Little Professor bookstore, Homewood, Ala., is moving "down the block to the former Nadeau building, located at 2738 18th St. S.," the Star reported, adding that while the plan is for the new space to open in early spring, the move itself is 50 years in the making. Little Professor began in what is now the Cottage Basket, before relocating to a building that has since been replaced by the Valley Hotel. In 2017, the store moved to its current 18th Street location.

"Everything will feel very updated," said owner Meredith Robinson, adding that the new location will offer an outdoor space, an expanded children's area, a second floor and more. It is envisioned as a place where customers can come not just to purchase new books, but to meet friends, enjoy a cup of coffee and sit to read or study.

When Robinson and her husband, Jonathan, bought Little Professor in 2020, they began looking for a long-term partner to build out a new space. Then Nadeau moved and the furniture store's previous space became available. "Being across from the Valley Hotel is a great location and the design of the store's new building will help beautify the city even more," the Star noted.

Aesthetically, in addition to more open space, the store will have new shelves, along with all-natural surfaces like marble and wood. Robinson said the changes will make the bookstore more "warm and inviting," and she hopes people not only come to buy books but to sit in the space, to "reset [their] day" and to use it as a space to decompress.

Although the square footage is about the same, with less back-of-house space for offices and storage it will look like more, Robinson added. There will be about 20% more inventory and about 50% more seating space. The children's area will also have expanded inventory.

Little Professor recently opened a second location, at Pepper Place in downtown Birmingham, which will be helpful during the transition, the Star wrote, noting that "the downtown location has served as an inspiration for what the owners want with the new Homewood location."

Christine Carswell

Christine Carswell, longtime publisher of Chronicle Books, will retire next month. She joined the company in 1994 as the executive editor of the adult trade division, ultimately becoming publisher in 2007. She started her publishing career at Chatto & Windus in her native U.K. and left the company as deputy managing director and publisher of the Hogarth Press to move to the U.S.

Under her leadership, the company said, Chronicle has become "the world's premier illustrated book, gift, toy, and game publisher and the home of numerous New York Times bestsellers as well as titles by rock stars, humorists, and celebrity chefs; powerhouse brands such as the LEGO Group, Disney, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel; and brilliant writers, artists, and creative talent of all kinds."

Chronicle Books president Tyrrell Mahoney said, "Christine Carswell's talent for originating publishing that is uniquely Chronicle in its look and feel has been the not-so-secret sauce of the house's success under her direction. In addition to her myriad achievements as publisher, Christine has been a steadfast mentor and inspiring leader. She has nurtured the talents of countless authors, artists, and, most importantly, hundreds of past and present 'Chroniclers.' Though this news is bittersweet, Christine's influence and expansive legacy will endure for years to come, in the way we work together, collectively strive for distinctiveness, and celebrate as colleagues."

Carswell commented: "Little could I have imagined way back as a student in Scotland determined to get her start in publishing, that one day I'd be here in California with the best job in the business! It has been the gift of a lifetime to collaborate with partners near and far, especially my beloved and super-talented Chroniclers, on a purpose we all hold so dear: to spark explorations, connections, and new ways of seeing--and to bring smiles of discovery, enrichment, and enjoyment. Now, what new adventures await me? And what will my wonderful, always innovative colleagues at Chronicle Books think of next???"

At Winter Institute 2023 two weeks ago in Seattle, Wash., booksellers from four nonprofit bookstores, as well as an attorney specializing in nonprofit law, convened to discuss what other independent booksellers need to know about the nonprofit model.

Making up the panel were Anne Waters, executive director of Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, S.C., Tara Vitale, attorney with Apex Law Group in Seattle, Wash., Jamie Rogers Southern, executive director of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, N.C., and E.R. Anderson, executive director of Charis Circle in Decatur, Ga., while Sonja Coates, deputy director of Seminary Co-op Bookstores in Chicago, Ill., moderated the discussion.

On the topic of the benefits and downsides of the nonprofit model, Vitale noted that perhaps the biggest benefit of a nonprofit is "building an institution" that is "truly community based." Nonprofits need a board, usually made up of community members, and volunteers generally come from the community. That can amount to being "a little more engaged" compared to a for-profit model, as it "opens up" who can be part of the organization. The nonprofit structure can also allow for donations and grants.

For downsides, Vitale continued, it is "a lot of admin lift," and for many entrepreneurs necessitates a lot of "new learning." She emphasized that she always cautions clients that nonprofits "aren't owned by anybody," and once the move is made from for-profit to nonprofit it is "really hard, almost impossible, to move back out." Bookstore owners considering the nonprofit shift need to "think deeply" about the possibility of moving their "baby" to a nonprofit model and be aware that founders are "sometimes pushed out."

Southern acknowledged the extra revenue streams available to nonprofits, and brought up "working with your board" as both a potential benefit and negative. Booksellers could go from "being your own boss" to potentially having "18 people on your board" to answer to. But, at the same time, there are plenty of "smart ways'' to work with board members who can have a variety of valuable skill sets. As an example, Southern mentioned that her treasurer is a CPA and handles all of the financial reporting, and there is a lawyer on the Bookmarks board.

