Specialty Bookselling

The Lambda Literary Foundation will announce the winners of the 15th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, honoring "the best and the brightest" in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered publishing, at a gala banquet at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, on May 29. An authors' reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Based on the last four weeks of sales of nearly 400 independent bookstores across America. After a month of activities in honor of National Poetry Month, Book Sense is pleased to publish Part 2 of Chapter and Verse: The Book Sense Poetry Bestseller List. (Part 1 can be found at http://news.bookweb.org/read/1297). Thanks to all the stores that report!

With an eye toward enjoyable summer listening for adults and kids -- and recognizing that June is National Audiobook Month -- here are the Book Sense top 10 audiobook picks. Look for the pad of fliers coming to you in the May white box. And, again, many thanks to all the booksellers who sent in nominations and helped create this strong list.

On Saturday, May 31, at BookExpo America (BEA) in Los Angeles, ABA will be offering a full plate of Specialty Bookseller-to-Bookseller Roundtables, giving specialty booksellers an excellent opportunity to get together with their colleagues and chat about their specific niche market. ABA will conduct 12 different specialty roundtables designed for booksellers who are predominantly engaged in selling books in specialty areas; roundtable sessions are not intended for general stores with specialty sections.

Based on the last four weeks of sales from nearly 400 independent bookstores across the United States. Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at kristen@bookweb.orgfor reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine. (To view previous Book Sense category bestseller lists, click here.)

Based on the last four weeks of sales from nearly 400 independent bookstores across the United States. It's snowing in the East, sunny in the West, and thawing in the middle. What is a gardener to do? The answer can be found in the titles on the new Book Sense Gardening Bestseller List. Thanks to all stores that report! Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at kristen@bookweb.org for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

Former Wisconsin bookseller (and database software manager of the San Francisco Giants) Nick Glass has introduced a free Web site, TeachingBooks.net, useful for anyone involved with children's books. The comprehensive site offers useful links for all booksellers -- original multimedia information about authors, tour schedules, reading guides, and more arcane bits.

Based on the last four weeks of sales of nearly 400 independent bookstores across America. In honor of National Poetry Month, Book Sense is publishing a poetry bestseller list at the beginning and the end of April. Thanks to all the stores that report! Please check back in four weeks to see how customers respond to poetry events all around the country. (To view previous lists, click here.)

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) recently announced the names of the 130 finalists for the Eighth Annual Audie Awards. This year, the Audie Awards, which honor excellence in audio publishing, will be presented in 27 categories. A panel of over 150 judges representing all areas of the audiobook world selected the finalists. All titles submitted must have been released between November 1, 2002 and October 31, 2002. The awards will be presented on Friday evening, May 30, at the Petersen Car Museum in Los Angeles, in conjunction with BookExpo America.

Graphic novels have emerged as one of the book industry's hottest formats, and BookExpo America (May 28 - June 1, in Los Angeles) has designated May 31 as Graphic Novel Saturday at the show. Related events will include educational and author-related sessions. In addition, new for 2003, BEA will also host a Graphic Novel Pavilion on the show floor.