Following the abrupt firing of Demos Parneros on July 3, Barnes & Noble is searching for another CEO, its fifth in six years. If the company is consistent, it will hire yet another chief executive with little or no experience in the book world, requiring him or her to spend time learning on the job about the often quirky book business ("products are sold to retailers with prices on them and on a returnable basis?!"). The perceived benefit of hiring someone from outside the business to bring a new perspective is long gone--remember how much that helped Borders? And filling this job right is all the more crucial now because publishers need B&N as a bulwark against Amazon and indie booksellers need publishers' distribution infrastructure that services bricks-and-mortar stores, both chain and indie.

Like many in the book world, we at Shelf Awareness wonder why B&N, founded by proven book people, can't seem to find any qualified leaders from the book business. We believe there are plenty of capable, experienced book people who could step in and make a difference. And we bet you do, too. So, as a public service (and for a bit of fun), we're encouraging our readers to nominate possible CEOs for B&N.

All nominations and votes are completely anonymous and secure. For example, you can nominate yourself and neither Shelf Awareness nor your boss will know its origin.

We'll run this for a week and announce winners and best entries Friday, August 31.

Make nominations and vote here. You will be able to see live updates by clicking Survey Results.

Let the best candidate win!!

To get the ball rolling, here are some possibilities who came to mind immediately:

James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones. Reasons: Unusual experience successfully running both indie bookstores and chain bookstores. Turned around a troubled national bookstore chain. Bonus points: worked for a Russian oligarch for seven years; after which, he should be able to handle any corporate overlord!

Matty Goldberg, v-p, sales and acquisitions, Ingram Content Group. Reasons: Many years of experience in book publishing, book distribution and bookselling. Also has worked at B&N--he came with Doubleday Book Shops when B&N bought the chain nearly 30 years ago. Bonus points: While at Doubleday Book Shops, he wrote an excellent in-house newsletter.

Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music. Reasons: Already runs a bookstore chain in North America and successfully oversaw the absorption of one chain into another (Chapters into Indigo). Has a vision for her company's stores of the future. Bonus points: Will soon open a bookstore in the U.S., providing a foothold for possible absorption of B&N.

Steve Bercu, recently retired CEO of BookPeople, Austin, Tex. Reasons: Grew a small bookstore into a national destination while spearheading the buy local movement with Keep Austin Weird. Former ABA president who has insights into corporate world via landlord Whole Foods. Bonus points: Will bring deadpan humor to B&N headquarters. Also, excellent socks.

Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, with stores in south Florida and the Cayman Islands. Reasons: Long career running a successful small chain of bookstores that includes the only international outpost of a U.S. bookseller. Also extensive experience helping run an international book fair, publishing, agenting, producing movies--just about everything book-related except for running a national chain. Bonus points: The former ABA president who had the idea for the Winter Institute.

Barack Obama, former President of the United States. Reasons: A book lover and book writer who was the ultimate CEO for eight years. Stays cool and calm while battling determined competitors. No need to worry he'll go back to his last job. Bonus points: Will evoke an immense well of longing and gratitude among most readers.

Victoria Moore and Julian DeLesDernier opened Whitty Books last month at 2407 E. Admiral Blvd. in Tulsa, Okla. "The store's home is roughly a 1,400-square-foot space formerly occupied by Flash Flood Print Studios, which recently moved to a larger, refurbished place down the street. Moore and DeLesDernier, who plan to wed in September, live in the neighborhood, behind Circle Cinema," Tulsa World reported.

"I feel like it started almost as a joke with my complaining that there wasn't a bookstore over here," Moore said. "That idea developed and developed, and we kind of thought we can do this."

Noting that the bookshop features a highly curated collection of new books, Ed Sharrer, executive director of Kendall Whittier Main Street, a nonprofit that supports revitalization of the area, observed: "That business model has actually made a bit of a comeback. It used to be that the big Barnes & Nobles and Borders totally swallowed up the little guys. Now, Amazon is swallowing up the big box guys. What that has done is that it has actually created a bit of a model for those who want that smaller kind of niche book-selling business where they feel like they are getting that personal service and the collection is going to be highly curated."

Chronicle Books is partnering with Trustbridge Global Media, an affiliate of Trustbridge Partners, to establish Chronicle Bridge, an imprint that will publish and distribute Chinese-language editions of some Chronicle children's books. The new venture will be formally launched to the book trade, media and consumers at the Beijing International Book Fair, which opens today.

Chronicle Bridge is making its debut with five books this month, including bestsellers Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train. The imprint will publish approximately 20 titles its first year and will take over the Chinese license for the popular chapter book series Ivy & Bean.

"This new venture is a significant milestone in developing our global brand presence," said Tyrrell Mahoney, president of Chronicle Books. "We have found in TGM an ideal partner to introduce our publishing to young readers in China. TGM not only shares Chronicle Books' aesthetic and education values, they have unparalleled publishing expertise and a deep understanding of the Chinese book market."

Dan Sullivan, director of TGM, commented: "We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with Chronicle because, in addition to having such a distinguished and award-winning history, they are a group that shares our ideals, our philosophies, and what we believe is a common heart for the importance of high quality children's content."

Tom Clark, who "combined diverse roles of poet, biographer, novelist, dramatist, reviewer, and sportswriter during his writing career," died August 18. He was 77. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that Clark "was a prolific writer, the author of poetry books, novels, plays, theater reviews and sports journalism. He wrote biographies of baseball players and poems about the national pastime, which he became passionate about as a young boy when he attended Chicago White Sox games with his father."

His many books include Light and Shade: New and Selected Poems; Robert Creeley and the Genius of the American Common Place: Together With the Poet's Own "Autobiography"; Jack Kerouac: A Biography; Sleepwalkers Fate: New and Selected Poems, 1965-1991; Charles Olson: The Allegory of a Poet's Life; and Champagne and Baloney: The Rise and Fall of Finley's A's.

Clark was a former poetry editor of the Paris Review, contributor to Poetry magazine, a former instructor at New College of California and a dedicated blogger. He posted his final "Beyond the Pale entry a few hours before he died.

"It's such a tragedy," said Brandon Loberg, a director at the Beat Museum in North Beach. "He was one of the last of a group of elder statesmen of letters in California. That generation is pretty much passing into the sunset. Now we're without his unique voice." He called Clark's biography of Kerouac the "most accurate, informative and concise" among many.

Best American Poetry shared Clark's poem "The Edge of the Forest":

Poems ought to have memories.
They should remember other poems.
At this moment the noisy city
has fallen quiet, and the edge
of the forest is abuzz with voices,
the voices of poems beneath the old trees
talking quietly about the poems that were
once here but are not here any longer,
remembering each other.

On Thursday, the first part of the American Booksellers Association's Autumn 2018 Kids' Next List was delivered to more than a third of a million of the country's best book readers, going to 405,071 customers of 123 participating bookstores. The next Kids' Next List issue, scheduled for Thursday, September 20, will be the second volume of the autumn catalogue.

The e-newsletter, powered by Shelf Awareness, features fall Kids' Next List titles, with bookseller quotes and "buy now" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on the sending store's website. The newsletter, which is branded with each store's logo, also includes an interview (from Bookselling This Week) with the author whose book was chosen by booksellers as the number-one Kids' Next List pick, in this case Kate DiCamillo, author of Louisiana's Way Home (Candlewick Press).

For a sample of the newsletter, see this one from That Book Store, Wethersfield, Conn.

On Monday, Napa Bookmine, Napa, Calif., shared a Facebook post about a disturbing incident at the store Sunday and issued a call for community support: "Yesterday, something really unsettling happened. Some guy called the store on Pearl St. while one of our booksellers was alone and said some really disgusting things to her. We won't repeat them, but be assured, you'd be horrified if a stranger said them to you. This guy works in Napa and implied he'd be coming into the store today, so...

