Letterpress Books & Gifts, Portland, Maine, has expanded, more than doubling its size from 800 sq. feet to 2,000 sq. feet, "with double the window frontage, twice as many books, greeting cards, puzzles, and brand new displays offering lots of Maine Made gift items.... Now we will have room for Storytime, more Meet & Greet events, and book clubs, with a Gamers gathering on Sunday evenings--so exciting," the bookshop posted on Facebook. 

"We are celebrating eleven years in business this month and have now added two more staff so we are having twice as much fun," said owner Katherine Osborne. "Our customers meet their friends here; students see their teachers shopping here. Letterpress is becoming a gathering place. The plaza owner says we brought culture to the neighborhood."      

Letterpress hosted a grand reopening celebration last month, with Chris Van Dusen meeting with the kids in the morning and Monica Wood signing her new How to Read a Book in the afternoon. 

Kristin Fassler is joining the Random House Publishing Group as senior v-p, director of marketing strategy and engagement, effective October 7.

Kristin Fassler

She has nearly 30 years of experience in marketing, sales, partnership development, and sales marketing, including at HarperCollins, the Lyons Press, Abrams, and Publishers Weekly. From 2004 to 2018, she worked at Random House as the Borders Group sales rep, then became deputy director of marketing for the BDD imprints, eventually becoming v-p of marketing. In 2018, she joined Atria, but then returned to Penguin Random House in 2020 to create the first integrated marketing team at the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, aligning frontlist and backlist marketing with analytics, consumer insights, and creative services.

In a message to staff, Sanyu Dillon, president of the Random House Publishing Group, called Fassler "truly one of the sharpest marketing minds I've had the pleasure of working with. She consistently drives fresh, creative, and data-driven strategies to engage readers. Whether leveraging emerging technologies, developing original advertising platforms, forming imaginative partnerships, or creating innovative influencer outreach programs, her ingenuity is unparalleled. I have always loved working with Kristin--with her boundless energy, terrific ideas, and genuine enthusiasm for our business."

In July, Hachette folded Algonquin into Little, Brown, and announced some major layoffs. This past week, Little, Brown announced the last major staffing changes that follow from the move of Workman into Little, Brown and from the end of the three-year requirement following Hachette's purchase of Workman in 2021 that no staff members would be let go.

As announced last week by Sally Kim, Little, Brown's president and publisher, the most recent "difficult staffing decisions... conclude the final part of the Workman reorganization." Among the changes, Betsy Gleick--who had led Algonquin for eight years, five as publisher--is leaving on October 4. Kim thanked Gleick for "her steadfast leadership and vision, as well as the team for their years of passionate service and dedication to the Algonquin books and authors--all of which have earned much admiration and respect across our industry."

Other staff are being let go, including associate publisher Michael McKenzie, who can be reached via e-mail.

In addition, in the Workman-Running Press division of Hachette Book Group, the following changes have been made:

Alana Bonfiglio has been promoted to senior marketing & publicity associate for Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, and Black Dog & Leventhal. Previously, she was marketing & publicity associate across Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, Workman Kids, and Algonquin Young Readers.

Rebecca Carlisle, formerly v-p, marketing & publicity within the Workman division of Hachette Book Group, has left the company and can be reached via e-mail.

Ilana Gold is promoted to director of publicity & marketing for Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, and Black Dog & Leventhal. Previously, she was associate director of publicity across Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, Workman Kids, and Algonquin Young Readers.

Jules Kelly joins Workman Kids as associate publisher, effective September 30. Previously, Kelly was assistant marketing director at Random House Children's Books, where she headed the picture book, board book, graphic novel, and middle grade marketing team.

Moira Kerrigan is promoted to executive director, marketing & publicity for Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, and Black Dog & Leventhal. Previously, she was senior director, marketing across Workman, Artisan, Workman Calendars, Workman Kids, and Algonquin Young Readers.

Chloe Puton, formerly director of publicity within the Workman division of Hachette Book Group, has left the company and can be reached via e-mail.

As we noted in July, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill was founded in 1982 by Louis Rubin and Shannon Ravenel and focused on publishing literary fiction and nonfiction with an emphasis on undiscovered writers from the South. Early authors included Jill McCorkle, Kaye Gibbons, Julia Alvarez, Robert Morgan, and Larry Brown. Workman bought Algonquin in 1989, and it opened offices in New York City. Algonquin Young Readers launched in 2013.

During the first half of 2024, chain bookshops in the U.K. were closing at a slightly higher rate than last year, with 15 new bookshops opening and 41 stores closing, leading to a net closure rate of 26--up from 18 during the same period in 2023, the Bookseller reported.

Citing data collected by the real estate research and advisory firm Green Street and analyzed by PwC, the Bookseller wrote that chain bookshops ranked 30th out of 100 categories in terms of the most closures on British high streets. Despite the decrease, bookstores "continue to outperform various other retailers, as customers still value the in-store shopping experience provided by bookshops."

