BTW News Briefs

NACS Aims to Bust Myths About Textbook Purchasing

The National Association of College Stores (NACS) today launched a campaign to debunk what it descibed as some of the myths and inaccurate information about purchasing textbooks from a college store that floods the media.

This week, NACS took on "Myth #1: Buying textbooks from an online retailer is always more convenient." According to NACS' Student Watch(tm) 2009, Confessions of College Student Consumers, however, "fully one-quarter of the students that purchase some of their course materials online do so from their college store's website."

NACS noted that "by purchasing directly from their college stores (either in-store or through the website) and not from an online retailer, students:

• Pay no added shipping costs.
• Receive books on time with no worries about shipping delays or purchases lost in the mail.
• Can be confident that they are purchasing the correct book, by the correct author, and the correct edition, volume, etc.; this can be confusing online.
• Can buy all course materials at one stop, saving time and the stress of trying to find each book, study guide, and other supplies from multiple websites.
• Can easily tap their financial aid.
• Can easily return books to their college store if a class is dropped."

Thus, it said, the myth is busted: "Purchasing textbooks from an online retailer is NOT always more convenient."

S&S to Distribute Boom! Studios

Under a newly announced agreement, Simon & Schuster is now handling sales, distribution, and fulfillment for BOOM! Studios on all new and backlist titles to trade and specialty accounts in the U.S. BOOM! Studios publishes both periodical comic books and graphic novels.

"BOOM! Studios has a unique line of graphic novels of wide-ranging appeal," said Michael Selleck, executive vice president, sales and marketing for S&S. "They are an excellent fit with our existing list, and we look forward to helping them expand their presence in traditional bookselling and specialty outlets."

Shop.org Profiles Social Media Users

The National Retail Federation's Shop.org recently asked consumers what they do on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Kaboodle. A total of 4,034 adults over the age of 18 took part in the survey conducted in June 2009 by BIGresearch.

"Judging from the results, social media appears to be on the path to becoming increasingly mainstream media," said Shop.org. "While there is much growth ahead yet, social media is by now woven into the lives of adults across age, sex, household income, marital and parental status, and region." The study noted that, while much of today's social media activity is about connecting with friends, chatting, and sharing photos, "consumers do recognize that social media is helpful for a number of shopping related activities as well."

Among the survey participants, there were somewhat more females than males. Close to half were married, and another quarter described themselves as "single, never married." Their ages varied, but the highest concentration was between ages 18 and 54 years, with greatest use among 35 to 44 year olds specifically.

In terms of how users spend their time on social media sites, Shop.org provided a sampling of answers. Among its findings: 17.9 percent use social media sites to look for sales / promotions / coupons; 13.3 percent to look for product advice / recommendations; 8.4 percent to follow favorite retailers; and 7.0 percent to post ratings or reviews of shopping and dining experiences.

CNNMoney Says Board Games Back in Vogue

CNNMoney.com noted that board games are making a comeback. Due to the recession, which has put a dent in video game sales, consumers are turning to less expensive board games for recreational fun, CNNMoney said. In 2008, board game sales climbed 23.5 percent to approximately $808 million, and they are expected to grow more in 2009.

Thriller Writers Name Literary Award Winners

The International Thriller Writers (ITW) announced the winners of this year's Thriller Awards on Saturday, July 11, at Cipriani in New York City. The event was the culmination of ThrillerFest, held July 8 - 11 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

The winners are:

• Best Thriller of the Year The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster)
• Best First Novel: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central)
• Best Short Story: The Edge of Seventeen by Alexandra Sokoloff (in Darker Mask)
• ThrillerMaster: David Morrell
• Silver Bullet Award: Brad Meltzer
• Silver Bullet Corporate Award: Dollar General

AAP Reports May Book Sales

Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of May decreased by 3.2 percent at $637.9 million and were down by 3.9 percent for the year.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 40.7 percent in May, with sales of $96.9 million; year-to-date sales were down by 23.7 percent. Adult Paperback sales increased 12.1 percent for the month ($113.2 million) but decreased by 19.7 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category was down 14.8 percent for May, with sales totaling $64.7 million; sales were also down by 11.3 percent year-to-date. The Children's/YA Hardcover category rose 41.1 percent for the month, with sales of $57.1 million; sales for year-to-date were up by 36.4 percent. The Children's/YA Paperback category was up by 1.3 percent in May, with sales totaling $43.4 million; sales increased by 1.8 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted a decrease of 22.7 percent in May, with sales totaling $10.7 million; sales for the whole year were down by 39.2 percent. E-books sales jumped up by 196.6 percent for the month ($11.5 million), reflecting an increase of 166.7 percent for the year. Religious Books saw a decrease of 12.3 percent for the month, with sales totaling $38.3 million; sales were down by 9.7 percent for the year.

Bookseller Offers to Match Donations to Goldman Scholarship Fund

The Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) has announced that Adrian Newell of Warwick's in La Jolla will be matching donations made by August 15, dollar for dollar, up to $1,000, to the Glenn Goldman Booksellers Scholarship Fund. SCIBA, Newell, and Book Soup joined to establish the scholarship to honor Goldman and to support booksellers in furthering their education and careers in bookselling. Goldman, the founder and owner of Book Soup, died this past January due to cancer.

Those who wish to donate can contribute by contacting SCIBA via e-mail or by mailing their check to the SCIBA office at 959 E. Walnut Street, #220, Pasadena, CA 91106. The first scholarships will be awarded October 1.

Those who wish to apply for a scholarship must have a minimum of two years bookselling experience and must currently be employed in a brick-and-mortar bookstore member of SCIBA. Applications are due by September 1, and the winners will be announced by October 1.