On the “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul” thread Christine Fletcher asked:
“BSC, have you seen JA Konrath's post about how to do drive-by signings? He advises calling stores first, to be sure they have the stock, but not to inform them we're the author until we're in the store, books in hand and ready to sign. (My take is that this is to streamline the process, and not get caught up in store rules regarding author signings). Just curious -- would you agree with this approach?”
While I understand the idea behind this, I would prefer to know if I’ve got an author coming. (I’m also against tricking some poor bookseller about their signing rules. If a store has rules about not signing certain types of books then they have them for a reason, don’t get someone in trouble because they aren’t well versed in that part of their store’s policy.)
If you call to see about a book and I say, “Sure, I’ve got six copie,” this could mean I have one in section and five in overstock, hiding under a table or even worse, hiding in my backroom. It’s not that I don’t want to display your book to its best advantage, but my store suffers from a serious space crunch. Ideally if I know you are coming, I can familiarize myself with the placement of your books and look like less of an idiot when I run to get them when you arrive, and you don’t feel sad because no one is able to find your titles (or you can’t find them after a lot of searching).
Most of the calls I get involving drive-by signings are from the handlers who bring the authors around. I have a love/hate relationship with these people. On one hand, I love that they think of my little store and consider us when they are putting together a signing itinerary. On the other hand, I hate when they get my hopes up about an author, go so far as to instruct me to pull stock, and then never up! The author’s books sit on the back counter, not selling, for the entire day before we give up hope and put them back.
I am so tired of this happening that I don’t pull stock anymore. I would rather have your books out on the floor where they can sell and possibly look like I haven’t done my job when you show up than miss sales because your book sits forlorn and unseen on my back counter (and have customers not realize they are there because they don’t ask for help).
Just yesterday I had an author and her handler stop by to sign stock. The handler had called the day before and asked if we carried the author’s books. I told her that not only did we have several copies of the new title, but also had multiple copies of her entire backlist. The handler demanded to know how many “several” was, and I estimated around 12. Even on the phone the woman seemed rather abrasive but I have openly admitted here that on the day before yesterday I wasn’t at the top of my game, and I wrote it off as me missing out on something that she asked.
At the time she gave no indication of when they would drop by or even a guarantee that they would. I did appreciate that she didn’t ask me to pull the books since they didn’t show up until four the next day. Upon introductions, we started collected the author’s titles, only to have the handler announce in her most abrasive tone, “I was told that you had 12 copies of her new release!”
Normally we are the souls of restraint, solicitous of other people’s needs, etc, but yesterday we’d spent the entire day moving sections, inhaling dust, and were hopped up on waaaaaaay too much sugar from a death by chocolate brownie, so when the handler copped her little abrasive ‘tude, my boss just looked at her and said, “Yeah, we did. We sold some.”
I’m sorry, but if you are not going to show up until 24 hours after your call, don’t expect the numbers quoted to you over the phone to match the stock on hand. If you want a more reliable quote, check again a half an hour before you arrive by calling and saying, “Hey, this is so-in-so with author X, and I just wanted to make sure you still have stock of X’s books.”
If the bookstore employee says, “No, there was a run on them because of the interview X did on the news this morning,” then X should be celebrating the sales and the handler should have some sort of alternative like “Great! Do you want us to drop by some signed book plates for your next shipment?” or “That’s fabulous, then we’re going out for martinis.”
Maybe I just expect too much from people, or maybe the chocolate/sugar combination yesterday ruined my normally reliable powers of observation, but that handler was not handling things very well. Sure, we smoothed over the incident just fine, but part of me felt like she expected those books to magically be there on the back counter, collecting dust, when she and the author arrived. I’m in the business of selling books, and I can’t do that if they aren’t available. Besides, if anyone is going to play the prima donna in my store, let it be the author, at least then I’ll have a good story to pass on.
I realize that being a handler is probably stressful (anything that involves picking someone up from the airport usually is), sometimes thankless job, but don’t take it out on me. I reserve that “right” for my customers.
Or maybe I don’t.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Where is my mind again? Oh right, filed under brain dead.
I feel like I should follow up yesterday’s column with something equally explanatory and revealing about the bookselling world, but I think that might be asking a little much of my brain right now. I spent all day yesterday moving some sections around (a job that I will continue again today), and a large chunk of my night helping with a friend’s apartment move (we’ve been moving her all week, but only late in the evening because of the heat). When I work on a large project (like a section move, or moving someone), I have a tendency to get very focused and it takes a moment for my brain to kick over.
Am a capable of thinking of two once? Sure, I do it all the time, but section moves seem to throw me, especially because this one involves the reclassification and combination of books from other sections. I stopped to help a customer in the middle of it and there was this ten second time delay between what she asked, what I heard, what I processed and what I finally said in answer. I kept apologizing—I’m really not that much of space cadet—and she kept laughing.
I’m going to believe that it was in one of those “laugh with me rather than at me” situations. She really was a nice woman, and she deserved a bookseller who was a bit more on her game.
Alas, she got me instead. I hope she likes the books we settled on, I’ve got suggestions for her next time…if I remember what she looks like.
Sadly I can’t even blame my inability to remember people’s faces on the section reassignments.
Speaking of section reassignments though—and therefore not lingering on the deficiencies that will someday make me a horrible, horrible witness to some sort of traumatic event or another—we can talk about section designation, and why some books get placed in one area as opposed to another (and therefore why not all bookstores have the same books in the same places). For this example we’ll once again use are old favorite Book X (you know, the one capable of rocking your mind, your body and rejuvenating your relationship). What you don’t know about Book X is that it’s fiction, or so it has been classified by the publisher who even went so far as to place the word fiction on the spine beneath the company’s logo.
This makes it fiction, right?
Wrong, this makes it whatever the book buyers and booksellers classify it as within their stores. How may places can this book end up? Oh, so many.
When the publisher pitches Book X to the Barnes & Noble buyer, the buyer agrees with the designation of fiction, but maybe doesn’t see it doing too well there, so they only buy 1000 copies of the title to sit on the shelves between Books W and Y.
The Borders buyer, however, does not see Book X as fiction. According to their shelving system Book X is actually a thriller because of the suspense plot involving the dish and the spoon. Under the thriller category they think it will do fabulous, wonderful, and exciting new take on the cow jumped over the moon tale. They double Barnes & Noble’s order and start talking publisher co-op for front of store face-outs (I actually don’t know if that’s in the book-buyers job description or not, but for the sake of argument let’s pretend). The kicker here? Borders shelves all of its thrillers with its mysteries. Book X will be residing no where near the fiction section.
Next the publisher goes to a coalition of small Independents (or maybe one really large Independent because I don’t know how indies go about buying their books), and the Independents also love the book, only they think that it qualifies as a modern take on the “Hard-boiled” plot because of the rough, world-weary narration by the cow and the femme fatale quality of the moon (don’t even get them started on the whole dish and spoon thing). They order a few copies to be shelved in the Hard-boiled section because the use of the word mystery is too broad.
So we now have Book X shelved in fiction in B&N, Mystery/Thriller in Borders, and Hard-boiled in some Independents. For spice we’ll say that some other Independents thought everyone else was insane because, hello, dish and spoon? Obviously a star-crossed romance.
Four designations, one book. Maybe it does well classified as all four, maybe it only does well at B&N because of the broadness of the fiction definition.
Maybe everyone got it wrong and it only does well in the one store where it was mis-shelved as inspirational because the cow does indeed make it over the moon.
Maybe a bunch of sales are missed because customers go into their stores expecting to see the book in fiction (that’s what the author’s website called it), and when they are unable to find it (except in the B&N, but they didn’t order that many and it wasn’t an automatic reorder) they stop looking.
The kids at B&N and Borders aren’t going to understand what you are looking for if you come in talking about the Hard-boiled book you saw at an Indie while on vacation but didn’t pick up because you figured you could buy it elsewhere. They don’t have a Hard-boiled sub-set category, their employees aren’t trained to think of books in that classification, unless they are big mystery buffs, chances are they won’t have a clue what you are talking about. The Indie kids might description might limit the customers who get interested because the customer base doesn’t understand the definition of Hard-boiled.
And Book X remains untouched in most places because of mis-categorization.
Everyone has there own standards that define what book goes where. There is no universal norm, no set of rules that we all follow. It all comes down to the opinions of the buyer and of the person shelving the books.
And given how brain dead I am today that might scare the hell out of you.
Am a capable of thinking of two once? Sure, I do it all the time, but section moves seem to throw me, especially because this one involves the reclassification and combination of books from other sections. I stopped to help a customer in the middle of it and there was this ten second time delay between what she asked, what I heard, what I processed and what I finally said in answer. I kept apologizing—I’m really not that much of space cadet—and she kept laughing.
I’m going to believe that it was in one of those “laugh with me rather than at me” situations. She really was a nice woman, and she deserved a bookseller who was a bit more on her game.
Alas, she got me instead. I hope she likes the books we settled on, I’ve got suggestions for her next time…if I remember what she looks like.
Sadly I can’t even blame my inability to remember people’s faces on the section reassignments.
Speaking of section reassignments though—and therefore not lingering on the deficiencies that will someday make me a horrible, horrible witness to some sort of traumatic event or another—we can talk about section designation, and why some books get placed in one area as opposed to another (and therefore why not all bookstores have the same books in the same places). For this example we’ll once again use are old favorite Book X (you know, the one capable of rocking your mind, your body and rejuvenating your relationship). What you don’t know about Book X is that it’s fiction, or so it has been classified by the publisher who even went so far as to place the word fiction on the spine beneath the company’s logo.
This makes it fiction, right?
Wrong, this makes it whatever the book buyers and booksellers classify it as within their stores. How may places can this book end up? Oh, so many.
When the publisher pitches Book X to the Barnes & Noble buyer, the buyer agrees with the designation of fiction, but maybe doesn’t see it doing too well there, so they only buy 1000 copies of the title to sit on the shelves between Books W and Y.
The Borders buyer, however, does not see Book X as fiction. According to their shelving system Book X is actually a thriller because of the suspense plot involving the dish and the spoon. Under the thriller category they think it will do fabulous, wonderful, and exciting new take on the cow jumped over the moon tale. They double Barnes & Noble’s order and start talking publisher co-op for front of store face-outs (I actually don’t know if that’s in the book-buyers job description or not, but for the sake of argument let’s pretend). The kicker here? Borders shelves all of its thrillers with its mysteries. Book X will be residing no where near the fiction section.
Next the publisher goes to a coalition of small Independents (or maybe one really large Independent because I don’t know how indies go about buying their books), and the Independents also love the book, only they think that it qualifies as a modern take on the “Hard-boiled” plot because of the rough, world-weary narration by the cow and the femme fatale quality of the moon (don’t even get them started on the whole dish and spoon thing). They order a few copies to be shelved in the Hard-boiled section because the use of the word mystery is too broad.
So we now have Book X shelved in fiction in B&N, Mystery/Thriller in Borders, and Hard-boiled in some Independents. For spice we’ll say that some other Independents thought everyone else was insane because, hello, dish and spoon? Obviously a star-crossed romance.
Four designations, one book. Maybe it does well classified as all four, maybe it only does well at B&N because of the broadness of the fiction definition.
Maybe everyone got it wrong and it only does well in the one store where it was mis-shelved as inspirational because the cow does indeed make it over the moon.
Maybe a bunch of sales are missed because customers go into their stores expecting to see the book in fiction (that’s what the author’s website called it), and when they are unable to find it (except in the B&N, but they didn’t order that many and it wasn’t an automatic reorder) they stop looking.
The kids at B&N and Borders aren’t going to understand what you are looking for if you come in talking about the Hard-boiled book you saw at an Indie while on vacation but didn’t pick up because you figured you could buy it elsewhere. They don’t have a Hard-boiled sub-set category, their employees aren’t trained to think of books in that classification, unless they are big mystery buffs, chances are they won’t have a clue what you are talking about. The Indie kids might description might limit the customers who get interested because the customer base doesn’t understand the definition of Hard-boiled.
And Book X remains untouched in most places because of mis-categorization.
Everyone has there own standards that define what book goes where. There is no universal norm, no set of rules that we all follow. It all comes down to the opinions of the buyer and of the person shelving the books.
And given how brain dead I am today that might scare the hell out of you.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Robbing Peter To Pay Paul: the Cause Of the Where the Hell Is My Book Syndrome
Y’all make me so sad with this refusal to talk to a bookseller and this need to limit human-to-human interaction by introducing a computer kiosk into the mix. I may cry.
Or maybe I won’t. With no one asking me questions I will be able to get a lot more shelving and paperwork done. How would one go about setting up a computer kiosk…?
