Marketing

Book Sense, HarperCollins, and the History Channel are launching a significant new promotional opportunity for independent bookstores participating in the Book Sense national marketing program.

By Carl Lennertz Please check stock on these titles and display in support of the publishers who have made these national ads possible: In The New Yorker, these January/February Top Ten picks: January 20 issue; out January 13 - THE PASSION OF ARTEMISIA, by Susan Vreeland (Penguin, $13 paper, 0142001821) January 27 issue; out January 20 - SAMARITAN, by Richard Price (Knopf, $25, 0375411151)

By Carl Lennertz Huh? How does that work? Two ways: #1) I get a lot of e-mails from you all, obviously, and a surprising amount don't have any store information in a standard signature area at the close of the e-mail. It doesn't affect me much; I can just write back for more info. BUT, are your e-mails to customers and publishers leaving out a chance to promote your Web site and other services?

By Carl Lennertz The stack on my desk of publishers' own ads that included a mention of a book's 76 Pick status hit a precarious two feet high by the end of 2002.

Booksellers should be aware that the New York Times Book Cash Certificates expire on January 31, 2003. Times Book Cash checks were sent as gifts to consumers who upgraded from a trial subscription to a full subscription to the newspaper and are good for $10 towards payment for any book purchase.

The January white boxes are in the mail to booksellers participating in the national Book Sense marketing program. Importantly, in this month's white box is an array of Book Sense promotional materials for bookstores to freshen-up their co-branding. Included are a poster (rolled in a tube), a new removable vinyl two-sided decal for the front door or window, a decal for the cash register, a 76 counter card, and an order form for even more marketing materials.

This past New Year's Day, two bookstores marked the holiday with successful celebratory sales events as a way to thank their customers. In Tempe, Arizona, Changing Hands Bookstore continued its tradition of holding a Customer Appreciation Day sale on January 1, while The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City launched its first appreciation day, complete with hors d'oeuvres, champagne, and lots of handselling. Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, Arizona

By Neal Coonerty Whew, this Christmas stunk! Or, to be more precise, this Christmas retail season really stunk. As we closed the doors of our bookshop at 7:00 p.m. after an exhausting Christmas Eve, our sales were down 5.6 percent. Not only was the season bad, it was scary. On December 14, our sales were running nearly 10 percent down, and we were wondering if it might get even worse.

Anyone with doubts as to the popularity of gift certificates and books among holiday shoppers should check out the 2002 American Express Retail Index (AERI) on holiday shopping. According to AERI, gift certificates and books rank in the top five of items consumers plan to give or hope to receive this holiday season.