This Just In - The Latest Review of "The Last Track" ~ New Suspense Author: Sam Hilliard!

 

About the Author:  Sam lives outside of NYC with his girlfriend and an army of four cats--one feline under the legal limit.  Working at an all-girls boarding school, he knows world-class drama firsthand.  It's also the reason he studies Krav Maga and Tai Chi.

Book Summary from Cover:
Mike Brody--the man you want, when the one you love is missing.

More than just a master tracker, Mike is a former Special Forces operative, smoke jumper, and now extreme adventure tour guide who can tap into the memory and emotional state of those he pursues.
In The Last Track, Mike is recruited to find an asthmatic boy lost in the dense woods surrounding a dude ranch in Montana.  An unwitting murder witness, the boy burrows ever deeper into the rugged terrain, fearful of being found by the killer.
While Mike tracks the boy, his ex-wife, a journalist, uses her contacts to unravel the truth behind the murder.  Her discoveries threaten to snare them all in a treacherous conspiracy...

My Review:
Sam Hilliard needs to quit his day job and write full time. He's a born writer of the first caliber. "Get out of prep school," as my preppie, grown children say, Sam, and go for your true profession. You have what it takes.

In "The Last Track," Mr. Hilliard introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters. If he isn't writing a series of books about his main character, Mike Brody, the infamous tracker in question, I'm liable to send out a posse to track him!

With all the panache of a seasoned, gripping suspense writer, new author Sam Hilliard scores a direct hit with this book. Character development and His creation of an environment for them is at it's height. I actually saw myself there and felt the angst.

His tracker, Mike Brody, is a complex, infinitely intriguing man displaying a keen ability to track the lost in wilderness situations. He also is an apparent student of how to handle people, include those in positions of authority. His military background lends itself to his tracker abilities.

Using a sort of sixth sense that guides him, comes from an unknown source, and that he keeps close to the vest, Mike Brody is a quietly capable, and virtually unknown man. Personally, I loved this twist on an otherwise familiar protagonist. One not necessarily psychic, but just the right amount of odd. We never quite get a bead on this ability and I'm thinking that leads to another book.

Much could be said about the insights we gain into advanced computer espionage, wilderness survival and law enforcement cooperation, but these things play in accompaniment to the human story of the lost boy and Mike's connection to his family.  His spicey ex-wife is an asset to Mike and the story overall. This balance of story lines renders a wealth of knowledge that keeps the entire piece flowing. "The Last Track" is a page-turner.

Self discovery, coming of age, awareness of womens' issues, and loyalty are themes, as well, in this book. It is a mark of excellence that Sam Hilliard manages to get so much value into his novel without spoiling it. What an accomplishment, particularly for a first time writer.

If I were to give a black-eyed critique of the book, I would say this one thing: it starts off too slowly to capture the average reader. Having said that, I can only encourage readers to persevere. Believe me when I say that this book is worth the effort.

Given Sam's astuteness and his obvious writing skills, we can only believe there are more Mike Brody tracker books in the future. He's left too many unanswered mysteries. We are left begging for more explanations. This is one of the great things about this book.
Who amongst us doesn't love anticipation?

Recommended for all lovers of mystery and suspense novels. For all who love Jeffrey Deaver, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and Michael Connelly. Yes, Sam Hilliard is that good!

Deborah/TheBookishDame

PW Releases Figures on Ebook vs Hardcover Bestsellers and "Ebooks Rock"

The following article by Daisy Maryles ran in today's PW Daily. Although not all publishers contributed who were asked to the numbers still show an impressive gain in Ebook sales for Bestselling authors like Larsson, Grisham, Patterson and Sparks.

Back in March 2000, the big publishing news was Stephen King's novella Riding the Bullet being published exclusively in e-book format. King was the first major bestselling author to publish in an electronic format. At the time, Simon & Schuster spokesperson Adam Rothberg was widely quoted saying: "This could change the model of publishing."

This year, for the first time in PW's 100+ years of annual features on bestsellers, the magazine collected statistics on e-book sales. We asked publishers (and only publishers that had print bestsellers with sales of more than 100,000 in 2010) to submit e-books with sales of more than 10,000 last year. The response from the houses was mixed. Many declined to share this information, others only submitted selected titles. Still, we collected statistics on about 275 books—enough to underscore that the publishing model has indeed changed and that what is available in e-book format is ubiquitous.

Check out this first list and you will find familiar authors in familiar spots. Many top-selling authors on the 2010 hardcover chart are among the e-book top-sellers, including Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, with electronic sales of 775,000 compared to 1.9 million in print. John Grisham, James Patterson (at least 12 e-book hits), Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King, and more are high and plentiful on both charts. There is also plenty of backlist, as classics like Gone with the Wind, The Great Gatsby, and How to Win Friends and Influence People reap solid e-book sales.

In his March 13 blog, Mike Shatzkin's headline noted, "E-books are making me recall the history of mass market publishing." He also wrote: "The anti-paperback snobbery was widespread, and the separation between trade and mass market publishing persisted for a long time. For at least a couple of decades, paperback houses didn't do hardcovers." That's history now. But Shatzkin's last sentence resonates in today's fast-changing book marketplace. "Much less expensive editions, combined with access to audiences for authors that couldn't get past the gatekeepers in the established houses, can create millions of new readers." Anything that creates more readers is a boon for all kinds of publishers.