To answer Agent Kristin’s question (before actually getting to the point of this post), computer kiosks take room, they break down, and people have a tendency to pour stuff on them (not deliberately, but we all have to acknowledge our inner klutz), which makes them impractical in most situations. My store doesn’t even have chairs people can sit in. That said, even if there are computers, you will still need an easy to use booksearch system running on it. The Borders system treats title and keyword as interchangeable things, and you can’t subject search within that to narrow down the list. Something I learned recently while in a Borders is that there is another level of that system altogether that an employee must access with a password. While the main system might say a book is in stock, this second level may actually reveal that the book in question is still in transit from the warehouse and is just erroneously showing up as in the store on system one. I don’t think this glitch in the system is isolated to the store I was in, so be sure to ask someone to check it next time the computer swears the book is in the store, but it is nowhere to be found.
And speaking of books that are nowhere to be found, let’s talk about Peter, Paul and the price of merchandising up front while still shelving in the appropriate section. So say you’re a chain bookseller and you’ve just got your new merchandising manual, and it calls for Book X to be displayed in three different places due to a fantastic co-op deal the publisher worked out. On the day Book X is released you put out the twenty copies you’ve received: five on an end cap related to Book X’s genre, ten as a double face out on a display wall-bay and two on the employee recommends pillar because you read the ARC of Book X and it rocked your mind, your body and managed to rejuvenate your relationship with your partner. This would normally leave three books for an in-section face-out, only either a forklift ran through the box or someone dropped it, but one of the books is mangled and has to be returned.
With me here? Ten books on the wall-bay (so it looks all full and happy), five books (also for fullness and happiness) on the end-cap, and now only two (spined probably) in section (not so full and happy, but whatcha ya gonna do?).
Twenty books might not seem like a lot for a large store, but maybe the store buyer didn’t believe in it as much as the publisher did. Turns out that the buyer is obviously a husk of a human being, incapable of being moved, because everyone else loves Book X, whose author has been rocking the Indie news circuit, the internet, and Jon Stewart improving everyone’s mind, body, and relationship with their partner. Three books are bought off the wall display and one off the end-cap by browsing customer (who remembered that Jon Stewart had his world rocked), and two books are taken from section by two self-directed individuals (who may, or may not have used the internet or a computer kiosk to pinpoint the books exact location).
We are now down to seven books on the wall-bay, four books on the end-cap, two on the employee recommends column and absolutely no books in the section.
Oops.
But someone will notice right? A bookseller will just restock from the end-cap or the front of store, yes?
Er, not exactly. You see, first a bookseller has to figure out that there are no books in that section, something that will only happen if a customer brings it to their attention, or if they walk over to the section themselves and make that discovery. Even then they have to make the move in the first few minutes afterwards because each second that passes increases the rate at which they forget what they are thinking about exponentially. Add in an emergency or a call to the front counter, and the chances of that person remembering are almost nil. Not to mention that I rarely take people into a section if I know that book is displayed at the front of the store in quantity. Less search time involved if I know I can walk right to it.
For the sake of argument, let’s pretend that no one tells a bookseller that the book isn’t in section for a day (because you are stubborn, antisocial souls), and during that time Anderson Cooper (or someone else who has been gadding about lately) mentions during an interview with Jon Stewart that Book X (which he had seen on Stewart’s show a couple of nights previous) had rocked his relationship with his partner too. None of the booksellers see this because they’re all working closing shifts. There’s a rush on the book the next morning and seven books are bought from the front of store, and one more from the end-cap (by someone who was really browsing around). This leaves three books in the store, all on that end-cap.
Now for the sake of really messing with everything, let’s say that the person in charge of that section (and that end-cap) has the next day off, and the people on deck aren’t fully aware of Book X’s placement there, but they manage to find it after someone bitches them out. Somebody puts the titles in section, where they sell immediately.
That’s all the books, right? Nope, there are still those two on the employee recommends pillar. I even managed to forget about them, but you’ve probably had your coffee and are much more aware than I. Who knows how awake our intrepid booksellers are though. Did they have their coffee? And even if they did, will a customer think to ask them for help to find Book X or will they just think “hey, it’s not in section or up front so I’ll just drive to another bookstore or order from home and pay shipping)”?
The robbing Peter to pay Paul aspect of all of this comes from the placement of multiply displays. When the front of store gets low, you refill from the section, but that means the section display might be reduced down to as few as one copy of the Book X. Add in customers who go straight to the section, and it is quite easy for a book to end up in the wrong spot. Add to that a splash of someone picking up Book X, but smashing it in somewhere else, and you get a whole new dimension to the puzzle.
Bottom line? If you can’t find the book but the computer or your spidey sense tells you it is there, then ask someone. Maybe they will be able to help, maybe they won’t, but they can at least try to tell you if it is in the store. It can’t hurt and you just might find what you are looking for (not to mention alert a bookseller to the lack of books in a section).
Links completely unrelated to this column that you should check out are:
Or maybe I won’t. With no one asking me questions I will be able to get a lot more shelving and paperwork done. How would one go about setting up a computer kiosk…?
To answer Agent Kristin’s question (before actually getting to the point of this post), computer kiosks take room, they break down, and people have a tendency to pour stuff on them (not deliberately, but we all have to acknowledge our inner klutz), which makes them impractical in most situations. My store doesn’t even have chairs people can sit in. That said, even if there are computers, you will still need an easy to use booksearch system running on it. The Borders system treats title and keyword as interchangeable things, and you can’t subject search within that to narrow down the list. Something I learned recently while in a Borders is that there is another level of that system altogether that an employee must access with a password. While the main system might say a book is in stock, this second level may actually reveal that the book in question is still in transit from the warehouse and is just erroneously showing up as in the store on system one. I don’t think this glitch in the system is isolated to the store I was in, so be sure to ask someone to check it next time the computer swears the book is in the store, but it is nowhere to be found.
And speaking of books that are nowhere to be found, let’s talk about Peter, Paul and the price of merchandising up front while still shelving in the appropriate section. So say you’re a chain bookseller and you’ve just got your new merchandising manual, and it calls for Book X to be displayed in three different places due to a fantastic co-op deal the publisher worked out. On the day Book X is released you put out the twenty copies you’ve received: five on an end cap related to Book X’s genre, ten as a double face out on a display wall-bay and two on the employee recommends pillar because you read the ARC of Book X and it rocked your mind, your body and managed to rejuvenate your relationship with your partner. This would normally leave three books for an in-section face-out, only either a forklift ran through the box or someone dropped it, but one of the books is mangled and has to be returned.
With me here? Ten books on the wall-bay (so it looks all full and happy), five books (also for fullness and happiness) on the end-cap, and now only two (spined probably) in section (not so full and happy, but whatcha ya gonna do?).
Twenty books might not seem like a lot for a large store, but maybe the store buyer didn’t believe in it as much as the publisher did. Turns out that the buyer is obviously a husk of a human being, incapable of being moved, because everyone else loves Book X, whose author has been rocking the Indie news circuit, the internet, and Jon Stewart improving everyone’s mind, body, and relationship with their partner. Three books are bought off the wall display and one off the end-cap by browsing customer (who remembered that Jon Stewart had his world rocked), and two books are taken from section by two self-directed individuals (who may, or may not have used the internet or a computer kiosk to pinpoint the books exact location).
We are now down to seven books on the wall-bay, four books on the end-cap, two on the employee recommends column and absolutely no books in the section.
Oops.
But someone will notice right? A bookseller will just restock from the end-cap or the front of store, yes?
Er, not exactly. You see, first a bookseller has to figure out that there are no books in that section, something that will only happen if a customer brings it to their attention, or if they walk over to the section themselves and make that discovery. Even then they have to make the move in the first few minutes afterwards because each second that passes increases the rate at which they forget what they are thinking about exponentially. Add in an emergency or a call to the front counter, and the chances of that person remembering are almost nil. Not to mention that I rarely take people into a section if I know that book is displayed at the front of the store in quantity. Less search time involved if I know I can walk right to it.
For the sake of argument, let’s pretend that no one tells a bookseller that the book isn’t in section for a day (because you are stubborn, antisocial souls), and during that time Anderson Cooper (or someone else who has been gadding about lately) mentions during an interview with Jon Stewart that Book X (which he had seen on Stewart’s show a couple of nights previous) had rocked his relationship with his partner too. None of the booksellers see this because they’re all working closing shifts. There’s a rush on the book the next morning and seven books are bought from the front of store, and one more from the end-cap (by someone who was really browsing around). This leaves three books in the store, all on that end-cap.
Now for the sake of really messing with everything, let’s say that the person in charge of that section (and that end-cap) has the next day off, and the people on deck aren’t fully aware of Book X’s placement there, but they manage to find it after someone bitches them out. Somebody puts the titles in section, where they sell immediately.
That’s all the books, right? Nope, there are still those two on the employee recommends pillar. I even managed to forget about them, but you’ve probably had your coffee and are much more aware than I. Who knows how awake our intrepid booksellers are though. Did they have their coffee? And even if they did, will a customer think to ask them for help to find Book X or will they just think “hey, it’s not in section or up front so I’ll just drive to another bookstore or order from home and pay shipping)”?
The robbing Peter to pay Paul aspect of all of this comes from the placement of multiply displays. When the front of store gets low, you refill from the section, but that means the section display might be reduced down to as few as one copy of the Book X. Add in customers who go straight to the section, and it is quite easy for a book to end up in the wrong spot. Add to that a splash of someone picking up Book X, but smashing it in somewhere else, and you get a whole new dimension to the puzzle.
Bottom line? If you can’t find the book but the computer or your spidey sense tells you it is there, then ask someone. Maybe they will be able to help, maybe they won’t, but they can at least try to tell you if it is in the store. It can’t hurt and you just might find what you are looking for (not to mention alert a bookseller to the lack of books in a section).
Links completely unrelated to this column that you should check out are:
- POD-DY Mouth interviews Will Clarke, self-pubbed dude gone big time. It made me laugh, cry (I want to be able to interview like POD-DY Mouth), and want to read his new book, The Worthy, or at least go pull Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles from my TBR pile.
- Daniel Wilson is the author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, and I hear he’s has been making the rounds on the Discovery Channel to talk about what else but robots. If you think your computer has been eyeing you with a little more animosity lately then you should check out this article a friend showed me.
- Everyone else has commented on this, but I thought I would link to it anyway: JK Rowling has been out and about, talking about book seven of her series and how two characters die just in time for the paperback release of book six! Goodness, such timing. Of course now when customers come in and see our sign for the paperback they never even get past her name before shouting, “Book 7 comes out in July! Can I make a reservation?” Sigh, people truly only read what they want to read. For the record, the earliest I see this thing coming out is next year late (like November), or July-ish the year after.
- If you are a Winnie the Pooh fan, or just loved him as a child, you should check out this art exhibit link (stolen from Fuse#8). Ah, the interpretation of words into pictures that are then transformed again.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Question Time: Book Search
It’s so hot that I’m a bookseller puddle with my little brain proteins denaturing at a rapid rate. Hopefully this evening I’ll be cool enough to salvage what is left of my mind, but I could use a little help. Please answer the following questions and feel free to comment about any aspect or order.
When you are looking for a certain title in the store do you:
a.) go right to the section
b.) browse the front of the store to see if it is on display and then go to the section
c.) browse front of store, check endcaps and then go to section
d.) ask a bookseller.
If you don’t find the book in the section do you then:
a.) look at the front of store and at other displays
b.) look in other sections the book might be displayed (for example you think of a title as general fiction but they might have it shelved in mystery)
c.) look to see if the store has a handy computer you can look this stuff up at
d.) ask a bookseller.
(If you do all these things before you ask a bookseller then please indicate and in what order you do so.)
I only talk to a bookseller if:
a.) I can’t find my book
b.) something is improperly shelved and I want to bring it to their attention
c.) my book should be on the front table, damn it!
d.) I want information on an upcoming release or to place a hold on an upcoming release
e.) find out when the seventh Harry Potter is coming out because c’mon, I know that you guys know this
f.) find out why the story doesn’t carry so-in-so’s book or why it is not available in the format that I prefer
g.) ask for recommendations for a present or for myself
h.) directions.
When you are looking for a certain title in the store do you:
a.) go right to the section
b.) browse the front of the store to see if it is on display and then go to the section
c.) browse front of store, check endcaps and then go to section
d.) ask a bookseller.
If you don’t find the book in the section do you then:
a.) look at the front of store and at other displays
b.) look in other sections the book might be displayed (for example you think of a title as general fiction but they might have it shelved in mystery)
c.) look to see if the store has a handy computer you can look this stuff up at
d.) ask a bookseller.
(If you do all these things before you ask a bookseller then please indicate and in what order you do so.)
