Bookstore Keys: Lemuria’s Headed for NYCBorders has missed its deadline of May 6th for bids that would keep the company operating. B & N expressed interest to buy 10 stores. Another offer is rumored to buy 200 stores. This unknown company seems to be interested in the large retails outlets that garner the bulk of the company revenues.
Borders may be forced to close all of its remaining stores if no bidder is found in the next few weeks. With this news and lots of other things on our minds, we’re headed to New York to attend our once-a-year trade show. Many of you may wonder how Lemuria can bring so many first class writers to a small community like Jackson. The answer starts next week when Joe and I land in NYC. The 2011 show should be especially interesting with Borders declining in the brick model and the rapid emergence of the e-book.
Our challenge will be to find out which publishers are interested in working directly with Lemuria to enhance our reading community. We’ll be exploring what the future will hold for Lemuria’s work with the nation’s top publishers.
Lemuria is particularly challenged by this opportunity with our industry’s change. We want to come out of this paradigm shift giving Jackson a better and more successful bookstore. Our work next week will be important in determining if that quality growth will actually come about.
Lemuria doesn’t know what attitude the publishers will have toward our work. Will publishers and authors care about the physical book or just put up a smoke screen? Will the overall focus be on the e-book? I expect we will be shined with both attitudes. However, I’m encouraged that our good publishers will still want quality physical books to thrive and will need local booksellers and plan to enhance their efforts.
On this trip, I’m out to catch these three big fish:
1. Jim Harrison’s new book The Great Leader, published by Grove.
The word is that our longtime favorite, Big Jim, is not coming South. But that is not going to stop me from trying to get a Dixie trip out of the Old Bear. I just started reading Great Leader yesterday. Fans, get ready for Jim’s new counter ego hero. He’s grand again.
2. Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table, published by Knopf
Michael Ondaatje has never been to our bookstore. A Jax trip is a long shot we hear, however, we are going to try for it. I have read all of Ondaatje’s novels and a goodly bit his nonfiction and poetry. He is one of my favorites and we will work hard to lure Ondaatje South. This is an author whose market size hurts us, but we’re going to let out a lion’s roar for a Mississippi trip.
3. Paul Hendrickson’s Hemingway’s Boat 1934-1961. Five hundred and sixty pages about Papa and Pilar sharing everything Papa loved in life and lost.
Well, that’s just a taste. Watch out for Joe’s round up of our upcoming work in New York in a couple of days. We will share some of the authors who have already made it to our events list and other writers with new books coming out this fall.
We will also be giving you a preview to some of the projects we have in the works for our local community. We’re planning to enhance our physical book reading community this fall through our efforts in the Big Apple. Stay tuned.
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The Bookstore Key Series on Changes in the Book Industry
Barnes & Noble Bankrupt? (April 28) Decluttering the Book Market: Ads on the latest Kindle (April 14) Independents on the Exposed End of the Titantic? (April 6th) Border’s Bonuses (March 30) The Experience of Holding a Book (March15) Finding “Deep Time” in a Bookstore (March 8th) Reading The New Rules of Retail by Lewis & Dart (March 3) The Future Price of the Physical Book (Feb 18) Borders Declares Bankruptcy (Feb 16) How Great Things Happen at Lemuria (Feb 8th) The Jackson Area Book Market (Jan 25) What’s in Store for Local Bookselling Markets? (Jan 18) Selling Books Is a People Business (Jan 14) A Shift in Southern Bookselling? (Jan 13) The Changing Book Industry (Jan 11)
Written by John
15 responses so far ↓
1 Kathleen Conner Strickland // May 17, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Knock ‘em dead! Hope you get the three big fish and lots more-…Please let publishers know that plenty of us still want to hold a real, substantial book and turn the pages in our own hands–and share them with our children on our laps, no electricity required. Bon voyage!
2 Allison Crews // May 17, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Good luck! I’m heading there myself in June for the Mississippi Picnic and to court “big” publishers myself for my books. Truly an exciting time to be an author. Keep up the good work, John and Joe!
3 Ellis // May 17, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Safe trip to you and Joe. Here’s to hoping you “land the big one” as Bill Dance would say! Your work is unbelievably important and crucial to the health of Jackson’s community. Keep it up and see you soon!
4 Paul Hendrickson // May 17, 2011 at 2:35 pm
As a long-time admirer of your bookstore, a place I quietly came into night after night in all the years when I traveled to Mississippi, to do work on “Sons of Mississippi,” I was gratified, humbled, and inspired by the frankness of your message–which happened to include my new book, “Hemingway’s Boat.” The honesty of your admission that you don’t know what the future holds–that’s bracing and beautiful. None of us knows. Publishers don’t know. I do know I am thrilled to be soon published, again, by Knopf, and thrilled to be thought of by such serious lovers of books as the staff of Lemuria. Thanks, PH
5 Anne Roberts // May 17, 2011 at 4:31 pm
John,
You might review Jim Harrison’s page 79 of THE RAW AND THE COOKED, as he sites his visit to Jackson, MS as a high point of a book tour. Turns out the food and wines served, as well as dancing with Southern belles made quite an impression. Hope you entice him to come to Mississippi one more time!
Hey Anne – page 79 of The Raw and the Cooked is a favorite. John was driving the car that “Actually drove through a tornado… Very wet.” Love Harrison.
7 Huggins // May 17, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Look forward to spending some time with you up there and good luck in your roaring, you Old Lion.
8 susan // May 17, 2011 at 9:40 pm
geddy up!
9 billy // May 18, 2011 at 5:12 am
The “national and local respect” for Lemuria IS unprecedented in this country. Earning that same, MOST envied reputation is NOT easy, as in your business: THERE IS NEVER A TIME OUT! OR A FINISH LINE, to your business.
I join, with your numerous customers in “saying thank you” for bringing such a business as LEMURIA, to NOT only our state, but to America.
Congratulations to all on your continuing efforts!…and have a great trip.
10 george ezell // May 19, 2011 at 8:48 am
Thanks John for all you do for us. Hope you can snag them all.
11 Tom // May 19, 2011 at 9:46 pm
The James Brown of American Bookselling! You have accomplished amazing feats, Johnny, and we know your intuition and relentless fervor for what is right and best will carry Lemuria ever forward through its evolution. Have a grand time of it in NYC.
12 Emily // May 20, 2011 at 9:18 pm
here’s hoping that an old bird dawg will hear the Lion’s roar in Manhattan next week! i’m fighting the good fight alongside you for your northern neighbors.
13 Jeanie Clinton // May 20, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Hey, Paul…enjoyed a wonderful dinner with you at Cuvee in New Orleans when your first book came out. Curtis Wilkie and others along. We talked about the Tallahatchie folk…
I look forward to your Papa book and hope I get to hear you read from it at Lemuria!
Jeanie Clinton
14 Joshua // Jun 23, 2011 at 4:13 pm
I know I am coming to the conversation late, but connecting with other likeminded bookstores I am thinking of Grenada, Hattiesburg, and then on to New Orleans may make a tour more appealing. Again forgive the intrusion as I am coming to the conversation late.
15 John E. Shorkey // Aug 1, 2011 at 2:46 pm
My family in Jackson, and my sister in Yuma are long-time denizens of Lemuria, and my wife and I, from Chula Vista, CA, consider Lemuria to be our absolute favorite store in the world. Please visit the San Diego area, just to say, “Hi.”
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