"What we've discovered these past two years is that book groups are to reading what slow food is to the food industry. In this fast paced world, book groups give people a chance to connect, join in community and listen and learn in intimate environments."--Joan Gelfand, president of the Women's National Book Association, writing in the Huffington Post about National Reading Group Month.
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The price war between Wal-Mart and Amazon (Shelf Awareness, October 16, 2009) escalated last Friday afternoon when Wal-Mart further lowered the price of 10 holiday season hardcovers--including Sarah Palin's Going Rogue, John Grisham's Ford County, Stephen King's Under the Dome, Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna and James Patterson's I, Alex Cross--one more penny to $8.99. Reaction to the price-slashing moves by Amazon and Wal-Mart have been strong throughout the book trade.
"If readers come to believe that the value of a new book is $10, publishing as we know it is over," David Gernert, Grisham's agent, told the New York Times. "If you can buy Stephen King's new novel or John Grisham's Ford County for $10, why would you buy a brilliant first novel for $25? I think we underestimate the effect to which extremely discounted best sellers take the consumer's attention away from emerging writers."
"What this does is accentuate the trend towards best sellers dominating the market," said Bill Petrocelli, co-owner of Book Passage, San Francisco and Corte Madera, Calif. "You have a choke point where millions of writers are trying to reach millions of readers, but if it all has to go through a narrow funnel where there are only four or five buyers deciding what's going to get published, the business is in trouble."
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Terry Lucas, owner of the Open Book, Westhampton Beach, N.Y., told Newsday that she "worries that the casualties in such a war won't be either of the combatants, but people like her."
"I sighed a deep sigh," she said. "There's no way I can pay my rent and buy my inventory and compete with that." She also noted that her "customers come to me for a reason. We sell customer service, knowledge--and you can't do that for $10."
Richard Klein, owner of the Book Revue, Huntington, N.Y., "said the store relies on all kinds of books--classics, specialty books, nonfiction, wholesale bulk sales to schools--as well as events to draw customers."
"Our business is pretty good," he added. "It's holding up pretty well. . . . Bestsellers are not the strength of independent bookstores. We don't live and die by the bestsellers. . . . What goes on between Amazon and Wal-Mart affects them more than it affects us."
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On the blog for Skylight Books, Los Angeles, Calif., Emily Pullen noted that as "the Wal-mart/Amazon price-gouging war that commenced late this week suggests, the corporate (and cultural) obsession with discounting has gotten way out of control. . . . I realize that we will never reach as many people as Amazon does. And we will NEVER be able to sell a new hardcover book for $8.99 (what utter ridiculousness!). Wal-mart and Amazon don't sell books, they sell products. But I also refuse to believe that people don't value what independent bookstores provide: Books, yes. But they also foster community and an educated populace."
Pullen concludes: "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you are reading our blog. I'm glad that you value your community and civic engagement and education and entertainment and culture. I'm glad that somewhere out there, a book exists that is perfect for you, and we'll try our darndest to help you find it. AND I'm glad that you support us by buying books, but that isn't the only reason at all. Has Amazon ever told you that? Or did they just say, 'This microwave would go GREAT with that copy of Infinite Jest you just bought!'"
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And Leslie Reiner, co-owner of Inkwood Books, Tampa, Fla., shared her thoughts in a post on the the SIBA and ABC listservs, observing that "lately I have begun to feel a bit angry, or cheated, feeling that we (the book publishing and selling community) have gone so far away from everyone playing by the same rules that I realize we are not even playing the same game anymore. Almost daily we are asked to meet the Amazon price for books. Most indies can recite the whole refrain (local business benefits, etc. etc.) but nonetheless I believe that our customers who purchase books from us do feel as though they are spending more than they should . . . perhaps more than the book itself is worth. Publishers have had this enormous tie with the chains first, and big box stores, and now with Amazon. (I know this is not always a comfortable relationship, but still, we indies are always told that these other venues 'move so much more of their product' than we do.) Our market share is so small; our value to the publishers, and public seems small as well at times . . .
"Now I wonder why publishers, and authors, don't protest these practices more often, this public devaluing of their creation. Certainly the industry needs to consider the economic environment and price books so that they remain accessible to readers. But authors and publishers need to find some way to share with the public the dangers of the continued devaluation of their work. Independent bookstores are ever-flexible and will master what lies ahead, changing as needed with coming technology. I am doubtful that anything can be done to stop the price slashing, but I wish authors would use their voices, which carry such weight and respect among their millions of readers, to urge readers to consider the ultimate price they pay for purchasing their books at these hugely discounted prices."
Peter Aaron, owner of Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash., said he may relocate his landmark bookstore from Pioneer Square "partly because of financial troubles. . . . the store's lease at the Globe Building expires in late January, when a maxed-out line of credit he had been using to run the business also comes due," the Seattle Times reported.
Declining sales in a rough economy contributed significantly to the situation, but even though September numbers were "a little bit improved . . . I need to find a way to operate at a lower expense level or increase our sales," he added.
