This year, ForeWord This Week is covering all five of the major book design and production award shows: The first, the Bookbuilders West 26th annual show in San Francisco (www.bookbuilders.org),was reported here and took place in January.

It is followed now by the Bookbinders Guild of NY, show held at Manhattan Center on March 6, (nybookshow.org). Future reports will cover the Bookbuilders of Boston 50th annual show on May 7 at the Fairmont Copley (www.bbboston.org); the AAUP Annual Meeting book show June 14-17 at the Hilton Minneapolis (aaupnet.org), and the 55th Chicago Book and Media Show awards program at the Chicago City Centre Hotel on November 9 (www.chicagobookclinic.org)

ForeWord This Week is fortunate to be able to offer the following report, prepared for us by Steve Bedney, former president of the Bookbinders’ Guild of New York, member of its executive board and a co-chair of the Book Show:

The Bookbinders’ Guild of New York presented its twenty-first annual New York Book Show gala on March 6. It was held in the magnificent Grand Ballroom at its new Book Show home at the Manhattan Center where the group moved following two years at Café St. Barts on Park Avenue. The show was once again timed to coincide with the annual Book Business Expo (formerly Book Tech) at the New York Marriott Marquis. Unlike recent years, however, there was no raging snowstorm accompanying the event!

The Manhattan Center venue offered an immediately apparent change from the past. Because of larger inside space, the award-winning books, covers, and jackets were displayed in one room, along with the food stations and guest seating. It marked the first New York Book Show held entirely in one contiguous space.

The show itself was spectacular. With dozens of flowers adorning the room, the view from the entrance was breathtaking. The books themselves were arranged on tables, with the winning jackets and covers mounted on boards across the vast stage. A pianist tickled the ivories on the stage alongside the covers and jacket displays, adding to the celebratory mood commemorating the year’s best books.

Winners were chosen from the nearly 1,000 received entries, and were selected from five major categories--General Trade, Special Trade (including gift books, cookbooks, photography and art books, and the like), School Publishing, Scholarly and Reference, and Children’s Books. In addition, winners and merit award winners were chosen by a panel of judges in several subcategories. The panel of judges includes editors, production personnel, designers, art directors, and manufacturers, with a different group reviewing each category. In order to judge, a person cannot have served as a judge in the previous five years, and should have some expertise in the field.

Submissions and judging were held just before Thanksgiving 2006 at Random House, which graciously donated the space and time for the event. Work began on the Show catalogue, which was given to all Show attendees, almost immediately after judging day. Submissions were only accepted electronically this year, with the winners then asked to submit cover/jacket and interior spread files. The revised electronic entry form had been made available on October 1, 2006, and resulted in a large increase in entries over the previous year. Submissions for the twenty-Second Annual Book Show will take place in November 2007, but the online entry form will be accessible several weeks prior.

ATTENTION PUBLISHERS: CALL FOR GALLEYS

If you plan to have advance reading copies to give away at BEA, ForeWord can help you promote them! ForeWord is working with the organizers at BEA to showcase independent presses and their forthcoming works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction through a galleys2grab program for visiting booksellers, librarians and agents. In order to participate, please REGISTER ONLINE by April 30th. We will create a downloadable PDF file of the list and your booth location, plus provide takeaway copies at the show from The Independent Press Lounge, booth number 1647.

Many committees are involved in putting together the New York Book Show, making it the largest group within the Bookbinders’ Guild. This year’s general co-chairs were Renata Butera (Pearson Education) and Steve Bedney (Ecological Fibers Inc.). The catalog, beautifully printed by Transcontinental Printing, was supervised by Janet Behning (Princeton Architectural Press) and Donna Sciacca (Advanta Graphics). The event itself was chaired by Tracy Cabanis (Knopf) and Lou Bilka. Judging day chairs were Michele Rothfarb (Courier; and the Guild’s current president) and Kim Lazarovich (Advanta Graphics). The massive task or organizing submissions fell to Sandra Bretnall (Random House) and John Sinclair (Thomson-Shore). John Sinclair was also responsible for revamping the Guild’s online site for entries…a massive undertaking that is still in progress for next year’s Book Show.

