Writer Bill Schubart spoke about "the place of bookstores in our communities" in his Vermont Public Radio commentary on Monday. Schubart lives in Hinesburg, Vt., where Natacha Liuzzi recently opened Brown Dog Books & Gifts. "Small businesses like bookstores define and enrich a healthy community," he said. "I know because my town of Hinesburg just got one and it's changing my book-buying habits."

"The buying of a book is a rich allegory about community," Schubart continued. "Your local bookstore carries what it believes will be of interest to the community it serves. It hires local people and pays local rent and taxes. The staff reads and can talk about the books they sell. They host community events and book clubs and spend time with children learning to read. They will special order books to meet the diverse interests of their patrons. They may charge more for the books they stock but they make up for it with service.

"Reading, like the preparing and serving of fresh local food, enjoying artful conversation over a glass of wine, or just strolling in a vibrant downtown should be savored slowly. I'm willing to pay a small premium to sustain my community. When I want a new book, I'll buy the fifteen dollar copy at our local bookseller who hosts local authors and poets instead of ordering it online for twelve. I also want a hardware story, a grocery store, a restaurant and a café and I'm willing to pay a little extra for them."

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The customers speak. At Romancing the Blog, Lori Devoti asked, "Is there still life left for bookstores?" In addition to her list of suggestions for indie bookstores, she had two questions for her readers: "What do we want? If you were going to design a bookstore where you would spend say 80% of your book-spending money, what would it look like?"

The responses ranged from an enthusiastic review for Title Wave bookstore, Anchorage, Alaska, to many specific criticisms and recommendations, including multiple requests for computers on the sales floor so that customers could look up (and order) titles as well as an abhorrence of loyalty programs that cost money to join.

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The Coastsider reported that Moon News Bookstore, Half Moon Bay, Calif., explained the "For Sale" sign outside the store in its latest newsletter: "We realize that many of you bend over backwards to do your book buying locally and in particular at Moon News and we have been humbled many a time to recognize the devotion and constancy of your support. Deep bows of gratitude to you all--But of course we are not gone yet! Please take a moment to read over our sales pitch for the store below and if there is anything you can do to get the information to those that might be interested—we are hoping we can find someone in the next month."

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Pages for All Ages bookstore, Savoy, Ill., closed unexpectedly last week, catching local residents and neighboring businesses by surprise. The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette reported that a "sign on the front doors states the store is closed for inventory. The store was locked up and dark Friday, and calls to the store were answered with a recording stating that all lines are busy. Store owners Brandon and Susan Griffing couldn't be reached for comment."

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Charing Cross Road, "formerly a must-visit destination for book lovers in London, would now be virtually unrecognizable to a visitor from 40 years ago," according to the Guardian, which featured an interactive tour of the legendary neighborhood in the wake of the recent closure of Murder One bookshop.

In a video interview, Murder One's Maxim Jakubowski shared his reasons for closing and reminisced. In a bittersweet tone of voice, he observed that 84 Charing Cross Road--former site of Marks & Company bookshop and inspiration for Helen Hanff's book and the subsequent film-- is now a Chinese restaurant.

"What we're all about is people finding things they didn't even know they wanted," said Emily Cleaver of Quinto's bookshop in another interview. "And you can't do that on the Internet. You can only find what you know you want. We're very much about browsing and spending an hour downstairs in our basement is what we're good at."

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Bookstore owners trying to renegotiate high rents to stay in business isn't just a U.S. dilemma. Russian booksellers are working on the same challenge. The St. Petersburg Times reported that "leading bookstore chains may reduce the number of their stores in the city, since stagnating sales are making it difficult for companies to pay the full lease. The city’s biggest book chains--Snark, Bukva and Bukvoyed--are trying to negotiate a rent cut of 20-30 percent."

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Long winter got you down? The Guardian offered readers a seasonally appropriate "snow quiz" to test their knowledge with a "sprinkling of quiz questions about literary snow." Sample: "Snow White has skin as white as snow, but how is the rest of her described in the fairytale?"

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The Guardian's series on writers' rooms featured a peek at the workspace of Louis de Bernières, author of the bestselling Corelli's Mandolin, Birds Without Wings and, more recently, A Partisan's Daughter.