Recalling that she started at Hub City as bookstore manager before becoming executive director, Waters said as an executive director you're "not in your bookstore. You're not out there selling." Instead, you're doing things like raising funds and "giving PowerPoints." She reiterated that once you have to answer to a board of directors, "it's not going to be your bookstore anymore." And while grants can bring in a lot of money, they take a "really long time to write" and need to be presented. Despite all of the time spent fundraising and all of the admin work, she continued, it's "very gratifying" collaborating within the community, developing partnerships and doing "essential" work.

Volunteers were also brought up as something that can be both positive and negative. Southern reported that Bookmarks has some 250 volunteers, which "saves us a lot of time for our staff." Waters, meanwhile, said volunteers need training and "sometimes they don't show up."

Coates emphasized that "nonprofit and 501c3 are not synonymous," explaining that Seminary Co-op explored the 501c3 option at one point but decided against it. While there are some big benefits to having tax-exempt status, going that route would require Seminary Co-op to shift its mission to be able to fit into an "IRS box."

Asked about tips for getting started, Anderson said his first step was actually going to his local public library and reading a For Dummies book about nonprofits. There are lots of "very simple, very good books," about how to "navigate this stuff." There are nonprofit associations in lots of states, and there are plenty of city and state organizations that help nonprofits and prospective nonprofits.

Echoing some earlier comments, Anderson advised booksellers to consider the trade-offs of going nonprofit and no longer being the final decision maker on a lot of things. He said too that the IRS has become "more discerning over the years," particularly when compared to the late '90s and early 2000s.

In a more detailed discussion of nonprofit boards, Southern said she loved the Carver governance model, which is the model the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance uses, that generally keeps the board out of day-to-day operations. Anderson mentioned that in the nonprofit world there is a broader move toward smaller boards but larger "volunteer auxiliary groups."

Board balance is a "delicate matter," Waters said, and the panelists were in agreement that some board members can be wonderful while others prove themselves to be only interested in "building a resume." It can also be frustrating, she remarked, when a board member comes in and says their cousin wrote a book and wants to do an event at the bookstore. Southern also cautioned against having authors on the board. --Alex Mutter

Christopher Fowler

British author Christopher Fowler, best known for his Bryant & May thrillers featuring veteran detectives solving unusual crimes in London from World War II to the present, died March 3 of cancer. He was 69. The Guardian reported that the series began with Full Dark House (2003), and 17 more novels followed, most recently London Bridge Is Falling Down (2021). A book exploring the London of the characters, Bryant & May's Peculiar London, came out last year.

Fowler's first novel was Roofworld (1988), followed by a number of supernaturally tinged novels like Spanky, Disturbia, Rune and Psychoville. In 2009, Fowler published his memoir Paperboy, "about growing up craving books in a house without any, which was followed in 2013 by Film Freak, about his time in the movie trade," the Guardian noted. He had just finished the manuscript for his third memoir, Word Monkey, before he died. It will be published in August.

A prolific blogger, he announced his illness on his website in April 2020, and this past January, in "The Last Post," he wrote that he would not be posting more updates. His final words on his blog were: "It's very hard to write now without falling asleep or forgetting what I was going to say. If there's something I really need to get out I'll put it on Twitter. So you might want to check your old @peculiar feed once in a while. All fun things have to come to an end. I love you all. Except for that horrible old troll--are there any other kind? There, now you have a smidgen of extra time on your hands, go have fun... and read a book."

Many writers posted tributes to Fowler on social media. Val McDermid tweeted: "So sorry to hear this. He gave me enormous pleasure over the years, as he did to so many. What a cornucopia of imaginative writing he's left us." Author Joanne Harris said: "My dear friend. Gone too soon. Never forgotten."

Horror and thriller writer Mark Chadbourn noted: "Very sad to hear of the death of my longtime friend and brilliant writer Christopher Fowler, gone far too young. I picked up Chris's books before I knew him--Roofworld was my first--and soon found how much we had in common. I'll miss you, old pal."

Posted on Instagram by M. Judson Booksellers, Greenville, S.C.: "It's high time you met Josh. ⁠And while he doesn't really love getting his picture taken, we sure do love him!⁠ Josh is our UPS guy, delivering boxes and boxes (and boxes) of books (it's a lot of books). We sure are thankful for all of his hard work. ⁠We couldn't do what we do without him! ⁠(he claims he doesn't read all that much, but just in case you see this, Josh... you can click the link in our bio for all of our staff recommendations)."

"If ever we ask to check your bag before you leave the store, please know it has nothing to do with you. Today alone, Hendrix tried to stowaway in a Channel 6 reporter's camera bag and a customer's shopping bag," Deadtime Stories, Lansing, Mich., posted on Instagram.

At Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:

Bill Grace has been promoted to senior marketing manager. He was most recently marketing manager.

Hannah Klein has been promoted to associate publicist. She was most recently publicity assistant.

