Cover court filings indicated that at least eight groups were interested in participating in the auction that was to be held last Wednesday, but the day before the auction, it was cancelled. 

Tattered Cover, Colfax Ave.

The B&N purchase is a surprising turn for the Tattered Cover, which was founded in 1971 and, under the longtime leadership of the late Joyce Meskis, was one of the premier independent bookstores in the world, an inspiration for many booksellers, and an effective defender of free speech and the First Amendment.

Meskis bought the 900-square-foot store in 1974 and steadily expanded it. For a time, it occupied the 40,000-square-foot space of a former department store in Cherry Creek, with four floors and a full-service restaurant on the top floor, making it one of the largest bookstores, chain or independent, in the country.

Tattered Cover pioneered or perfected many staples of independent bookselling, including having cafes, encouraging customers to sit and read, offering an extensive range of author events and other programming, and seeking to make the stores community centers. Meskis also emphasized staff training, sent employees to booksellers schools, encouraged them to be involved in book world organizations, and treated staff with respect and openness.

Under Meskis's leadership, in the 1990s, Tattered Cover opened in the Lower Downtown district, which helped rejuvenate the area after a period of decline. It also opened branches in and around Denver and currently has four stores, as well as several outlets at the Denver International Airport that are managed by Hudson News.

Tattered Cover, Aspen Grove

Meskis sold Tattered Cover in 2015 to Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan, but in 2020, with the start of the pandemic and controversy engendered by the store's statement following George Floyd's murder, the pair sold the store to a group led by Kwame Spearman that included a range of investors from around the country. Under Spearman, Tattered Cover aggressively opened new stores, including one in Colorado Springs, betting that the increased sales would save the company financially. But the approach led to turnover of staff, many of whom complained publicly about burnout, bad morale, and Spearman's management style. Spearman left the company early last year. Brad Dempsey, a Denver bankruptcy attorney, was then brought in as CEO.

When Tattered Cover declared bankruptcy last October, ownership changed and the company was then headed by Leslie Rainbolt and Margie Gart, original investors who provided financing to keep Tattered Cover afloat.

The purchase by a national chain bookseller of an independent is rare but not unheard of. In 1992, Books-A-Million bought major indie Books & Co., Dayton, Ohio, and in 1997, Borders bought the Library Ltd., Clayton, Mo., another major indie at the time. B&N itself bought chains B. Dalton Bookseller and Book Stop in the 1980s.

The move is also not unusual for Waterstones under the leadership of James Daunt, who is also CEO of B&N. In 2018, Waterstones bought Foyles, the longtime London independent bookseller. Waterstones also owns two of the oldest bookstores in the U.K. and Ireland, Hatchards and Hodges Figgis, respectively, which were bought before Daunt joined Waterstones in 2011.

Total net book sales in April in the U.S. rose 18.3%, to $947.5 million, compared to April 2023, representing sales of 1,277 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the year to date, net book sales rose 4.2%, to $4.056 billion.

In April, trade revenues rose 20.6%, to $725.1 million, with adult mass market accounting for the only sales drop. The other three adult categories--paperbacks, e-books, and hardcovers--had impressive gains of 29.2%, 19.8%, and 17.6%, respectively. Children's/YA paperbacks, hardcover, and e-books had more modest gains of 4.3%, 3.1%, and 3%, respectively.

In trade categories, hardcover sales rose 16.6%, to $252.6 million; paperbacks rose 20%, to $249.9 million; mass market plummeted 34.5%, to $8.2 million; and special bindings were up 13.7% to $14.4 million. E-book sales rose 16.8%, to $83.1 million; digital audio sales were up 54.6%, at $100 million; and physical audio sales dropped 15%, to $800,000.

Sales by category in April 2024 compared to April 2023:

Womb House Books, featuring new and used inclusive and feminist books, opened on Saturday in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, Calif., Oaklandside.com reported.

"Women's writing is the most important writing to me personally," said owner Jessica Ferri. "To me, feminism is not just about women--it's about living with the belief that all people deserve love and safety. It's about being an abolitionist, anti-racist, and anti-war."

