Fort Riley, Kan., resident Kaitlynn Steen "is writing a new chapter for herself by starting a mobile bookstore," the Manhattan Mercury reported, adding that her business model for Backyard Bookshelf is "not just books; it's things that make me laugh and bring me joy."

Steen noted that the process "started with my love of kids' books. I think nowadays they make really beautiful children's books. And my kids are nine and seven, and now there's also a huge trend with adult books being very decorative and very beautiful. And as an adult, I wanted to start reading again, and I wanted to kind of own something as a military spouse, which is hard to do when you're moving every two years. So this became a mobile thing that I could own and take with me."

She added that it has been fun to meet all the people who come out to see her mobile bookstore: "I'm a seasoned pro now. I've done it three whole times on base. We've gone to Abilene. Abilene just lost their little hometown bookstore. And we've gone to Topeka."

Part of the appeal for customers is exploring the trailer, which is lined with books and other merchandise, highlighted by a "Bring books back" sign.

"Everybody's really excited about how cute the trailer is, which makes me very happy," Steen noted, "but they're also excited because this brings books back into small communities that might have lost their brick-and-mortar bookstore, and it's more affordable to have a trailer than to pay your rent every month at an old brick-and-mortar bookstore that doesn't have a big town associated with it."

Bound and Built Bookstore hosted its grand opening celebration alongside the local Chamber of Commerce on April 17 at 53 N. 10th St. in Duncan, Okla. The Banner reported that owner Mary Casteel, who was motivated to open the bookshop for her two daughters, said she has always had a passion for reading and comes from a reading family.

"I'm trying to make sure my girls love reading as well. I've always read to them since they were little," she said, adding that she wants to instill a love for reading in all children. "I want kids to get away from the screen and be able to dive into their imagination when it comes to reading."

In addition to her passion for books, Casteel said the "built" part of the store name comes from 3D printing; the shop also offers 3D-printed gifts and custom items.

She also praised the community support evident in Stephens County: "I love how everybody's excited about a bookstore and loving to read. I just love how we're always there for each other, especially in a small hometown, like Duncan."

In a Facebook post introducing herself to the community earlier this spring, Casteel wrote: "Opening this bookstore has truly been a dream, and I'm so grateful for all the support from this community as we get closer to opening our doors. I can't wait to welcome everyone in and share this space with you."

Following its soft opening last month, BookLOVE held a grand opening last Saturday in Jamestown, N.C., Yes! Weekly reported.

Located at 702D W. Main St., BookLOVE spans about 750 square feet and carries new and used titles for all ages, with an emphasis on fiction. There is an exchange program for customers to trade in books for store credit for used books, and owner Deena Clarkson, a retired teacher, has also started an adult book club.

"This is a place to come and slow down," Clarkson told Yes! Weekly. "Our store is peaceful and personal. It is a kinder, gentler place to get books."

Clarkson said she's always wanted to open a bookstore of her own, specifically in Jamestown, as it had no independent bookstore. Her store had its soft opening in mid-April and its grand opening on May 2. Those festivities included a storytime session, author signing, and live music performance.

In the months ahead, Clarkson plans to add a children's book club to the store's offerings, and eventually, she would like to expand the bookstore through the addition of a cafe.

Tokyopop is launching Tokyopop Kids, an imprint for younger readers that will publish manga, graphic novels, picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, and Spanish-language titles aimed at children up to 12 years old.

Tokyopop Kids, whose first releases appear this fall, is building "on the company's nearly 30-year publishing legacy and will become a trusted brand in the children's publishing arena by offering inclusive, imaginative, and high-quality titles that appeal to kids, parents, educators, and librarians," the publisher said.

"Tokyopop has been bringing manga to readers of all-ages for nearly 30 years and this new imprint will deliver engaging, age-appropriate content that combines the visual appeal of manga with storytelling themes relevant to today's early and middle-grade readers," said Marc Visnick, COO and publisher of Tokyopop. "We look forward to working with a wide range of licensors and publishing and retail partners to develop this initiative and to helping young readers develop their lifelong love of reading with a compelling and unique catalogue of titles."

