Robothotdog ~ La Casa de Hijinks


	Marketing Samples: Author Interviews: Reviews: Columns:

The main purpose of the Your Content Conscience e-newsletter is to inform BookSense.com member bookstores of the new content available to them. But perhaps more importantly, the YCC also contains online bookselling advice, pertinent BookSense.com news, and information on new Book Sense programs and promotions.

YOUR CONTENT CONSCIENCE
June 20, 2003

Greetings to all BookSense.com stores!

The new The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers trailer can be seen at New Line's official website for the film! Go to: http://www.lordoftherings.net to access the preview.

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Table of Contents
+Hot Site: Eagle Harbor Book Company
(www.eagleharborbooks.com)
+Reading the News
+New VIPs: Jim Munroe, Tony DiTerlizzi, Jon J. Muth, and Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
+New Theme: National Gay and Lesbian Book Month
+New Theme: Not Your Typical Travelogue
+New Theme: Historical Mysteries
+Award Follies of 2003
+Harry Potter and the Make Some Magic Sweepstakes
+Nigerian Net Scam
+Fraudulent Orders

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CONTENTS:
- From The Desk of J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Making of The Two Towers
- Who's In the Movie? Miranda Otto
- The Quest Continues Bonus-Entry Trivia Question!

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Hot Site: Eagle Harbor Book Co., Bainbridge Island, WA
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Doing brisk business in the community of Bainbridge Island for over thirty years, Eagle Harbor Book Co. has decided to take the momentous leap into online bookselling! With this solid website, they're off to a good start:

1. The home page is clear and informative. A photo and a warm, inviting
introduction to the store starts things off. Details on what's new,
in-store events, and staff picks -- all good for potential online and
offline foot traffic -- are also included.

2. The staff picks section has fun photos of almost the entire staff, and their recommendations are sharp and insightful.

3. The store information section takes full advantage of its potential. A superb explanation of what Eagle Harbor Book Co. has to offer is followed by links to store directions, hours, a store history, a section on banned books and used books, and information on reading groups and book clubs.

Another Website-Marketing Idea:
Elizabeth Bluemle of the Flying Pig Bookstore located in Charlotte, VT, has discovered an easy way of promoting BookSense.com. She placed a bold blurb in her newsletter that read: "Fan of Amazon? Try BookSense.com!" and immediately received an overwhelmingly positive response. Elizabeth says, "because the blurb mentioned Amazon directly, providing an alternative, and was supporting independents in general and not seeming to plug only my store, it was particularly successful."

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Reading the News: Nuestro Es Ecuelas Cambiantes
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The steady influx of Latino children into the nation's schools is rapidly changing the face of education. To learn more about the myriad facets of the Latino experience, take a look at the following books!

-Random Family: ISBN 0684863871
-Living in Spanglish: ISBN 0312310005
-Dirty Girls Social Club: ISBN 0312313810
-The New Face of Baseball: ISBN 0060536314
-Oh, the Colors/De Colores: ISBN 0316065633
-Caramelo: ISBN 1400041503
-Brown: The Last Discovery of America: ISBN 0142000795

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New VIPs:
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-Author Jim Munroe (Everyone in Silico) explains why he loves the lowbrow: http://www.booksense.com/people/archive/m/munroejim.jsp

-Illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi garnered a 2003 BSBY
[Book Sense Book of the Year Award] nomination for his adaptation of The Spider and the Fly:
http://www.booksense.com/people/archive/d/diterlizzitony.jsp

-BSBY nominated children's book writer/illustrater Jon J. Muth discusses Zen and the art of The Three Questions:
http://www.booksense.com/people/archive/m/muthjonj.jsp

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Theme: National Gay and Lesbian Book Month
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We've gathered a small sampling of titles that offer a variety of perspectives -- from a tale of fatherhood to a new YA novel to an updated sex manual, you're sure to find some great reading here.

-The Joy of Gay Sex: ISBN 0060012730
-Geography Club: ISBN 0060012218
-Keeping You a Secret: ISBN 0316702757
-Following Foo: ISBN 0060529539

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Theme: Not Your Typical Travelogue
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From Alaska to Angola, the mighty ocean to the highest mountain, these titles will inspire you to hit the road.

-Bay of Tigers: ISBN 0151006555
-The Blue Bear: ISBN 0066210852
-Red Sky in Mourning: ISBN 0786886765
-Warrior Women: ISBN 0446525464
-Lone Wolf: ISBN 0786868708

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Theme: Historical Mysteries
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Take a crime-ridden trip back in time!
-Love For Sale: ISBN 0060199423
-Bag Men: ISBN 0156028212
-Slayer of Gods: ISBN 0446690384
-The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque: ISBN 0060936177

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Updated Awards
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A veritable slew of awards were updated in the admin. Here's a quick list to help you sort 'em all out:

BOOK SENSE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Adult Fiction: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
(ISBN 0316666343)
Adult Nonfiction: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
(ISBN 0375758992)
Paperback Award: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
(ISBN 0060934417)
Illustrated Children's Book: Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague
(ISBN 0439206634)
Children's Literature: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
(ISBN 0439404371)
Rediscovery: The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
(ISBN 0152024689)

In other news out of BEA, Jay Steele of Left Bank Books in St. Louis, MO, was the winner of the BookSense.com poetry slam!