"We could use a show of support from our wonderful community. Let's fill the store and show this creep that no woman is alone, and that harassment will NOT be tolerated in our community!! We'll be breaking out tables and chairs, and everyone is welcome to come hang out! Bring your book, your homework, your knitting, your coloring, anything you want. We'll share our wi-fi password and just hang. We're open until 6:00, and you're welcome to come for 10 minutes or 2 hours. You can even bring your lunch (we have two great restaurants on our block, Melted and Bui Bistro). Thanks to Napa PD for great advice and support."

In an update posted Tuesday, Napa Bookmine wrote: "Yesterday, after we shared our situation, people showed up ALL DAY. The store was filled with customers and staff every minute. Some people stayed for hours. Some people brought their dogs. Some people brought their computers and worked here. Some people couldn’t stay long but their physical presence was so important in making a statement that harassment is not okay in this community. Some people related to the circumstance and were there in solidarity. Thank you for having our backs. We are FULL of gratitude."

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, Calif., shared a photo on Facebook of its prize-winners book display featuring a well-placed chalkboard sign, noting: "Congratulations to all the 2018 Hugo winners!!!."

Effective in January with the fall/winter 2018 season, Heyday will be sold and distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West.

Founded in 1974 by Malcolm Margolin, Heyday, Berkeley, Calif., focuses on history, social justice, nature, and the indigenous peoples of California. It releases about 25 books a year and has an active backlist of about 250 titles. Among its notable books are The California Field Atlas by Obi Kaufmann, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws, Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, Ransoming Pagan Babies: The Selected Writings of Warren Hinckle, and California Fights Back: The Golden State in the Age of Trump by Peter Schrag.

Heyday publisher and executive director Steve Wasserman commented: "In California, the local went global years ago and, with PGW as partner, we believe we can expand the circle of Heyday's readers."

PGW v-p of business development Kevin Votel added that while Heyday has "had a regional focus historically, their editorial direction is expanding to include titles with greater national reach, and PGW is very well positioned to facilitate their plans for growth."

Boot Language: A Memoir by Vanya Erickson (She Writes Press).

Tomorrow:
CBS This Morning: Kim Brooks, author of Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear (Flatiron, $26.99, 9781250089557).

PBS's Beyond 100 Days: Anthony Salvanto, author of Where Did You Get This Number?: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World (Simon & Schuster, $26, 9781501174834).

Malorie Blackman, author of more than 60 books for kids and young adults and a former U.K. Children's Laureate, is "one of the writers working on the new television series of Doctor Who," the Bookseller reported, noting that Blackman is "the first black writer to pen an episode for the series." She joins Ed Hime, Vinay Patel, Pete McTighe and Joy Wilkinson, all of whom were announced this week by the BBC as writers for the series, which launches this fall with Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor.

"I've always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true," said Blackman, whose short story "The Ripple Effect" was published in 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show.

"We have a team of writers who've been working quietly and secretly for a long time now, crafting characters, worlds and stories to excite and move you," said Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall. "A set of directors who stood those scripts up on their feet, bringing those ideas, visuals and emotions into existence with bravura and fun. Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here's what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they've all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year."

Novelist David Mitchell has been named this year's recipient of the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, which is given in recognition of a writer's entire body of work, the Bookseller reported. The author of seven novels, he joins a prestigious list of writers to have won the prize, including last year's winner Sarah Waters, as well as Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Harold Pinter, Anne Tyler, Muriel Spark, John le Carré, William Trevor, Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Tom Stoppard, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Martin Amis, Peter Carey and Karl Ove Knausgaard.

Carole Welch, publisher at Sceptre, commented: "This is a marvelous accolade for David Mitchell. The Sunday Times Award is unusual in being for a body of work and this kind of recognition and appreciation of all David's books means a great deal. Sceptre acquired his first novel Ghostwritten in 1998, and working with David for the past 20 years has always been both a privilege and a pleasure. In winning this award, David joins illustrious company and we are very proud of him."