Changing Hands Named Bookseller of the Year; Kate McCune Takes Rep Award

by Kevin Howell, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 3/8/2007

Publishers Weekly's 15th annual Bookseller and Sales Rep of the Year awards will go this year to Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., and HarperCollins rep Kate McCune.

The 33-year-old Changing Hands Bookstore is co-owned by Gayle Shanks; her husband, Bob Sommer; and Susie Brazil. "The enthusiasm, energy and creativity of the people of Changing Hands Bookstore is what makes me look forward to each visit," Random House's district sales manager Ron Smith told "PW Daily." "I couldn't be more pleased that they won. These people serve as examples of what booksellers should aspire to become."

Authors love the store and its staff. "I've toured all over and I've seen a lot of bookstores, and Changing Hands excels at catering to both readers and authors," said author Christopher Moore. "I know I'll be well represented when I show up for an event there." When Lisa Tucker moderated a BEA panel on reinventing author tours, one of the first speakers she picked was Cindy Dach, Changing Hands' marketing director. "Cindy created the First Fiction Tour, an innovative approach that gave first-time authors a chance to attract readers by relocating events to exciting and unusual venues," said Tucker.

PW's Rep of the Year, Kate McCune, who works out of Ann Arbor, Mich., believes her role as a sales rep is to back up bookstores. "Perhaps because I come from retail, I like to think of myself as a kind of 'on-call staffer,' " said McCune. "You know who I mean—that employee who has another job but really loves the store and is available in a pinch. My special expertise is 'Harper' and by turns, I get to help out with events, marketing, merchandising, bookkeeping, restocking and even returns."

"Kate is smart, thoughtful, passionate and extremely knowledgeable," said Jen Reynolds, director of publisher relations and events at Joseph-Beth in Cincinnati, Ohio. "She seeks every opportunity to match the perfect book with the perfect promotion, bookseller, author lunch or display. And she's always on the money. For that, she has garnered the respect and credibility among our staff at a level that few of our reps enjoy."

Petersons is once again offering PW's Bookseller of the Year a $2,000 travel grant to attend BookExpo America in New York, where both awards will be presented. The award-winners will be profiled in PW's BEA Preview issue on April 30.