Today we have two quotations of the day--from one story--that take different paths to make the same point:

"While people increasingly research trips online, the Internet hasn't hampered guidebook sales because travelers still like to carry a guide with them."--BBC Worldwide, which is buying a 75% stake in Lonely Planet, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

"The book is invaluable even with the arrival of the Internet age."--John Smith, CEO of BBC Worldwide.

Barnes&Noble.com has relaunched its website, which, the company said, has "a host of site enhancements, including integrated browse and search functions, and significant new additions to content and community features. Utilizing the latest web technologies, the new site enables more, better and faster browsing."

Among new features:

• The Barnes & Noble Review, an online literary magazine whose editor-in-chief is James Mustich. The first issue includes a review of Philip Roth's Exit Ghost by John Freeman, president of the National Book Critics Circle.
• One on One podcasts hosted by former NPR reporter and Air America co-host Katherine Lanpher and featuring interviews with writers, musicians and filmmakers.
• Live at B&N, which will transmit events held at B&N stores.
  

"The new site makes it even faster and easier for our customers to find exactly what they are looking for, yet have the experience of browsing that makes visiting bookstores so pleasurable," CEO Marie Toulantis said in a statement. "We are also introducing many new interactive content and community features that our customers expect from a world-class multi-channel retailer."

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The planned partnership between the big German bookstore chain Thalia, owned by Douglas Holding, and the book departments in Karstadt's 89 department stores has collapsed, according to Thomson Financial. Thalia would have acquired the book departments in Karstadt effective February 1. The stumbling block apparently was "a difference in opinion surrounding the structuring of the future cooperation."

Douglas said that Thalia will continue to expand "under its own steam. This expansion strategy will entail both organic growth generated by opening its own new locations and acquiring well-established local and regional bookstores."

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Joining the ranks of publishers with formal deals to produce films, HarperCollins Publishers has begun "a strategic partnership" with Sharp Independent, the New York City independent film production company, to collaborate on the development and production of movies based on HarperCollins titles.

Called Sharp Independent at HarperCollins, it will work with authors and their agents to acquire the film rights for books from future, current and existing backlist adult titles. The new entity will have offices at HarperCollins headquarters. Michael Morrison, president and group publisher of Harper/Morrow, will oversee the venture for HarperCollins.

Jeff Sharp, president and CEO of Sharp Independent, has produced films that were adapted from books, including Nicholas Nickleby, adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens, A Home at the End of the World, adapted by Michael Cunningham from his novel; The Night Listener, adapted by Armistead Maupin from his novel; and Evening, adapted from Susan Minot's novel by Michael Cunningham and Susan Minot.

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In an echo of recent insider buying at Barnes & Noble, Borders Group CEO George Jones has bought 50,000 shares of the company stock, apparently his first purchase of Broders stock since joining the company in July 2006, according to Reuters. Jones bought the shares last Friday for between $13.33 to $13.45 each (or somewhat over $666,000 altogether), just after the company's shares hit their lowest point in almost seven years. He now owns slightly more than 121,000 shares.

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Steve Rotterdam has joined DC Comics as senior v-p, sales and marketing, and will run both the direct sales and the book trade sales divisions of the company, supervise the marketing and publicity efforts of DC Comics' publishing and oversee the advertising sales and custom publishing department. He was formerly chief creative officer of Eastwest Marketing Group.

DC Comics is increasing sales to bookstores, and as of next spring it will distributed to the book trade by Random House.
 

Powell's City of Books in Portland, Ore., is planning to toast the publication of Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And You Can Too!) next Monday, October 8, with a midnight book release party--an honor thus far reserved for a certain fictional wizard.

After the concluding volume in the Harry Potter series appeared in July and was fêted with a late-night bash at Powell's, "we were wondering if there was ever going to be another book where we could do something similar," said events coordinator Kevin Sampsell.

Sampsell then devised the idea for the Colbert affair, which will be held at Blitz, a bar across the street from Powell's downtown Portland store. The party kicks off at 11 p.m. with flat-screen TVs in the two-level bar tuned in to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, followed by the Colbert Report at 11:30. At the midnight conclusion of Colbert's program, fans can purchase copies of I Am America (And So Can You!), which goes on sale Tuesday, October 9.