Aaron is discussing the possibility of a rent reduction, noting that "both parties are making a good-faith effort." He is also considering alternative locations, including another in Pioneer Square or elsewhere in downtown Seattle, Ballard and Capitol Hill, according to the Times.
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Cool idea of the day: The Vail, Colo., Daily reported that "Wine & Words returns to the Bookworm of Edwards, but this time you'll get a chance to hear what co-owner and book buyer Nicole Magistro is reading. Grab a glass of wine and a tapas plate from the cafe and get ready to take notes."
"Wine & Words is a chance for us to share what we are passionate about," said Magistro. "We love to talk books, and we love to help people find the perfect read, so this is a great opportunity for us to share what we love with our community."
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NPR's Weekend Edition braved the land of the literary undead for its report on the zombie invasion of bookstores.
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Is the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Train of Thought series--which replaced the longrunning Poetry in Motion subway quotations last year--"grimmer than is absolutely necessary?"
The New York Times posed this question in response to the most recent literary quotes gracing subway cars. "One is the first sentence of Kafka's Metamorphosis: 'As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant insect,'" the Times wrote. "The other comes from Schopenhauer: 'Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.' That's from his Studies in Pessimism."
Which led to another question: "To repeat, how glum are things at the transportation authority?"
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In other book news from the world of public transportation, Quill & Quire reported that travelers on Toronto's subway system can hear 30-second excerpts from Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes, Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts, Michael Crichton's Next or Jerry Leviton's I Met the Walrus. The promotional campaign "consists of four posters, each with a simple, striking image on it: a woman's face, a shark, a fetus, or John Lennon and Yoko Ono. There's no text whatsoever (save a tiny HarperCollins logo in the corner), and in the centre of each image is a tiny port for plugging headphones into."
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Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, will open a new bookstore downtown, where "residents of Brunswick, high school students and visitors will have an opportunity to purchase Bowdoin merchandise at a more central location," the Bowdoin Orient reported.
"The College saw the Maine Street Station area as an opportunity," said Mary Lou Kennedy, director of dining and bookstore services. "It is an ideal retail location. . . . Williams and Dartmouth have bookstores with a presence in their respective communities. We'll be accessible to an entirely different population."
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Happy birthday to Powells.com, which was founded in October 1994--"before Amazon or eBay had served a single customer," Powell's noted--and now accounts for 25% of Powell's Books overall business. About 85% of Powells.com orders go to people living outside the Pacific Northwest, most of whom have never visited the Portland, Ore., store.
Emily Powell, who is taking over full management of the company from her father, Michael Powell, next year, plans to add features and promotions that will make shopping on Powell's Books similar to shopping in Powell's bricks-and-mortar stores. "Our stores offer the wonderful process of discovery as shoppers wander and look for books, and our idea now is to accomplish that shopping experience online," she said.
Michael Powell attributed the site's growth to "the vast selection of new and used books, the agility of an in-house computer programming team, smart, original author interviews and content and excellent customer service." Customer service includes the ability for customers to speak with a Powell's employee when placing an order.
To celebrate its 15th birthday, Powells.com is throwing a 15-day party, including a sweepstakes with a grand prize of $1,500 in Powells.com credit and daily prizes through October 30. For more information, go to powells.com/15.
This morning on Good Morning America: Gail Collins, author of When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present (Little, Brown, $27.99, 9780316059541/0316059544).
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This morning on the Today Show: Noah D. Oppenheim, co-author of The Intellectual Devotional Health: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Digest a Daily Dose of Wellness Wisdom (Rodale, $24, 9781605299495/1605299499).
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This morning on the Early Show: Katie Lee, author of The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions (Simon Spotlight, $26, 9781439126745/1439126747). She will also appear today on the Rachael Ray Show.
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Also on Rachael Ray: Mackenzie Phillips, author of High on Arrival (Simon Spotlight, $25.99, 9781439153857/143915385X).
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This morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe: Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford, authors of Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do (Scribner, $24, 9781439148150/1439148155).
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Today on the Diane Rehm Show: John Freeman, author of The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox (Scribner, $25, 9781416576730/1416576738).
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Today on Tavis Smiley: Michael Chabon, author of Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son (Harper, $25.99, 9780061490187/0061490180).
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Tonight on Larry King Live: Suzanne Somers, author of Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness (Three Rivers, $15, 9781400053285/1400053285).
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Tonight on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in a repeat: Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (Holt, $23, 9780805087499/0805087494).
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Tomorrow morning on the Early Show: Malcolm Gladwell, author of What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (Little, Brown, $27.99, 9780316075848/0316075841).
Also on the Early Show: Katie Lee, author of The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions (Simon Spotlight, $26, 9781439126745/1439126747).
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Tomorrow morning on Good Morning America: Mary Jo Eustace, author of Divorce Sucks (Adams Media, $19.95, 9781605506555/1605506559). She will also appear tomorrow on Inside Edition, Access Hollywood and Joy Behar.