Clutch (Tin House/Zando) by Emily Nemens (seated, far left in blue shirt) was the April Book Pick at Asbury Book Cooperative in Asbury Park, N.J. Nemens appeared in conversation with local author Tim DeMarco (right, front). (photo: Jordan Hayes, program director, Asbury Book Cooperative)

Click here to see the latest Independent Press Top 40, the weekly bestseller list celebrating the bestselling 40 fiction and 40 nonfiction titles from independent publishers, as sold by independent bookstores across the country. The list is sponsored by the Independent Publishers Caucus and the American Booksellers Association.

This week's debut fiction titles:

7. Molka by Monika Kim (Erewhon Books)
8. The Throne of Broken Gods: Deluxe Special Edition (Gods and Monsters #2) by Amber V. Nicole (Kensington)
19. Losers: Part One: Deluxe Limited Edition by Harley Laroux (Kensington)
25. Questions 27 & 28 by Karen Tei Yamashita (Graywolf Press)
35. Good For Her (Special Edition): A Second Chance Horror Romance by Tylor Paige (Page & Vine)
36. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (Spiegel & Grau)

This week's debut nonfiction titles:

13. No Contact: Writers on Estrangement edited by Jenny Bartoy (Catapult)
18. Protest: Respect It Defend It Use It by Annie Leonard and Andre Carothers (Patagonia)

"For every kind of mother-figure, we've got a love story waiting for you," Lovestruck Books & Cafe in Cambridge, Mass., posted on Facebook. "From swoon-worthy reads to thoughtful little treasures, our shelves are full of ways to celebrate her. Whether she's your mom, stepmom, dog mom, chosen mom (or you're treating yourself) you're always part of the story here. Plus, we'll wrap it all up beautifully so it's ready to gift the moment you walk out."

"Pour one out for our sign. She had a good run." Blacksburg Books in Blacksburg, Va., posted a pic of the bookshop's damaged sidewalk chalkboard sign, which was still doing its duty to the bitter end by sharing a Mother's Day message: "Your mom called--she wants a book."

Tomorrow:
Today: Isaac Fitzgerald, author of American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed (Knopf, $32, 9780593537794).

Tamron Hall: Nicole Hackett, author of Mom Brain: A Novel (Harper Muse, $18.99, 9781400350339).

Kelly Clarkson Show: Jen Hamilton, author of Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth (Grand Central, $30, 9781538771471).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert repeat: Ina Garten, author of Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir (Crown, $22, 9780593800027).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, May 9
5:05 p.m. Eric Foner, author of Our Fragile Freedoms: Essays (W.W. Norton, $35, 9781324110613). 

Sunday, May 10
8 a.m. Rep. Elise Stefanik, author of Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America's Elite Universities (Threshold Editions, $29, 9781668087534). (Re-airs Sunday at 8:16 p.m.)

9 a.m. David Blumenthal and James Morone, authors of Whiplash: From the Battle for Obamacare to the War on Science (Yale University Press, $27.99, 9780300263480), at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C. (Re-airs Sunday at 9:16 p.m.)

11 a.m. Kevin Hazzard, author of No One's Coming: The Rogue Heroes Our Government Turns to When There's Nowhere Else to Turn (Grand Central, $30, 9780306835186), at Politics & Prose.

1 p.m. Sarah Ruden, author of Reproductive Wrongs: A Short History of Bad Ideas About Women (Liveright, $27.99, 9781324075905).

4 p.m. David Pogue, author of Apple: The First 50 Years (Simon & Schuster, $50, 9781982134594). 

5:40 p.m. Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon, authors of The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land (Crown, $30, 9798217086511).

Angela Antle won the BMO Winterset Award, which celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing, for her book The Saltbox Olive. Antle received C$12,500 (about US$9,180), while the two finalists were given C$3,000 (about US$2,200) each: Debbie McGee for Cautiously Pessimistic and Mackenzie Nolan for Veal.