I only talk to a bookseller if:
a.) I can’t find my book
b.) something is improperly shelved and I want to bring it to their attention
c.) my book should be on the front table, damn it!
d.) I want information on an upcoming release or to place a hold on an upcoming release
e.) find out when the seventh Harry Potter is coming out because c’mon, I know that you guys know this
f.) find out why the story doesn’t carry so-in-so’s book or why it is not available in the format that I prefer
g.) ask for recommendations for a present or for myself
h.) directions.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Pass Those Dirty Sugar Cookies: an Interview with Ayun Halliday
My store first discovered Ayun Halliday sometime around the release of her travel memoir No Touch Monkey. We didn’t know anything about her beyond the small blurb in the book catalogue and the fact that she had a monkey on the cover of her book, but something called to us. Perhaps it was the monkey. In any case we ordered her in and then fell in love as did our customers. We couldn’t keep No Touch Monkey on the table, people were describing her as a female Sedaris, and it was the first time I really experienced the magic of customer-born hand-selling as they came back time and again to buy copies for their friends, neighbors and business associates.
Since our success with No Touch Monkey we’ve followed Ayun’s busy career as sole creator and artist of the East Village Inky (drawn entirely by hand), Mother Superior columnist for BUST (despite not being catholic), and mother to the most well documented children on the planet. We’re such big fans that when I heard that Dirty Sugar Cookies—her essays on food, pickiness, and questionable edibles—was coming out, the Boss and I immediately ordered copies for the store. And when I got a very polite email from Ms. Halliday asking if I wanted to be part of her virtual blog tour? Well, I may have screamed a little (email’s inability to transmit this probably saved her hearing), probably gushed in my reply, and definitely lost what little was left in my mind because what do you ask a woman who dares to be a heinie?
Well, you focus on her cool marketing technique and food porn; that’s the route I took at least. Whether or not I was successful remains to be seen…
Bookseller Chick: First of all, I have to admit that I love your virtual blog tour. What made you come up with the idea and has it been successful?
Ayun Halliday: Hey, thanks! I'm in an online group with several other writer mamas, one of whom, Andi Buchanan conceived of this brilliant way to promote her anthologies (The Literary Mama, It's a Boy, and It's a Girl) to an audience whose best laid plans to attend traditional readings are often thwarted due to babysitter problems, fevers, ear aches, general crankiness and other such unscheduled woes. Doing a blog tour makes a lot of sense, too, for an author with young children and no partner, or a partner whose schedule is fairly inflexible. I do enjoy the performance aspect inherent in traditional readings – gives me a chance to dust off my Northwestern theater degree – but with Greg's new play, Pig Farm, starting previews within days of Dirty Sugar Cookies' publication, there was no way I could hit the road and leave him holding the bag at this time.
I started digging around and found out that guys who write inspirational business strategy manuals have been rocking virtual tours for years! Who knew? Possibly Andi Buchanan. She's far more tuned in than I'll ever be!
I think the Dirty Sugar Cookies Virtual Tour has been helpful in getting the word out, and as much work as it's been on my end, it's a helluva lot of fun, too. I'm enjoy the freewheeling quality of the interviews and the fact that there's this small band of hardcore Dirty Sugarheads who've signed up to get daily notification of the blog du jour. I keep thinking that when it's all over, I should make concert t-shirts with all the tour dates listed on the back.
BSC: Dirty Sugar Cookies is your hilarious journey from picky eater to epicure, but was it hard to look back on some of your culinary disasters and then write about them?
AH: I far prefer writing about them to living through them. Take the Heart Shaped Waffle Incident. It was fairly stressful and unpleasant for all of the players as it was unfolding, but there was no lasting damage, and now it's ripe for the comedic picking! The great thing about failure is that it's interesting. Have you seen Lost In La Mancha, a documentary of the near-Biblical trials that plagued the set of this movie Terry Gilliam had dreamed of making since boyhood? On a human level, his failure to realize that dream strikes me as far more compelling than the film he wanted to make.
BSC: I agree, Lost in La Mancha conveys the quixoticness of Gilliam’s search better than the actual film ever would, and I think Cervantes would have been amused by it all. Now that you are raising a picky eater of your own are there any foods that you two are in agreement on or times where she reminds you of your youthful pickiness?
AH: Oh, sure. Sometimes when the cupboard's getting a bit bare and I'm not feeling up to the task, I'll serve some lame-o vegetarian dish that leaves me feeling as unenthusiastic as she does, so much so that when Greg starts to hector her into eating half of what's on her plate, I say, "No, lay off. She's right. I don't want to finish it either."
One thing that she does, that I used to do too, is, after taking a bite of something she's really unhappy about (tilapia comes to mind), she'll chew it to a paste-like consistency that's near-impossible to swallow without gagging. I remember the Promethean misery of that.
BSC: It seems that everyone these days is fascinated by cooking, but not necessarily doing the cooking themselves (I admit that I'm all about going out vs. staying in and creating sometimes). Thanks to the Food Network (or the Food Porn channel as my family likes to call it) and reality TV we have a culture that has created the uber-chef like Tony Bourdain, Emeril, Gordon Ramsay, Giada de Laurentiis and others. What do you make of the celebu-chef phenomenon? Does it raise the standards for everyday restaurants everywhere? Do you have a cooking show in the works that we should know about?
AH: I'm sort of out of the loop because I don't have cable. So, when one of these celebu-chefs takes a drubbing on one of the food blogs I follow, I have to glean what's so objectionable about this person from the comments alone. One thing that interested me is how Anthony Bourdain, in A Cook's Tour (which I read before Kitchen Confidential), owned up to gleefully savaging Emeril in his first book for the crime of being a rather cuddly Food Network star. Then, as he tell it in A Cook's Tour, he met Emeril and Emeril struck him as this really friendly, gracious guy, as well as an excellent chef. The greater a person's fame, the greater the likelihood that they'll find themselves the constant butt of snarky jokes. So, I guess I should be glad that I'm not very television-worthy. The hairy armpits, the lack of make up, the ragged nails, the fashion disaster couture and the Pirates of the Caribbean coiffure – I'm one big Glamour Don't.
As far as whether these shows raise the standards of home chefs, they probably do. Knowledge is power. Plus, folks who, left to their own devices, wouldn’t gravitate toward a Vietnamese cookbook, might catch Anthony Bourdain tooling around a backwater market in Vietnam and think, "Hey, I could try to make that kind of stuff." It's good timing, as every ethnic or rarified ingredient save produce can now be purchased on the Internet, often on Amazon. Because you know, Customers who purchased books by Ayun Halliday, might also enjoy Angelo Pietro Sesame and Miso Salad Dressing, the only bottled dressing the author can tolerate!
BSC: Mmm, Bourdain, love that man—love him more since A Cook’s Tour—but he’s made me rethink having eggs benedict with his talk about food preparation. In Job Hopper you touched upon your time working in the restaurant business, did those experiences make you more or less likely to eat out? Did they make you more or less likely to eat certain foods?
AH: Don't know that anything could quench my impulse to eat out, but yeah, there are things I don't order. Can't do glazed strawberries.
BSC: I’m afraid to even ask why. I love strawberries much too much. In the beginning of Dirty Sugar Cookies, you talk about your mom using Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking as her bible, but do you have any cookbook that you refer to above all else?
AH: Two actually.
The first, a rather recent acquisition, is Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It's kind of a shame because it's this beautiful coffee table book with glorious travel photographs and here I've done my usual number on it, broken the spine, stranded it on the sopping countertop, splattered it with fish sauce and oil... Apparently, I like my stuff to have that lived-in appearance.
For nearly two decades, I've relied on the Tao of Cooking by Sally Pasley. My stepbrother and his family live in Bloomington, Indiana, and his wife gave it to me for Christmas one year, because the author used to have some connection to the (now defunct) Tao Restaurant there. Susan rightly – and kindly - suspected that I would appreciate a present that acknowledged my hippie tendencies.
BSC: And since this is a bookselling blog, and I’m all about other people doing my job for me, what are a few books that you have loved (or loved lately) that you think everyone else should take a chance and read?
AH: My all-time favorite, more favorite even than The Grapes of Wrath or The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, is Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter.
I recently bought Jonathan Ames's What's Not To Love at a stoop sale, because I see him in my neighborhood all the time, and I enjoyed his novel The Extra Man, though I kind of had a bad taste in my mouth since overhearing him in a café telling an acquaintance of his how much he hates it when people recognize him and invade his privacy, though of course it was okay for her to do so since she was cute and she knew him. I didn't know him and after hearing that, thought that perhaps I didn't want to, but I tell you, he completely won me over with these personal essays. I was so sad to reach the end that I rushed out and bought his latest, I Love You More Than You Know, and it, too, is wonderful. There's a real charitableness in the way he describes people and his comic timing is just sublime.
Thanks, Ayun, for taking the time to answer my babble, and thank y’all for dropping by to check out the interview. You can find Dirty Sugar Cookies available to order here and here as well as The Big Rumpus, No Touch Monkey, and Job Hopper. You can also follow Ayun’s daily culinary triumphs and disasters at her food blog.
Since our success with No Touch Monkey we’ve followed Ayun’s busy career as sole creator and artist of the East Village Inky (drawn entirely by hand), Mother Superior columnist for BUST (despite not being catholic), and mother to the most well documented children on the planet. We’re such big fans that when I heard that Dirty Sugar Cookies—her essays on food, pickiness, and questionable edibles—was coming out, the Boss and I immediately ordered copies for the store. And when I got a very polite email from Ms. Halliday asking if I wanted to be part of her virtual blog tour? Well, I may have screamed a little (email’s inability to transmit this probably saved her hearing), probably gushed in my reply, and definitely lost what little was left in my mind because what do you ask a woman who dares to be a heinie?
Well, you focus on her cool marketing technique and food porn; that’s the route I took at least. Whether or not I was successful remains to be seen…
Bookseller Chick: First of all, I have to admit that I love your virtual blog tour. What made you come up with the idea and has it been successful?
Ayun Halliday: Hey, thanks! I'm in an online group with several other writer mamas, one of whom, Andi Buchanan conceived of this brilliant way to promote her anthologies (The Literary Mama, It's a Boy, and It's a Girl) to an audience whose best laid plans to attend traditional readings are often thwarted due to babysitter problems, fevers, ear aches, general crankiness and other such unscheduled woes. Doing a blog tour makes a lot of sense, too, for an author with young children and no partner, or a partner whose schedule is fairly inflexible. I do enjoy the performance aspect inherent in traditional readings – gives me a chance to dust off my Northwestern theater degree – but with Greg's new play, Pig Farm, starting previews within days of Dirty Sugar Cookies' publication, there was no way I could hit the road and leave him holding the bag at this time.
I started digging around and found out that guys who write inspirational business strategy manuals have been rocking virtual tours for years! Who knew? Possibly Andi Buchanan. She's far more tuned in than I'll ever be!
I think the Dirty Sugar Cookies Virtual Tour has been helpful in getting the word out, and as much work as it's been on my end, it's a helluva lot of fun, too. I'm enjoy the freewheeling quality of the interviews and the fact that there's this small band of hardcore Dirty Sugarheads who've signed up to get daily notification of the blog du jour. I keep thinking that when it's all over, I should make concert t-shirts with all the tour dates listed on the back.
BSC: Dirty Sugar Cookies is your hilarious journey from picky eater to epicure, but was it hard to look back on some of your culinary disasters and then write about them?
AH: I far prefer writing about them to living through them. Take the Heart Shaped Waffle Incident. It was fairly stressful and unpleasant for all of the players as it was unfolding, but there was no lasting damage, and now it's ripe for the comedic picking! The great thing about failure is that it's interesting. Have you seen Lost In La Mancha, a documentary of the near-Biblical trials that plagued the set of this movie Terry Gilliam had dreamed of making since boyhood? On a human level, his failure to realize that dream strikes me as far more compelling than the film he wanted to make.
BSC: I agree, Lost in La Mancha conveys the quixoticness of Gilliam’s search better than the actual film ever would, and I think Cervantes would have been amused by it all. Now that you are raising a picky eater of your own are there any foods that you two are in agreement on or times where she reminds you of your youthful pickiness?
AH: Oh, sure. Sometimes when the cupboard's getting a bit bare and I'm not feeling up to the task, I'll serve some lame-o vegetarian dish that leaves me feeling as unenthusiastic as she does, so much so that when Greg starts to hector her into eating half of what's on her plate, I say, "No, lay off. She's right. I don't want to finish it either."
One thing that she does, that I used to do too, is, after taking a bite of something she's really unhappy about (tilapia comes to mind), she'll chew it to a paste-like consistency that's near-impossible to swallow without gagging. I remember the Promethean misery of that.
BSC: It seems that everyone these days is fascinated by cooking, but not necessarily doing the cooking themselves (I admit that I'm all about going out vs. staying in and creating sometimes). Thanks to the Food Network (or the Food Porn channel as my family likes to call it) and reality TV we have a culture that has created the uber-chef like Tony Bourdain, Emeril, Gordon Ramsay, Giada de Laurentiis and others. What do you make of the celebu-chef phenomenon? Does it raise the standards for everyday restaurants everywhere? Do you have a cooking show in the works that we should know about?