To read the entire story, click here:
http://www.booksense.com/readup/PoetrySlam2.jsp

GOLDEN SOWER
Grades K-3: Bedhead by Margie Palatini and Jack E. Davis
(ISBN 0689823975)
Grades 4-6: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo
(ISBN 0763616052)
Young Adult: Night Hoops by Carl Deuker
(ISBN 0064472752)

PEN/HEMINGWAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Apt. 3W by Gabriel Brownstein
(ISBN 039305151X)

JOHN BURROUGHS AWARD
Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival by Carl Safina
(ISBN 0805062297)

NEW YORK CITY BOOK AWARDS
American Ground by William Langewiesche (ISBN 0865475822)
Harlem: Lost & Found by Paul Rocheleau and Michael Henry Adams
(ISBN 1580930700)
A Modern Arcadia by Susan L. Klaus (ISBN 155849314X)
Coney Island: Lost and Found by Charles Denson (ISBN 1580084559)
Fireboat by Maira Kalman (ISBN 0399239537)

YOUNG LIONS FICTION AWARD
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
(ISBN 0060529709)
The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
(ISBN 0142002968)

COMMONWEALTH WRITER'S PRIZE
The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke (ISBN 0060555653)
Best First Book: Ama by Manu Herbstein (ISBN 1585869325)

KORET JEWISH BOOK AWARDS
Fiction: Drohobycz, Drohobycz and Other Stories by Henryk Grynberg
(ISBN 0142001651)
History: Beyond the Pale by Benjamin Nathans (ISBN 0520208307)
Philosophy and Thought: Absorbing Perfections by Moshe Idel and Harold Bloom
(ISBN 0300083793)
Biography, Autobiography, and Literary Studies: Reading the Women of the Bible by Tikva Frymer-Kensky (ISBN 0805241213)

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HARRY POTTER SWEEPSTAKES
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To celebrate the release of author J.K. Rowling's new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book Sense and Potter publisher Scholastic are teaming up for the Make Some Magic with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Sweepstakes. The grand prize: a family trip to Las Vegas with tickets to see magician/entertainer Lance Burton. The winner will also receive copies of books in the Harry Potter series.

Muggles and non-muggles who purchase Order of the Phoenix between 12:01 a.m. on June 21 and 11:59 p.m. on June 26 at participating Book Sense stores or through BookSense.com will be given a collectible bookmark that explains how to enter the contest online. The customer then has three weeks to enter. One winner will be chosen at random from all entries.

Booksellers are also eligible for a Make Some Magic prize: a $2,000 credit for Scholastic books. To qualify, stores must submit photos of the their Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix display to…by July 31, 2003. Photos can be digital or print, and must be sent by the July 31 deadline.

For any questions regarding the Make Some Magic Sweepstakes, please contact…

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NIGERIAN NET SCAM
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Please be aware, there's news of another lovely little Internet scam. This one is based in Nigeria.

Here's how it works: Potential buyers for an expensive online item explain to the seller that a cashier's check for both the amount of the item and the cost of overseas shipping will be mailed from a business associate located within the United States. The buyer then requests that the shipping fees be wired once the cashier's check is cleared so that transportation for the item can be arranged. About a week or so after the check clears and the money for shipping has been sent, the seller is notified by their bank that the cashier's check is counterfeit.

The scam takes advantage of a simple but unfortunate glitch in the banking system: many banks make funds from a deposited check available within one to five days, but that doesn't mean the check is good. Fake checks can take weeks to get detected. And to make matters worse, depositors are always responsible for bad checks. Be careful of this one.

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FRAUDULENT ORDERS
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Also remember to be on a sharp lookout for those annoying and sadly prevalent fraudulent orders. The orders usually originate overseas, and are most often for costs in excess of $150. Books ordered are often religious, medical, and reference texts. The purchases are made with stolen credit card numbers.

Susan from Broad Street Books shares a recent experience: "I wanted to let you know that we received an order for some romance novels to be sent to the Philippines, and since they didn't fit any of the other fraudulent orders, we fulfilled it and have now received a charge back. These orders are not just bibles anymore."

If you are concerned with ANY order, you are strongly urged to secure payment in the form of a certified check or money order in U.S. funds before fulfilling the order. If you have any questions or concerns, contact…

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HAPPY INDEPENDENT ONLINE BOOKSELLING!
Good luck this Harry Potter weekend!