FOREWORD THIS WEEK
04.16.08
1. REPORT FROM THE LONDON BOOK FAIR
Middle Eastern publishers are in the spotlight; cookbooks, Amazon, and Rowling create buzz.
2. SPLAT! INDY SYMPOSIUM HITS COMICS BULLS EYE
New York Center launches a full day graphic novels intensive.
3. FAST FOREWORD
News, awards and announcements from our wire.
4. FOREWORD FOOTNOTES
Titles of note from our review stacks.
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1. REPORT FROM THE LONDON BOOK FAIR
All book shows are not created equal and the 2008 London Book Fair, of manageable size and easily reachable via London’s superb underground and bus system, is a delightful contrast to Frankfurt and BookExpo America, the book industry’s other major events. But the London experience benefits from many other tangibles--namely, the UK’s rich literary history and fascination with the written word; close proximity to Europe; longstanding cultural ties to the near and far East, Africa, and Austral-Asia; and good Brit sensibility--all of which serve to attract a wonderfully diverse attendee and exhibitor base.
A sad but true reality of our post-9/11 world is the fact that BookExpo America no longer appeals to a substantial portion of Middle Eastern book industry professionals, most of whom find the poking, prodding, and patdowns of Homeland Security officials at US airports a business buzzkiller. Much of their business is being conducted here instead. All told, the unfortunate circumstance affects many hundreds if not thousands of authors, publishers, agents, printers, shippers, and booksellers. Shrewdly, show director Alistair Burtenshaw, and the other sharp minds behind the London Book Fair, chose to feature the Arab world as their 2008 Market Focus, a program meant to highlight that region’s publishers, translation projects, literary prizes, book fairs, and other publishing-related initiatives. In gratitude, through their cultural ministries, no less than twelve of those Islamic countries ponied up for expansive pavilions dotting the show floor, highlighted by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia’s stand and another by the United Arab Emirates.
The word is hard to avoid at successful book fairs, but yes, there is palpable “buzz” on the London Book Fair show floor. Most aisles are flush with attendees, and publishers seem pleased by the rights business they are doing. One notable attendee was British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who sat for an interview on opening day with novelist Sebastian Faulks. A few American publishers were overheard discussing Amazon’s recent decision to exclude other print-on-demand publishers from selling their books on Amazon’s site, now that the online retailer is in the business of printing books. New books covering the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are featured prominently on the stands of several large US and UK publishers. And, cookery books also command the attention of passers-by due to the extra level of care given to their production here in Europe. Otherwise, British newspapers are keeping a watchful eye on courtroom proceedings in the JK Rowling copyright-infringement case taking place in New York. Not surprisingly, the front page coverage is decidedly sympathetic to Rowling.
by Matt Sutherland, Contributor
ATTENTION PUBLISHERS:
PROMOTE YOUR BEA 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. There is no charge for this service. We will create a downloadable PDF file of the list and your booth location, plus provide takeaway paper copies at the show from The Independent Press Lounge, booth number 5641.
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Book Expo America
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Book Expo America
The second largest book fair in the world is only months away! It's where the world gathers to get a great read on the industry.
Hotels are almost sold out so don't wait! Register now and for more information visit our new website at bookexpoamerica.com
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2. SPLAT! INDY SYMPOSIUM HITS COMICS BULLS EYE
The New York Center for Independent Publishing mounted an ambitious and highly successful mini-university on March 15, bringing some of the first tier creative and publishing people in the comics industry together with an audience of writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers and independent publishers. They named it “Splat!”
Its themes embraced what graphic novels are, their subject matter and by whom and how they are published; the process of creating the novel--story-telling, bringing literature into the comic medium, collaboration between writer and artist; and how graphic novels are used in the classroom and library
The marathon event of 18 panels in three tracks culminated in an interview with comics authority Scott McCloud conducted by Calvin Reid, editor of Publishers Weekly’s Comics Weekly, and surely the premier reporter on the GN sector of the publishing industry.
McCloud is author of Making Comics and Understanding Comics, each published by Harper. These two books, along with Michael Pawuk’s Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga and More (Libraries Unlimited, 1-5918-132-) should be in any library of basics about what this medium is all about.
Understanding Comics was first published by Kitchen Sink Press in 1993. It is an example of the origins of comics publishing being in the hands of independent publishers not in the traditional book space--where it largely remains today (e.g. DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, NBM, Fantagraphics, Tokyo Pop, Viz). Of course all of the major publishers have entered the field with their own or special imprints or subsidiaries (Del Rey Manga, Scholastic Graphix, Holzbrink’s First Second Press to name a few). Many of the foregoing were represented on panels at the symposium.
Kitchen Sink Press, founded by Denis Kitchen was a leading independent comics publisher for 30 years until 1999 when it went out of business. In 1984 McCloud authored the science fiction/superhero comic book series Zot! Among other works, he wrote twelve issues of DC Comics’ Superman Adventures.
Reid and McCloud agreed that we are stuck with the term “comics” and “graphic novels” although neither accurately describes the whole category of “sequential art telling stories.” McCloud said that the reason comics have come to this stage of popularity is partly due to the presence in the reviewing and reporting media of “moles,” generations of journalists and writers who were already fans of the art, ready to extol its virtues as popularity grew.
On a more fundamental level, it took decades for comics to recover from the period during the forties and fifties when a nationwide scare over the potential negative effects on children of the extreme violence, cruelty and sexuality that was then appearing in the weeklies led literally to the under-grounding, of comics, and even some public burnings, and efforts to legislate their regulation.
In the past five years especially, the arrival of Japanese Manga and the cross-media popularity of action heroes (Spider Man, Superman, Star Wars) pushed graphic novels into the classrooms and libraries due to their popularity among young people. As subject matter expanded into non-fiction and “literary” fiction, the form became legitimized through nationally recognized and award-winning works such as Maus, Sandman, Fun Home, American Born Chinese, Robotica, War Fix, Watchmen, The 9/11 Report, and Persepolis.
The symposium was held at the General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen’s classic building on West 44th Street. More than 150 attendees packed each of the panels. The NY CIP’s venture into Graphic Novels is sure to become an annual event. (www.nycip.org).
On the larger scene, it complements in a focused way for independent publishers the two-year old broad-based New York Comic-Con (scheduled for the Javits Center 4/18-4/20) -- providing New York-centered trade events for this rapidly growing sector of the book industry.
by Eugene G. Schwartz, Editor at Large
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3. FAST FOREWORD
Organizations Speak Out Against Amazon’s POD Policy
Several organizations representing independent publishers and authors have spoken out against Amazon’s decision to require print-on-demand publishers to use its BookSurge service if they wish to sell directly on Amazon.com.
Terry Nathan, executive director of PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, was quoted in a statement from the organization. “This policy imposes a significant financial burden on tens of thousands of small and independent publishers who can least afford it,” Nathan said. “Without the opportunity to benefit from competitive pricing, small publishers risk at best an expensive and needless overhaul of their manufacturing process, and at worst, the loss of their livelihood.”
Scott Flora, executive director of SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America), published an open letter to Amazon’s Board and CEO Jeff Bezos which countered, in part, Amazon’s own comments about how the new policy would benefit customers: “I surveyed our members and most of the respondents expressed their concerns about the quality of the books produced by BookSurge,” he said. “I also conducted an Internet search…From that search, I read about the myriad of problems many authors and publishers have had with BookSurge’s production quality.”
A statement from the Author’s Guild also disputed points from Amazon’s statement: “We suspect this maneuver by Amazon is far more about profit margin than it is about customer service or fossil fuels… We’re reviewing the antitrust and other legal implications of Amazon’s bold move.”
New Imprint Hopes to “Revolutionize Book Business”
Large house publisher and industry leader HarperCollins has announced the launch of a new imprint that they hope will “[improve] the economics of book publishing.” The Wall Street Journal reports that the as yet unnamed imprint won’t accept returns from retailers and will pay little or no advances to authors.
“There’s so much inefficiency in our business, so much waste, that it’s time to at least experiment with approaches that can eliminate waste,” said Robert S. Miller, who will leave Hyperion to head up the new imprint.
IDPF Presents Digital Book 2008
Digital Book 2008, a one-day conference sponsored by the International Digital Publishing Forum will be held on May 14 in New York City. The emerging global eBook market and the adoption of the EPUB digital publication standard will top the agenda. Mikio Amaya, president and CEO of PAPYLESS in Tokyo, will present a session, “The eBook Industry in Japan.” PAPYLESS is the number one retailer of eBooks in Japan. Visit the Web site for more information and registration.
Melissa Riggio, 20, Dies
Melissa Riggio, the twenty-year-old daughter of Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio, died this week of leukemia.
Melissa, who had Down Syndrome, won the Self Advocate Award from the National Down Syndrome Society in 2003 and was the inspiration for Barnes & Noble’s creation of a special section of books about children with special needs. A poet and aspiring songwriter, Melissa had an essay published in National Geographic Kids magazine in January 2007, titled “I Have Down Syndrome--Know Me Before You Judge Me”
In lieu of flowers, the family wishes donations be made to the Valerie Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown Memorial Health Foundation, P.O. Box 1956, Morristown, N.J. 07962. Please indicate that donations are in memory of Melissa Riggio.
The staff at ForeWord offers its condolences to the Riggio family.
From staff reports. Share your news and information with Whitney Hallberg, Managing Editor.
This week at Editor’s Notes, Editor in Chief Heather Shaw talks about options in eBooks.
At Publishing Matters, Eugene G. Schwartz hosts a guest blogger on the topic of Amazon's role as book distributor and digital warehouse.
At Shelf Space, Eva Mays asks the real librarians in the room to stand up.
At Publishing Insider, Square One's Rudy Shur shares lessons from Lenny Riggio.
Visit www.forewordmagazine.com for publishing news, book reviews, and the ForeWord Book Club.
4. FOREWORD FOOTNOTES
Art. BRUSHES & BAYONETS: CARTOONS, SKETCHES AND PAINTINGS OF WORLD WAR I edited by Lucinda Gosling (Osprey, b/w and color illustrations, 12 x 9, 200 pages, hardcover, $34.95, 978-1-84603-095-6): Illustrated London News Archive manager presents 250 illustrations encompassing light-hearted strip cartoons, poignant sketches, and political satire; chapters include Drawing the Enemy, Life in the Trenches, and Women & War, for example, a picture of a Kirchner Girl (forerunner of the pin-up) by artist Bruce Bairnsfather with the caption, “Come on Bert, it’s safer in the trenches.”
Gardening. THE GARDENER’S BEDSIDE READER edited by Kari Cornell (Voyageur Press, 100 color and 25 b/w photographs, 256 pages, hardcover, $27.95, 978-0-7603-2657-2): gardener enthusiast presents twenty-four short stories and essays complemented by illustrations from vintage advertisements to gardening memorabilia; stories include “Among Heirloom Plants, Always Tread Lightly” by Laura Billings, “The Delights of Weeding” by Suzy Bales, and “Tasha Tudor: Springs Eternal” by Tovah Martin, who writes of the famous Vermont gardener who painted gardens with flowers.
History. MODERN EUROPE: 1750 TO THE PRESENT edited by Cora Granata and Cheryl A. Koos (Rowman & Littlefield, 244 pages, softcover, $24.95, 978-0-7425-5411-5, hardcover, $69.00, 978-0-7425-5410-8): assistant history professor and associate history professor present a collection of fourteen essays; writings include “The French Revolution” by Stanford University Ph. D. Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall, “Americanization and Postwar Modernization” by MIT visiting scholar Paolo Scrivano, and “World War I and Literary Responses” by University of Michigan Ph.D. Karen Petrone, who explores the plight of the soldier in Mikhail Sholokhov’s Quiet Flows the Don and Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front.
Juvenile Nonfiction. INDIANA JONES: OFF THE BEATEN PATH, AN UNOFFICIAL EXPEDITION by George Beahm (Hampton Roads, b/w illustrations, 175 pages, softcover, $15.95, 978-1-57174-558-3): enthusiast presents behind-the-scenes look at the movies and television series, explores the myths surrounding the character, and introduces readers to a real archaeologist; discussions include poison darts, pigeons flambé, and sifting through grains of golden sand.
Literary Collections: WOMEN POETS ON MENTORSHIP: EFFORTS AND AFFECTIONS edited by Arielle Greenberg and Rachel Zucker (University of Iowa Press, 330 pages, softcover, $24.95, 978-1-58729-639-0): assistant poetry professor and recent poet-in-residence at Fordham University present twenty-four essays that explore the complicated nature of the mentoring relationship: writings include Kristin Prevallet’s “On Anne Waldman,” Joy Katz’s “On Sharon Olds,” and Rebecca Wolff’s “On Molly Peacock,” where she writes about her high school poetry teacher and her “vernacular of the lucid.”
Nature. AMERICAN EARTH: ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING SINCE THOREAU edited by Bill McKibben (Literary Classics of the United States, b/w and color photographs, 1,048 pages, hardcover, $54.00, 978-1-59853-020-9): author and activist presents 100 writers concerning nature; authors include Walt Whitman - “The sudden gorgeous drama, the sunny and ample lands,” Leaves of Grass, Aldo Leopold – “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty,” A Sand County Almanac, and Cape Coder Mary Oliver – “Tell me, what is it your plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?,” House of Light.
Performing Arts. THE FILMS OF SAMUEL FULLER: IF YOU DIE, I’LL KILL YOU by Lisa Dombrowski (Wesleyan University Press, b/w photographs, 246 pages, hardcover, $27.95, 978-0-8195-6866-3): associate professor of film studies analyzes one of the most distinctive writer / directors ever to emerge from Hollywood; films referenced include Hell and High Water, The Crimson Kimono, and The Naked Kiss, where a reformed prostitute falls in love with the leading citizen in a small town.
Poetry. THE POEM I TURN TO: ACTORS & DIRECTORS PRESENT POETRY THAT INSPIRES THEM edited by Jason Shinder (Sourcebooks, b/w photographs, CD, 256 pages, hardcover, $24.95, 978-1-4022-0502-6): poet and teacher of graduate writing programs has collected favorite writings of 42 movie actors and directors; included are Eve Ensler – “…how suffering inscribes on cheeks / the hard lines of its cuneiform texts…” Epilogue by Anna Akhmatova, Melissa Leo – “That time will come and take my love away,” Sonnet 64 by William Shakespeare, and Tim Blake Nelson – “…frayed flags quilt the graveyards…” For The Union Dead by Robert Lowell.
Religion. OUR FATHER’S WORLD: MOBILIZING THE CHURCH TO CARE FOR CREATION by Edward R. Brown (IVP Books, 203 pages, softcover, $15.00, 978-0-8308-3484-6); founding director of Care of Creation explains how evangelical missions and the environment are linked, and believes “creation care” begins at home; circumstances include lakes suffering from over fertilization of suburban lawns, garlic mustard overrunning woodlands, and the Ash borer felling trees.
Social Science. WILFUL BLINDNESS: A MEMOIR OF THE JIHAD by Andrew C. McCarthy (Encounter Books, 352 pages, hardcover, $25.95, 978-1-59403-213-4): federal prosecutor details how domestic law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community have a history of failing to take the Jihad seriously; discussed are “symbolic targets,” AK-47 toting “pious Muslims,” and the “Blind Sheikh,” a master terrorist living in Jersey City who had memorized the Quran after going blind at age four.
by Alex Moore, Book Review Editor
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