"The times they are a-changin,' " sang Bob Dylan back in 1964. It is the first part of that sentence that publishers are all singing: "You better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone."

Note: asterisked titles were submitted in confidence, for use in placing titles on the lists. Those numbers are rounded down to indicate their relationship to figures for other titles; in several cases the sales figures were omitted entirely, at the publishers's request..

E-book Sales, 2010
100,000+
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Stieg Larsson. Knopf (775,000)
2. The Confession. John Grisham. Doubleday (*550,000)
3. Decision Points. George W. Bush. Crown (307,216)
4. Sh*t My Dad Says. Justin Halpern. HarperCollins/It Books (242,000)
5. Freedom. Jonathan Franzen. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (230,772)
6. I, Alex Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown (152,626)
7. The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (134,934)
8. Under the Dome. Stephen King. Scribner
9. Dear John. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (130,042)
10. American Assassin. Vince Flynn. Atria (*120,000)
11. The Lovely Bones. Alice Sebold. Little, Brown (118,583)
12. Shutter Island. Dennis Lehane. Morrow (115,528)
13. The 9th Judgment. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown (114,998)
14. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot. Crown (110,273)
15. Safe Haven. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (108,849)

E-book Runners-Up
16. Private. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown (107,334)
17. The Postcard Killers. James Patterson and Liza Marklund. Little, Brown (100,490)
18. The 4-Hour Body. Timothy Ferriss. Crown Archetype (91,804)
19. Dead Witch Walking. Kim Harrison. Eos (90,922)
20. Little Bee. Chris Cleave. Simon & Schuster (*90,000)
21. The Lion. Nelson DeMille. Grand Central (85,819)
22. Fly Away Home. Jennifer Weiner. Atria
23. The Reversal. Michael Connelly. Little, Brown (85,121)
24. House Rules. Jodi Picoult. Atria (*80,000)
25. Deliver Us from Evil. David Baldacci. Grand Central (78,951)
26. Rage of Angels. Sidney Sheldon. Morrow (77,264)
27. Innocent. Scott Turow. Grand Central (73,215)
28. Don't Blink. James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown (72,776)
29. Room. Emma Donoghue. Little, Brown (71,919)
30. Half Broke Horses. Jeannette Walls. Scribner (*66,000)

**by Daisy Maryles in PW Daily

January E-book Sales Soar, Top Hardcover, Mass Market Paperback

The surge of e-book buying expected to take place in January following a round of holiday e-reader gift-giving did in fact materialize. According to preliminary estimates from the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales from 16 reporting companies jumped 115.8%, to $69.9 million in January. No other trade segment posted a sales increase in the month. Sales of mass market paperbacks were terrible in January, down 30.9% from the nine reporting companies, falling to $39.0 million, $30 million below the sales of e-books. E-book sales also topped $49.1 million in adult hardcover sales reported by 17 publishers; hardcover sales fell 11.3% in January. Trade paperback sales fell 19.7% in the month but remained above e-book revenue at $83.6 million from 19 houses.

 

Downloadable audio sales increased 8.8% in January, to $6.5 million at 14 publishers, while physical audiobook sales dropped 6.7% to $7.3 million from 20 publishers. Religion was the only print segment to post an increase in January with sales up 6.8%.

How the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights Benefits Authors

By Andy Woodworth, Adult Services Librarian, Bordentown, NJ
 
About a week ago, Sarah and I posted the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights. We’ve watched it bounce all over the blogosphere much to our mutual delight. But there has been a recurring question in some of the discussions as to what this document would mean to authors. I will try now to explain how authors would benefit under the terms outlined in the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights. Here’s my breakdown:

the right to use ebooks under guidelines that favor access over proprietary limitations

As a librarian, I have a carefully honed monologue to inform people who come to the library why or why not their chosen ereader device will be able to download ebooks or audio ebooks. (At present, the Kindle one is the shortest at “Sorry, no can do”. The iPod is the longest since it starts out with a short shopping list of programs needed and permissions required.)  I am the de facto technical support for these devices and yet I am left holding the bag when it comes to explaining the convoluted jargon of Digital Rights Management, proprietary devices and software, and why’s and how’s of loading content into their devices. Now, imagine this interaction happening beyond the walls of the libraries as people look to purchase ebooks.
As an author, these limitations do you no favor when your readers cannot access your literature. When the effort eclipses the reward, people will forgo the attempt to get your work on their ereaders in favor of easier fare. I have seen people give up on trying to download library ebooks; I would hope that they would not give up on authors as easily.

the right to access ebooks on any technological platform, including the hardware and software the user chooses

Ebooks should transcend platforms. What you buy on the iBookstore or the Kindle should be readable on the Nook or Kobo and vice versa. Ebooks should be platform neutral and portable. As an author, in order to reach the widest audience possible, your books should be able to travel wherever your audience wants them to be. You’ve put in the hours and the hard work; why should something like software or technology get between your prose and the reader?

the right to annotate, quote passages, print, and share ebook content within the spirit of fair use and copyright