BookExpo Canada, which had been scheduled for June 19-22 in Toronto, has been canceled by Reed Exhibitions. According to the Globe and Mail, the cancellation "comes after three of Canada's four major publishers said they were pulling out this year. Random House Canada was the first to leave, followed by Penguin Canada and HarperCollins Canada. Only Simon & Schuster Canada said it would take part in the trade show."

The Toronto Book Fair has also been canceled, its fate sealed when Reed "announced the new consumer fair for the fall and was again rebuffed by Random House and Penguin," the Globe and Mail commented.

In a statement, Reed said the company's "focus on the publishing industry now centers on our event in New York [BookExpo America, May 28-31] and we look forward to serving the needs of our customers in North America most effectively with a singular event."

The Globe and Mail wrote that the "consensus among the major publishers was that BookExpo Canada had lost its relevance. It was originally designed to allow publishers to meet booksellers from across the country and sell their upcoming releases. But with the advent of Indigo/Chapters, which sells more than half the books in the country, paying Reed to attend an event to meet independent bookstore owners stopped being worth it."

But Sarah MacLachlan, president of House of Anansi Press, countered that for smaller, independent publishers, the show will be missed. "It makes me sad," she said. "BookExpo was a real opportunity for an independent Canadian press like ours to meet with booksellers from across the country. . . . BookExpo served a vital purpose to the independent booksellers and publishers alike, but was less useful to the bigger multi-national publishers and the biggest bookstore chain in the country, Indigo. I hope that the Canadian Booksellers Association will now take the opportunity to mount a new trade fair, a more scaled down version more suitable to the size of the market. We don't need to meet in a convention centre, but I do think that it's vital for us to have some sort of national gathering."

Kim McArthur, president and publisher of McArthur and Co., also expressed regret, but suggested an alternative: "Here's an ideal substitute for BEC, though. . . . I've just returned from the ABA Winter Institute in Salt Lake City, where I was signing up a new U.S. publisher (Unbridled Books). The Winter Institute was really impressive--two days of educational seminars for booksellers, a keynote breakfast with industry leaders (Morgan Entrekin of Grove Atlantic, Bob Miller of HarperStudio, Nan Graham of Scribner). [See Shelf Awareness coverage of that panel below.] Participating publishers (all sizes, from the smallest indie to the largest multinational) also had two rounds of 'speed dating' (pitching their spring lists to the 500 booksellers in attendance, going from table to table where the booksellers were sitting).

"Also very impressed by the Author Reception from 6-8 p.m. on Friday night where each participating publisher was allowed to bring two authors to meet the booksellers and sign galleys for them, as we did at BEC. Each participating publisher could also send up to four galleys or advance reading copies to be stored and picked up by booksellers in the galley room. It was terrific. There were a number of Canadian booksellers in Salt Lake City, too . . . and they all thought the idea of a Summer Institute in June in Toronto was an excellent one. . . . A fraction of the cost, at the right time of year, and all publishers (Canadian and multinational) could participate. I'm all for it, and we still have time to organize it."

Kudos to the American Booksellers Association for putting on another exceptional Winter Institute, its fourth annual such event. The several days of panels and events that focused on booksellers and issues of concern to them again made for amazing exchanges of ideas between participants. Publishers and wholesalers added to the ambience and introduced booksellers personally and otherwise to many authors and upcoming titles. Moreover, during difficult economic times, the Winter Institute reminded attendees that there are many opportunities and much to celebrate and look forward to in the business. Many hundreds of booksellers and their fans went home energized and full of ideas to put into effect.

This year, because of a flu outbreak that likely originated with a very young, future ABAer, some of the association staff was unable to travel to Salt Lake City and others were sick during parts of the event. Short-handed, the ABA rose to the occasion. Congratulations to the ABA and all the Winter Institute's sponsors!

Next year's Winter Institute will be held in San Jose, Calif.

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At the keynote breakfast on Friday, the inimitable Roxanne Coady, owner of R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, Conn., moderated a panel of publishers, "each of whom has been extremely innovative and reactive to the market over the years," as she put it. Under her steady guidance, they addressed some of the main issues of the day--the economy's effect on the book business, the sense of unease at many publishers, the role of booksellers in an increasingly digital world and opportunities that exist for publishers and booksellers.