AH: I'm sort of out of the loop because I don't have cable. So, when one of these celebu-chefs takes a drubbing on one of the food blogs I follow, I have to glean what's so objectionable about this person from the comments alone. One thing that interested me is how Anthony Bourdain, in A Cook's Tour (which I read before Kitchen Confidential), owned up to gleefully savaging Emeril in his first book for the crime of being a rather cuddly Food Network star. Then, as he tell it in A Cook's Tour, he met Emeril and Emeril struck him as this really friendly, gracious guy, as well as an excellent chef. The greater a person's fame, the greater the likelihood that they'll find themselves the constant butt of snarky jokes. So, I guess I should be glad that I'm not very television-worthy. The hairy armpits, the lack of make up, the ragged nails, the fashion disaster couture and the Pirates of the Caribbean coiffure – I'm one big Glamour Don't.
As far as whether these shows raise the standards of home chefs, they probably do. Knowledge is power. Plus, folks who, left to their own devices, wouldn’t gravitate toward a Vietnamese cookbook, might catch Anthony Bourdain tooling around a backwater market in Vietnam and think, "Hey, I could try to make that kind of stuff." It's good timing, as every ethnic or rarified ingredient save produce can now be purchased on the Internet, often on Amazon. Because you know, Customers who purchased books by Ayun Halliday, might also enjoy Angelo Pietro Sesame and Miso Salad Dressing, the only bottled dressing the author can tolerate!
BSC: Mmm, Bourdain, love that man—love him more since A Cook’s Tour—but he’s made me rethink having eggs benedict with his talk about food preparation. In Job Hopper you touched upon your time working in the restaurant business, did those experiences make you more or less likely to eat out? Did they make you more or less likely to eat certain foods?
AH: Don't know that anything could quench my impulse to eat out, but yeah, there are things I don't order. Can't do glazed strawberries.
BSC: I’m afraid to even ask why. I love strawberries much too much. In the beginning of Dirty Sugar Cookies, you talk about your mom using Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking as her bible, but do you have any cookbook that you refer to above all else?
AH: Two actually.
The first, a rather recent acquisition, is Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It's kind of a shame because it's this beautiful coffee table book with glorious travel photographs and here I've done my usual number on it, broken the spine, stranded it on the sopping countertop, splattered it with fish sauce and oil... Apparently, I like my stuff to have that lived-in appearance.
For nearly two decades, I've relied on the Tao of Cooking by Sally Pasley. My stepbrother and his family live in Bloomington, Indiana, and his wife gave it to me for Christmas one year, because the author used to have some connection to the (now defunct) Tao Restaurant there. Susan rightly – and kindly - suspected that I would appreciate a present that acknowledged my hippie tendencies.
BSC: And since this is a bookselling blog, and I’m all about other people doing my job for me, what are a few books that you have loved (or loved lately) that you think everyone else should take a chance and read?
AH: My all-time favorite, more favorite even than The Grapes of Wrath or The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, is Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter.
I recently bought Jonathan Ames's What's Not To Love at a stoop sale, because I see him in my neighborhood all the time, and I enjoyed his novel The Extra Man, though I kind of had a bad taste in my mouth since overhearing him in a café telling an acquaintance of his how much he hates it when people recognize him and invade his privacy, though of course it was okay for her to do so since she was cute and she knew him. I didn't know him and after hearing that, thought that perhaps I didn't want to, but I tell you, he completely won me over with these personal essays. I was so sad to reach the end that I rushed out and bought his latest, I Love You More Than You Know, and it, too, is wonderful. There's a real charitableness in the way he describes people and his comic timing is just sublime.
Thanks, Ayun, for taking the time to answer my babble, and thank y’all for dropping by to check out the interview. You can find Dirty Sugar Cookies available to order here and here as well as The Big Rumpus, No Touch Monkey, and Job Hopper. You can also follow Ayun’s daily culinary triumphs and disasters at her food blog.
Friday, June 23, 2006
And Sometimes All You Need Are Some Snakes…
We talk a lot on this blog about what you need to do to get a bookseller to give you that coveted front of store placement, but perhaps we’re being too logical about this. You see, not too long ago my lone male coworker (I don’t know how he puts up with all of us) told me this story about a movie that went viral on the internet before it had even been made. The movie, Snakes on a Plane, starred Samuel L. Jackson, and inspired so much internet hubbub that the producers even included a fan produced soundtrack.
At the time this conversation only inspired a “Why, Sam Jackson? Why?” from me, and a few giggles. Something the coworker has reinforced by randomly bringing up the subjects “snakes” and “planes,” but I have been snake plane free for the last month or so…until today.
Today I’m busting through a shipment of boxes, bemoaning my sore head and the fact that I don’t need most of this stuff, when what should I find? Why a book based on the screenplay of the movie “Snakes on a Plane,” of course.
The book is going front and center on my mass market wallbay, but not only for making me laugh for five minutes straight. I mean, how can I (or any other bookseller) resist? It’s about snakes…on a M*ther F*ckin’ plane!
At the time this conversation only inspired a “Why, Sam Jackson? Why?” from me, and a few giggles. Something the coworker has reinforced by randomly bringing up the subjects “snakes” and “planes,” but I have been snake plane free for the last month or so…until today.
Today I’m busting through a shipment of boxes, bemoaning my sore head and the fact that I don’t need most of this stuff, when what should I find? Why a book based on the screenplay of the movie “Snakes on a Plane,” of course.
The book is going front and center on my mass market wallbay, but not only for making me laugh for five minutes straight. I mean, how can I (or any other bookseller) resist? It’s about snakes…on a M*ther F*ckin’ plane!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
And We Need This Signed…In Blood
Lady T sent me a link to a post by the author Barry Eisler called “Independents, Chains, and Drive-By Signings.” Apparently Eisler did a multi-author signing event at a popular Independent and then left to sign stock at a B&N. At some point during this interaction the son of the bookstore owner took offense to something (either his attitude or his belief that it was okay to ask the directions to the local B&N) and felt the need to write Barry about his feelings. Eisler has posted the entire exchange, sans names, and I would suggest that you read it over. Not only does it bring up points about signing etiquette, signings vs. drive-bys, and street dates, but it illustrates the Independent vs. Chain tension. I don’t know if the Independent felt slighted because they’d set up this author event without the urging or help of Barry’s publicist, or that they’d put co-op dollars to do the signing and wanted exclusivity. None of this is very clear, but this series of letters provides great jumping off point to discuss some things.
I’m not going to pass judgment on whether I believe the tone of the first letter was appropriate. Y’all can do that over at Barry’s place if you want. I wasn’t there at the signing, and I have no idea what work went into putting it together. What I do what to know is a.) are you more likely to buy a book if it has been previously autographed and b.) does an autographing have more value/meaning to you if were actually at the event and any other books you happen to buy signed are just gravy?
Do author signings/events appeal to you at all?
What makes you go to one bookstore instead of another? It is the events they have? Convenience? Speed at putting their stock out?
And for the authors out there, have you had an experience similar to Barry’s, whether at an Independent or Chain? If you don’t feel comfortable answering this with your name, please use the names Bob or Sally as I’m particularly fond of them (and not at all fond of Anonymous which takes too long to type).
Let’s hear your thoughts, people.
I’m not going to pass judgment on whether I believe the tone of the first letter was appropriate. Y’all can do that over at Barry’s place if you want. I wasn’t there at the signing, and I have no idea what work went into putting it together. What I do what to know is a.) are you more likely to buy a book if it has been previously autographed and b.) does an autographing have more value/meaning to you if were actually at the event and any other books you happen to buy signed are just gravy?
Do author signings/events appeal to you at all?
What makes you go to one bookstore instead of another? It is the events they have? Convenience? Speed at putting their stock out?
And for the authors out there, have you had an experience similar to Barry’s, whether at an Independent or Chain? If you don’t feel comfortable answering this with your name, please use the names Bob or Sally as I’m particularly fond of them (and not at all fond of Anonymous which takes too long to type).
Let’s hear your thoughts, people.
Ventis vs. Trades
Kendall,
I don’t have access to the exact measurements of a “Venti” premium paperback vs. a Trade paperback at the moment, but at work today—while on my break, you corporate office types—I’ll get a ruler and measure. Venti’s are pretty uniform in size, while Trades have been known to range. Per your question, as far as I know no SciFi/Fantasy books have been released as Venti’s (the LUNA books you asked about are Trade size paperbacks). I can provide you with a list of books that have been released in the Venti size:
Mary Higgins Clark, No Place Like Home (Mystery)
Harlan Coben, The Innocent (Mystery)
John Sandford, Broken Prey (Mystery)
Christine Feehan, Dark Demon (Romance)
Nora Roberts, Northern Lights (Romance)
Stephen King, (latest/smallest—in size—releases of) Dark Tower: The Wolves of Calla and Song of Susannah (Fiction/Horror)
There have been other releases (a Clive Cussler and a Catherine Coulter to name two), but I can’t remember them off the top of my head, while these I can guarantee will probably still be on the shelves of your local bookstore. I hope this helps a little. Look for a picture or some measurements to be added to this post in a couple of days for further explanation.
I don’t have access to the exact measurements of a “Venti” premium paperback vs. a Trade paperback at the moment, but at work today—while on my break, you corporate office types—I’ll get a ruler and measure. Venti’s are pretty uniform in size, while Trades have been known to range. Per your question, as far as I know no SciFi/Fantasy books have been released as Venti’s (the LUNA books you asked about are Trade size paperbacks). I can provide you with a list of books that have been released in the Venti size:
Mary Higgins Clark, No Place Like Home (Mystery)
Harlan Coben, The Innocent (Mystery)
John Sandford, Broken Prey (Mystery)
Christine Feehan, Dark Demon (Romance)
Nora Roberts, Northern Lights (Romance)
Stephen King, (latest/smallest—in size—releases of) Dark Tower: The Wolves of Calla and Song of Susannah (Fiction/Horror)
There have been other releases (a Clive Cussler and a Catherine Coulter to name two), but I can’t remember them off the top of my head, while these I can guarantee will probably still be on the shelves of your local bookstore. I hope this helps a little. Look for a picture or some measurements to be added to this post in a couple of days for further explanation.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
No Room at the (Book) Inn
Over at Romancing the Blog today, Sylvia Day has a column up (that you should read, because it applies to all books, not just romance) about her inability to find certain books and authors at the large chain bookstores. Not due to items being mis-shelved, but because of “shelf confusion” or the books just not being shipped to the stores to begin with. She defines shelf confusion as “too many books, making it difficult for readers to decide what to buy.”
At my store we have another word for this phenomenon: book blindness. Book blindness happens when you have a sea of spined books with absolutely no face-outs to act as a reference point. The sheer number of books in similar colors makes it hard for you to distinguish one from the next, let alone find what you might be looking for. Not only does it make it hard for the customer to find the book they want, but it makes it hard for the bookseller to recognize the title as well. Throw in some funky or hard to read fonts and you’ve got a migraine in the making.
But why so many spined books? Shouldn’t there be face-outs in each wall bay or even face-outs on each shelf? Yes, ideally there would be a face-out on each shelf, and it would be a new title, or an old favorite that someone likes to hand-sell. Often face-outs also act as place-holders, with the books flipped out to keep titles from flopping over into empty space. The face-out would then be reversed when more stock arrives, making shelving fast and painless.
Shelving has not been fast or painless for me in quite some time. Where at the beginning of my book career I had lots of room in my sections I now have none, and each time I shelve I must pull other titles to make space. Where at the beginning of my book career I had no overstock—in fact, it was forbidden, you’re just not trying hard enough to create space—I now have so much that I’m unable to cycle down any of the older books; too many new books have arrived to full the spots of the titles sold.
With mass markets now being released in the new “venti” or premium size I’ve had to re-situate my shelves to make more room, losing valuable space. With the increase of Trade titles I have to resituate again, losing even more shelves. My end-caps are packed to capacity with five titles across (and four books deep) to allow for some relief, and still face-outs are limited to titles of which I have so many copies that I need to create a barge on the shelf (a barge is when you place one book face out then the next book face down—like a plank—and then face out the rest of the books on top of that book, allowing for a larger quantity to be shelved in one place). Not the most professional looking presentation. I never thought that I would be so hard pressed for book space that I would be hoping—no, praying—that a sister store would just go out of business already so that I could get some of their large gondolas to increase the shelving potential in two of my sections. But here I am, so desperate that I hope they close before the end of summer so I can get the square footage my Manga and Romance sections desperately need.
Where did all these books come from? Part of it I’m sure has to do with ordering glitches, where stores receive too many books for their size. For the most part, though, this book overload has to do with book sizing and a greater availability. Where before we carried books from X amount of publisers, we’ve now increased to carry from Y. Where before mass markets reined supreme, now we have ventis and trades in their place. Display bays, while they make a nice sight break and section indicator, take up space that could be spread throughout the section.