At present, there is an inconsistent ability to do any of these aspects across all of the devices and ebooks. While fair use and copyright should be respected, these limitations work against the reader and their interaction with the text of the ebook. They stifle potential discussion regarding book passages by the inability to copy and share with others. They frustrate the reader by disallowing annotations about significant passages and recording their thoughts or reactions. Finally, in preventing the printing of parts of the ebook, they keep the words in a virtual space when the intention of printing is to share with others for further discussion or commentary. Think of every work space you’ve ever seen where a line of poetry or novel passage has hung; that is one of the beneficial aspects that this is preventing. People find significance in those words and make them part of their daily life. The prevention of printing usurps that urge.
Again, while copyright and fair use should be observed, authors should be mindful of accommodating the habits and actions of their readers that have grown out of print editions of their materials over many years.

the right of the first-sale doctrine extended to digital content, allowing the ebook owner the right to retain, archive, share, and re-sell purchased ebooks

Now, I will admit this is the tricky one that has gotten people tripped up over this document. Retaining and archiving are common practices for people with software; it allows them to make a backup copy in case something happens to the original. There shouldn’t be a problem with that as it ensures the future of the ebooks that they have purchased.
As to sharing, I’ll put it this way: authors benefit from sharing. Neil Gaiman makes a note of it specifically in his Open Rights Group video where he asks audiences how many people found their favorite author through a friend lending them a book as opposed to buying it at a bookstore (I’ve linked to the specific part of the video). The American Library Association has a 2007 study which shows that people who borrow books are likely to buy those books for themselves or purchase them as gifts for others. Libraries are an integral aspect of word of mouth marketing for authors.
“Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising. The forces unleashed by new media technologies seem to have never changed the truth behind this age-old wisdom dating back to the times when human culture was largely oral.” (ComCorp) With the new communication and social media possibilities, people are not simply telling their immediate friends and family about books; they are telling everyone about books. People are sharing the books that they love through sites like Facebook, LibraryThing, Goodreads, Shelfari, and their own blogging. The Twitter hashtag #fridayreads (up for a Mashable award for Best Internet Meme) shows how people can make recommendations for books to their followers and to the people who follow the hashtag. That recommendation carries weight with others as depicted by this survey from eMarketer and presented as this graphic:

The 2009 Nielsen Global Online Consumer survey shows that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% trust fellow consumer opinions posted online (think #fridayreads, sites like Goodreads, and Amazon/B&N user book reviews). This 2010 Guardian/ICM survey gives similar supporting results of this trust in others (especially question 4).
Sharing ebooks would be word of mouth on steroids for authors since it means  making a recommendation and the ability to put the book almost instantly in the (virtual) hands of another. Sharing is not a lost sale, but a new marketing foray into a previously unrealized potential fan.
As to the question of ebook re-selling, I will admit that I do not have a perfect answer on this point. If there was a limited DRM system that would enable people to do so (ensuring that the old copy is destroyed while transferring a copy to the new owner), I think it would be a fair trade-off to confer ownership and greater content rights.
My primary concern is less about re-selling and more in regard to people being given control over their own reading content. While I’m hesitant to engage in what may be construed as hyperbole, I appeal to you to consider the emotional connections to your own personal libraries and the importance of every book that you have selected to be a part of it. I would implore authors to consider how they would consider outside removals or modifications on your own book collections. Ownership matters, quite frankly, and it is an expression of intellectual pride.
As it concerns the passage of text that followed the rights in the initial document, I personally believe in every word written there. I believe authors can flourish when their work is available on the widest range of media and when readers are given the maximum amount of freedom to access and share with others. I believe in creating the best possible market for authors to live by and thrive. I also believe ebooks are an important new part of the greater cultural cornerstone of society; and I believe that a document like the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights works towards that goal.
For myself, there are farther reaching issues at stake here since the written word lives on long after our bodies have turned to dust. As a librarian, I strive to preserve the work of authors for future generations. It is a matter of great import and one I do not take lightly. It only gets more complicated when ebooks are locked behind formats and proprietary ereaders. It is my hope that the actions we take today will cultivate a vibrant literature market while increasing access to readers and allowing libraries to maintain their traditional societal role in maintaining the literary and cultural record.
I thank the authors who came here to read this post. I hope I made the meaning of the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights and the benefits authors would derive from it a bit clearer and show that it was constructed around the best of intentions. I welcome any author feedback on this post so that I can further refine the Ebook Reader’s Bill of Rights.

This post was originally published at Agnostic, Maybe and has been reprinted with Mr. Woodworth’s permission.

Andy is a librarian in New Jersey. He spends his days surrounded by vast amounts of information which he consumes on a fairly regular basis. He was named a 2010 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, an honor bestowed upon fifty librarians each year that are considered to be changing the face and future path of libraries. He writes the award winning librarian blog ‘Agnostic, Maybe’ at http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com.

Read more at Digital Book World

Should You Self-Publish?

Today's Daily Writing Tips Blog (a blog I never miss) explored this topic today. Although I agree with the author, Mark Nichol, on some points, I also disagree on others. So here's his article. What are your thoughts? Let us know, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Should You Self-Publish?

by Mark Nichol

No.
Because I’m getting paid to write posts of more than one word, I’ll qualify that answer.
But first, here’s another question, and this time, it’s your turn to answer: Why do you want to self-publish? If it’s because publishers and agents have turned your work down, you might want to retrench and start small, submitting articles or short stories to newspapers or magazines, or to writing competitions, to develop your writing skills further before going the trade-publishing route again.

