BTW News Briefs

Penguin Defends Freedom to Read in Times Ad

In response to an effort to ban Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak in a school district in Missouri, and in the spirit of Banned Books Week (September 25 – October 2), Penguin Young Readers Group has taken out a full-page ad in today’s New York Times defending the novel and the right to read.

Missouri university professor Wesley Scroggins brought the challenge against Speak and characterized it as “soft pornography” in a recent op-ed piece in the Missouri News-Leader, in which he suggested it and other books be removed from the Republic School District.

Anderson has an entry about the challenge on her blog Mad Woman in the Forest.

The Penguin ad states, “Every day in this country, people are being told what they can and can't read. On September 19^th, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and two other novels were challenged in the state of Missouri.” The ad also includes testimonials for the book, including one that says, “Speak changed my life in ways I never, ever thought possible.” In large type the ad says, "Read the Book. Decide for Yourself. SPEAK LOUDLY.”

Ingram Publisher Services to Distribute Zondervan

This week, Ingram Publisher Services announced a distribution services agreement with Christian publisher Zondervan.

Beginning November 1, Ingram Publisher Services will distribute a wide range of Zondervan products, including books, Bibles and other Christian materials to Zondervan’s field sales, gift, and special market segments.

Xerox to Sell Espresso Book Machine

On September 28, Xerox announced that it would start marketing, selling, or leasing the Espresso Book Machine to retailers. The machine, which prints, binds, and trims bookstore-quality paperbacks with color covers, utilizes a “print-at-retail model,” developed by On Demand Books, to access millions of copyrighted, public-domain, and self-published books in minutes.

Xerox previously worked with On Demand Books to equip the Espresso Book Machine with the Xerox 4112(R) Copier/Printer.

The Espresso Book Machine will be available through Xerox in early 2011.

New Arizona Campaign Urges Shift to More Local Spending

Local First Arizona is backing a new campaign that urges Arizona residents to bring at least 10 percent of their out-of-state buying to local businesses to help boost the state’s economy and the creation of jobs, according to a report in the Arizona Republic.

The yearlong campaign, Shift Arizona, is modeled after a study in Grand Rapids, Michgan, “that indicated that if all the 600,000 residents there shifted at least 10 percent of their spending from national to local businesses, the local economy could gain about 1,600 new jobs, $52 million in wages and $130 million in overall benefits,” the newspaper said.

Four metro Phoenix companies have pledged to kick off the campaign by shifting at least 10 percent of their purchases to local suppliers.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Balloon to Debut in Thanksgiving Parade

The 84^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, on November 25, will feature debut of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon. The parade is broadcast nationally on NBC-TV, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in all time zones. The parade participation is part of a series of initiatives by ABRAMS to celebrate the release of the fifth book in the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, which goes on sale Tuesday, November 9, with a first printing of five million copies.

Beginning September 30, Wimpy Kid fans can also enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to New York to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon up close. The winning entry will receive airfare for four people, a hotel room for two nights, and VIP grandstand tickets to watch the Parade live as it makes its way down the streets of New York City. Full details and an entry form can be found by going to www.abramsbooks.com/wimpykidsweepstakes. Entries will be accepted through October 30, 2010.