While the store features titles by bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Virginia Woolf, Shirley Jackson, Jamaica Kincaid, and Vita Sackville-West, it does carry titles not necessarily by or about women, but covering topics like racism, relationships, oppression, and identity.

Ferri began selling selected used books on Etsy in 2021, then expanded to include new books. Customers said they wanted to shop in person, too, which led to the bricks-and-mortar version of Womb House Books, which has about 800 square feet of space. Ferri will continue to sell titles on Etsy.

Ferri has a very bookish background. She is the author of two books about cemeteries in New York and San Francisco, with two more related titles on the way. She is a book critic for the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post and has written for the New York Times, the Daily Beast, the New Yorker, and more. She has taught at a private school in Berkeley as well as at San Quentin State Prison's Mount Tamalpais College.

"I think--and I hope--being a critic lends a little bit of extra panache in terms of being a bookseller," she said. "I hope that people will trust my recommendations or my expertise."

On Wednesday at Children's Institute, booksellers discussed "Social Emotional Learning with Romance," moderated by Danielle Pernell of King's Books in Tacoma, Wash., with panelists Sydney Wilson from Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga., Haley Calvin of the Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, Minn., and Nicole Brinkley from Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, N.Y. Romance is not only good for business, the panel said, but also good for young people exploring identity and emotions. As Pernell put it, "Romance is important because everyone deserves a love story."

The panelists began by outlining a few specific notes: "Age categories are so important," Brinkley said, "Adult romance serves different needs than teen and YA romance. When publishers are conflating them in marketing, it's a problem." Pernell agreed. "Just because someone can read it doesn't mean they're emotionally ready to read it." The panelists agreed it is generally fine for teens to read adult romance with "knowledge and consent," but it is imperative booksellers and readers understand that the age categories should be kept separate.

The differences between "little R" romance and "big R" romance are also very important. "Big R romance is the genre," Wilson said. "It tends to lean adult; 'little R' romance is a topic, and it doesn't necessarily have to be romantic." "Little R" romance "explores all different kinds of romance," Calvin said. In "big R" romance, Brinkley added, the romance itself is the focus of the story, and a Happily Ever After is guaranteed, while "little R" romances can be side stories and subplots within larger narratives.

(l.-r.) Sydney Wilson, Haley Calvin, Nicole Brinkley, Danielle Pernell

"Sex" vs. "sexuality" was also a large part of the discussion: "Sex is an act. Sexuality is who you are and who you form romantic/platonic relationships with," Pernell said, "In romance, sexual exploration and expression is at the forefront, not sex." In adult romance, however, the "sex is often erotic and meant to titillate," Brinkley said. "In YA, it's to develop emotional connections." Just because there is sex in a YA book doesn't mean there is an emotional connection. This, Brinkley pointed out, "is the social and emotional learning element--it's not erotic, it's how we grow." Both Wilson and Calvin discussed their own youthful experiences with romance, Wilson recalling that "little R" YA and middle-grade romances "were instrumental in me exploring other sexualities and introducing me to people who don't express sexuality in the same way I do."

The slideshow presentation explained social emotional learning: "the process kids, young people, and adults go through to develop healthy relationships." Romance allows readers to identify with experiences outside of them that "resonate," and helps them "objectively analyze relationship dos and don'ts, and later apply what they learned to their own relationships." This can include exploring gender, identity, sexuality, boundaries, and giving and receiving consent.

The panelists included a slide showing general ages and the social emotional learning that can take place through reading romance: tweens (10-12) will be investigating social bonds; young teens (12-14) are given "an opportunity to explore and engage with different identities"; older teens (14+) can find "a safe space to explore boundaries" and learn about "giving and receiving consent." According to the panelists and their research, "reading romance has a neuropsychological impact by creating oxytocin. This encourages feelings of trust, connection, and bonding with others." So, Brinkley said, "giving kids escapist romance will make them better, healthier people chemically."

Wilson, Calvin, Brinkley, and Pernell included several actionable items for booksellers when it comes to romance and young readers. For example, many young readers are reading up by middle school--share romance that is "right" for the individual. If you're recommending a book, the panelists said, know the content. "If you don't read romance yourself," Calvin said, "have go-to authors" (a short list compiled by the panelists can be found here). "Take care of your teens who are looking to explore sex and sexuality," Calvin said. "Have comps from adult to YA to middle-grade. Learn how to redirect and make sure they are learning safely and being taken care of." And, if they are ready for "big R" romance, "put healthy relationships in their hands first."

