The Gossip Girl DVD with audio book goes on sale shortly, with an August 19 release date. The DVD set of the first season of this CW hit will include a CD version of the novel that inspired it by Cecily von Ziegesar, narrated by Christina Ricci. The audio book can be transferred to an iPod, for an ideal marketing fit with the show’s primary audience of females around 26 years of age.

Publishers are getting more savvy to the digital world, and how to capitalize on the successes of other forms of media. The New York Times reported that the 12 books in the series have sold 5.6 million copies; the three audio versions, based on the first three books, have only sold less than 1,000 copies a year. Because audio book sales of Gossip Girl have been dismal, publisher Hachette is hoping that hitching it to the DVD set in a format appropriate for its main audience, could prove just what the doctor ordered to boost sales.

Publishers should watch out for, or create their own opportunities, to creatively piggyback their struggling products to ones whose star are on the rise. The market for audio books has generally been drivers who listen while on the road, but this doesn’t translate well to young adults. Books for the iPod could better serve this audience. The sales and success of the Gossip Girl DVD with audio book will be something to watch in the coming months.

On Sept. 25 at 6:30pm the African American Literary Awards Show (AALAS) will be held at the Harlem Gatehouse. This show celebrates and promotes the outstanding achievements of African American authors and writers in the worlds of publishing, the arts and entertainment.

Harlem Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street
New York, NY 10031

On from Sept. 27 – Oct. 4, 2008, Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was started in 1982, to draw attention to the growing number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. During this week bookstores and libraries across the country will have special Banned Book Week displays and events. You can also purchase FREADOM gift cards for which 10% of sales will go to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) to defend the freedom to read.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the ABFFE, the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and the National Association of College Stores (NACS). It is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.