But if you’re still determined to self-publish, consider this: If you hope to publish a novel, the odds are stacked heavily against you, and if you plan to put out a nonfiction book, they aren’t much better.

Why? It’s certainly not that you won’t be able to find a self-publisher. Myriad companies exist that will be happy to relieve you of hundreds of dollars (for a handful of budget-look books) or thousands of dollars (for higher quantity and quality) for the privilege of printing your book. If you plan simply to self-publish — and recouping your expenses is not a priority — you are almost certainly guaranteed to succeed.


Otherwise, the odds are against you because, as the term self-publishing suggests, you are responsible for every phase of the publishing process, from paying to have the book edited to paying to have it formatted to paying to have it printed (often by the same company offering a package deal, but often best performed in separate steps with distinct vendors). And then, once it’s published, what do you do with it?

Most significantly, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, you will have to market it yourself. And if you’ve published a novel, an anthology of short stories, or a book of poems, your potential market is limited — it is unlikely to extend beyond a circle of family, friends, and other people you know. (If that’s all you want, by all means, go for it.)

If it’s nonfiction, the outlook isn’t much different, unless you have a marketing base: Are you a high-profile expert in your profession or in a field of study? Do you belong to a professional association or an organization such as a historical association or a large network of craftspeople? Do you teach courses or present at workshops or seminars? Do you own a business whose customers are likely to be interested in buying your book?

If you are honest with yourself about the likelihood that you can sell out a run of 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 books (keep in mind that small presses consider 1,000 a respectable run and major publishers would be content with sales of 10,000 copies of one book) — and can find several objective people to sincerely agree with you — then you have the potential to be a successful self-publisher. But if you’re expecting sales in the four- or five-figure range, then we’ve come full circle, and I have to ask you again: Have you been rejected by agents and/or publishers?
But, you say, all this talk about marketing overlooks the fact that most publishers make little or no effort to sell books by authors without track records. That’s true, but can you do better? And if you publish with a trade publisher with a recognizable name, bookstores will sell it, you’re more likely to be invited to do reading and book-signing gigs and radio and television shows — and any self-marketing you do will have better results because your book will have a brand name on it.

I’m not hostile to self-publishing, but I am highly skeptical about it as a route to even modest fame and fortune. If you insist, don’t let me stop you, but take great care to research the business of self-publishing — and be wary of self-publishing companies that are effusive about your work. They don’t call it vanity publishing for nothing.

*From Daily Writing Tips. 

US Book Sales Up in 2010

According to the Association of American Publishers (AAP), U.S. publishers' book sales across all platforms increased 2.4 percent in December 2010 versus December 2009 ($1.58 billion versus $1.54 billion), and 3.6 percent for all of 2010 versus 2009 ($11.67 billion versus $11.25 billion). Virtually every book publishing category showed growth in one or both comparisons, with e-books continuing to post triple-digit percentage gains.

"As more formats have evolved and are served by the publishing community, consumers have more choices. These strong sales numbers reflect the efforts of AAP publishers and the response of book audiences," says Tom Allen , AAP's president and CEO.
Among the sales highlights reported by the AAP:

• E-books grew 164.8 percent in December 2010 versus December 2009 ($49.5 million versus $18.7 million). In the AAP's ninth year of tracking this category, e-books once again increased significantly on an annual basis, up 164.4 percent for 2010 versus 2009 ($441.3 million versus $166.9 million). E-book sales represented 8.32 percent of the trade book market in 2010 versus 3.2 percent the previous year.
• Books on other digital platforms also experienced healthy sales growth. For December 2010, downloaded audiobooks increased 56.7 percent to $8.9 million, and physical audiobooks increased 34.5 percent to $15.8 million. For the calendar year, downloaded audiobooks sales rose by 38.8 percent to $81.9 million (versus $59 million in 2009), while physical audiobooks fell 6.3 percent, at $137.3 million for 2010 versus $146.5 million for the previous year.
• Children's book categories saw higher sales in December 2010 versus December 2009: Children's/young adults paperbacks were up 4.5 percent (to $48.9 million) and hardcover children's/young adults grew 0.2 percent (to $59.7 million). 2010-versus-2009 children's books sales decreased somewhat; paperbacks decreased 5.7 percent (to $546.6 million) and hardcovers declined 9.5 percent (to $694.3 million).
• All three adult-book categories also showed gains versus December 2009: Adult hardcover was up 23.1 percent (to $148.2 million), adult paperback grew by 4.5 percent (to $127.6 million) and adult mass market rose by 14.6 percent (to $57.1 million). The categories fell slightly for 2010 versus calendar-year 2009 with hardbacks sales at $1.57 billion versus $1.65 billion in 2009 (a 5.1-percent decline); paperbacks reaching $1.38 billion versus $1.41 billion in 2009 (a decrease of 2 percent) and mass market at $673.5 million for 2010 versus $718.9 million (down 6.3 percent).
• Educational book sales saw full year-to-year increases: Higher education grew 7.8 percent in 2010 (to $4.58 billion) and K-12 elementary/high school (el/hi) posted a 3.2-percent gain (to $3.59 billion). K-12 el/hi also hit a 1.4-percent increase for December 2010 (to $147 million) while higher education reached $890.2 million for December (down 3.6 percent).
• Sales of university press hardcover books decreased 8.2 percent in December (to $6 million) with a 0.5-percent decline for 2010 ($57.8 million). University press paperbacks grew in 2010 by 1.3 percent (to $61.6 million) and fell 2.5 percent for December ($8.9 million).
• Professional books sales increased 5 percent for 2010 over 2009 (to $812.9 million); for December, they fell 3.5 percent (to $108.9 million).
• Religious books showed a 0.5-percent decline for 2010 versus 2009 (at $585.4 million) and a 11.8-percent decline for December ($49.9 million).