Some of the book and series winners from the 2007 Book Show were:

• G Is for One Gzonk! (Simon & Schuster) First Place, Children’s Trade, Hardcover Picture Book Fiction
• Oh Rats! (Dutton Children’s Books) First Place, Children’s Trade, Hardcover Picture Book Nonfiction
• Araminta Spookie (HarperCollins Publishers) First Place, Children’s Trade, Hardcover Fiction Series
• London Calling (Knopf) First Place, Children’s Trade, Hardcover Young Adult One Color Fiction
• A Dangerous Engine (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) First Place, Children’s Trade, Hardcover Young Adult One Color Nonfiction
• The 12 Days of Christmas, Anniversary Edition (Simon & Schuster) First Place, Children’s trade, Novelty
• The Fog Mound: Travels of Thelonious (Simon & Schuster) First Place, Children’s Trade, Graphic Novel
• Science, California Edition, Pupil’s Editions, Gr. 3 TE and Kindergarten Flipchart (Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Division) First Place, School Publishing, Elementary Series
• Science Activity Flipcharts, Gr. 1-6 (Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Division) First Place, School Publishing, Ancillary Series
• The Slave Trade and the Middle Passage (Marshall Cavendish) First Place, School Publishing, Middle / High School Book
• Prentice Hall United States History (Pearson/Prentice Hall) First Place, School Publishing, Middle / High School Series
• The Heritage of World Civilizations (Pearson/Prentice Hall) First Place, School Publishing, College Book
• Quick Access (Pearson/Prentice Hall) First Place, School Publishing, College Series
• The Aeneid (Viking Penguin Book Group) First Place, General Trade, Fiction
• Mellon (Knopf) First Place, General Trade, Hardcover Nonfiction
• Wooden Book Series (Walker & Company) First Place, General trade, Hardcover Nonfiction Series
• The Notebook Girls (Hachette book Group) First Place, General Trade, Quality Paperback Book
• The Illustrated Dracula / The Illustrated Jane Eyre (Viking Studio / Penguin USA) First Place, General Trade, Quality paperback Series
• Greeting from E Street (Chronicle) First Place, Special Trade, General Book
• A Photographer’s Life (Random House) First Place, General Trade, Photography
• Michael Mina: The Cookbook (Bullfinch Press) First Place, Special Trade, Cookbook
• Annette Messager: Word for Word (D.A.P. / Les Pressed du Reel) First Place, Special trade, Art under $75
• Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom (W.W. Norton) First Place, Special Trade, Art over $75
• Hoorah for the Bra (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) First Place, Special Trade, Gift Book
• A Scanner Darkly (Pantheon) First Place, Special Trade, Graphic Novel
• Materials for Design (Princeton Architectural Press) First Place, Scholarly / Reference, Four Color Book
• Sensuous Seas (Princeton University Press) First Place, Scholarly / Reference, One Color Book
• John SingerSargent: Figures and Landscapes, 1874 – 1882, Vol. 4 (Yale University Press) First Place, Scholarly / Reference, Four Color Series

In the end, despite the onslaught of winter cold and the crowds at the downstairs Hammerstein Ballroom swarming to get a look at the red carpet BET television fashion runway going on simultaneously, the annual celebration of the book was a warm and wonderful affair. As the more than six hundred attendees can attest, there is still a craft to making a good book, and it was clearly in evidence on March 6.

Work has already begun on the Twenty-Second Annual Book Show, which is tentatively planned for March 11, 2008. See you there!

Every once in a while an issue arises affecting a few smaller publishers, otherwise easy to ignore in the rush of our immediate concerns, that tests the industry’s commitment to defend the rights and liberties we all enjoy.

This is a brief report on one of those events involving breeches of publishers property rights, and of PMA’s possible intervention as a defender of rights. Last week ForeWord’s editors received an appeal from Paul Joannides, publisher of Goofy Foot Press (with one popular evergreen title in print) in Waldport, OR (paul@goofyfootpress.com). He is one of a handful of publishers who didn’t take the Perseus offer to buy up their PGW contracts,

He wrote, “AMS/PGW won’t cut us loose until we have surrendered all of our rights to them. They are refusing to let us have our stock, and now they are withholding our money on recent sales that just a week ago they assured us they would pay.. . . The agreement that PGW insists we sign cherry picks our PGW contract to include only the things that are of benefit to the PGW estate, but without any of the protections that our original contract offers the publishers. It would require us to give up all of our rights, our damage claims, and our administrative claims, while allowing PGW to bill us at will for unspecified fees for the next year.”

As with almost any business or personal split, the details can be mind-numbing – and we won’t go into them here. But we did get a call from Dan Poynter, a trusted industry source, and one of the hold-out groups, confirming the facts.

In addition to Paul at Goofy Foot, some of the other publishers involved are: Andy Riddle of Foot Print Books (ariddle@footprintbooks.com), Bear Kamoroff at Bell Springs (bellsprings@saber.net) , Dan Levine at AvantGuide (daniel.levine@avantguide.com), Amy Rinehart, Moonlight Publishing (moonlightpubllc@msn.com), and Dan Poynter of Para Publishing(dpoynter@impulse.net).

