Michael Watson, editor
A perfectly rational question would be “where have we been?” After the last issue the long-time Editor felt like she had been running the race for too long and handed off the baton to another runner who would edit and assemble the IOBA Standard. Even the best runners stumble, on occasion, and this was the occasion when the new Editor encountered some life issues that got in the way of editing duties. The Standard stumbled, fell, and stayed down.
We’re Running Again We’re in training and not running at full speed, though. You are reading the Fall Preview edition of the Standard. It’s just a short “teaser” of the type and quality of information that we’ll present in future editions. Those editions will be quarterly and seasonal, which the astute observer in a temperate climate will note to be Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.
We’re Delivering
Regular, seasonal editions will be full-length and devoted to delivery of information that benefits the bookseller. You can expect lengthy, detailed feature articles and reference material from topic experts of experience and strong opinion. Shorter articles will inform you of the doings of online services, reports from book fairs, bookselling “tools,” etc.
This preview edition contains Penny Selling, Part2 by Stuart Manley, Collecting the Modern Library: A Gentle Introduction by Scot Kamins, Ephemeral Assays-Fire Keepers by Shawn Purcell, andThe Book Trade and its Markets by Charles Vilnis: all lengthy, detailed articles.
Making Money from Book Care, by Bern Marcowitz, makes it’s first appearance and will be an ongoing feature. Robin Gutterman notes the latest features of BookTrakker software and the closing of MyOwnBookshop.com. Included is the history and status of ChrisLands.com by Lance Christen.
Subscribe to our announcement list to be notified by e-mail when a new Standard is published. The announcement will include the highlight topics of the new edition, and we promise not to bug you with any other e-mails. If you find the Standard useful in your bookselling efforts, pass it along to those who haven’t seen it yet: others will benefit, too.
I look forward to delivering new editions and benefiting the IOBA and our many friends in the trade. Don’t hesitate to contact me at editor@ioba.org with ideas for articles or comments on the current edition. Your input and assistance will be reflected in our progress.
Best regards.
-Michael Watson, Editor, editor@ioba.org