*From an article in Book Business

E-book Sales Up 164% as Other Trade Segments Fall

E-book sales jumped 164.4% in 2010, to $441.3 million, at the 14 publishers who report sales to the Association of American Publishers monthly sales program. Sales in December rose almost exactly the same amount, 164.8%, to $49.5 million. Sales in all other trade segments fell in the year with the exception of downloadable audio which had a 38.8% gain to $81.9 million. 

Sales in adult hardcover fell by 5.1% at the 17 reporting publishers, while trade paper declined 2% at the 19 houses that report.Mass market paperback sales fell 6.3% at the nine paperback houses; in children's hardcover sales decline 9.5% and paperback 5.7%. Fourteen publishers reported sales to AAP.

*From PW Daily 

Borders Pulls the Trigger on Chapter 11

After a drawn out process that began at the end of last year when it missed payments to top publishers, Borders Group has given in to the inevitable and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The company has received $505 million in debtor-in possession financing led by GE Capital, Restructuring Finance. And as part of its turnaround plan, Borders said it will close approximately 30% of its current store base, about 200 locations, within the next several weeks.

“It has become increasingly clear that in light of the environment of curtailed customer spending, our ongoing discussions with publishers and other vendor related parties, and the company’s lack of liquidity, Borders Group does not have the capital resources it needs to be a viable competitor and which are essential for it to move forward with its business strategy to reposition itself successfully for the long term.,” said Borders president Mike Edwards in a statement explaining the decision to file for Chapter 11. “This decisive action will give Borders the opportunity to achieve a proper infusion of capital in order to have the opportunity to have the time to reorganize in order to reposition itself to be a successful business for the long term,” said Edwards.

According to Borders, the financing should enable the company to operate the stores that will remain open in a “normal course”  including honoring its Borders Rewards program, gift cards, and other customer programs. Additionally, the company said it expects to make payroll and continue its benefits programs for its employees.

The announcement made this morning was foreshadowed last night when Borders implemented an ordering freeze and Ingram, its lifeline to the publishers, stopped shipping books. Publishers are now on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, led by Penguin Group (USA) which is owed $41.1 million, followed by Hachette at $36.9 million, Simon & Schuster at $33.8 million, Random House at $33.5 million, and HarperCollins at $25.8 million. Neither major book distributor, Ingram or Baker & Taylor, were among the leading creditors, and only one book distributor, National Book Network, is owed money with $2 million outstanding. The top 30 unsecured creditors are owed $314 million. The filing listed $1.27 billion in assets and $1.29 billion in liabilities. Borders said it expects to be able to pay vendors for merchandise shipped to it after today’s filing; those owed money prior to the filing will only be paid with the approval of the bankruptcy court.

Although it will close 30% of its stores, Borders said it plans to remain “a national presence,” and that in addition to its bricks-and-mortar stores it will continue to operate its online bookstore and its e-bookstore.

Completion of the company’s DIP financing arrangements is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court and the satisfaction of certain conditions provided in the financing commitments received by the company from the lenders providing such financing.  To oversee the reorganization, Ken Hiltz has been named v-p, restructuring of the company.

Additional information about the reorganization is available at www.bordersreorganization.com.

* From a story in PW Daily by Jim Milliot and Judith Rosen

Thanks to everyone who entered our Mystery Times Ten Competition!

Our Spring/Summer 2011 Young Adult Showcase titled Mystery Times Ten sought new mystery short stories targeted for the YA audience.

Our Judging Panels are hard at work reading, reading, reading! Winners will be announced here and on our website in April. 

Kid + Igloo + Book

Here’s a new take on curling up with a favorite book on a snowy day: build an igloo. I love this picture beyond reckoning. It’s a fourth-grader happily nestled in a snow fort, reading Barbara O’Connor’s delightful How to Steal a Dog, oblivious to the outside world. (The reader’s mom sent the photo to Ms. O’Connor after a school author visit.)
Isn’t that what a great book does? Absorb you so deeply you aren’t aware of anything around you but the world of the story? Susan Cooper captured that absorption perfectly in Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children (p. 24, if you want to know):

Watch the child reading a book: really reading, totally caught up in the world into which the words on the page have transported him…. He is sprawled or curled or propped in some inelegant position, face concentrated and intent, motionless; he isn’t with you any more. He doesn’t hear you when you call; he doesn’t notice that the sun has set and that he should turn on the light. He’s away out there with the author, in wonderland.

Fourth-grader, cozy in igloo, reads Barbara O'Connor's HOW TO STEAL A DOG. Photo credit: Katarina Krek.