The truth is that even if I got a bigger store, I would only get more books. My shelves would be just as crowded and I would still be stuck trying to figure out whose backlist I can sacrifice in order to get newbie author #2,039 a spot on the shelf. And it’s not even like this person will get a face-out (unless they got some major love from the buyer)! Nope, they’ll be limited to being spined just like everyone else.
This is why building the buzz for your book is so important. You want them to want your title so badly that they’ll keep looking, or special order, or even go on Amazon. Hemmingway and Capote and others didn’t have to worry about this problem, they weren’t competing against titles from e-publishers gone print, or editors who churn out 20 to 25 new titles a year. You have to get your name out there, be remembered, so some bookseller like me decides to keep you when it comes done to deciding who gets stripped or returned today. You want your titles to be restocked from overstock, not left up there to yellow.
It shouldn’t have had to come to this. You should have been allowed to just write and not have to market yourself and your work on a non-existent budget. It shouldn’t matter whether or not you’ve made a name for yourself or that some booksellers have decided to hand-sell you to the extreme because once upon a time a browsing reader would have just stumbled across your book, faced out on a shelf to hold up other titles (or spined out, but sitting right next to that face-out).
In a perfect world the term “book blindness” would only exist as the punchline to a joke about bookworms.
But we don’t live in a perfect world and you are vying with thousands of other people to get your name out there and be heard, so be heard, think outside the box, and get the word out, so that people like Sylvia will order you from Amazon if nothing else (and your following can grow from there).
At my store we have another word for this phenomenon: book blindness. Book blindness happens when you have a sea of spined books with absolutely no face-outs to act as a reference point. The sheer number of books in similar colors makes it hard for you to distinguish one from the next, let alone find what you might be looking for. Not only does it make it hard for the customer to find the book they want, but it makes it hard for the bookseller to recognize the title as well. Throw in some funky or hard to read fonts and you’ve got a migraine in the making.
But why so many spined books? Shouldn’t there be face-outs in each wall bay or even face-outs on each shelf? Yes, ideally there would be a face-out on each shelf, and it would be a new title, or an old favorite that someone likes to hand-sell. Often face-outs also act as place-holders, with the books flipped out to keep titles from flopping over into empty space. The face-out would then be reversed when more stock arrives, making shelving fast and painless.
Shelving has not been fast or painless for me in quite some time. Where at the beginning of my book career I had lots of room in my sections I now have none, and each time I shelve I must pull other titles to make space. Where at the beginning of my book career I had no overstock—in fact, it was forbidden, you’re just not trying hard enough to create space—I now have so much that I’m unable to cycle down any of the older books; too many new books have arrived to full the spots of the titles sold.
With mass markets now being released in the new “venti” or premium size I’ve had to re-situate my shelves to make more room, losing valuable space. With the increase of Trade titles I have to resituate again, losing even more shelves. My end-caps are packed to capacity with five titles across (and four books deep) to allow for some relief, and still face-outs are limited to titles of which I have so many copies that I need to create a barge on the shelf (a barge is when you place one book face out then the next book face down—like a plank—and then face out the rest of the books on top of that book, allowing for a larger quantity to be shelved in one place). Not the most professional looking presentation. I never thought that I would be so hard pressed for book space that I would be hoping—no, praying—that a sister store would just go out of business already so that I could get some of their large gondolas to increase the shelving potential in two of my sections. But here I am, so desperate that I hope they close before the end of summer so I can get the square footage my Manga and Romance sections desperately need.
Where did all these books come from? Part of it I’m sure has to do with ordering glitches, where stores receive too many books for their size. For the most part, though, this book overload has to do with book sizing and a greater availability. Where before we carried books from X amount of publisers, we’ve now increased to carry from Y. Where before mass markets reined supreme, now we have ventis and trades in their place. Display bays, while they make a nice sight break and section indicator, take up space that could be spread throughout the section.
The truth is that even if I got a bigger store, I would only get more books. My shelves would be just as crowded and I would still be stuck trying to figure out whose backlist I can sacrifice in order to get newbie author #2,039 a spot on the shelf. And it’s not even like this person will get a face-out (unless they got some major love from the buyer)! Nope, they’ll be limited to being spined just like everyone else.
This is why building the buzz for your book is so important. You want them to want your title so badly that they’ll keep looking, or special order, or even go on Amazon. Hemmingway and Capote and others didn’t have to worry about this problem, they weren’t competing against titles from e-publishers gone print, or editors who churn out 20 to 25 new titles a year. You have to get your name out there, be remembered, so some bookseller like me decides to keep you when it comes done to deciding who gets stripped or returned today. You want your titles to be restocked from overstock, not left up there to yellow.
It shouldn’t have had to come to this. You should have been allowed to just write and not have to market yourself and your work on a non-existent budget. It shouldn’t matter whether or not you’ve made a name for yourself or that some booksellers have decided to hand-sell you to the extreme because once upon a time a browsing reader would have just stumbled across your book, faced out on a shelf to hold up other titles (or spined out, but sitting right next to that face-out).
In a perfect world the term “book blindness” would only exist as the punchline to a joke about bookworms.
But we don’t live in a perfect world and you are vying with thousands of other people to get your name out there and be heard, so be heard, think outside the box, and get the word out, so that people like Sylvia will order you from Amazon if nothing else (and your following can grow from there).
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Links, Plans, and Marketing Shazams
Quit laughing. I know “Shazams” was lame. You’re looking at reason #473 for why I’ll never be a poet. And no, you don’t want to hear about the other 472 to reasons other than to note that I’m iambic pentameter will one day recover and those dirty limericks were not my fault…I was under the influence. Besides shazams serves a purpose that will be revealed later on in this post, but first:
A sharp reader of the Columbus Dispatch (I just realized I never asked for permission to reveal his name) spotted this article on our favorite topic here: publisher paid book placement a.k.a. co-op advertising/marketing. (This is not the marketing shazam, if you were wondering.)
Your mission: read the article, go hit a couple of B&Ns, Borders, or Books-a-Millions (if you can) and come back here to discuss what you found. We’ll do list comparisons of the tables/a-frames that are not the bestsellers racks (because of course the bestsellers racks would be the same).
The New York Daily News has discovered the truth about book clubs (link stolen from Booksquare)! Women get together and end up talking about sex and relationships? The books are treated as second class citizens? Nooo! Say it ain’t so. And then tell me where I can find one of these clubs. Is the wine free?
Someday I’ll have to remember to actually write about my feelings on Oprah and book clubs (these feelings are range from positive to negative). Someone please remind me, but not today, because today I have a plan. I need to:
A very nice reader asked me to list all the marketing techniques I found interesting, and of course once I’m put on the spot I remember nothing. Nothing! I mean, sure there was Stephen King’s cell phone messages for The Cell, but while intriguing not too many authors have the power to get that done (unless you have a brother who works for a cell company), and it will only reach a limited number of people. Then I remembered David Wellington’s Monster Island, about smart zombies (Smart zombies, people! That scares me more than I can say. At least before I could outrun them), and how he released it chapter by chapter for free on the internet before its release (Cory Doctorow did the same). I hear that it is already out-performing Thunder Mountain’s expectations and it just got excerpted in Fangoria (or so a customer tells me). And I mustn’t forget Joseph Nassise who recorded his whole book to allow his readers to listen chapter by chapter for free via podcast.
Gee, I guess I didn’t go completely blank so much as cover territory we’ve been over.
But then, THEN, I got an ARC from Kimberly Raye for her new book Dead End Dating and it came with a little coffin shaped mint tin. She sent out “Death Mints” (with which we immediately started using the Wrigley tagline “Kills bad breath dead”) to go with her book about a dating service for the undead. Very cute. All my non-romance reading counterparts will remember her because they are all enjoying the mints as well and she’ll probably be guaranteed a face-out if nothing else.
I only represent the bookseller half of the equation, and a very small portion of that (so other booksellers please chime in with your own interactions with fun marketing techniques), whereas y’all are the readers (and writers). What magical marketing (shazams, if you will) have you experienced here on the net and out there in the real world? What has caught your eye and made you go “Hmmm, maybe I’ll check that out”?
What works for one book won’t necessarily work for another (a children’s marketing campaign won’t have the same impact on an adult audience), but you can learn from another person’s techniques and maybe it will get you thinking outside of the box. So c’mon people, what have you seen? Heard of?
What worked on you?
Meanwhile I’ll dig around for links on this marketing madness…probably when I should be cleaning my house.
A sharp reader of the Columbus Dispatch (I just realized I never asked for permission to reveal his name) spotted this article on our favorite topic here: publisher paid book placement a.k.a. co-op advertising/marketing. (This is not the marketing shazam, if you were wondering.)
Your mission: read the article, go hit a couple of B&Ns, Borders, or Books-a-Millions (if you can) and come back here to discuss what you found. We’ll do list comparisons of the tables/a-frames that are not the bestsellers racks (because of course the bestsellers racks would be the same).
The New York Daily News has discovered the truth about book clubs (link stolen from Booksquare)! Women get together and end up talking about sex and relationships? The books are treated as second class citizens? Nooo! Say it ain’t so. And then tell me where I can find one of these clubs. Is the wine free?
Someday I’ll have to remember to actually write about my feelings on Oprah and book clubs (these feelings are range from positive to negative). Someone please remind me, but not today, because today I have a plan. I need to:
- Clean my house
- Do laundry
- Go to the bank
- Pay bills
- Organize all that lovely information y’all submitted for the website post and pull it all together (so if you have anything else to submit, do so now).
- Organize the author good behavior in bookstore post and post that as well.
- Try to remember all the cool marketing techniques I’ve been exposed to over the years, which reminds me…
A very nice reader asked me to list all the marketing techniques I found interesting, and of course once I’m put on the spot I remember nothing. Nothing! I mean, sure there was Stephen King’s cell phone messages for The Cell, but while intriguing not too many authors have the power to get that done (unless you have a brother who works for a cell company), and it will only reach a limited number of people. Then I remembered David Wellington’s Monster Island, about smart zombies (Smart zombies, people! That scares me more than I can say. At least before I could outrun them), and how he released it chapter by chapter for free on the internet before its release (Cory Doctorow did the same). I hear that it is already out-performing Thunder Mountain’s expectations and it just got excerpted in Fangoria (or so a customer tells me). And I mustn’t forget Joseph Nassise who recorded his whole book to allow his readers to listen chapter by chapter for free via podcast.
Gee, I guess I didn’t go completely blank so much as cover territory we’ve been over.
But then, THEN, I got an ARC from Kimberly Raye for her new book Dead End Dating and it came with a little coffin shaped mint tin. She sent out “Death Mints” (with which we immediately started using the Wrigley tagline “Kills bad breath dead”) to go with her book about a dating service for the undead. Very cute. All my non-romance reading counterparts will remember her because they are all enjoying the mints as well and she’ll probably be guaranteed a face-out if nothing else.
I only represent the bookseller half of the equation, and a very small portion of that (so other booksellers please chime in with your own interactions with fun marketing techniques), whereas y’all are the readers (and writers). What magical marketing (shazams, if you will) have you experienced here on the net and out there in the real world? What has caught your eye and made you go “Hmmm, maybe I’ll check that out”?
What works for one book won’t necessarily work for another (a children’s marketing campaign won’t have the same impact on an adult audience), but you can learn from another person’s techniques and maybe it will get you thinking outside of the box. So c’mon people, what have you seen? Heard of?
What worked on you?
Meanwhile I’ll dig around for links on this marketing madness…probably when I should be cleaning my house.
Monday, June 19, 2006
SB Day: Spicing Up Spice's Ads
It’s Smart Bitches Day once again, and I’m annoyed. Specifically I’m annoyed by the advertisements for Harlequin’s Spice line (click here and look at the picture in the upper right hand of corner of the banner). I think I first saw this ad in full in an issue of PW and my immediate reaction was, “Um yeah, no.”
Didn’t do it for me. Not at all. It felt thrown together as if the marketing firm folks put in charge (or the poor people in the art department who got the project at the last minute) said, “How do we advertise sex to women?” and found themselves at a complete loss.
Sure marketing is subjective, and I got the point (erotica is hot, potholders are used when something is too hot to handle, ergo potholders are necessary for these hot, hot books), but the overall feel? Bleh. Double bleh, and the potholders are ugly, which shouldn’t have any bearing on this at all, but it does. I keep wondering if the marketing people felt that they would tie together both the working girl (the girl in the full length print is wearing business type attire) and the stay-at-homers, or if I’m simply over-analyzing.
And I realize that it is one thing to bitch about how much you dislike something, and quite another to come up with a solution to fix it. Harlequin probably pulled in a team of marketers to create their advertising, and those marketers probably pulled out charts and graphs and surveys and contacted their pop culture anthropologists about the women most likely to be appealed to by this line, and then took all that data to create what we see gracing the banner of Spice’s site. Anything that I come up with off the top of my head would probably be off the mark and highly insulting to someone else out there (who would then bitch about it on their blog, thus continuing the cycle). That said I’m going to try anyway.