"At BMO, we believe the arts play a vital role in bringing people together and strengthening our communities," said Dean Holloway, regional v-p, Newfoundland and Labrador, BMO. "We're pleased to congratulate this year's Winterset Award recipient and the finalists, and to support writers whose work reflects and enriches Newfoundland and Labrador's vibrant cultural landscape."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, May 12:

The Last Mandarin: A Novel by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung (Minotaur, $30, 9781250412522) is a thriller starring a Chinese American mother and daughter.

American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed by Isaac Fitzgerald (Knopf, $32, 9780593537794) retraces the steps of the American folk hero.

Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Simon Six, $26, 9781668249970) prepares for the potential of extraterrestrial visitors.

Radiant Star by Ann Leckie (Orbit, $30, 9780316290357) is a standalone story set in the Imperial Radch sci-fi universe.

The Good Eye by Jess Gibson (Cardinal, $28, 9781538777749) collects 12 short stories.

The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, $32, 9780062963543) is book two in the Amina al-Sirafi Adventures fantasy series.

The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos: A Novel by Kendra Langford Shaw (Pantheon, $28, 9780593702437) follows a family of Alaskan homesteaders.

Dad by Christian Robinson (Balzer + Bray, $19.99, 9781250397041) is a picture book about all the different kinds of and ways to be a father.

Underwearwolf by Gideon Sterer, illus. by Charles Santoso (Simon, $19.99, 9781665955584) is a picture book featuring one underwear-loving child who can't help but put on a pair of underwear not to be worn under the light of the full moon.

How to Watch Soccer Like a Genius: What Architects, Stuntwomen, Paleoanthropologists, and Computer Scientists Reveal About the World's Game by Nick Greene (Abrams Press, $28, 9781419777172) is written by the author of How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius. 

Paperbacks:
Hunger by Choi Jin-Young, trans. by Soje (Europa Editions, $17.99, 9798889661849).

Entomology of the Pin-Up Girl by Lauren Osborn (Dzanc Books, $17.95, 9781938603709).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (St. Martin's Press, $29, 9781250284549). "Hepworth once again excels at pulling the rug out from under the reader's figurative feet with the story of octogenarian Elsie Fitzpatrick, whose quiet life on a small Melbourne street is blown up by her discovery of her next door neighbor dead." --Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva (SJP Lit, $28.95, 9781638932529). "A gripping multi-generational story that delves into messy relationships, motherhood struggles, inherited trauma, dreams for the future, AND the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence." --Rachel Burgoon, Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond, Wash.

Paperback
Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones (HarperOne, $18.99, 9780063411319). "Fans of Annie Jones will love this peek behind the scenes, but even for those unfamiliar with Annie's story, these essays are deeply relatable. Perfect for people who stayed in their hometowns, who lead a quieter life, and who have struggled with their faith." --Claire McWhorter, River & Hill Books, Rome, Ga.

Ages 4-8
Wildspeak by Sangma Francis, illus. by Lexi Vangsnes (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $18.99, 9781464261299). "Featuring gorgeous illustrations and an inventive string of both real and imagined words alike, Wildspeak encourages young people to explore the world joyfully by using their vocabulary to describe what they find. A great choice for a classroom read-aloud!" --Brynn Artley, Content Bookstore, Northfield, Minn.

Age 9-12: An Indies Introduce Title
Little Bones by Sandy Bigna (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9781665985086). "A beautiful novel in verse about grief, love, family, friendship. Bones is trying to live through the grief of losing her little brother when one night, she makes a wish and brings a bird skeleton back to life. It's up to Bones and her new friend Tenny to try to put this right." --Katrina Bright-Yerges, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, Wis.

Age 12+
Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi (Knopf Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 9780593309100). "Somadina and her twin brother share a profound connection. Their newly-awakened magic shakes up their family, their village, and threatens their existence. Another phenomenal book from Akwaeke Emezi about identity, sacrifice, and ties that don't always bind." --Nichole Murphy, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, Mo.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Alex Wright's Empire of Ink serves as a vital reminder of why the print medium matters and how its history still influences people's behavior. He presents that history in context with how a sprawling, disconnected collection of colonies evolved into the singular, if argumentative, United States.