*From an article in PW Shelftalker

LAST CALL! Write a Story, Win a Kindle!

Enter our YA Mystery Short Story competition - Mystery Times Ten - and get a chance to win a brand new Kindle! Competition closes at Midnight PST TODAY January 31st, 2011!

We seek new mystery short stories that are targeted for the YA audience.

Winning Selections:

• The Ten (10) Winning entries will be published in the Spring 2011 Young Adult Showcase titled Mystery Times Ten to be published by Buddhapuss Ink LLC.
• FIRST PLACE winner will receive a NEW Kindle, Featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag.
• SECOND PLACE winner will receive a $100 Gift Card, Featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag.
• THIRD PLACE winner will receive a $75 Gift Card, Featured placement in the book, and a Buddhapuss Ink tote filled with swag.
• ALL TEN (10) WINNERS will receive: two (2) copies of the finished book and the opportunity to “fast track” their next Young Adult or Middle Grade manuscript with our Editorial staff. “Fast track” does not mean you will receive a publishing contract, but we will guarantee that your manuscript is given a priority reading and response.
• Some winning entries will also be featured on our website, blog, and/or Facebook page.

JUDGES:

Buddhapuss Ink was founded with a mission to put our readers first and that’s just what we aim to do in Buddhapuss Ink’s first competition. All entries that meet submission guidelines will be read by and rated by judges from our YA Book Blogger Panel and our YA Teen Panel. The top twenty (20) entries—based on total points accrued—will then go on to our Editorial Review Panel.
Our YA Book Blogger Panel is made up of some of the best Book Bloggers on the web. These are people who are passionate about the YA market, who spend untold hours reading, reviewing and promoting books for this audience.
Our YA Teen Panel is exactly that—a group of teens aged 13-18 from across the USA who have been nominated by teachers, librarians, and book industry professionals. All of them are avid readers.
Our Editorial Review Panel is made up of  3 publishing professionals who have a combined total of over 50 years in the industry. The decisions of the Competition's judges will be final

• Deadline January 31, 2011 Midnight PST
• No manuscripts will be returned.
• Winners will be notified and announced in April 2011.
• Publication is scheduled for May/June 2011. 

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Amazon Says Kindle Sales Exceed Paperbacks--and Coincidentally, Profits Fall Even As Sales Rise Over $3 Billion

Amazon reported sales of $12.95 billion for the fourth quarter, up 36% from a year ago. But operating income actually declined, even with almost $3.5 billion in extra revenue, down $2 million at $474 million.

The company says they sold "millions of third-generation Kindles" in the quarter, and indicates "Kindle books have now overtaken paperback books as the most popular format on Amazon.com" and "this milestone has come even sooner than we expected - and it's on top of continued growth in paperback sales." The company adds that, "since the beginning of the year, for every 100 paperback books Amazon has sold, the company has sold 115 Kindle books."

Curiously, with all that media growth--booming Kindle sales plus growing paperback and hardcover saves--the company's overall NA media segment is still not increasing in proportion. NA Media sales for the full year were $6.881 billion, up 15 percent from $5.964 billion a year ago, and in the fourth quarter media sales of $2.37 billion were up less, by 13 percent, compared to a year ago. International media sales also grew at just 11 percent, at $2.865 billion. The data is unclear, but some publishing people will conclude that Kindle sales and books sales are rising due to lower prices and no margin or deficit spending by the company.

In a conference call with investors on Thursday afternoon, multiple analysts tried extracting more information on the metrics of the Kindle business, as well as exploring the theme noted above. Like James Mitchell of Goldman Sachs, asking, "In the media business, if e-book sales are now bigger than paperback sales and paperback sales continue to grow, is there a big obvious reason why total media sales is growing at 13% rather than a slightly faster number?"

CFO Thomas Szkutak kept declining to provide any information. On Kindle, he would only say, "we're continuing to invest in that business. We think it's a very good business for us, and we're excited about the long-term opportunity there.... We think it's a very efficient capital business, and we think that we certainly like the model that we have and the opportunity that it brings to our shareholders over the long term."

For the coming quarter, Amazon warned that operating income is expected to fall somewhere between 34 percent and 2 percent. That expectation of declining profits, along with fourth quarter sales that were still a little shy of Wall Street expectations, sent shares down sharply, almost 7.5 percent in this morning's trading after having risen before the report on Thursday. The company is continue to invest in more warehouses and data centers.

Release

 

*From today's edition of Publisher's Lunch

Borders Gets Tentative Financing Commitment, But Has Lots of Hurdles

Faced with publisher reservations about its proposal to exchange missed payments for notes, Borders announced Thursday evening that GE Capital has agreed to provide the company with $550 million in new financing, but the deal is subject to a number of conditions, including receiving financing  from publishers and other vendors to the tune of $125 million. As reported in PW Daily Thursday morning, publishers remain extremely reluctant about accepting Borders' proposal and one publisher said the announcement had not changed his mind about rejecting the offer.  And for the first time in public, Borders said it hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bankruptcy.