Some 100-150 attendees are expected to attend the book release party, a more modestly sized crowd than the 1,000 revelers who turned out for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Colbert festivities, though, are for adults only. Blitz will be decked out in red, white and blue decorations, and revelers can sip custom cocktails like "Truthiness" Tequila--named for one of Colbert's best-known "news" concepts.

Several copies of the book will be given away, along with bumper stickers and buttons supplied by the publisher. Although Colbert won't be there in person, partygoers can have their picture taken with a life-size cutout of the comedian--truthiness in action.--Shannon McKenna

This morning on NPR's Morning Edition: Arthur Levine, editor of Click: One Novel, Ten Authors (Scholastic, $16.99, 9780439411387/0439411386), proceeds of which benefit Amnesty International. Linda Sue Park and Ruth Ozeki, two of the book's 10 authors, will also appear.

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This morning on Good Morning America: Beth Holloway, author of Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith (HarperOne, $24.95, 9780061452277/0061452270). She will also be on tomorrow's show.

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This morning on the Today Show: Cesar Millan, author of Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life (Harmony, $25.95, 9780307381668/0307381668).

Also on Today: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, author of Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most (Knopf, $35, 9781400040360/1400040361).

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Today on the Diane Rehm Show: John Elder Robison, owner of J. E. Robison Service, a company that repairs and restores luxury European cars, and author of Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's (Crown, $25.95, 9780307395986/0307395987).

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Today on NPR's Talk of the Nation: Rosie O'Donnell, author of Celebrity Detox: (the fame game) (Grand Central, $23.99, 9780446582247/0446582247).

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Tonight on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360: Donald B. Kraybill, author of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Jossey-Bass, $24.95, 9780787997618/0787997617).

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Tonight on Larry King Live: Jenna Bush, author of Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope (HarperCollins, $18.99, 9780061379086/0061379085).

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Tonight on the Colbert Report: John J. Mearsheimer, co-author of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (FSG, $26, 9780374177720/0374177724).

Douglas Clegg is the award-winning and bestselling writer of The Vampyricon Trilogy, including The Priest of Blood, The Lady of Serpents and The Queen of Wolves, out now from Berkley's Ace imprint. Here he answers questions we put to people in the book business:

On your nightstand now:

The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose--best thriller I've read in a long time.

Favorite book when you were a child:

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L.  Konigsburg

Top five authors:

Isak Dinesen, Ayn Rand, John Fowles, Ford Madox Ford, Guy de Maupassant. Couldn't I list my top 100?

Book you've faked reading:

I faked Moby Dick until I was 19, then I fell in love with the book when I read it. I've loved it more as I've re-read it for the past several  years.  

Book you are an evangelist for:

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay tied with Perfume by Patrick Susskind tied with The Magus by John Fowles.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Any books with covers by John Jude Palencar, Caniglia or John Picacio. In fantasy and horror fiction, the cover artists are superb.

Book that changed your life:

Set This House on Fire by William Styron. This novel--and writer--got me to want to be a novelist more than any other.

Favorite line from a book:

"This is the saddest story I have ever heard."--Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

On the Road by Jack Kerouac I read it at 18, it changed my life and woke me up, and my parents' biggest fear was that I'd want to live like Jack Kerouac.

Debut novels you most enjoyed this year:

Derek Nikitas' first novel, Pyres (St. Martin's Minotaur), blew me away when I read its ARC (it comes out October 16); and Craig Davidson's The Fighter (Soho Press) is a knock-out. There's nothing like discovering a new writer at the moment of that first novel.

The fall Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show was held September 19-21 in Bellevue, Wash., which caused a bit of grumbling from Seattleites about driving to Bellevue (a city a few literal miles away, but much farther in attitude). Still everyone seemed happy about the posh digs, especially the carpeted floor--a boon in the afternoon. The three-day show began on Wednesday with educational sessions and reps' seasonal picks, then an evening dessert and autograph party, which competed with an Emerging Leaders get-together and rock 'n' roll with the Hermans at Third Place Books in Seattle.  Authors were in abundance at the show; as Carl Lennertz said a few weeks ago, that's the big kahuna: "Booksellers meeting authors and authors meeting booksellers is THE most important aspect of the fall meetings. The seller and the writer coming together. [Publishers] help plan the party and watch the partygoers mingle, talk, rant about the written word and more."