Here are my ideas for new advertising for the Spice line (or any new erotica line in general):
Two fold picture:
First picture: Guy—dressed for a night out—leaning against a porch support, looking at his watch, flowers under one arm (or in watch hand). Over the top of his picture reads “You’re not late getting ready…”
Second picture adjacent to the first or as the next page: Woman—dressed for the night out in a great dress and kicky heels (something slightly edgy, but still attractive to all the shoe lovers out there)—sitting on her stairs reading a Spice book with her expression entranced, knees pressed together (one edged slightly over the other), one hand gripping the fabric of her dress. Over the top of her picture reads, “He just knocked during a good part…”
Place the “Spice: Ignite your senses” at the bottom as well as a few book covers.
(‘Cause really guys, if you are going to acknowledge the sex then acknowledge the sex!)
Ad Two:
Woman (any age, any clothing style) on the train sandwiched between commuters. The book must be positioned low enough to allow an almost complete view of her face. Her expression is open, eyes widened, cheeks pink. Commuter—in full business attire—on the left has his head turned towards her and is perhaps frowning.
Caption reads: So good you won’t care who sees you blush.
Imprint information runs along the bottom.
Are these just as bad (or worse even) than Spice’s potholders? Would these appeal to you as a woman if you were in the market for some erotica or completely turn you off? Or have I missed the boat by being too hard on Spice’s print ads in general?
What kind of ado—if any—would appeal to you?
Didn’t do it for me. Not at all. It felt thrown together as if the marketing firm folks put in charge (or the poor people in the art department who got the project at the last minute) said, “How do we advertise sex to women?” and found themselves at a complete loss.
Sure marketing is subjective, and I got the point (erotica is hot, potholders are used when something is too hot to handle, ergo potholders are necessary for these hot, hot books), but the overall feel? Bleh. Double bleh, and the potholders are ugly, which shouldn’t have any bearing on this at all, but it does. I keep wondering if the marketing people felt that they would tie together both the working girl (the girl in the full length print is wearing business type attire) and the stay-at-homers, or if I’m simply over-analyzing.
And I realize that it is one thing to bitch about how much you dislike something, and quite another to come up with a solution to fix it. Harlequin probably pulled in a team of marketers to create their advertising, and those marketers probably pulled out charts and graphs and surveys and contacted their pop culture anthropologists about the women most likely to be appealed to by this line, and then took all that data to create what we see gracing the banner of Spice’s site. Anything that I come up with off the top of my head would probably be off the mark and highly insulting to someone else out there (who would then bitch about it on their blog, thus continuing the cycle). That said I’m going to try anyway.
Here are my ideas for new advertising for the Spice line (or any new erotica line in general):
Two fold picture:
First picture: Guy—dressed for a night out—leaning against a porch support, looking at his watch, flowers under one arm (or in watch hand). Over the top of his picture reads “You’re not late getting ready…”
Second picture adjacent to the first or as the next page: Woman—dressed for the night out in a great dress and kicky heels (something slightly edgy, but still attractive to all the shoe lovers out there)—sitting on her stairs reading a Spice book with her expression entranced, knees pressed together (one edged slightly over the other), one hand gripping the fabric of her dress. Over the top of her picture reads, “He just knocked during a good part…”
Place the “Spice: Ignite your senses” at the bottom as well as a few book covers.
(‘Cause really guys, if you are going to acknowledge the sex then acknowledge the sex!)
Ad Two:
Woman (any age, any clothing style) on the train sandwiched between commuters. The book must be positioned low enough to allow an almost complete view of her face. Her expression is open, eyes widened, cheeks pink. Commuter—in full business attire—on the left has his head turned towards her and is perhaps frowning.
Caption reads: So good you won’t care who sees you blush.
Imprint information runs along the bottom.
Are these just as bad (or worse even) than Spice’s potholders? Would these appeal to you as a woman if you were in the market for some erotica or completely turn you off? Or have I missed the boat by being too hard on Spice’s print ads in general?
What kind of ado—if any—would appeal to you?
Friday, June 16, 2006
Websites: Web-Winners, Web-Weenies, and the Space Between
I was emailing back and forth with a debut author the other night, and she mentioned that her website is non-existent. From the sound of it, her designer had fallen through for the third time, and she was freaking out about getting a late start putting her name out there on the web. Not only did she have my sympathies, but this got me thinking about author websites in general: good ones, bad ones, and what defines them as such. It is one thing to say that site A is easy to navigate, and quite another to explain why. You can scream to high hell that site B is hard to read without ever mentioning that it is because they use white type on a black background.
What does this mean to y’all? Well, most of you are authors, some of you are straight readers who surf the web for authors, and all of you have to deal with websites in some fashion (either having them built or having to navigate them). So what do you think makes a good website vs. a bad one and why?
I’m looking for examples (and links) here with explanations, not I hate this website because I hate this person (Die Bee-otch!), but because the links drop down and I always click on the wrong one. Obviously drop links are a matter of personal choice when designing a website and a way to organize lots of information, but they are still hard to maneuver at times (especially if you don’t have a mouse, just a touch pad).
I would also like to compile a list of web-designers for your use, so if you know of a good designer who gets their work done on time, incorporates ideas in a workable fashion, etc, then drop this persons link in the comments (along with any links to sites they’ve created for examples). If they specialize in working with one genre over another also let me know.
If there is already a list like this in existence, send me the link and I’ll just put that up instead to save time. Ooh, and if there is a list for website technical terms out there, post that link too. I’m not so fluent in Techie, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
This might not be worth our time, but I know that I personally would struggle if I suddenly found myself in a situation requiring a website. If I didn’t have the computer savvy friends that I do, I wouldn’t know where to look to find someone who could turn my thoughts into reality. Sure, I could look in the phone book, but what if I get someone who’s never built an author’s website before. Is there a difference between that and a site for a marketing firm?
So here’s the official assignment:
Also if you have any book titles that would be helpful for the DIY-ers (Do It Yourself-ers) out there, include that as well. We’ll make this a full service listing if we make it at all.
What does this mean to y’all? Well, most of you are authors, some of you are straight readers who surf the web for authors, and all of you have to deal with websites in some fashion (either having them built or having to navigate them). So what do you think makes a good website vs. a bad one and why?
I’m looking for examples (and links) here with explanations, not I hate this website because I hate this person (Die Bee-otch!), but because the links drop down and I always click on the wrong one. Obviously drop links are a matter of personal choice when designing a website and a way to organize lots of information, but they are still hard to maneuver at times (especially if you don’t have a mouse, just a touch pad).
I would also like to compile a list of web-designers for your use, so if you know of a good designer who gets their work done on time, incorporates ideas in a workable fashion, etc, then drop this persons link in the comments (along with any links to sites they’ve created for examples). If they specialize in working with one genre over another also let me know.
If there is already a list like this in existence, send me the link and I’ll just put that up instead to save time. Ooh, and if there is a list for website technical terms out there, post that link too. I’m not so fluent in Techie, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
This might not be worth our time, but I know that I personally would struggle if I suddenly found myself in a situation requiring a website. If I didn’t have the computer savvy friends that I do, I wouldn’t know where to look to find someone who could turn my thoughts into reality. Sure, I could look in the phone book, but what if I get someone who’s never built an author’s website before. Is there a difference between that and a site for a marketing firm?
So here’s the official assignment:
- Go forth and find author websites that look good and are easy to navigate (or maybe they are neither of these things).
- Come back here and post a link to said sites and what works and what doesn’t.
- Post the names/links to web designers you’ve worked with in the past (or who you’ve known someone to work with) who have proven themselves to be reliable and efficient (please post examples of their work).
Also if you have any book titles that would be helpful for the DIY-ers (Do It Yourself-ers) out there, include that as well. We’ll make this a full service listing if we make it at all.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Recommendations (Bet You Thought I Had Forgotten)
Wow, putting together these lists of recommends (for yes, there will be multiple lists) takes a lot of time. Not so much finding the right recommends (although that’s a part of it), but tracking down the links, counter links, and typing out my explanations. Without the ability to ask for extra information (like why did you like these novels) or the freedom to ramble out explanations that (upon closer examination) might have holes the size of Yugos. Y’all are making me think! So here are a few recommendations in no particular order.
Marta, feeling like something new (as opposed to from the sixties)? If you loved A Confederacy of Dunces, you might want to check out the new book by Paul Neilan, Apathy and Other Small Victories.
A debut author, Neilan’s book may not have quite the command that O’Toole did, but Ignatius J. Reilly, Neilan’s Shane has a focused aimlessness that sends him into a spiraling world of crazy characters and social observations. Give the first couple of pages a read to see if you believe that this ’00 slacker captures you in the same way O’Toole did. If not, there is always Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, in which he riffs on the topics that still apply today (sex, love, America and war) through his beleaguered character Kilgore Trout.
Susan Wilbanks listed Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond as one of her five keepers, a treatise on why some societies survive and flourish while others fail. I remember reading this back in college for a class and it always makes me wonder if Professor Diamond is still as accessible as he was four years ago when you could email him at Berkeley and he would email you back. The logical recommendation to this would be for you to check out his follow-up, Collapse, where he looks at why dominant societies (the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, etc) eventually collapse under their own weight.
Chances are, though, that those of who liked Guns, Germs and Steel have already discovered collapse and maybe even gone out of your way to pick up The Third Chimpanzee (Diamond’s first book on evolution). If so then I highly suggest anything by entomologist Edward O. Wilson. In The Future of Life, Wilson, an entomologist and the founder of the study of sociobiology, uses his scientific studies to focus on the future of life as we know it. Is environmental conservation really at odds with our economic well being, and what will happen to the world with the reduction in biodiversity? Layer Wilson’s work over Diamond’s and an interesting, but frightening future lies before us.
If you’re looking for something scientific, but more from a layman’s stand-point (both Diamond and Wilson can get a bit complex in their explanations), then check out Black Bodies and Quantum Physics: Tales from the Annals of Physics by Jennifer Ouellette.
Ouellette makes physics eminently approachable by using pop culture and real life to explain such theories as the Golden Ratio through to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. As an English major who ended up working as a science writer, it appears that she teaches the theories much the same way she had to learn them to write for her new job.
Marta, feeling like something new (as opposed to from the sixties)? If you loved A Confederacy of Dunces, you might want to check out the new book by Paul Neilan, Apathy and Other Small Victories.
A debut author, Neilan’s book may not have quite the command that O’Toole did, but Ignatius J. Reilly, Neilan’s Shane has a focused aimlessness that sends him into a spiraling world of crazy characters and social observations. Give the first couple of pages a read to see if you believe that this ’00 slacker captures you in the same way O’Toole did. If not, there is always Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, in which he riffs on the topics that still apply today (sex, love, America and war) through his beleaguered character Kilgore Trout.
Susan Wilbanks listed Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond as one of her five keepers, a treatise on why some societies survive and flourish while others fail. I remember reading this back in college for a class and it always makes me wonder if Professor Diamond is still as accessible as he was four years ago when you could email him at Berkeley and he would email you back. The logical recommendation to this would be for you to check out his follow-up, Collapse, where he looks at why dominant societies (the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, etc) eventually collapse under their own weight.
Chances are, though, that those of who liked Guns, Germs and Steel have already discovered collapse and maybe even gone out of your way to pick up The Third Chimpanzee (Diamond’s first book on evolution). If so then I highly suggest anything by entomologist Edward O. Wilson. In The Future of Life, Wilson, an entomologist and the founder of the study of sociobiology, uses his scientific studies to focus on the future of life as we know it. Is environmental conservation really at odds with our economic well being, and what will happen to the world with the reduction in biodiversity? Layer Wilson’s work over Diamond’s and an interesting, but frightening future lies before us.
If you’re looking for something scientific, but more from a layman’s stand-point (both Diamond and Wilson can get a bit complex in their explanations), then check out Black Bodies and Quantum Physics: Tales from the Annals of Physics by Jennifer Ouellette.
Ouellette makes physics eminently approachable by using pop culture and real life to explain such theories as the Golden Ratio through to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. As an English major who ended up working as a science writer, it appears that she teaches the theories much the same way she had to learn them to write for her new job.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Profit and Loss Love, Newbie Blogs, and the Eyeliner Controversy
Ana Louise continues to break down the Profit and Loss statements for books (link from Agent Kristin). The comment about Trade vs. Mass Market (with Trade appealing to younger readers) I found very interesting. I’ve had long conversations with some of my suppliers about how we feel some books should be duel released (Hardcover and Trade), while others should just be released as Trade originals. Of course, I’ve never seen the numbers worked out for these sorts of situations, and I know some collectors prefer hardcovers over trades.