In a statement, CEO Mike Edwards said that while Borders believes refinancing is the most practical route to revitalize the company “given the current environment surrounding Borders, and in order to assure that the company can pursue its efforts to position itself to properly implement its business plan, it is prudent as well for Borders to explore alternative avenues, including the possibility of an in-court restructuring.”  Borders wasn’t commenting beyond the release, but the wording suggests that a  prepackaged bankruptcy is a possibility.

In further comments, Edwards said that the company believes the commitment from GE positions the company to move forward, “and expects to demonstrate to its vendors how their support for Borders will be to the benefit of the company, the vendors, and their shared consumers.” Borders  said it needed an answer from publishers to its proposal before the end of January, and  the announcement is a clear indication it has yet to win publisher approval. “We are confident that whatever path Borders pursues to implement its strategy, we will be able to count upon the support of our vendors, who understand the critical role a strong Borders provides to the reading public,”  Edwards said.

The commitment by GE is subject to a host of conditions beyond reaching a deal with publishers “on terms satisfactory to GE.” Other conditions include completing a store closure program to be implemented as soon as possible; the successful syndication of $175 million of the senior credit  facility with other lenders;  GE’s completion of its business, financial and legal due diligence; the negotiation and execution of definitive financing documents; and the absence of any material adverse change in the company’s business or financial condition; and other customary conditions.

If it receives the financing, Edwards said Borders will be able to reposition itself as national retailer of books and other related products.  The company’s new business plan will focus on five areas, none of them surprises to publishers: continuing to expand and enhance the Borders Rewards Plus program; strengthen the company’s position as a purveyor of content by aggressively growing Borders.com and e-book market share; expand and enhance the company’s overall retail mix, including non-book offerings, to improve profitability and offset the digital effect;aggressively reduce costs across the business, including costs in the supply chain network and store portfolio; make strategic investments in IT to improve the customer experience.

*From an article by Jim Milliot in PW Daily1/28/11

Publishers Remain Cool to Borders Deal

Unless publishers undergo a change of heart, it appears likely that many will reject Borders’ proposal to exchange missed payments for notes. According to several sources, Borders wanted another meeting with publishers this week, but was turned down. In addition to being unhappy with the financial terms of the deal, publishers are not convinced that the chain has a viable turnaround plan. The chain, one publisher said, has made no compelling case about its future plans. Asked about how its discissions with publishers were proceeding, Borders issued the following statement: "We have a business strategy to reposition Borders business and brand for the long term. In this regard, we are focused on our refinancing effort.”

Borders wants an answer to its offer before the end of the month; January checks for publishers are due to be sent Friday. Publishers’ acceptance of Borders’ proposal is a key part of its effort to receive new financing. It is unclear what Borders’ next step will be if publishers decide not to go along with its offer.   
*From an article in today's PW Daily by Jim Milliot

Markets Where Independent Retailers Do Best

A study backed by the ABA looked at over 300 metropolitan areas in the US to see where independent retailers perform the best. The top 15-ranked markets are:

1 Ocean City, NJ
2 Bellingham, WA
3 Medford, OR
4 Carson City, NV
5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
6 Barnstable Town, MA
7 Austin-Round Rock, TX
8 Dalton, GA
9 Harrisonburg, VA
10 Gainesville, GA
11 Glens Falls, NY
12 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
13 Lewiston, ID-WA
14 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
15 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Download complete results and analysis

A Table Made of Books

Some folks at PW are looking for posts about stuff--furniture, principally--made of books. Here's the latest entry:  a table from the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis, where donated books were used to create the above display.  This pic came via Corey M Dalton.
They'd love to see what other stuff you can find! Email cteicher [at] publishersweekly.com or dm @PWxyz on twitter.

*From an article in PW DAILY

Social networking site partners with agency on contest

We just learned of what sounds like a great contest for writers. Here's the scoop:

A year-old social networking and digital distribution platform that aims to bring writers and agents together has created a contest to find “the next big crime fiction blockbuster.” Circalit, launched in February 2010 as a place for screenwriters to showcase their work to studios, began inviting novelists, playwrights, and short story writers to post their work in July 2010. Based in the U.K., the site is welcoming writers from around the world to submit entries to the contest at circalit.com.

The contest is one of many Circalit holds, wherein it forms a relationship with an organization or agency which will then consider taking on the top contenders for representation. Previous contests have sought short and feature screenplays, short stories, and novels. Winners of the latest contest will be considered for representation by the London agency A.P. Watt.

 

Anyone can read entries to the contest and vote for their favorites. Literary agency A.P. Watt will then read the top submissions and consider representing them. It is free to enter the competition; however, writers must create a Circalit account (which is also free) in order to submit their work for consideration.

 

Raoul Tawadey came up with the idea to start Circalit while working at a production studio, writing script coverage reports. The site has grown into a place where film writers, playwrights, and fiction writers can post their work, have it reviewed by peers and professionals, create a fan base, make industry contacts, market their work, apply for writing jobs, and enter free writing competitions.

 

Tawadey said, “There is a wealth of literary talent across the globe, only a fraction of which gets the recognition it deserves. Crowd-sourcing is a great way for the publishing industry to find literature that already has a proven readership. We hope this competition will give talented new writers the opportunity to get their work noticed and demonstrate the power of the internet to create a global talent pool.”