While authors, reps and publishers were in abundance, bookseller attendance was at the same level as the 1997 spring show. Executive director Thom Chambliss said he thinks PNBA is not capable of supporting a convention-center show any longer; over the last six years, many stores have gotten smaller and the big stores have been bringing fewer people. He feels the PNBA needs to adapt by working with other Northwest industry groups, changing from a booksellers' trade show to a book industry convention. When he spoke to others about this, he said, "many responded positively, including some reps. I intend to look closely at that concept and begin efforts to produce such an event at our fall 2008 show. At this point we're considering offering bookseller education the first day (while exhibits are setting up), then library education the second day (during the exhibits), then author education the third day, which will be dedicated to author promotion for the booksellers, with signings, panels and presentations, and meal events." Chambliss plans to be in touch with regional library groups, publisher groups and some author groups that have not yet worked with PNBA.

George Carroll, Redsides Publishing Services, appeared to agree with Chambliss, saying, "The PNBA membership needs to become more active and involved, to guide the board of directors to adapt and evolve the format of the show. This is the one annual opportunity for the Northwest bookselling community to connect, network and celebrate our survival. It's just not happening. Maybe if it was more fun?"

By the way, the Mountaineers Books did a fine job in the fun department while promoting its new outdoors lifestyle imprint, Skipstone: the company served coffee in the morning, in red plastic cups made from corn; beer, wine and cake in the afternoon; and a Backcountry Betty: Roughing It in Style water bottle with handy hints printed on the side, like how many ounces of wine it will hold.

Other reps saw the glass a bit more half full, or maybe they'd been at the Mountaineers booth and had a full cup. John Dally of Houghton Mifflin said he thinks the show continues to evolve in interesting and positive ways. "We feel it is important to attend the shows not only to support independent booksellers but to promote the books we know independent booksellers sell, and we publish a lot of those. The show provides us with a great opportunity to talk up our current and future lists, explain our backlist promotions, talk with booksellers about trends and marketing that works for them, and to give them an opportunity to tell us in person what we can do better." And Ted Lucia of Thomas McFadden and Associates thought it was the best show in years: "I did not experience the long lulls between visits by accounts that were the norm last year. A lot of people spend a great deal of time, effort and money on the show and it is nice to see their work rewarded."

Some booksellers said the show didn't have as much energy as years past, although the larger space may have contributed to that feeling. They did enjoy the education sessions and author events, and while a slow show may not please all reps, as Robert Sindelar of Third Place Books pointed out, it does make it easier for booksellers to talk to everyone they need to. He also had this observation: "On the floor I am always surprised at the extreme emphasis on winter books over fall books. Every year it seems to lean further and further to the winter lists. When I began going to trade shows as a bookseller some 12-15 years ago, the main value the show had for me was discovering books that I could get excited about and talk to my customers about. [Most booksellers] are more interested in what they can talk to a customer about tomorrow. The thing that usually sticks out for me at a show is seeing the finished copy of a book I had just read about in a catalogue--something that maybe I ordered only one or two copies of but now, seeing the real thing, can see the potential for stacking it up on our tables."

Kathi Kirby, of Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., had a slightly different take on the same idea, saying it's a pleasure to see the fall books in one place, "a reminder of all the great stuff headed our way," and sees a real advantage to having all the reps in one spot at the beginning of the big season. She agreed that the traditional format of the show no longer works, but is still pleased with all the things that do go well--conversations, galleys reps are passionate about, the exchange of ideas.

That passion for books and connections made over a galley or catalogue, a glass of wine or cup of coffee, will never die as long as there are people who love books and the selling and buying of them. Nick DiMartino of Seattle's University Book Store (and a Shelf Awareness book reviewer) explained to some folks the joy he finds at the trade shows; he was overcome with the memory of two reps walking toward him as he left PNBA, "radiant with their usual good will and book enthusiasm and sheer human warmth. Those book reps were why I went to trade shows, not just for the advances but the contact book high I get from superb professionals like those two. [They] were the essence of what I loved about bookselling."--Marilyn Dahl