Episode Soldier is the newest bookselling blog on the block and the product of Aubrey who works at Arches Book Company in Moab, Utah (link via Written Nerd). Not only does she mention William Heat-Moon (Blue Highways rocks) in her first post, but she gives the working definition of “episode soldier.” I can’t wait to read her thoughts on the book world.
Both Booksquare and Big A little a highlighted this article from the NY Times about product placement in children’s books yesterday, and I wanted to know your thoughts on it from the writer’s point of view. Booksquare points out that product placement has been going on—for free—for years, but does this represent a lazy writing style on the author’s part or an attempt to ground a book in the present reality?
Speaking of children’s books, more specifically Young Adult books, how does one go about getting on the lists to be sent ARCs for review? She’s a rabid YA reader and very much a product of her generation (hipster lovin’ 22 year old), and having stumbled into getting free books myself, I have no way to direct her. Some help would be greatly appreciated.
Episode Soldier is the newest bookselling blog on the block and the product of Aubrey who works at Arches Book Company in Moab, Utah (link via Written Nerd). Not only does she mention William Heat-Moon (Blue Highways rocks) in her first post, but she gives the working definition of “episode soldier.” I can’t wait to read her thoughts on the book world.
Both Booksquare and Big A little a highlighted this article from the NY Times about product placement in children’s books yesterday, and I wanted to know your thoughts on it from the writer’s point of view. Booksquare points out that product placement has been going on—for free—for years, but does this represent a lazy writing style on the author’s part or an attempt to ground a book in the present reality?
Speaking of children’s books, more specifically Young Adult books, how does one go about getting on the lists to be sent ARCs for review? She’s a rabid YA reader and very much a product of her generation (hipster lovin’ 22 year old), and having stumbled into getting free books myself, I have no way to direct her. Some help would be greatly appreciated.
Monday, June 12, 2006
SB Day: The Bitch Is Back
If you are uninterested in bitchiness, romance novels, or Smart Bitches Day, then head on down to this column and see if you can offer up any advice.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve participated in a Smart Bitches Day, and today’s is sort of half-assed, but I felt we were sadly lacking in bitch praise. Now, when I say bitch I don’t mean the southern bitch who smiles to your face as she stabs you in the back in that “Bless your heart, tramp,” kind of way, or the cashmere bitch from up north who’s so caught up in social standing and her charities that she forgets about the real world. No, I’m talking about the blunt talking, slightly self-centered but totally open about it bitch who will tell you not only how it is, but whether or not she can stand you…to your face.
I was reminded of this type of bitch when Marjorie Liu highlighted Jennifer Crusie’s essay, “The Assassination of Cordelia Chase.” Cordelia Chase was a bitch, but she was a bitch who was allowed to grow (but still remain bitchy) and fall in love (while still being bitchy). She represents a character that hardly ever exists in Romancelandia without being an uber-villainness. She’s bitchy? Good God! She can’t be the heroine, surely not! No one will like her.
And what makes her a bitch? Well, she’s sure of her own goals, looking out for number one, and has an unwillingness to compromise about her personal comfort. Just the type of girl every mother wants her daughter to grow into. How sad that all these traits that make her strong are the very same that make her a turn off to the average romance reader. But are there bitches that work in Romancelandia? Do they ever get the guy?
How does one go about “tricking” one’s readers into supporting the bitch character, cheering her on as she finds love, happiness, and the perfect top? Is she a character best suited to act as a secondary or tertiary member of the story for a few books—allowing the reader to get used to her bluntness while experiencing her emotional growth—before getting her own chance to shine?
Am I over-thinking this? Yeah, probably, but I really like bitches.
They have all the best lines.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve participated in a Smart Bitches Day, and today’s is sort of half-assed, but I felt we were sadly lacking in bitch praise. Now, when I say bitch I don’t mean the southern bitch who smiles to your face as she stabs you in the back in that “Bless your heart, tramp,” kind of way, or the cashmere bitch from up north who’s so caught up in social standing and her charities that she forgets about the real world. No, I’m talking about the blunt talking, slightly self-centered but totally open about it bitch who will tell you not only how it is, but whether or not she can stand you…to your face.
I was reminded of this type of bitch when Marjorie Liu highlighted Jennifer Crusie’s essay, “The Assassination of Cordelia Chase.” Cordelia Chase was a bitch, but she was a bitch who was allowed to grow (but still remain bitchy) and fall in love (while still being bitchy). She represents a character that hardly ever exists in Romancelandia without being an uber-villainness. She’s bitchy? Good God! She can’t be the heroine, surely not! No one will like her.
And what makes her a bitch? Well, she’s sure of her own goals, looking out for number one, and has an unwillingness to compromise about her personal comfort. Just the type of girl every mother wants her daughter to grow into. How sad that all these traits that make her strong are the very same that make her a turn off to the average romance reader. But are there bitches that work in Romancelandia? Do they ever get the guy?
How does one go about “tricking” one’s readers into supporting the bitch character, cheering her on as she finds love, happiness, and the perfect top? Is she a character best suited to act as a secondary or tertiary member of the story for a few books—allowing the reader to get used to her bluntness while experiencing her emotional growth—before getting her own chance to shine?
Am I over-thinking this? Yeah, probably, but I really like bitches.
They have all the best lines.
What Do You Do When…Author/Bookseller Feedback Column
Since I’m a “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know where to hide the bodies” type of girl, I thought I would tackle something that we might come up with an answer to today (as opposed to tackling my hair, which after a thorough dosing of wind, humidity and salt air at the coast may never be anything more than the tangled curl mass that ate my head). Ms. Librarian wrote me to inquire after how one goes about getting marketing materials. Specifically, she saw this book in a bookstore, and absolutely had to have a poster of the cover (I’m assuming for the library).
Being the smart chickie that she is, she wrote the publisher with an offer to buy a poster only to be told that they were not producing any promotional materials for this title (proof that there is an epidemic of crack smoking going on out there, I’m convinced). She then wrote me to see if I knew of anyway around this as well as if I knew of any contests involving cover art for children’s book because this title deserved to be considered. I’m sending an email to Fuse#8 about the contest question, but I thought you wondrous folks might be able to answer her question on promotional materials.
Now here’s what I would do:
Having failed with the publishing house, I would contact the author (if possible) to see if she has created her own promotional materials or has the rights to the digital image. She might have already created a poster for placement with her book in historical societies and museums (where I would hope she was marketing this because c’mon, this book is about Pocahontas).
(Slightly off topic: Back when I played at being a dramaturge, and had friends at Kinkos (before they got all frowny about copyright and such), I would get them to blow up images for me (to be used for plays and never for profit) and foam-core mount all of them. They even had some sort of nifty sealant (if I remember correctly) that they could cover the image with to keep it from yellowing. The foam-core mounting allowed me to display the images on easels or by pinning them to the walls (without damaging the actual picture). I’m not saying that one should head off to Kinkos with the book cover and try to get it reproduced without approval—chances are that they won’t do it for fear of copyright infringement—but if the digital image is available in high resolution, they could create a cover if the author has not.)
So y’all, help us out. Do authors get some access to their cover images or do you have to pay for the right? How do you produce your publicity materials if your publishing house isn’t involved?
I get eight bajillion bookmarks (bearing cover art) every month from a lovely publicist out of Oklahoma, but I don’t know if her cadre of authors have those produced or their publishing companies do. What’s the difference between using an image for a poster instead of a bookmark (other than size)?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Being the smart chickie that she is, she wrote the publisher with an offer to buy a poster only to be told that they were not producing any promotional materials for this title (proof that there is an epidemic of crack smoking going on out there, I’m convinced). She then wrote me to see if I knew of anyway around this as well as if I knew of any contests involving cover art for children’s book because this title deserved to be considered. I’m sending an email to Fuse#8 about the contest question, but I thought you wondrous folks might be able to answer her question on promotional materials.
Now here’s what I would do:
Having failed with the publishing house, I would contact the author (if possible) to see if she has created her own promotional materials or has the rights to the digital image. She might have already created a poster for placement with her book in historical societies and museums (where I would hope she was marketing this because c’mon, this book is about Pocahontas).
(Slightly off topic: Back when I played at being a dramaturge, and had friends at Kinkos (before they got all frowny about copyright and such), I would get them to blow up images for me (to be used for plays and never for profit) and foam-core mount all of them. They even had some sort of nifty sealant (if I remember correctly) that they could cover the image with to keep it from yellowing. The foam-core mounting allowed me to display the images on easels or by pinning them to the walls (without damaging the actual picture). I’m not saying that one should head off to Kinkos with the book cover and try to get it reproduced without approval—chances are that they won’t do it for fear of copyright infringement—but if the digital image is available in high resolution, they could create a cover if the author has not.)
So y’all, help us out. Do authors get some access to their cover images or do you have to pay for the right? How do you produce your publicity materials if your publishing house isn’t involved?
I get eight bajillion bookmarks (bearing cover art) every month from a lovely publicist out of Oklahoma, but I don’t know if her cadre of authors have those produced or their publishing companies do. What’s the difference between using an image for a poster instead of a bookmark (other than size)?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Friday, Friday
After tomorrow’s strawberry margarita fiesta (what? It’s the start of true strawberry season here, and a girl has to celebrate with the freshest berries being blended all to hell to create the perfect alcoholic libations. Shesh), I will start my mini vacation and finally get a chance to start posting the recommendations for the book lists you’ve so thoughtfully provided. I’ve got a nice sized reply list going, but I have to work both in Word and in Blogger to make sure all the coding is right, something that necessitates a functioning Blogger.
I will also get to update the sidebar (so get in any links—review sites, favorite posts, other cool book sites—you think would be appropriate), and answer all my email.
The idea of getting actual stuff accomplished here at home makes me feel faint. Oh the wonders!
Until then, why don’t y’all go weigh in on the Venti book debate over at SBLTN. Besides coining the term, Venti, as it applies to the new paperback size (the one between Trade and Mass Market for those of you wondering), SB Sarah is trying to help out Nora Roberts by finding out if there is anything good about it. If nothing else, weed through the comments until you find the one (by April, I believe) that explains grain direction (in paper) and how that affects the way a book opens, flops, and general comfort. I really need to contact her and see if she’ll enlarge on that subject for this blog.
Mapletree7, of Book of the Day fame, has compiled the Alternate List of Winners for Best Fiction over the past 25 years and the winner is Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy. I must agree that this is a wonderful trilogy (meant to be read together, damn it, I don’t know why you see City of Glass published on its own), and if you haven’t read it then you should go buy it now. Don’t let the post-modernism scare you.
Bookslut interviews Anthony Bourdain just as my Boss and I scheme to get him into the store long enough to sign all his stock (and maybe just one, tiny, inconsequential photo-op to forever let us remember the day that Anthony Bourdain was in our frickin’ store). It must be fate…or the fact that he is touring.
Agent Kristin rants on covers, cover control, cover feel (as in does it feel like the story as opposed to whether it feels in a tactile sense), and what an author can do to help the process. Check it out if you haven’t already. Marketing people aren’t stupid, they’re just overworked, so be prepared to help them out and make allowances.
Enough links for now, I need to get to work so we can write reviews and discuss the possibilities of a Manga party to boost sales. Speaking of Manga:
Dear Drama Queen,
Your Yaoi (sp?) Manga is a huge hit with my female customers in that crucial range between 18 and 34, and I’m glad that I can provide them with your books. Your price point makes me happy too. Still, while I don’t mind carding anyone who wishes to buy your product, I wish that you would plastic wrap your books so that I can have some small barrier to keep children under 18 from looking at the artwork. Right now we have to keep them behind the counter, something that both keeps browsing buyers from discovering your titles and makes me feel like the vice cops might break down my doors at any moment to raid my store. I realize that plastic wrap is an extra cost, but I don’t think that the resulting price increase will hurt sales at all.
Thanks.
I will also get to update the sidebar (so get in any links—review sites, favorite posts, other cool book sites—you think would be appropriate), and answer all my email.
The idea of getting actual stuff accomplished here at home makes me feel faint. Oh the wonders!
Until then, why don’t y’all go weigh in on the Venti book debate over at SBLTN. Besides coining the term, Venti, as it applies to the new paperback size (the one between Trade and Mass Market for those of you wondering), SB Sarah is trying to help out Nora Roberts by finding out if there is anything good about it. If nothing else, weed through the comments until you find the one (by April, I believe) that explains grain direction (in paper) and how that affects the way a book opens, flops, and general comfort. I really need to contact her and see if she’ll enlarge on that subject for this blog.
Mapletree7, of Book of the Day fame, has compiled the Alternate List of Winners for Best Fiction over the past 25 years and the winner is Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy. I must agree that this is a wonderful trilogy (meant to be read together, damn it, I don’t know why you see City of Glass published on its own), and if you haven’t read it then you should go buy it now. Don’t let the post-modernism scare you.