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Tomorrow on Tavis Smiley: Vali Nasr, author of Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World (Free Press, $26, 9781416589686/1416589686).
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Tomorrow night on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in a repeat: Jennifer Burns, author of Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand the American Right (Oxford University Press, $27.95, 9780195324877/0195324870).
Actor Joshua Leonard (Humpday) will make his directing debut and star in a film version of The Lie, adapted from T.C. Boyle's short story "about a man who tells a lie to get out of work and inadvertently changes his life," Variety reported. The script was written by Leonard and "co-stars Jess Weixler (Teeth) and Mark Webber (Broken Flowers), with additional story by Jeff Feuerzeig." The cast also includes Jane Adams, Kelli Garner, P.J. Ransone, Gerry Bednob and Kirk Baltz.
From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
The Last Train from Paris by Stacy Cohen (Greenleaf Book Group Press, $21.95, 9781929774524/1929774524). "Stacy Cohen interweaves fact and fiction in this novel, set in World War II Paris during the Nazi occupation. Loosely basing her tale on the real-life adventures of artist Jean Miro, Cohen unfolds a forbidden love story as France fights for its liberation. Lovers of art, history, and romance will find this novel a real page-turner."--Julie Pekrul, Between the Covers, Harbor Springs, Mich.
The Locust and the Bird: My Mother's Story by Hanan Al-Shaykh (Pantheon, $24.95, 9780307378200/0307378209). "Hanan Al-Shaykh's account of her mother's life growing up in Lebanon is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. What a strong, wonderful woman."--Suzanne Droppert, Liberty Bay Books, Poulsbo, Wash.
Paperback
Tower: A Novel by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (Busted Flush Press, $15, 9781935415077/1935415077). "I've long been a fan of Coleman's Moe Prager series, and I have admired Bruen's writing for the spare, almost poetic prose he creates. They have written a small, intimate book with a limited cast and a compact, explosive plot--and it is seamless. It is also gritty, with sharply drawn characters and an unstoppable pace. More, please."--Linda Brown, the Mystery Book Store, Los Angeles, Calif.
For Young Adults
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $17.99, 9781416984481/1416984488). "Wow! The 13-year-old Monster Freak that I once was would have loved this story of a monster-hunting doctor and his apprentice. Yancey has created a terrific, original monster in a story that is not for the squeamish!"--Doug Thornsjo, Colby College Bookstore, Waterville, Me.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
A Year on the Wing: Four Seasons in a Life with Birds by Tim Dee (Free Press, $24, 9781416559337/1416559337, October 20, 2009)
Opening lines of books we want to read:
The first bird I can remember watching flew through the garden of the house where I was born . . .
--Selected by Marilyn Dahl
Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters by Louis Begley (Yale University Press, $24.00 Hardcover, 9780300125320, September 2009)
The basic elements of the case are well-known: In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a talented graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Guerre assigned to the General Staff of the French Army, was accused of treason for allegedly offering to sell military secrets to the German military attaché. "Had Dreyfus not been a Jew," Begley observes, "the notion that this very rich officer was selling military secrets to the German attaché would have surely seemed absurd." But Dreyfus (an assimilated Jew in a land where his co-religionists comprised less than three-tenths of one percent of the population) quickly was convicted by a military tribunal, stripped of his rank in a humiliating public ceremony and sentenced to solitary confinement in execrable conditions on Devil's Island.
Over the next 12 years, the Dreyfusards, led by Alfred's brother Mathieu and aided by courageous supporters like the writer Emile Zola, whose literary career was another casualty of the case, found themselves embroiled in a fierce and occasionally violent battle for Alfred's exoneration. In their fight, they confronted a judicial system shockingly inured to the presentation of falsified evidence and secret dossiers in closed courtroom proceedings, all designed to ensure a guilty verdict.
Begley's retelling of the affair is dispassionate and workmanlike. And while his depictions of the principal characters other than Dreyfus are sketched in broad strokes, that's an excusable aspect of a book intended to offer an overview of the events for the general reader. To remedy that shortcoming in this absorbing account, Begley offers capsule biographies of the cast of characters and a detailed chronology of the tortuous legal maneuvering that ensnared Dreyfus and eventually freed him.
What gives the book real bite and makes it likely to provoke controversy is the parallel Begley draws between the Frenchman's privations and the indignities inflicted on the Guantanamo detainees. Here, he becomes more aroused, noting, "As each generation confronts the outrages committed in its name, analogies to past outrages become clear, illuminating the present."
This account of the travails of Alfred Dreyfus resonates because it is more than the story of a vaguely remembered historical event in a country remote from our own. It's a chilling, cautionary tale of what can happen when the rights of the individual fall victim to the passions of the mob and unchecked governmental power. That's a lesson worth recalling at any time, and in any land.--Harvey Freedenberg
Shelf Talker: Novelist and attorney Louis Begley offers an engrossing account of the Dreyfus Affair that makes a persuasive case for the relevance of that troubling episode of French history to our own times.