The narrative begins with the persuasive premise that the United States existed as a rebellion on paper long before the first shots of the revolutionary war. The colonies were already connected by a chaotic web of broadsides and pamphlets comprising the infrastructure of dissent. Wright highlights how the early postal system, which carried newspapers at a subsidized rate, functioned as the first social network, enabling the flow of information and allowing a scattered, agrarian population to imagine themselves as a coherent entity.

The physical reality of this revolution was rooted in gritty, industrial processes that Wright (Cataloging the World; Glut) explores with riveting thoroughness. He examines the material progression of the medium, moving from the labor-intensive maceration of linen and cotton rags (and even the use of mummy wrappings) to the eventual dominance of wood pulp. He details the shift from agonizingly slow hand-operated wooden presses--a technology that had barely advanced since Gutenberg--to the arrival of the steam-powered rotary press.

The U.S. ink-stained heritage is filled with individual architects who leveraged the press to influence the national consciousness. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, is portrayed as the quintessential printer-prophet who used the Pennsylvania Gazette as a tool for civic engineering, and later, Frederick Douglass's North Star proved that the printing press was a potent weapon for the disenfranchised to claim their place in the republic.

Wright tracks a persistent divergence into two competing threads that defined the national print character as the industry matured. On one hand, there was the rise of the industrial titans, the consolidated mass media machines of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, who transformed news into a high-volume, high-profit commodity. It was a unifying force, though one that often prioritized sensationalism over nuance in its quest for total market dominance. Parallel to these giants was and is the persistent heartbeat of the independent press, a thread that represented print as a tool for those the industrial machine ignored. From abolitionist papers and suffrage circulars to the gritty underground zines of later eras, these independent voices provided a necessary counterweight to the mainstream narrative.

Ultimately, Wright has written an immersive appreciation for the permanence of the printed word in an increasingly ephemeral world, reminding readers that the foundations of American democracy were laid down as impressions on a press. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.

Shelf Talker: Empire of Ink is a masterful work of historical exposition that serves as a vital reminder of why the print medium matters.

It's so hard to be an author. It's also super hard to keep an independent publishing company afloat for nearly 30 years... and this scam and whoever or whatever is behind it is just such a waste of time and hurtful, unnecessarily hurtful.

--Johanna Ingalls, managing editor & director of foreign rights, Akashic Books 

Phishing scams directed at authors are all the rage (or, more accurately, rage-making) in the book trade. Just yesterday in Shelf Awareness Pro, we ran an Editor's Note warning that names of some of our staff members have been used in recent phishing attempts. 

As it happens, I've been in conversation about the topic recently with author Jessica Keener, whose latest novel, Evening Begins the Day (Koehler Books), was released in March; and Johanna Ingalls at Akashic Books. 

"Covid spawned a new era of online events and activities," Keener observed. "But this AI-generated flood of online marketing spam is another beast. It's targeting that vulnerable streak that every author has--a need, and hunger to grow their reader base and sell more books."

Jessica Keener  (photo: Sharona Jacobs)

She added that the publishing landscape feels different from when she published her second novel, Strangers in Budapest, in 2018: "With my new novel out, I can tell you I've been getting marketing scam e-mails almost every day. But it gets worse. Recently, I got an e-mail from a legit editor and publisher that I know--or so it seemed--until I realized it was again a scam. They had used the real person's name, title, and book publisher (Akashic Books). I got in touch with the editor, Johanna Ingalls, and she told me it wasn't the first time. One of their authors actually thought they were communicating with their editor, which was an AI bot or something....

"Authors have to do so much on their own. They hire publicists and these AI marketing bots are preying on us to invest a little as a way to get our books seen, etc. It's as old as the hills, this sort of thing, but it's the sheer volume that's become difficult."

