BTW News Briefs

Media Selects Its Own "Buzz" Books at BEA

In an admittedly very unscientific survey, BookExpo America show management asked members of the media who regularly cover the book industry to submit their favorite buzz book of the show. Lance Fensterman, vice president and show manager for BEA, explained: "This is one of the most unscientific surveys that we could possibly initiate but it's also one of the most interesting because anything goes. Most importantly, the survey calls attention to a couple of books that may have been overlooked by others, and if this is the case, then I think this effort is well worth it! The people that we asked to participate know an enormous amount about books, they have been coming to the convention for years, and it's their job to seek out sleepers and winners."

BEA asked members of the media for their personal pick for the most interesting book based on the book itself, its publishing history, the "buzz" factor at the show, or a simple assessment based on the jacket copy or meeting the author.

BEA said that this "final list of books represents the full range of titles submitted back to BEA on the last day of the show by the 'movers and shakers' in the media whose job it is to cover the world of books":

• American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson (HarperCollins)
• Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler (Little, Brown)
• Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby (Riverhead)
• Soulless by Gail Carriger (Orbit)
• South of Broad by Pat Conroy (Doubleday)
• Spooner by Pete Dexter (Grand Central)
• Stitches by David Small (Norton)
• The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
• The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown)

Greenlight Bookstore: Full Speed Ahead

On June 1, Greenlight Bookstore, founded by Jessica Stockton Bagnulo (the events manager at McNally Jackson Booksellers) and Rebecca Fitting, became the official tenant of 686 Fulton Street, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The space is about 2,000 square feet -- "just right for stocking a wide variety of books in many categories, and for hosting great author readings and other events, while still feeling cozy," said Stockton Bagnulo and Fitting on the store blog. The layout has mix of open spaces and alcoves. A cafe is next door.

"We have great landlords who have been invested in the neighborhood for a long time: Samy and Hesky Brahimy of IBEC Building Corporation," said Stockton Bagnulo and Fitting. "We're also working with a local Brooklyn architect team, Jarrett Pelletier and Frederick Tang of deFT Projects, on a plan to make this a beautiful, welcoming space that incorporates the best traditions of bookstores and Brooklyn style, as well as the new energy and ideas that define our borough, and that we hope to bring to bookselling." They plan to open Greenlight Bookstore this fall.

There has been widespread community support for the bookstore, and the Fort Greene Association worked with the pair to help make the bookstore a reality. In January 2008, Stockton Bagnulo was named the winner of a $15,000 grant in the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! Competition for her business plan for a bookstore in Brooklyn.

Indie Film Shot at Indie Bookstore Premieres This Week

Independent filmmaker Beth Bailey used Burlingham Books in Perry, New York, as one of the locations for her second feature film, Delicious Ambiguity, set to premiere this week in Rochester, New York, according to the Daily News of Batavia. The movie, which is about a woman returning to her rural hometown to supervise her aunt's funeral, was filmed around western New York.

Store owner Anne Burlingham, who is a friend of the filmmaker, told the newspaper: "I was thrilled to have her use the bookstore." Scenes shot at the bookstore include one near an espresso machine, another in a corner of the store, and one of a character walking outside the store.

Ingram Publisher Services to Distribute Consumers Union

On June 3, Ingram Publisher Services Inc. announced a new distribution agreement with Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and www.ConsumerReports.org. Ingram will distribute book titles published by Consumers Union, including the forthcoming Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (10th Edition).

Espresso Book Machine Available to All Lightning Source Customers

Lightning Source Inc., an Ingram Content company, has announced the availability of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) distribution channel to all publishers that work with the company. The Lightning Source Espresso Book Machine Channel will give publishers the option to make available the books they have stored in the Lightning Source digital library, and have those titles printed, bound, and delivered at point of sale, on demand.

Lightning Source publishers already participating in the EBM include John Wiley & Sons, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan.