Amazon Drops Colorado Associates Program

By Jim Milliot  - Publishers Weekly

Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly

In a letter sent to "Colorado-based Amazon Associate[s]," the e-tailer said that effective Monday March 8 it was ending its associates program in the state. Amazon cited newly passed legislation aimed at imposing sales tax on online retailers for its decision to end the program. In the letter, Amazon said while the new law doesn't require online retailers to collect sales tax, the new regulations "increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to " 'voluntarily' collect Colorado sales tax--a course we won't take."

Because of the legislation, Amazon has stopped advertising through its Colorado associates, although it said it will continue to sell to Colorado residents and will advertise through other channels, including through associates based in other states. The company said it is not opposed to collecting sales tax "within a constitutionally-permissible system applied evenhandedly." If Colorado scraps its new law or follows the "constitutional approach to collection," Amazon said it would "welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates."

The flap in Colorado is just the latest in the battle between Amazon and other online retailers and states that are imposing sales tax on out-of-state e-tailers by determining that associate or affiliate programs in a state constitutes a legal nexus for those e-tailers to collect sales tax. Amazon is challenging New York State's law that requires the collection of sales tax by out-of-state e-tailers and last year it ended its affiliates program in North Carolina rather than collect a sales tax. It is collecting the tax in New York while its appeal moves forward.

Leads From Linda - Greer Memorial Library

Greer Memorial Library

PO Box 144

74 A County Road 1120/Main Street

Greer, AZ 85927

Phone: (928) 735-7710

FAX: Same as above

We took our family skiing this past weekend in charming, snow-covered Greer, AZ. I stayed in the cabin by the cozy fireplace and read a new manuscript while my family skied. I kept the fire going as I read my way through "Perfectly Amanda." I was the envy of every Amanda Blake fan. After all, I was getting the first glimpse of her remarkable life story. (www.PerfectlyAmanda.com). If you were not an Amada Blake fan before you read "Perfectly Amanda," you will be after it.


Greer also has a quaint library that was located across the street from our rented cabin. I am going to donate a few books to Greer Memorial Library and you might want to do the same. Tell the librarian that Linda Radke of Five Star Publications sent ya. I told her I would. :-)

Win a Book - March Contest

This month's contest features TWO copies of the new memoir Gonville by Peter Birkenhead.  You can read the review here and then head on over to our book contest page to enter.  Good luck!

Candlewick Launches Marketing Program for Indies

By Judith Rosen   Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly
Candlewick Press in Somerville, Mass., affirmed its commitment to independent bookstores with the launch of a new marketing program aimed specifically at frontline indie booksellers, CHIRP. In a bit of double entendre, "CHIRP," short for Candlewick's Handselling Indie Recognition Program, also refers to a short, lively, high-pitched sound, the kind someone makes when they're excited about a book.


Late last week Candlewick sent out the first CHIRP white boxes to 265 independent accounts. Inside were copies of rep picks for the coming spring season along with bookmark-sized "handselling tip cards" with reviews and handselling ideas from other booksellers, including Carol Sokoloff of Prairie Lights in Iowa City and Judy Wheeler of Towne Center Books in Pleasanton, Calif. Also included were blank shelftalkers and booktalkers printed on card stock with the CHIRP logo.


"I was so exited to get the box. It feels so good to know Candlewick respects what we do for them," says Rebecca Fabian, children's department manager at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass., who had already read and "loved" two CHIRP selections: The Agency and Finnikin of the Rock. Added Stephanie Anderson, manager of WORD Books in Brooklyn, "It's really nice to see somebody reaching out to frontline booksellers."


Susan Richard, owner of Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, Wash., especially appreciated the care that went into the program. "I thought it was a cute name, and the packaging was nice," she says. "We don't get very many advance galleys for kids' books and to have finished books is good. Everyone who was on the floor when the box came was excited."


Director of field sales Elise Supovitz, who is spearheading CHIRP, emphasized that it is more of a bookseller-inspired program than a typical publisher push program. "Given that as much as 70% of sales in the kids' section of indie stores comes from handselling," she says, "we decided to create a program that speaks directly to this core strength of independent booksellers."


In addition to the seasonal CHIRP box, Candlewick will add a dedicated [Web site], http://www.candlewickchirp.com/ next week. Booksellers who signup for the CHIRP e-newsletter will be entered into a drawing for a paid trip to ABA's 2011 Winter Institute. CHIRP stores can earn special discounts and dating for rep picks and to additional co-op dollars. That should give indies even more to chirp about.

Reviewer's Tip - Don't Do This!

Today's tip is easy and will even save you some money.  Ready?  If the review site says, "Do not send unsolicited books/manuscripts," then don't!!!!  I'm always amazed at the number of authors who send their books to us even though our guidelines say, and I quote, "Do not send unsolicited books to our address. All such books will be recyled - we will not review them nor will we contact you."  Still, we get them.  I suspect authors think once we see the book, we'll just have to review it.  Not so.  Even if the book looks quite interesting, if it's unsolicited, it gets placed in the recyle pile right away.  This might sound harsh, but with the volume of books we get, we simply can't accept all these extra books.  Consider too that each book gets assigned a reviewer who reads/reviews books in that genre.  If we don't accept a book for review, it might be because we simply don't have a reviewer available for that genre.  

Another tactic (and this we see more from larger publicity firms) is to send unsolicited books with a letter bascially confirming that we requested the book.  Nope, not going to fool us.  We keep a file on each book we accept, from the day we accept it.  This might work with sites that are overwhelmed/poorly managed, but I suspect few reviewers are fooled.  It certainly won't win the publicity firm any points with us.  A related method is to send an email/press release saying something along the lines of "we talked last month about this new book and now, as you requested, we're ready to send you a copy."  Nope, not going to fool me with that one either.  

Follow a site's guidelines, don't try to go around the rules, and your books will wind up in the hands of the reviewers who want to read the book, not throw it out.

New Events Coming To Feathered Quill!

Feathered Quill is pleased to announce two weekly events that will be both a fun treat for our regular readers, and will assist authors in promoting their books.

Starting March 12th, FQ will be partnering with one of our reviewers, Lynette Latzko, from DelGal's Book Reviews to participate in "Teaser Tuesdays" and "Friday Finds," which is hosted by Miz B from the Should Be Reading blog.

But what does this mean to readers and authors? Great question!

Every Friday FQ will feature a few books right here on this blog that are currently in the review process. Readers can quickly get a synopsis through Amazon, and can add it to their ever increasing To Be Read list, while authors will get their much needed exposure time of their book. Then, on the following Tuesday, those same books will be listed once again, but this time a two sentence "teaser" will be randomly chosen from the book and will be included in the post, hopefully to entice even more readers.

So come join us for a twice weekly dose of fun, find new books or get your book promoted! See you next week.

Speakers Announced for BEA

Jon Stewart to Emcee BEA Author Breakfast

Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly


BookExpo America has announced its star lineup for the main Author Breakfast of the trade show, to take place on Thursday, May 27. Jon Stewart, who appeared at BEA in 2004, is returning to emcee the breakfast, and he will introduce Condoleezza Rice, whose first memoir is being published by Random House's Crown Publishing Group in October 2010. Other speakers, featured in special events throughout BEA, include, among others, William Gibson, John Grisham, Sara Gruen, Christopher Hitchens, and Patton Oswalt. The children's breakfast will feature Cory Doctorow, Mitali Perkins, and Richard Peck; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, will emcee.

While the Adult Author Breakfast is set for the 27th, the Children's Author Breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, May 26, and the Adult Author Lunch, for Thursday, May 27. The Opening Night Reception is planned for the evening of Tuesday, May 25, at 6 p.m. The show's traditional evening of entertainment, known as BEA's "Saturday Night," is also planned to take place on Tuesday, May 25. It will occur at Town Hall at 9:00 pm. Details on these two events are forthcoming.