The best way to know what you're talking about and sell it appropriately is, of course, to "read romance," Brinkley said. "The next best thing you can do is have someone on your staff who reads romance. But if you don't have the time or you're a small store, use the resources you have available to you. Check Edelweiss reviews, ask sales reps." "Be careful with labeling because it may other the book and the people buying it," Wilson noted.

Other suggestions included using e-pubs to search specific terms to determine the spice level ("I have a coworker who always searches the number of times 'thrust' is used," Calvin said) and noting the romance tropes on the shelf-talkers (e.g., enemies-to-lovers or forced proximity). And don't forget, Brinkley said, "one of the best tools you have is other booksellers." --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

Laurie Hardman

British bookseller Laurie Hardman, the longtime owner of Broadhursts Bookshop in Southport whose "love of books and reading saw him become the figurehead at the shop for an incredible 55 years, well known by generations of local book lovers," died in May, Stand Up for Southport reported. 

In a social media post announcing his death, Broadhursts wrote, in part: "As a bookseller Laurie touched the lives of book-lovers in Southport & far beyond, having started working here in 1969 (probably never imagining that he would come to own the bookshop!).... For us booksellers, he was a boss who was always entertaining, often generous, & taught us so much about the world of bookselling. He was a man who loved books to his very core, & both recognized & valued that in others (even when you loved books or authors he disliked!)

"Broadhursts will never be quite the same without Laurie, & we will miss him very much. But we will continue on his literary legacy in the bookshop as best we can--there may be new faces sitting in his chair, but the bookselling spirit he taught us will go on. RIP Laurie."

In a 2022 interview with the Liverpool Echo, Hardman spoke about the bookshop's character, noting: "It's a unique experience coming into the place. It's not just any old bookshop, and that is increasingly what people are looking for. You can't go anywhere else and find a shop like this.

"We have customers who came in as children by their parents and they have brought their children in and they have brought their children in so we get generations coming in who remember the building. So we have a continuity that customers enjoy. A place like this must build up over time but it has to grow organically.... The world changes very quickly these days. Ferris Bueller said 'life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.' "

Frank Abe, co-editor of The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration (Penguin Classics) poses with Beth Quarles, owner of Paper Hearts Bookstore in Little Rock, Ark. Abe was in town to present his new anthology at the 2024 Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage, where Quarles hosted a pop-up bookseller table. The Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage involves a conference in Little Rock, as well as visits to the sites of the Japanese American World War II concentration camps in Jerome and Rohwer. (photo: Jeffrey Yamaguchi)

Penguin Random House Publisher Services will sell and distribute all frontlist and backlist titles of Chooseco, the publisher of the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) series, through all sales channels and worldwide, effective February 1, 2025.

Relaunched in 2003, the CYOA gamebook series has expanded to more than 100 titles, including classics like The Abominable Snowman and Journey Under the Sea, baby board books, picture books for younger readers, and a popular and historically accurate CYOA Spies series based on true-life spies. The series has been translated into 40 languages, and sold tens of millions of copies.

Chooseco CEO and publisher Shannon Gilligan said, "Chooseco has spent nearly two decades building up an extraordinary foundation. We've been methodical about maintaining the legacy of the brand, bringing titles back from the original series, and releasing all-new titles, as well as selecting only the best brand partners for our license deals in a variety of spaces. Choose Your Own Adventure books continue to make an incredible impact with early literacy and reluctant readers."

PRHPS executive v-p Rachel Goldstein said that Choose Your Own Adventure has "a unique ability to engage young readers in a way that few other books can. Shannon and her team have done an incredible job relaunching the program, and we're excited to partner with them on the next phase of reaching an even wider audience through our exceptional sales force and supply chain excellence."

Rhythm & Co. Books, Glen Rose, Tex., shared a photo on Instagram of the shop's resident canine bookseller, noting: "Charley says Hey! Where is everybody?!"

The Sirens of Soleil City by Sarah C. Johns (Random House).