 

*From an article in PW DAILY

Borders Makes More Cuts, 45 More Laid Off

The downsizing of Borders continued yesterday with the news that it laid off 45 employees--40 at corporate headquarters and five in its distribution centers. According to employee message boards, Borders CEO Michael Edwards is expected to make an announcement Wednesday,  although a company spokesperson said nothing is scheduled.

The cuts in the Ann Arbor office cut across all departments. “The realignment at the store support center encompasses nearly all business areas, including IT, human resources, finance and merchandising,” Borders said in an e-mailed statement. “This decision is a result of Borders’ focus on reducing costs and readjusting its business model to improve profitability and cash flow.”

Last week, Borders announced its intention to close its LaVergne, Tenn. warehouse this summer.

As reported in Friday's PW Daily, Borders wants an answer before the end of the month on its proposal to exchange missed payments for notes and publishers appear likely to take all the time they can to make a decision to see if Borders improves its offer  Publishers are frustrated that they seem to be the ones bearing much of the financial burden in a financial restructuring. 

*From an article on PW Daily 

Borders: We Really Might Not Know Until Groundhog Day

Friday's Publisher's Lunch compared Borders' presentation to publishers on Thursday as Groundhog Day--a repetition of the same basic plan they had been talking about since late December--and it also appears that there may not be a final decision on the bookseller's fate until Groundhog Day itself, the rough deadline set by Borders.

The WSJ adds the name of the law firm that is representing Borders in the restructuring talks (Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman), and provides an estimated amount for the new credit line under negotiation with GE and others: "$500 million or more." That is considerably less than the $900 million line that originally was to expire this summer, and the subsequent $700 million line that was to kick in thereafter. 

The Journal adds that the new capital might allow Borders to "repay some $220 million in current outstanding senior debt," which is thought to be the current amount outstanding on their revolving line of credit. As of October 30, the company had drawn $294.9 million against their credit line (which stood at $232.3 million a year ago on January 30 with the addition of holiday sales). They also owed $59.9 million on their term loan. And then there were the biggest creditors of all, trade vendors, owed $444.9 million at the time. That's roughly $800 million owed--before accrued payroll and a variety of other liabilities, against, at full value, $895.8 million in trade inventories.

The Journal's account says "a possible sweetener was floated to provide [publishers] with collateral for the note"--but publishers have told us Borders has been offering vague promises of collateral all along for the loan they want vendors to provide. But the company's major asset is inventory, against which the lenders have held first security (and they also have had claim on Borders intellectual property and other assets), so it still isn't clear what the retailer would offer to back the loan.

There appears to be no mention of the equity holders--who want publishers to refinance the company rather than reorganize under bankruptcy protection so that their own shares are protected--injecting more cash into the company. The paper says GE 'wants publishers to show 'shared sacrifice,'" though it's not clear that any other parties (except perhaps some leaseholders) sacrifice anything under the terms that are being proposed to publishers. Bennett LeBow put up a mere $25 million and bought essential control of the company; publishers owed $40 million to $60 million each are being asked to wait years for a payoff the company may never be able to make with no equity or other compelling consideration. (When Pershing Square loaned the company just $42.5 million, backstopped by hard assets, they got 12.5 percent interest and big package of warrants.)

As has been maintained all along, a "person familiar with the matter" insists that "Kasowitz wouldn't prepare a bankruptcy filing for Borders except under a worst-case scenario." As we've pointed out before, that may be the essential problem. LeBow (and to a lesser extent Pershing Square) how worked furiously to avoid what's probably the company's best shot at long-term survival--in-court reorganization--because it would wipe out the equity holders. Even though Pershing Square's Bill Ackman has made it clear in the past how much he supports our "reorganization" procedures. Look at what he said about GM on Charlie Rose: "It has been hamstrung for years because it has too much debt and it has contracts that are uneconomic.The way to solve that problem is not to lend more money. They should do prepackaged bankruptcy.''

Remember that under bankruptcy code, it only requires three creditors to file a petition for involuntary bankruptcy if publishers believe that it is the best way to proceed. So it may be time to write less about whether Borders intends to file, and more about whether publishers will force a filing in the face of a deal that seems to ask them to bear the costs of keeping the bookseller going.

 

* From today's Publisher's Lunch

Solving the Secrets of Mystery Buyers

Even as brick-and-mortar stores continue to be the largest sales channel for mystery books the percentage of mysteries sold as e-books rose from 1.7% in 2009 to 7% in the second quarter of 2010. Those were some of the findings of a research study on the mystery/crime fiction book-buying market sponsored by Sister In Crime and conducted by Bowker’s PubTrack service. According to the study, 39% of mysteries were bought in stores in 2009, while library borrowing accounted for 17% of the way readers obtained books. Online retailers represented 17% of unit purchases. And as e-book sales increases between the first quarter of 2010 to the second, the percentage of hardcovers fell.

 

Women bought the most mysteries in 2009, accounting for 68% of purchases and 66% of mystery buyers were over 45 years old. Buyers 18 to 44 bought 31% of mysteries. Mysteries are bought the most by readers in the suburbs, 48%, with readers in rural areas accounting for 27% of purchases and urban buyers 25%.

 

Knowing or liking an author was the top reason cited by readers for buying a particular mystery, a finding Sisters In Crime says makes author branding even more important.

 

*From an article on PW Daily