Kien Tan, senior retail adviser at PwC U.K., commented: "Chain bookstore numbers have been broadly stable over the last decade. While this half year's number is a slight increase in net closures from 18 in the first half of 2023, it is lower than the pandemic peak of 31 net closures in 2021, and much lower than other specialist retail categories like sports and outdoor or electricals retailing, which have been more affected by the shift to buying online."

Tan added that while there have been chain bookstore closures, they are often a result of consolidation of branches, a rising trend seen "across larger successful retailers" that shutter small stores in U.K. cities for "destination stores.... Given the cost of operating physical retail outlets and shopper footfall favouring the most attractive shopping destinations, this is a trend we expect to continue going forward, both being commercially better for operators and providing a more attractive proposition and shopping environment for customers."

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The European & International Booksellers Federation has published a new research paper on Bookshops, Censorship and Freedom of Expression as part of RISE Bookselling's Industry Insights series. The report uses case studies on censorship in Hungary, Ireland, the U.S., France, and Australia; personal testimonies of EIBF member booksellers in Italy, the U.S., and Canada; and cases of vandalism against bookshops in France, Spain, Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S. Download the full report here.

The publication examines contemporary challenges booksellers are facing, mainly censorship, vandalism, and challenges to freedom of expression. In addition, it provides resources for booksellers to respond to these issues, showcasing first-hand experiences of booksellers who have been subject to censorship, intolerance or violence, and collating tools and initiatives to help booksellers protect themselves from these risks.

Drawing on information and testimonies gathered from the global bookselling community and international press over the past year, this report "offers a unique and timely perspective from our members," EIBF noted. 

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Scary sales floor display: "It's getting spooky in here!" Canadian bookseller Mabel's Fables in Toronto, Ont., noted on Facebook in sharing a photo of the shop's Halloween-themed children's books display. –Robert Gray

Noah Genner, president & CEO emeritus of BookNet Canada, a nonprofit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry, died August 27. He was 52. In a tribute on its website, BookNet wrote: "Thirty-seven years after he first entered the industry, when he took on a bookselling job working for BookShelf Cafe in Guelph, Ontario, Noah's impact on the Canadian publishing industry cannot be overstated."

Noah Genner

At the BookShelf cinema, he became Canada's youngest licensed projectionist and later led the supply-chain side of the store's Web presence, the country's first online bookstore. Following his studies at the University of Guelph and successful leadership roles at Project Canoe and Compusense Inc., he returned to the publishing industry and to the newly founded BookNet in 2004 and was appointed president and CEO in June 2009. Over his 20-plus years with BookNet, he led the launches of nearly all of BookNet's marquee projects, including SalesData, CataList, and BiblioShare. 

Genner's love of fantasy baseball inspired the launch of PubFight, an annual fantasy publishing game that tested participants' ability to manage stock against real-world book sales. His publishing industry contributions were not limited to Canada. In 2016, he won the Book Industry Study Group's Most Valuable Volunteer award and in 2020 he co-founded the Green Book Alliance with BISG and Book Industry Communication in the U.K.

"His relentless dedication, positive attitude, and innovative mind will leave a lasting legacy," BookNet wrote. "Noah's leadership at BookNet was characterized by instincts to collaborate, empower, and better the company's people, products, and services. He was transparent, approachable, and, more than anything, deeply kind. He inspired greatness among our colleagues and his friendship and mentorship over many years will offer comforting memories and inspiration as we continue to serve. Noah cared for the industry and the people in it; indeed it was his life's work."

"Noah was somebody who was always interested in whatever the next thing happening was, and so when we were approached in the early '90s to build this first online bookstore, Noah was one of the team of gifted amateurs who excelled," Doug Minett, co-founder of the Bookshelf in Guelph, Ont., told Quill & Quire.

During the pandemic, when Minett was working with other booksellers to establish the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association, he consulted Genner for advice on navigating the complex funding possibilities. "I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise," Minett said. "I started out as his mentor in bookselling in the 1980s, and in expanding the business into movies, and later online retail and technology, and later on he returned the favor."

"Noah was incredibly special," said current BookNet president and CEO Lauren Stewart. "He really wanted to make an impact and better the working conditions out there in the industry and make Canadian publishing work better, smarter, faster for the people working in it." 

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell (Heartdrum) is the September YA pick for Reese's Book Club, which described the book as: "Mara has felt like an outsider since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, until local girl Loren includes her in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway. What she hoped would be a chance to make friends turns into a crime scene when a girl from the giveaway is found murdered and Mara becomes one of four people of interest in the investigation."