As in all situations like this, expensive attorneys for large companies and creditor committees can tie up the time and resources of smaller claimants. So, we are pleased to report that as a consequence of his receipt of Paul’s appeal, Terry Nathan, PMA director (terry@pma-online.org) is exploring how PMA can lend support to this band of resolute but vulnerable independents.

We encourage you to contact any of the foregoing publishers and/or PMA and decide for yourself what you can do.

The New York Public Library has released the titles on its Books for the Teen Age 2007 list. Included are six titles from Canadian publisher Annick Press. Annick previously published only picture books, but is gradually moving into teen and young adult titles. The six books on the list are:

• My Kind of Sad: What It’s Like to Be Young and Depressed by Kate Scowen (9781550379419)
• The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality by St. Stephen’s Community House (9781550379549)
• Flat-Out Rock: Ten Great Bands of the ’60s by Mike Tanner (9781554510368)
• The Research Virtuoso: Brilliant Methods for Normal Brains by Toronto Public Library (9781550379570)
• Into the World of the Dead: Astonishing Adventures in the Underworld by Michael Boughn (9781550379587)
• Dark Hours by Gudrun Pausewang (9781554510429)

NYPL’s Books for the Teen Age is an annual publication of about 1,000 recommended by one of the nation’s leading library systems.

Just One More Book is a podcast created by children’s book lover Andrea Ross and her husband Mark Blevis. The IT professionals have young daughters and are devoted to read-aloud stories, which they discuss in this thrice-weekly podcast.

The episodes, which range from five to twelve minutes can be played from their Web site or downloaded to a computer or MP3 player. Established last July, the PodCast’s audience has grown steadily. Their recent favorites include indie titles, Sticks and Stones: The Killick (Tundra Books, 9780613094580), Supreme Esteem: Getting to Know Ruben Plotnick by Roz Rosenbluth (Flashlight Press, 9780972922555), and Berry Magic by Teri Sloat & Betty Huffmon (Alaska Northwest Books, 978-0882405766)

From Staff Reports. Share your news and information with Whitney Hallberg, editor: whitney@forewordmagazine.com.

Dossier

Occupation: Director of Sales and Marketing Transcontinental Music Publications and URJ Press, the book and music publishing arm of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Residence: Nyack, New York

Why you know the name: Zack is 28 years old. As the director of marketing, Zack is solely responsible for e-mail campaigns, advertising, promotions, and the company Web site (www.URJBaM.com). In addition, he attends twenty book conferences per year. Zack and his team also call on independent bookstores throughout the country.

What book are you reading, and where is your favorite place to read?
I read every afternoon on the train ride from Grand Central to Tarrytown. I usually become very involved in what I’m reading. I just finished The Kite Runner. Three-quarters of the way through, I made an audible gasp and the person next to me had to ask if I was okay.

What qualities do you value most professionally?
I thrive on enthusiasm and the spirit of adventure. I admire risk takers and those that say “Yes! Let’s give it a shot.”

What are you still determined to learn to do?
I recently started taking guitar lessons. Deep down inside, I’m a bluesman from Kansas City!

If you were a member of a tribe, what would be your special role in it, and why?
I would be the ambassador of the tribe. I would spend my days planning celebrations with the neighboring villages. While calling on the other tribes, I might take the time to sell whatever good or service our tribe specialized in—especially if it was Jewish books and Music!

What is your favorite hometown library and/or bookstore?
As a high school student, I spent nearly every day after school at the Finklestein Memorial Library in Spring Valley New York. I loved looking at old newspapers on the microfilm.

What kind of music do you enjoy while you are reading?
Most of my day is spent either reading or writing, and I usually have some music on in the background. Every Friday I buy a new CD. Most recently, I have been listening to Jack Johnson. One of my colleagues has requested I stop playing Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. I went through a phase of playing it every day for about a month.

What would you save from your home if it were burning?
Assuming my wife and our baby were safely out of the house, and that Bear the dog was safe too, I would save my shoebox of photographs. Everything else can be replaced.

What question has never been answered for you?
When I was about ten years old, I lost one sneaker! One sneaker. Where in the world could I have put it?

What would surprise most people to learn about you?
I grew up in a small high ranch in a suburb of Manhattan with a goat, chinchillas, ferrets, an iguana, rabbits, snakes, birds, a hedgehog, and other animals. My parents’ love for animals rubbed off on me. Unfortunately, my wife will only allow a dog and a cat in the house.

If you could have any five people over for dinner, who would they be?
First of all, I would want my wife, Melissa, with me. For the other four guests, I would invite Dave Matthews, Bill Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, and Donald Trump. I like it fun, and exciting.