For Ingalls, the issue hit home about two months ago when Akashic received an e-mail on its "info" account from an aspiring author who was checking in to see if an e-mail they had received allegedly from Johnny Temple (publisher at Akashic) was legitimate. 

"In it, a sophisticated bot (or this is what I assume it is) praises the author's work and expresses interest in hearing about what they are currently working on," Ingalls said. "The bot peppers in details from the author's previous, self-published work, says everything an author would want to hear, offers to connect them with an agent, etc. As soon as we learned of this it seemed the flood gates opened. It seems we were able to stop the Johnny e-mails, but then 'I' started-- or the sophisticated bot version of Johanna at Akashic Books started--'her' outreach. From a made up e-mail address I can't figure out how to take down (akashicbooks@johannaingalls.co.site), 'I' contact numerous authors daily with the same style e-mail--tons of praise, tons of details about a previous work by the author, etc. A former intern of ours has also been affected."

Ingalls added that she appreciates all the authors and agents who pause for a moment, find Akashic's real e-mail addresses, and contact the publisher to verify if the e-mail is or isn't legitimate, "but I'm so sad about the authors that don't realize it. One author e-mailed back and forth for several days, even e-mailed over a PDF of her work, and finally got skeptical when the Johanna bot wasn't ever available for a Zoom meeting (something we almost always do when we do want to work with an author and they aren't local). I hope no one has paid money, but I'm sure that's where this ultimately leads to.

"As an editor who has to send out rejection letters all the time, I hate that part of my job. Truly. So to now find out that 'I' am encouraging authors and making them think they may be nearing toward a book deal with Akashic, well, that kinda breaks my heart.... I've reported to a government e-mail fraud site, but don't feel like I have much control over it. I'm very much hoping that word-of-mouth and articles will spread the word to authors rapidly."

And the beat goes on...

Ironically, moments after Ingalls shared her thoughts on phishing scams with me, the next e-mail she read on Akashic's info e-mail account "was yet a new bogus e-mail address for a former intern of ours," she noted.

A cautionary note from the Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, Calif.: "Especially if you're a self-published author, this warning is for you."

And when I e-mailed Keener to clarify some details, she said she had just "deleted and blocked yet another long letter appealing to how great my new book is and how they would like to help me expand readership via Goodreads and Litsy.

"I actually got a phone call from a scammer last week, who left a message. I decided to call back--out of spite really, I wanted to see exactly how they would try to scam me. I actually talked to a woman (audio in the background: call center sounds) and when I asked what exactly are you proposing to do, she started rambling about how her company would be at the London and Frankfurt book fairs, and how they had a bookstore in Canada. And when I asked again what are you proposing, she said something like, 'with a small investment,' and as soon as I heard the word 'investment' I hung up and blocked her.

"It's almost pathetic. The marketing letters use AI and repurpose familiar descriptions of the book online, and sentences from reviews found online. It's endless!"

Be careful out there.

The bestselling Libro.fm audiobooks at independent bookstores during April:

Fiction
1. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Penguin Random House Audio)
2. This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (Macmillan Audio)
3. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (Simon Maverick)
4. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1 by Beth Brower (Echo Point Books & Media)
5. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Penguin Random House Audio)
6. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 3 by Beth Brower (Echo Point Books & Media)
7. Game On by Navessa Allen (Penguin Random House Audio)
8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower (Echo Point Books & Media)
9. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 4 by Beth Brewer (Echo Point Books & Media)
10. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (Macmillan Audio)

Nonfiction
1. Famesick by Lena Dunham (Penguin Random House Audio)
2. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (Penguin Random House Audio)
3. Strangers by Belle Burden (Penguin Random House Audio)
4. All About Love by bell hooks (William Morrow)
5. Cultish by Amanda Montell (Harper)
6. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (Penguin Random House Audio)
7. A World Appears by Michael Pollan (Penguin Random House Audio)
8. Here Where We Live Is Our Country by Molly Crabapple (Penguin Random House Audio)
9. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson (Penguin Random House Audio)