In her introduction, Coady emphasized that independent booksellers are "influencers in our markets" and should be highly valued by publishers. "I am a businessperson who's a bookseller," she said. "I care about writing and books."

Internet Interest

Bob Miller, head of HarperStudio, said that booksellers have a huge opportunity online, particularly in marketing. He offered the example of Gary Vaynerchuk, who owns a wine store in New Jersey that until recently had sales of $5 million a year. The wine merchant began doing a blog on which he commented about wine--and commented on others' websites. Eventually he started doing vblogs, too. "In 12 months, he became an online star," Miller said. "He became a go-to guy for wine advice." As a result, his business has skyrocketed, most of it from around the world. The online presence that created all this "cost him almost nothing," Miller added.

"Shout out about what you think is of value," Miller advised booksellers. "You are the influencers." An online presence can level the playing field, he continued. "If Amazon doesn't have a great spokesperson but you do, people will go to you." And booksellers should make sure staff members with special knowledge blog. "If you have someone who's an expert in military history, that person can become a go-to person."

Morgan Entrekin, head of Grove/Atlantic, said that booksellers' greatest opportunity lies in the fact that with "so much noise in the marketplace, people are asking for direction in finding stuff that's worthwhile." Seconding Miller, he urged "every bookseller" to keep a blog. As newspaper review space contracts, online postings will help make the consumer "aware of our books." Booksellers, he continued, can "establish yourselves a tastemakers in your community."

Coady noted that all booksellers are "working very hard" and when they think about blogging, "they may want to put their heads in their laps and think there's no way to do this." But Nan Graham, editor-in-chief of Scribner, pointed out that booksellers "have always blogged" via staff picks and newsletters. "You've already done the work. Put it online. It costs nothing."

Publisher perspectives

Noting that his company is independent and midsize and "competes against people with 100 times the resources I have," Morgan Entrekin said he believes that his biggest challenge is "to continue to find books that contribute to the conversation." In contrast to some of the big houses, Grove/Atlantic is "in a better position" and can operate profitably because he is not offering "gigantic advances," does not have "huge overhead" and isn't making big bets.

Bob Miller said that while blockbuster books will continue to be "an enormous part of the business for the biggest publishers" and smaller, long tail titles will have their niche, books with printings of between 25,000 and 250,000 copies--"where most of us play"--are riskier than ever. "I call it the death of the middle," he said. Publishers thrive when books in this range take off, but publishers will be unlikely to be able to keep on paying million-dollar advances for these kinds of titles while expecting only one in 20 of them to succeed--and pay for the other 19 that don't.

Nan Graham said that "tough times give us the opportunity to experiment more than before with formats." Her company's "Brokeback Mountain mini book, which retailed for $10, was a great example."

Although the music industry has suffered greatly from online music borrowing and sales and newspapers and magazines are "under stress," the book business is stable by comparison, Entrekin said. Online "the longer the form, the more protected you are," he said.

E-books

Entrekin acknowledged that "change is happening," but unlike others on the panel, he said he believes e-books will not "tip as quickly as some believe," predicting that e-books will account for 3%-10% of the market in five years.

Graham said that a major challenge for publishers is to figure out "how we and the author and booksellers participate in the profits" of e-books.

Providing an example of a program that may help booksellers and publishers stay in the e-loop, Miller praised Symtio, a HarperCollins "sibling," which is testing cards that are like iTune gift cards in some 300 CBA stores. A book cover is on one side and a code is on the other. The customer who buys the card has it activated at the register and can either download an audio or e-book version of the book via the store's wi-fi or at home.

Miller emphasized the speed at which change in e-book formats is happening. For example, Adobe has just come out with another e-book format that allows for two-minute videos on it.

He also promoted the idea that he has for HarperStudio, in which those who buy a traditional copy of a book can for a few extra dollars purchase e-book and audio versions of the book. Those bundles would include "codes on the books," which would allow booksellers to "capture that sale in your store."

E-book prices--often comparable with hardcover prices--will continue to go down, Miller predicted, and Graham noted that some Amazon e-book titles are starting to climb from the $9.99 level to levels that, as Miller said, "won't put us out of business."

