Athill’s Somewhere Towards the End shortlisted for Costa Award

Somewhere Towards the End, by Diana Athill
9781847080691 | $16.95 pb | available February
Granta Books / House of Anansi (HarperCollins)

Diana Athill’s Somewhere Towards the End is shortlisted for the Costa Award (formerly known as the Whitbread Award), and the winner will be announced next week.

Anansi is taking over distribution of Granta on Mar 1., but will be bringing in copies of this book to HarperCollins to cover off orders right away. The books are being air freighted from the UK and will be in the HarperCollins warehouse next week.

Rebel’s Hour author on CBC’s Writers and Company

The Rebels’ Hour, by Lieve Joris
978-0802118684 | $31.00 hc | in stock
Grove Press / Publishers Group Canada (Raincoast)

We were recently notified that the Dutch Embassy is sponsoring a trip to Canada for Lieve Joris. She was invited by the Harbourfront Centre to participate in Shift – "Authors At Harbourfront Go Dutch!" The event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th at 7:30pm in Toronto.

Lieve will also be on CBC’s Writers and Company this coming Sunday.

Secret History of the War on Cancer on CBC’s Marketplace

The Secret History of the War on Cancer, by Devra Davis
9780465015665 | $33.50 hc | in stock
9780465015689 | $20.50 pb | available February
Basic Books / Publishers Group Canada (Raincoast)

Devra Davis will be on Market Place (CBC TV) with Wendy Mesley Friday Jan 23 to talk about the dangers of cell phone use to children. The piece was also promo’d on CBC’s The National on Thursday night.

S&R an Adult Boutique featured on Nerve.com’s Modern Materialist

Start & Run an Adult Boutique, by Karen Bedinger
978-1551808345 | $22.95 pb | in stock
Self-Counsel Press (Jaguar Distribution)

Nerve.com’s Modern Materialist blog has featured Start & Run an Adult Boutique: 

DIY: Sexy Start-Up

Posted by Steph Auteri

So I’ve been hanging around my condo, feeling like a drain on society, and trying to figure out what to do for some extra cash.

I mean, I blog here, but one cannot live on blogging alone.

Or rather, you can, but at the moment I’m not.

So I took a careful inventory of my interests (shopping and vibrators) and decided to open a sex shop.

As I’m not the most savvy businesswoman there is, it was obvious I needed help. Luckily, this book (with accompanying CD-ROM) actually exists.

Bedinger’s book asks of me the usual questions for those planning a startup business, but then dives right into the nitty-gritty of the sex industry:

• researching the market: adult video stores, adult bookstores/superstores, & women- and couple-friendly shops
• location and market research
• developing a business plan
• financing your business
• merchandise inventory and packaging
• marketing and advertising
• etc.

The CD-Rom goes further, including a resource guide (vendors, industry literature, and more) and printable worksheets.

In short, it’s the startup business guide you’d want if you were starting any business, fleshed out with specifics for the industry at hand. For example, a section on customer service and sales techniques touches upon the comments you may hear from particularly obnoxious customers ("Will you model this for me?"), and tells you how to handle them. It also advises you to keep locks on your dressing room doors, so no one sneaks in there for nookie (hehe). Another section goes into every type of adult product you could ever think to stock, ensuring that you know your inventory like no one else.

Looking to get into something a little less…risque? Self-Counsel Press has a ton of these guides, including ones for bed & breakfasts, coffee bars, daycare, event planning, and more.

Boundless riches…here I come.