Art. AMERICAN DECORATIVE ARTS AND SCULPTURE by Gerald W.R. Ward, Nonie Gadsen, Kelly H. L’Ecuyer, and Melinda Talbot Nasardinov (MFA Publications, color photographs, 7 x 9, 224 pages, softcover, $19.95, 978-0-87846-698-6): images from the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s collection of ornate beds, desks, dressers, silver, sculptures, and other pieces of American art from the seventeenth through the twentieth century.

Art. MANUEL NERI: THE FIGURE IN RELIEF by Bruce Nixon (Hudson Hills Press, 10 x 12, 240 color photographs, 193 pages, hardcover, $65.00, 978-1-883124-25-0): images of the contemporary artist’s plaster, ceramic, bronze, and stone relief sculptures with accompanying sketches and paintings; Nixon’s essay provides background and descriptions of Neri’s work.

Business and Economics. INVESTING WITHOUT LOSING: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO REAL ESTATE TAX LIENS AND FORECLOSURE DEEDS by Don Sausa (The Vision Press, 129 pages, softcover, $24.95, 978-0-9788346-8-5): teaches the reader how to invest in government tax auctions; includes information about financing investments online, obtaining title insurance, and auction calendars.

Health. STAYING SANE WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH MENOPAUSE by Pam Brodowsky and Evelyn Fazio (Da Capo, 191 pages, softcover, $12.95, 978-0-7382-1057-5): funny and inspiring stories from women who have survived hot flashes and mood swings; with tips that include, “If you experience hot flashes, dressing in layers is helpful.”

History. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE OBSERVATIONS OF JOHN G. NICOLAY AND JOHN HAY, Michael Burlingame, editor (Southern Illinois University, 174 pages, hardcover, $24.95, 978-0-8093-2738-6): important collection of insights from the president’s two main White House secretaries, culled from their 4,700-page Lincoln biography, published in 1890.

Law. WRITING FOR THEIR LIVES: DEATH ROW USA, Marie Mulvey-Roberts (University of Illinois Press, 309 pages, hardcover, $45.00, 978-0-252-02793-2, softcover, $19.95, 978-0-252-07099-0): essays and speeches about prison and the death penalty, exposing little-known facts, are accompanied by poems, stories, and first-hand accounts by prisoners.

Medical. HAPPY ACCIDENTS: SERENDIPITY IN MODERN MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS by Morton A. Meyers (Arcade Publishing, 390 pages, hardcover, $29.95, 978-1-55970-819-7): discusses the discoveries of penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, and antidepressants, which were all discovered accidentally while doctors and scientists were in search of something else.

Music. THE SINGER’S COMPANION: A GUIDE TO IMPROVING YOUR VOICE AND PERFORMANCE by Brent Monahan (Limelight Editions, 169 pages, softcover w/CD, $14.95, 978-1-57467-150-6): practical advice and techniques regarding stance, breathing, resonance, and range; with quotations from Pavarotti, Caruso, and Manuel Garcia.

Performing Arts. THE ENCHANTED YEARS OF THE STAGE: KANSAS CITY AT THE CROSSROADS OF AMERICAN THEATER, 1870-1930 by Felicia Hardison Londre (University of Missouri Press, b/w photographs, 327 pages, hardcover, $34.95, 978-0-8262-1709-7): stories of the performers who once graced the stages of Kansas City during its golden age in the 1870s, including Sarah Bernhardt, Sir Henry Irving, and Edwin Booth.

Pets. HOW TO RAISE HORSES: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW by Daniel and Samantha Johnson (Voyageur Press, 8 x 11, 200 color photographs, 192 pages, softcover, $19.95, 978-0-7603-2719-7): information about selecting, feeding, housing, and showing horses; with basic tips for first aid and training.

Political Science. FOOD FIGHT: THE CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO A FOOD AND FARM BILL by Daniel Imhoff (University of California Press, b/w photographs and illustrations, 167 pages, softcover, $16.95, 978-0-9709500-2-4): details about a significant land use bill that is passed every several years that determines who grows what crops; informational graphs and narrative discuss the history of the bill and solutions for the future.

Political Science. PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE: THE POLITICS OF PATRIOTISM IN AMERICA’S SCHOOLS, Joel Westheimer, editor (Teachers College Press, 219 pages, hardcover, $50.00, 978-0-8077-4751-3, softcover, $18.95, 978-0-8077-4750-6): collection of essays by activists including Cindy Sheehan and Howard Zinn contends that “Patriotism Makes Kids Stupid” and “Patriotism is a Bad Idea at a Dangerous Time.”

-Selected by Alex Moore, compiled by Whitney Hallberg