Channels

Entrekin noted that Amazon is Grove/Atlantic's "most efficient" customer because it buys nonreturnable, but that independent booksellers are "my favorite because we're in conversation and you make books." He offered the example of Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier. After buying the title, Entrekin wrote nearly 80 individual notes to booksellers in the U.S., and "you made that book," he said. Night Train to Lisbon sold 125,000 copies in English.

Coady noted that indies' return rate is between 10%-14%, much less than big box stores. As Entrekin commented: "Publishers ship to big boxes in big quantities, and they return in big quantities."

Bob Miller put in a plug for buying nonreturnable, which HarperStudio is promoting, saying, "I don't understand why booksellers who are efficient don't demand to buy nonreturnable from publishers."

Noting that buying nonreturnable is "part of what contributes to Amazon's profitability," Coady said that for indies, choosing to buy nonreturnable should be "just a math thing."

Trends

Graham said that for many consumers, the bookstore is a kind of "entertainment experience like a movie theater or coffee house, and consumers are essentially on an honor system to buy the book in the place where they had the entertainment." She, like some of the panelists, wondered offhand if booksellers should charge admission.

Coady agreed with Graham's premise, saying that "everything we booksellers do that is valued by the consumer is free," including staff suggestions, most events, conversations with booksellers and simply "spending time and soaking in the atmosphere." The book itself is a commodity. Sadly a title "doesn't come in an R.J. Julia flavor," she said.

As for the widely promoted concept that people are reading less, several panelists noted that people are reading more online, and Entrekin said that "all over the planet, people are getting more literate every day, and they are going to come to the book."--John Mutter

[Shelf Awareness will continue coverage of events at the Winter Institute tomorrow.]

Today on Good Morning America and All Things Considered: Amy Dickinson, author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter, and the Town That Raised Them (Hyperion, $22.99, 9781401322854/1401322859). She also appears tomorrow on the View.

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Tomorrow on NPR's Diane Rehm Show: John West, author of The Last Goodnights: Assisting My Parents with Their Suicides (Counterpoint, $25, 9781582434483/1582434484).

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Tomorrow on Live with Regis and Kelly: Joe Torre, author of The Yankee Years (Doubleday, $26.95, 9780385527408/0385527403).

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Tomorrow on the View: Jane Seymour, author of Open Hearts: If Your Heart Is Open, Love Will Always Find Its Way In (Running Press, $14.95, 9780762436620/076243662X).

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Tomorrow on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Karen Greenberg, author of The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days (Oxford University Press, $27.95, 9780195371888/0195371887).

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Tomorrow on the Colbert Report: Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide (Houghton Mifflin, $25, 9780618620111/0618620117).

Most people know by now that the Oscar-nominated movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, but Italian office worker Adriana Pichini has recently taken issue with that assumption.

Reuters reported (via the New York Times) that a lawyer for Pichini filed legal papers alleging the film "is similar to a story she wrote in 1994 . . . according to the complaint, the screenplay, which differs from the Fitzgerald story, doesn’t differ enough from "Il Ritorno di Arthur all’Innocenza" ("Arthur’s Return to Innocence"), which Ms. Pichini wrote and registered with the Italian copyright authorities in 1994. She sent her story to publishers in the United States, though it was not published. A judge from the Rome Tribunal Court will read the book and watch the film to determine if there are enough similarities to warrant further investigation."

It was another good night for book-to-film adaptations Saturday as Slumdog Millionaire, based on Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A, continued its winning ways by nabbing the Directors Guild Award for Danny Boyle. Variety reported that the DGA award for director "has been a reliable indicator of Oscar success, with 54 of the past 60 winners going on to take the Oscar. Joel and Ethan Coen, who presented the DGA award to Boyle, won the DGA and Oscar directing trophies last year for No Country for Old Men."

Selected new titles appearing Tuesday, February 10:

Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore (Morrow, $26.99, 9780060590314/0060590319) is a twisted take on King Lear in which Pocket, a jester, must save his liege's kingdom.

Lethal Legacy: A Novel by Linda Fairstein (Doubleday, $26, 9780385523998/0385523998) is the 11th thriller featuring Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper.

Live Through This: A Mother's Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love by Debra Gwartney (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24, 9780547054476/0547054475) chronicles the ordeal of trying to help two daughters who run away after their parents' divorce.