Today:
Fresh Air: Dr. Anthony Fauci, author of On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service (Viking, $36, 9780593657478).

Tomorrow:
Live with Kelly and Mark: Jada Pinkett Smith, author of Worthy (Dey Street Books, $32, 9780063320680).

The View: Taraji P. Henson, author of You Can Be a Good Friend (Zonderkidz, $19.99, 9780310160595).

Adult Swim has ordered Get Jiro, a half-hour animated TV project based on the late Anthony Bourdain's graphic novel series. IndieWire reported that the bestselling books, from DC/Vertigo comics, were co-written by Bourdain and Joel Rose, with artwork by Langdon Foss and Alé Garza. The first title in the franchise was published in 2012.

This Get Jiro TV series will be "set in a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the city and people will murder each other to get a reservation at the best restaurant," Indiewire noted. The show centers on a mysterious, revenge-focused sushi chef named Jiro. Screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (Sharper) serve as co-creators and showrunners. 

A shortlist has been released for this year's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which "celebrates crime fiction at its very best" by U.K. and Irish authors. The prize is run by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston. This year's shortlisted titles are:

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron
The Last Dance by Mark Billingham
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan 
Killing Jericho by William Hussey 

A public vote is now open. The winner, who will be named July 18 on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, receives £3,000 (about $3,810) and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston's Brewery.

In addition, the shortlist was unveiled for the inaugural McDermid Debut Award, which is named in recognition of author Val McDermid, co-founder the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, and celebrates the best debut crime writers in the U.K. The winner will be chosen by a panel of industry experts and receive £500 (about $635). The finalists are:

Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey 
Mrs. Sidhu's Dead and Scone by Suk Pannu
Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin 
The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé 
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney 
Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley 

Catherine Chidgey (Pet; Remote Sympathy) offers a singular combination of compassion, desperation, dark humor, and slow-building terror with The Axeman's Carnival, set in rural high-country New Zealand. The story is told through the unusual perspective of a magpie fallen from the nest and rescued by a woman named Marnie, who lives on Wilderness Road with her husband, Rob, a sheep farmer and competitive axeman. They're "under a lot of pressure," a refrain that contributes to a general sense of foreboding: a drought threatens their livelihood; Marnie mourns a lost pregnancy; she is isolated from the world beyond their farm. An ominous thread runs through their lives in ways that readers gradually become aware of.

The narrator shares memories of being in the eggshell, occupying the nest with his sister and brothers. "She lifted me into her pillowed palm" and a relationship begins. Marnie releases the magpie to his flock, but he chooses to return to the woman he adores; she names him Tama, and posts his pictures to the Internet, which gains Tama a following. The sheep station suffers setbacks, and Rob's temper and drinking become increasingly menacing, even as he trains for the annual competition where he hopes to win his 10th golden axe, which will offer both the affirmation he craves and a badly needed monetary prize. Tama's Internet fame presents a financial opportunity for the family, but also puts them in the public eye, with new risks. Tama's view of events is curious, in both senses of the word; "that was how houses worked," he repeatedly notes, with each strange or sinister observation.

Magpies are very smart birds. Tama relates the story with humor and wisdom. He mimics human speech and understands it well enough to communicate, and the reader benefits from his viewpoint as he describes events, with grim foreshadowing. "When I think about what happened later, I remember that day," he says, of various small violences. "Rob honed an axe with his honing stone.... He ran the blade through the hair on his forearm to test the sharpness, and we watched his crime show about shapely murdered women with torn-off clothes who'd let their attackers in their front doors." Rob's temper, his taste for crime shows and murdered women, his axes and admirable strength, his jealousy and Marnie's fear, all contribute to the reader's trepidation of what is to come. But The Axeman's Carnival has tricks up its sleeve, and Tama himself should not be underestimated. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: Told in the voice of a magpie, with humor and wisdom, this unflinching portrait of nature picks at the thin veil between the elemental violence and drama of both human and animal worlds.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
2. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
3. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
4. King of Sloth by Ana Huang
5. Bespelled by Laura Thalassa
6. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
7. The Ritual by Shantel Tessier
8. The Inmate by Freida McFadden
9. King of Wrath by Ana Huang
10. Twisted Games by Ana Huang

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]