Booksellers brace for Clinton sales boom: black-oriented shop is slated for appearance.

Area booksellers are bracing for a frenzy of sales when Bill Clinton's memoir is released next week.

A select few--perhaps no more than two--will even get to host the former president for book signings.

His memoir, "My Life," joins a raft of recently released political titles, but Clinton remains so much a part of the political landscape--and still very popular in Los Angeles--that many bookstore operators expect "My Life" to lure even more buyers.

The biggest winner in the local Clinton sweepstakes would seem to be a 15-year-old independent bookseller near Baldwin Hills, which has landed one of the two Clinton book signings so far scheduled for Los Angeles.

James Fugate, a co-owner of Esowon Books at 3655 S. La Brea Ave., said Clinton would be at the store on Saturday, June 26 from noon to 3 p.m. While the publicity office at the book's publisher, the Alfred A. Knopf division of Bertelsmann AG's Random House publishing arm, would not confirm the number or location of Clinton's L.A. appearances, area booksellers confirmed that Esowon would be one.

Fugate, whose shop caters to African-American readers, said he had initially ordered 140 copies of the $35 title and that he would probably boost that now that the signing is scheduled.

"It's very exciting," said Fugate. "To have a former president, it's history making, in a way."

To obtain a slot on the tour, Esowon submitted a proposal addressing how the store would promote the signing, how it has handled big signings in the past (particularly in terms of security) and how it would deal with crowds. Fugate said the required essay is not unusual and noted that the shop's proposal included its use of off-duty police officers when it hosted Johnnie Cochran several years ago.

The book tour schedule is expected to be released this week.

Publishers generally sell books to stores at 40 percent to 50 percent of the listed retail price, depending on the size of the order. That allows bigger stores and the national chains to offer discounts on their better selling titles, often a way to lure shoppers.

But as an independent, Fugate said the costs of the Clinton appearance contributed to his decision not to discount the book.

"(There are) a lot of costs incurred in promoting the book signing and we don't have that much of a margin," he said.

Across town, booksellers are preparing for the onslaught--whether or not the former president stops by.

Katie Layman, a community relations manager in Los Angeles for Barnes & Noble Inc., hopes to see the type of excitement typically reserved for "Harry Potter" releases, with customers lining up in costume to get buy the book.

While memoirs rarely garner this level of enthusiasm, local booksellers have high expectations for "My Life," which through preorders tops Amazon.com's bestseller list.

"How many memoirs come out each year?" asked Layman, who works at Barnes & Noble's Westside Pavilion store. "It's rare that one grabs the spotlight like this. I would be thrilled if we had people dressed up like Bill Clinton standing in line to buy the book."

While the book won't go on sale until next week, it has generated predictable industry buzz, leading to strong early sales.

"There's more interest in this than any other presidential memoir I can recall," said John Baker, editorial director at trade magazine Publishers Weekly. "I think it's partly the controversy, and his enormous personality appeal. He does have the star quality, which is extremely rare in politics."

Ed Conklin, manager of Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore, saw Clinton earlier this month when he gave the keynote address at a booksellers convention in Chicago, noting: "It does sound like it's going to be a decent book. It's certainly not fluff. He's really trying to set a positive tone for politics, especially in an election year. It was a real reassuring speech."

Dutton's has ordered more than 500 copies.

While Conklin said presidential memoirs by Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and George Bush have all done well, he was surprised by the success of the "Living History," the autobiography of Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Published last year by Viacom Inc.'s Simon & Schuster, the former first lady's book sold more than 1 million copies in its first month and, now in paperback, has sold nearly 2 million copies overall.

"I expect the president's book to do better than that," Conklin said.

The media coverage the book will be getting is likely to generate far more interest than any advertising booksellers could afford. Local TV stations said they would be sending crews to cover the signings, depending on the news of the day.

"We certainly hope it's as big as all indicators suggest," said Layman, who added that customers have already been coming into the store asking about the book. "There's enthusiasm from our customer base, which is always a good sign."