The nominees for the Hugo Award for Best Novel are Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey ($15.99). Deadline by Mira Grant ($9.99), A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin ($35.00), Embassytown by China Mieville ($16.00), and Among Others by Jo Walton ($14.99).
The finalists for the Nebula Award for Best Novel are God’s War by Kameron Hurley ($14.99), The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin ($7.99), Firebird by Jack McDevitt ($24.95), Embassytown by China Mieville ($16.00), Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine ($14.95), and Among Others by Jo Walton ($14.99).
The Philip K. Dick award for best original science fiction paperback published for the first time during 2011 in the U.S. went to The Samuil Petrovitch Trilogy by Simon Morden (which consists of Equations of Life ($7.99), Theories of Flight ($7.99), and Degrees of Freedom ($7.99). A special citation was given to The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett ($13.99).
The Edgar Award winners included Best Novel to Gone by Mo Hayder ($14.00), Best First Novel to Bent Road by Lori Roy ($15.00), and Best Paperback Original to The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett ($13.99).
Several awards were presented at the Left Coast Crime convention. The Lefty (for most humorous mystery of 2011) went to The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews ($24.99 hc, $7.99 pb due early June). The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award went to Mercury’s Rise by Ann Parker ($24.95 hc or $14.95 tr pb). The Golden Nugget (for best mystery novel set in California) went to City of Secrets by Kelli Stanley ($24.99 hc, $14.99 tr pb due mid-July). The Eureka! (for best first mystery novel) went to Nazareth Child by Darrell James ($14.95). The Dilys Award (for the mystery that the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association members most enjoyed selling) went to Ghost Hero by S. J. Rozan ($25.99).
The Agatha Award for Best Mystery Novel went to Three Day Town by Margaret Maron ($25.99) and for Best First Novel went to Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry ($15.00).
The finalists for the Thriller Awards for Best Hardcover Novel are Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder ($9.99), A Hard Death by Jonathan Hayes ($7.99), 11/22/63 by Stephen King ($35.00), The Ridge by Michael Koryta ($24.99), and The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey ($15.00).
The finalists for Best Paperback Original are The Last Minute by Jeff Abbott (was a paperback original in the U.K., but will be coming out in the U.S. as a $24.99 hardcover in July), Threat Warning by John Gilstrap ($7.99), The Glass Demon by Helen Grant ($15.00), The Queen by Steven James ($14.99), and Already Gone by John Rector ($14.95).
The finalists for Best First Novel are The Genesis Key by James Barney ($9.99), She Can Run by Melinda Leigh ($13.95), Spiral by Paul McEuen ($25.00), The Fund by H. T. Narea ($9.99), and Midnight Caller by Leslie Tentler ($7.99).
How’s Business
by Don Blyly
This past winter it was easier to get around than normal, and much easier to get around than the previous winter, so our business was up during the winter. But after a hard winter, we usually have a bump in sales in the spring as people can suddenly get around and try to catch up on the book buying they couldn’t do during the winter. With the unusually early spring this year, people were able to get to work on outdoor projects much earlier than usual, and didn’t have to catch up on their book buying from the winter season because they were able to buy books all winter long. As a result, our spring sales were disappointing. I think that there were also fewer exciting new books being published in the spring than normal, which contributed to the problem. But there are a lot of exciting new books coming this summer, so we’ll hope that sales will pick up.
I talked last issue about the cooling coils being stolen from the air conditioner units on the roof, and how I expected the repairs would cost me $1000 more than the insurance company would cover. The repair company recommended that I repair the unit that was only 8 months old, but strongly recommended that I replace the unit that was over 15 years old. The insurance company refused to go along with the recommendation of the repair company and was only willing to cover the estimated repair cost on both unit (less my $1000 deductible). I talked to another area businessman who owns several properties in the area that were hit by the same copper thieves, and he said that each building had a different insurance company and only one insurance company refused to follow the advice of the repair experts, and that was the same company that I had. I decided to go with the advice of the experts instead of the advice of the insurance company and had the old unit replaced. That turned my $1000 deductible into a $4000 deductible. I’m now getting bids from other insurance companies for next year which starts in late May.
With expenses constantly going up and sales not keeping pace, we’re going to have to raise our minimum price on used books from $2.50 (where the price has been for many years) to $3.00 starting June 1. Since very few books have been issued with a cover price below $5.95 over the last 20 years, the price increase will mainly impact those buying used older paperbacks and used magazines. If you’re looking for some of those older items, you might want to get together a want-list and try to fill in your gaps before June 1.
We recently restocked with T-shirts and sweatshirts. For both T-shirts and sweatshirts, we have some with Uncle Hugo’s logo on the front and Uncle Edgar’s logo on the back and some with Uncle Edgar on the front and Uncle Hugo on the back. For the T-shirts we now have adult sizes S, M, L, XL, and XXL. The colors available are ash (grey), azalea (a new color for us, close to pink), black, gold, kelly green, Pacific blue (a new color for us, close to turquoise), purple, red, and royal blue (a fairly dark blue). The price for the T-shirts is $14.00 through XL and $17.00 for XXL. The sweatshirts are available in adult sizes L, XL, and XXL, and the colors are ash, forest green (fairly dark green), red, and royal blue. The price for the sweatshirts is $27.00 for L and XL and $30.00 for XXL. The T-shirts are 100% cotton and the sweatshirts are 50% cotton, 50% polyester. T-shirts and sweatshirts are exempt from sales tax in Minnesota.
As usual, we had lots more new titles than we had space for in the paper newsletter. Many books had their descriptions shortened, and most paranormal romances, gaming related titles, Doctor Who titles, kids and young adult books, reissues, and non-fiction titles were eliminated from the paper newsletter, but full information is on our website. There are also more science fiction and mystery reviews on the website.