Reese wrote: "On its surface, this book is a propulsive thriller in which teenage suspects must clear their names while a killer is still in their midst. At its heart, it's a story of resilience, community, and fighting for your loved ones despite the costs. It's about the great lengths we would go to protect our family members and the profound sense of loss, anger, and thirst for justice we feel when we fail to do so."

"Read your tail off" was the ocean-themed sidewalk chalkboard message in front of Barrier Island Books & Art, Stone Harbor, N.J.

There's a Robot in My Socks by Meredith Rusu, illustrated by Martín Morón (4U2B Books & Media/Loyola Press).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Joyce Meyer, author of What About Me?: Get Out of Your Own Way and Discover the Power of an Unselfish Life (FaithWords, $29, 9781546046981).

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, September 21
9:30 a.m. Randall Woods, author of John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People (Dutton, $45, 9780593187241). (Re-airs Saturday at 9:30 p.m.)

2:50 p.m. Brooke Harrington, author of Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism (W.W. Norton, $22, 9781324064947). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

5:45 p.m. Edward B. Foley, author of Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in the United States (Oxford University Press, $29.95, 9780197775844).

Sunday, September 22
8 a.m. Louis Sarkozy, author of Napoleon's Library: The Emperor, His Books and Their Influence on the Napoleonic Era (Frontline Books, $42.95, 9781399055239), at Bonjour Books in Kensington, Md. (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9:35 a.m. Rainer Zitelmann, author of How Nations Escape Poverty: Vietnam, Poland, and the Origins of Prosperity (‎Encounter Books, $29.99, 9781641773959). (Re-airs Sunday at 9:35 p.m.)

2 p.m. Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life (Random House, $30, 9780593133972).

3:40 p.m. Jack Turban, author of Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity (Atria, $29.99, 9781668017043), at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass.

4:35 p.m. Shannon Vallor, author of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking (Oxford University Press, $29.99, 9780197759066).

5:40 p.m. Jesselyn Cook, author of The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family (Crown, $30, 9780593443255).

6:40 p.m. ‎ Alexander Justice Moore, author of The Food Fighters: A History of DC Central Kitchen (iUniverse, $30.99, 9781663262882).

Salman Rushdie was given the €15,000 (about $16,700) 2024 Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize, whcih honors Iceland's Nobel Laureate in Literature and is awarded biannually to a writer who, "through their works, has renewed the narrative art--echoing the very grounds on which Laxness himself was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1955."

Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir, director of the Reykjavík International Literary Festival and chairman of the prize selection committee, said, "Salman Rushdie's work embodies the spirit of literary innovation and cultural dialogue that the Halldór Laxness Prize seeks to honor. His stories resonate across borders, reminding us of the universal power of literature."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, September 24:

Playground: A Novel by Richard Powers (Norton, $29.99, 9781324086031) interweaves four characters into a story of seasteading, AI, ancient board games, and more.

Counting Miracles: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks (Random House, $30, 9780593449592) is a romance about an Army Ranger searching for his father in a North Carolina town.

Intermezzo: A Novel by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $29, 9780374602635) follows two brothers with opposing temperaments grieving their late father.

Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour by Elton John (Hyperion Avenue, $55, 9781368099165) is a visual archive of Elton John's final tour.

The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson (Penguin Press, $35, 9780593299821) investigates the murder of Emmett Till.

A Grave in the Woods: A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel by Martin Walker (Knopf, $29, 9780593536629) is the 17th mystery with French policeman Bruno.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom: A Novel by Jason Pargin (St. Martin's Press, $30, 9781250285959) is a dark humor thriller about a man paid to transport an ominous box.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel (Berkley, $29, 9780593547113) is a thriller set in an Alfred Hitchcock-themed hotel.

The Idea in You by Questlove, illus. by Sean Qualls (Abrams, $19.99, 9781419738265) is the author and musician's debut picture book and focuses on inspiration, creativity, joy, and passion.

Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise: Encouraging Speech and Learning Through Play and Music by Ms. Rachel, illus. by Monique Dong (Random House, $19.99, 9780593811252) is the first in a series of picture books, board books, and activity books by the YouTube phenomenon.

Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror by Jack Carr and James M. Scott (Atria/Emily Bestler, $30.99, 9781668024355) chronicles the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines in 1983.

Fentanyl Nation: Toxic Politics and America's Failed War on Drugs by Ryan Hampton (St. Martin's Press, $29, 9781250288936) urges reforms to America's failed drug laws.

AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor (Princeton University Press, $24.95, 9780691249131) reveals the many shortcomings of AI and the dangers of its widespread use.

Paperbacks:
Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai, trans. by Ottilie Mulzet (New Directions, $16.95, 9780811231534).

Godzilla: The Encyclopedia by Shinji Nishikawa (Titan Books, $34.99, 9781835410363).

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner (Ace, $19, 9781984805881).