Andie Divelbiss has been promoted to marketing coordinator. She was most recently marketing assistant.

Allison Broeils has been promoted to marketing operations associate. She was most recently marketing operations coordinator.

All Else Failed by Dana Sachs (Bellevue Literary Press).

Today:
Fresh Air: Debra Lee, author of I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir (Legacy Lit, $29, 9780306828591).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Paula Faris, author of You Don't Have to Carry It All: Ditch the Mom Guilt and Find a Better Way Forward (Worthy Books, $27, 9781546003731).

The View: Sarah Ferguson, author of A Most Intriguing Lady: A Novel (Avon, $30, 9780063216822).

Tubi has begun principal photography on The Thicket, based on Joe R. Lansdale's 2013 novel, Deadline reported. Starring and produced by Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, The Station Agent), for whom this is a longtime passion project, production on the film is underway in Calgary, Canada.

The cast also includes Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets), Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna), Levon Hawke (The Crowded Room), Leslie Grace (In the Heights), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Old Man),  Macon Blair (I Care a Lot), James Hetfield (Metallica), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders), Andrew Schulz (Infamous), and Arliss Howard (Mank). Playwright Christopher Kelly will write the adaptation and Elliott Lester (Nightingale) directs and produces.

Dinklage "has been attached to a feature adaptation of The Thicket for a decade," Deadline noted, adding: "In February 2020, he was set to lead a different cast for The Thicket movie from the same producers, which was in pre-production. Like many projects gearing for production at that time, the movie was impacted by Covid, which reached pandemic levels just a couple of weeks later."
 
"I'm so very excited to bring Joe Lansdale's riveting story to the screen," said Dinklage. "A journey into the heart of darkness to find love and return it to its rightful place."

ArtsNL revealed three finalists for the C$12,500 (about $9,185) BMO Winterset Award, which celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing across all genres, Quill & Quire reported. The winner will be named March 30. This year's finalists are:

The Raw Light of Morning by Shelly Kawaja
This Is How We Love by Lisa Moore
Hunger by Meghan Greeley

"With a reading list that showcases the immense cultural wealth of the province, creating a list of finalists was no easy feat," the jury said. "We are grateful to have been a part of this celebration of writing talent in Newfoundland and Labrador."

Both Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley (who never knew her mother) longed to take the world by storm. Stephanie Marie Thornton delves into the literary, emotional and financial struggles of both women in her eighth novel, Her Lost Words, charting their journeys with compassion and insight. The result is a fascinating account of two women whose prodigious talent and work ethic was sometimes dampened, but never extinguished, by the challenges they faced.

Thornton (A Most Clever Girl) begins her narrative in 1775 with Mary Wollstonecraft, who escapes her miserable childhood and flees to London with a head full of feminist ideas and dreams of becoming a published author. She finds a sympathetic publisher in Joseph Johnson, and makes a few acquaintances in London's literary scene. Eventually, she travels to post-revolutionary Paris, where she falls in love with a blockade-running American, Gilbert Imlay, and bears his child. When it becomes dangerous for British citizens to remain in Paris, Wollstonecraft and her daughter return to London, only to find Imlay uninterested in marriage, and increasingly dismissive of Wollstonecraft. To her surprise, Wollstonecraft ends up building a life with philosopher William Godwin, who supports both her domestic and literary endeavors.

Thornton intersperses this narrative with the life story of Wollstonecraft's second daughter, Mary Shelley (born Mary Godwin), who has grown up in the shadow of her mother's fame, but longs to know what kind of person she truly was. Frustrated by life with her father and stepmother, though fond of her sisters, Fanny and Claire, Mary welcomes the passionate eruption of poet Percy Shelley into her life. Thornton's narrative traces Mary's relationship with Percy, as well as Claire's tempestuous affair with Lord Byron, and the travels and trials of this unconventional foursome as they each pursue happiness in their own ways. Though she had always been a reader rather than a writer, Mary eventually picks up a pen and creates Frankenstein in 1817, the story that will put her name on the map (though Percy receives much of the early recognition for it).

Drawing extensively on the known historical facts about each woman (and their spouses, lovers and children), Thornton creates two protagonists whose brains and emotions blaze brilliantly on the page. She depicts poverty, childbirth and Paris's Reign of Terror in gruesome detail--but also portrays beautiful moments of affection, inspiration and love. As passionate and fiercely intelligent as its protagonists, Her Lost Words is a fitting tribute to two women whose literary achievements reshaped the world. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Shelf Talker: Stephanie Marie Thornton's eighth novel is a brilliant, unflinching fictional account of the lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley.

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

1. Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
2. What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies by Tim Urban
3. The Hache Protocol for Pain Resolution by Rob Vanbergen
4. Clue Krewe (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 24) by Jana DeLeon
5. Ambrosia (Frost and Nectar Book 2) by C.N. Crawford
6. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
7. The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
8. The Temporary Wife by Catharina Maura
9. Never Marry Your Brother's Best Friend by Lauren Landish
10. Black Ties and White Lies by Kat Singleton

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]