Our St. George's Day Display Recommendations.

Several months ago, our Random House sales reps came to us and suggested a contest. We each pick a backlist (older) book that we loved that no longer sold well in our store. I think the sales for last year had to be two or less for calendar year 2012. It was a display for adult trade titles only. And there was a nominal prize involved--a free book from their list, and a little more if you sold the most copies.

This is a similar promotion to what we did at Harry W. Schwartz a few times. Interestingly enough, the titles I chose in those two promotions were both Random House, Inc. published. The first time I spotlighted Jamesland by Michelle Huneven, and the second time it was The Golden Gate, by Vikram Seth. This time Seth wouldn't have qualified, as I got a book club to read it and we sold five copies in 2012. I could have chosen, Jamesland, but I didn't want to repeat myself. Instead I went with Foreign Affairs, Alison Lurie's comic novel of the early 1980s that was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the Pulitzer Prize. I've been thinking a lot about academic comidies, from David Lodge to Barbara Pym, and at least one Elinor Lipman, My Latest Grievance. 

Amie picked John Henry Days, by Colson Whitehead.

Anne augments  The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy.

Conrad chooses The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, by Louis de Bernieres

Greg gravitates towardThe Sorrows of Young Werther, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Halley rhapsodizes over Billions and Billions, by Carl Sagan

Hannah highlights The Illumination, by Kevin Brockmeier.

Jane singles out The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather.

Jannis jumps on Sophie's Choice, by William Styron.

Jason earmarks Grotesque, by Natsuo Kirino.

Nick picks Heat, by Bill Buford

Pam's promoting A Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell

Paul earmarks Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy. He didn't like his first one and couldn't find the an extra blank card so he made his own. I'm quite impressed with his technique.

Sharon selects Saint Maybe, by Anne Tyler.

Stacie seizes on The Secret of Lost Things, by Sheridan Hay

And here's my own Foreign Affairs, by Alison Lurie. Some of the recs have to be rephotographed. It also would have been nice to have the book jacket with the rec, but you can't have everything. What's your bet for which backlist pick will sell the most copies? And what's the dark horse. At least pundit said that Greg's pick probably is the biggest longshot, but we'll see!