The Cold Light of Day: A Verity Kent Mystery Book 7 by Anna Lee Huber (Kensington, $17.95, 9781496740076).

Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath (Kensington, $19.95, 9781496752420).

The Highlander's Return: A Novel by Lynsay Sands (Avon, $9.99, 9780063135352).

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

Hardcover
Under the Eye of the Big Bird: A Novel by Hiromi Kawakami, trans. by Asa Yoneda (Soft Skull, $27, 9781593766115). "What will the world look like when humanity is near its end? In short glimpses, this book gives us insight into small groups of people and how they live and survive in an ever-changing, increasingly dystopian world. This is speculative fiction at its best." --Miranda Myers, Changing Hands, Tempe, Ariz.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, trans. by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Nightfire, $19.99, 9781250322043). "Why are we all so tired all the time, even after sleeping for a full night? For one woman, the answer is much darker and tied into family history and the misdiagnosis of doctors. A compelling novella that demands to be read in a single sitting." --William Carl, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, Mass.

Paperback
Best Copy Available: A True Crime Memoir by Jay Baron Nicorvo (University of Georgia Press, $28.95, 9780820367361). "Do not shy away from this memoir. It's a hard read but it's so worth it. Nicorvo is masterful in his ability to share the trauma of his childhood. Part memoir, part true crime, completely unforgettable!" --Julie Slavinsky, Warwick's, La Jolla, Calif.

Ages 5-9
The Zebra's Great Escape by Katherine Rundell, illus. by Sara Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781481491631). "Is there anyone who can resist a plucky zebra with zig-zaggy stripes and an adventurous girl who will go the extra mile to right a wrong? This fun story with beautiful illustrations from Sara Ogilvie is sure to be a favorite for years to come!" --Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop, Midlothian, Va.

Ages 8-12: An Indies Introduce Title
The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780316572989). "I was instantly delighted by The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night. Banbury does such a beautiful job creating a cozy-yet-lightly-spooky world. I felt transported to the Fall of my dreams. I can't wait to make everyone I know read this book!" --Nancy Eyre, Powell's Books, Portland, Ore.

Teen Readers
Morgana and Oz Volume One: A Graphic Novel by Miyuli (WEBTOON Unscrolled, $18.99, 9781998854837). "I loved this book! The art is fantastic and cute. I adored the story line of Morgana and Oz; it seemed simple but I loved how it flushed into this complex world. A 10/10!" --Kimmy Rocca, Your Brother's Bookstore, Evansville, Ind.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

In Stranger Than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth-Century Novel, Edwin Frank tackles an ambitious project that's ideally suited to his service as the longtime editorial director of New York Review Books and founder of the NYRB Classics series. This admittedly personal selection features some 30 novels, with ones from giants like Mann, Joyce, and Woolf alongside less commonly cited writers, like Natsume Sōseki (Kokoro), Italo Svevo (Confessions of Zeno), and Anna Banti (Artemisia). Frank explores the literature of a century that saw "an art form of extraordinary amplitude put under unprecedented ongoing stress," and how the novelists who labored during that time "respond to that stress by radically reshaping the novel as a literary form."

Offering what he calls "descriptive criticism," in the manner of critics that include Elizabeth Hardwick and Pauline Kael, Frank proceeds in roughly chronological fashion, spanning the century from the publication of H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1896 to 2001, when W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz appeared. In some chapters, like the one in which he considers Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time and James Joyce's Ulysses, he pairs authors to compare and contrast their style or substance. In others, such as his discussion of Robert Musil's massive unfinished opus, The Man Without Qualities, he focuses on a single work. Frank's analyses follow a consistent format, offering meaningful plot summary, ample quotation, and biographical material that helps situate the work in the writer's life and times.

For all its deeply informed insights into acknowledged classics like Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain or Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, one of the unexpected pleasures of Stranger Than Fiction is the opportunity it presents to discover a novel like Georges Perec's Life: A User's Manual. Even as Frank characterizes this "book of mad inventions" as perhaps "the most questionable twentieth-century novel of all," he spiritedly reveals how Perec "is putting the whole question of the self-referentiality of the twentieth-century novel, as well as its relation to the history of the century, on the spot."

Frank's own style is lively and accessible. Stranger Than Fiction will be more meaningful to readers who possess at least some familiarity with the novels he discusses, but it should inspire others to sample these books. While certain of his selections are undebatable, as in any such volume the inevitable omissions undoubtedly will spark controversy. In response to those anticipated objections, Frank has appended a list of some 80 novels for further exploration of his themes. Readers who approach this book with curiosity and an open mind will broaden their literary education in a demonstrable and enjoyable fashion. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: Longtime New York Review Books editorial director Edwin Frank offers a well-informed and lively survey of the novel's dramatic transformation in the 20th century.