Bookslut interviews Anthony Bourdain just as my Boss and I scheme to get him into the store long enough to sign all his stock (and maybe just one, tiny, inconsequential photo-op to forever let us remember the day that Anthony Bourdain was in our frickin’ store). It must be fate…or the fact that he is touring.
Agent Kristin rants on covers, cover control, cover feel (as in does it feel like the story as opposed to whether it feels in a tactile sense), and what an author can do to help the process. Check it out if you haven’t already. Marketing people aren’t stupid, they’re just overworked, so be prepared to help them out and make allowances.
Enough links for now, I need to get to work so we can write reviews and discuss the possibilities of a Manga party to boost sales. Speaking of Manga:
Dear Drama Queen,
Your Yaoi (sp?) Manga is a huge hit with my female customers in that crucial range between 18 and 34, and I’m glad that I can provide them with your books. Your price point makes me happy too. Still, while I don’t mind carding anyone who wishes to buy your product, I wish that you would plastic wrap your books so that I can have some small barrier to keep children under 18 from looking at the artwork. Right now we have to keep them behind the counter, something that both keeps browsing buyers from discovering your titles and makes me feel like the vice cops might break down my doors at any moment to raid my store. I realize that plastic wrap is an extra cost, but I don’t think that the resulting price increase will hurt sales at all.
Thanks.
On Gaping Head Wounds and Ava Gardner
Note: I tried to post this yesterday morning, but Blogger just wasn’t having it. Sure it’s not the best thing I’ve ever put out there—I wrote it in ten minutes—but I didn’t appreciate the electronic slam, Mr. Blogger.
I don’t think I mention it enough that I really, truly do love most of the customers that walk through my doors. They are delightful, intelligent people who love books or magazines and love that we love them too. My regulars distinguish themselves from the crowd not only by coming back, but entertaining us with their thoughts, stories and personal reviews. If only I took decent dictation my shelves would be covered with little slips of paper denoting customer reviews and recommendations.
One of my favorite customers is an older woman (who we’ll call Nell) who grew up in the Hollywood area before WWII. Nell used to baby-sit for the rich folks in the canyon, and she always has the best stories the stars of the time period (and her own sometimes unfortunate interactions with them). Given Nell’s fascination with Old Hollywood, and our fascination with Nell, we always try to keep her apprised of the latest celeb biographies, so when the Ava Gardner biography was released, we knew we had to show her right away. Upon being presented with the book, Nell leaned over the counter and in a whisper said, “She was a nympho, you know.”
When we gasped and covered our mouths—you never expect a woman old enough to be your grandma to say the word nympho—she continued in a normal conversational tone, “But a beautiful woman to be sure.”
While Nell is always good for an amusing story or a shocking comment, some of my other customers are just more shocking. My business is in the middle of downtown and surrounded by a bus mall. I get customers of all walks of life, on all sorts of different drugs, and I thank the book gods daily that I don’t have a public bathroom for them to enjoy (I don’t get paid for haz-mat duties). I’ve received bloody money, had people tweek out in the middle of my store, and regularly had to roust people who felt it was perfectly acceptable to sleep in the corner of my store. Until the other day, though, I’ve never had anyone openly bleeding from anything more dangerous than a papercut. This customer, however, was bleeding (more an ooze at that point than anything else) from a wound on her forehead where she was missing a large chunk of skin (about an inch across). Since I wasn’t on yet, the boss handled it, took her money, made pleasant conversation, and was basically able to ignore staring. The woman was functioning fine, and didn’t seem to out of it, but the entire time I kept wondering what the protocol was for bleeding customers? Do you offer them a tissue or band aide? Do you call an ambulance? Do you ask, “Hey, did you know you are bleeding?”
I really need to figure this out because I’m sure she won’t be my last injured customer.
I don’t think I mention it enough that I really, truly do love most of the customers that walk through my doors. They are delightful, intelligent people who love books or magazines and love that we love them too. My regulars distinguish themselves from the crowd not only by coming back, but entertaining us with their thoughts, stories and personal reviews. If only I took decent dictation my shelves would be covered with little slips of paper denoting customer reviews and recommendations.
One of my favorite customers is an older woman (who we’ll call Nell) who grew up in the Hollywood area before WWII. Nell used to baby-sit for the rich folks in the canyon, and she always has the best stories the stars of the time period (and her own sometimes unfortunate interactions with them). Given Nell’s fascination with Old Hollywood, and our fascination with Nell, we always try to keep her apprised of the latest celeb biographies, so when the Ava Gardner biography was released, we knew we had to show her right away. Upon being presented with the book, Nell leaned over the counter and in a whisper said, “She was a nympho, you know.”
When we gasped and covered our mouths—you never expect a woman old enough to be your grandma to say the word nympho—she continued in a normal conversational tone, “But a beautiful woman to be sure.”
While Nell is always good for an amusing story or a shocking comment, some of my other customers are just more shocking. My business is in the middle of downtown and surrounded by a bus mall. I get customers of all walks of life, on all sorts of different drugs, and I thank the book gods daily that I don’t have a public bathroom for them to enjoy (I don’t get paid for haz-mat duties). I’ve received bloody money, had people tweek out in the middle of my store, and regularly had to roust people who felt it was perfectly acceptable to sleep in the corner of my store. Until the other day, though, I’ve never had anyone openly bleeding from anything more dangerous than a papercut. This customer, however, was bleeding (more an ooze at that point than anything else) from a wound on her forehead where she was missing a large chunk of skin (about an inch across). Since I wasn’t on yet, the boss handled it, took her money, made pleasant conversation, and was basically able to ignore staring. The woman was functioning fine, and didn’t seem to out of it, but the entire time I kept wondering what the protocol was for bleeding customers? Do you offer them a tissue or band aide? Do you call an ambulance? Do you ask, “Hey, did you know you are bleeding?”
I really need to figure this out because I’m sure she won’t be my last injured customer.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Blogger's done a bad, bad thing
Yesterday was full of gaping head wounds and customers who felt that "Hope to see you at the Rapture" was a completely appropriate salutation. Granted, it was 6/6/06, but c'mon people, I don't really know how to respond to either of those things. Well, not true, with the Rapture I think that "Thank you" worked fine, but "Um, did you know you're bleeding?" seemed like an understatement when the bleeding customer looked like they'd lost a fair amount of flesh.
Blogger giving me problems today is minor, I know.
The Challengers list has been updated, but Blogger will not allow me to update from Word (I have to type this directly into the post box which means typos galore).
I am not happy with Blogger at the moment.
I wanted let you know that because 23 of you commented on the Challenge thread, and 22 of those comments included book suggestions (that's approximately 110 ten books if we ignore repeats), I've closed the thread so my head won't explode. If this is successful we'll do it again some day. If it isn't, we'll pretend this never happened (and I'll fade off into anonymous obscurity). Right now, if Blogger cooperates, it looks like I'll do a few suggestions at a time, chosen from the whole list of you, grouping together books that fall into the same suggestion category to save brain power. Links will be provided to those who made the suggestion (if that information is available to me), the book chosen from said person's list (because we all know some of you will be using this as a recommended reading list long before I get around to making my recommendations), and my book suggestion.
Cool with youse guys?
Of course, none of this will happen if Blogger does not allow me to load info from Word!!!!
Maybe tonight after I help a friend move furniture it will be in a better mood and then I can update the "In Praise of Midlist" List too...and actually put a link to it in the sidebar.
Which reminds me, I'm thinking about putting together a "Favorite Columns" header with links to posts y'all enjoyed to make navigation easier. Ideally Book Sense 101 and the Doing My Homework columns would also end up with their own headers, but if you guys have particular favorites please let me know. It'll let me know what to search for.
Blogger giving me problems today is minor, I know.
The Challengers list has been updated, but Blogger will not allow me to update from Word (I have to type this directly into the post box which means typos galore).
I am not happy with Blogger at the moment.
I wanted let you know that because 23 of you commented on the Challenge thread, and 22 of those comments included book suggestions (that's approximately 110 ten books if we ignore repeats), I've closed the thread so my head won't explode. If this is successful we'll do it again some day. If it isn't, we'll pretend this never happened (and I'll fade off into anonymous obscurity). Right now, if Blogger cooperates, it looks like I'll do a few suggestions at a time, chosen from the whole list of you, grouping together books that fall into the same suggestion category to save brain power. Links will be provided to those who made the suggestion (if that information is available to me), the book chosen from said person's list (because we all know some of you will be using this as a recommended reading list long before I get around to making my recommendations), and my book suggestion.
Cool with youse guys?
Of course, none of this will happen if Blogger does not allow me to load info from Word!!!!
Maybe tonight after I help a friend move furniture it will be in a better mood and then I can update the "In Praise of Midlist" List too...and actually put a link to it in the sidebar.
Which reminds me, I'm thinking about putting together a "Favorite Columns" header with links to posts y'all enjoyed to make navigation easier. Ideally Book Sense 101 and the Doing My Homework columns would also end up with their own headers, but if you guys have particular favorites please let me know. It'll let me know what to search for.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
The Challengers
The Challengers:
Marta:
A Confederacy of Dunces - O'Toole
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter - Vargas Llosa
Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff – Moore
Decline & Fall – Waugh
Persuasion – Austen
Susan Wilbanks:
Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers
His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
In This House of Brede - Rumer Godden
Sharpe's Triumph - Bernard Cornwell
Guns, Germs & Steel - Jared Diamond
Penny L. Richards:
Octavia Butler, Kindred
Michael Berube, Life as We Know It
Anna Lanyon, Malinche's Conquest
Lindsay Clarke, The Chymical Wedding
Lisa See, On Gold Mountain
Andrea:
Snow Wolf- Glenn Meade
The Sculptress- Minette Walters
Lonely Hearts- John Harvey
lost boy lost girl- Peter Straub
Geek Love- Katherine Dunn
Cee:
1. Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
2. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
3. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
4. An Equal Music - Vikram Seth
5. The Assassin Trilogy - Robin Hobb
Susan Adrian:
1. Seen by Moonlight, by Kathleen Eschenburg
2. If I Never Get Back, by Daryl Brock
3. Suspicion, by Barbara Rogan
4. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
5. The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper
Robin Brande:
1. Polar Dream, by Helen Thayer
2. Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox
3. Road Fever, by Tim Cahill
4. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
5. The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman
Christine Fletcher:
1. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
2. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
3. Nobody's Fool, Richard Russo
4. The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
5. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
Web:
1) Lincoln's Dreams - Connie Willis
2) Then She Found Me - Elinor Lipman
3) The Easy Way Out - Stephen McCauly
4) I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
5) Joy in the Morning - Betty Smith
Diana P:
Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Dragonsquest by Anne McCaffrey
Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
Midnight in Ruby Bayou by Elizabeth Lowell
Janni:
1. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L'Engle
2. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
3. The Ice Queen, Alice Hoffman
4. Christopher Fry, The Lady's Not for Burning
5. Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Patricia McKillip
Lady T:
1)Northanger Abbey/Jane Austen
2)The Ladies' Auxillary/Tova Mirvis
3)Mammoth Cheese/Sheri Holman
4)Swan Song/Robert McCammon
5)Popco/Scarlet Thomas
Sue:
1. The Year the Music Changed by Diane Thomas
2. Come Like Shadows by Welwynn Wilton Katz
3. Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
4. The Goddess of 5th Avenue by Carol A. Simone
5. The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
Katherine:
1. A Moveable Feast, Hemingway
2. All Didion
3. All Chekhov (the stories, the plays)
4. Always Cheever, but never Updike.
5. My Phantom Husband, Marie Darrieussecq
Paul (whose profile is unavailable):
1. Tomcat Murr - ETA Hoffmann
2. At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
3. Master and Margarite - M. Bulgakov
4. Carmichael's Dog - R.M. Koster
5. The Kiss of the Spider Woman - Manuel Puig
Beth:
1. World's End, T.C. Boyle
2. A Gesture Life, Chang-Rae Lee
3. Ex Libris, Anne Fadiman
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
5. The Instance of the Fingerpost, Iaian Pears.
Jmc:
1. Persuasion, Jane Austen
2. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
3. Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie
4. The Far Pavilions, M.M. Kaye
5. Living to Tell the Tale, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ms. Librarian:
The Gate to Women's Country, Sheri Tepper
Combat in the Erogenous Zone, Ingrid Bengis
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
On Basilisk Station, David Weber
The Pride of Chanur, C. J. Cherryh
Otterb (who shares a mind with Susan Wilbanks):
The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
Anything by Lois McMaster Bujold, favorities are Memory and The Curse of Chalion.
The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris
Pilgrim's Inn, Elizabeth Goudge
Liaden Universe books, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Michelle:
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
Possession - A.S. Byatt
Use of Weapons - Iain M.Banks
Acid Row - Minette Walters
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Alua:
Song for Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay
Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
Primary Inversion - Catherine Asaro
Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman
Kate R:
1. Bartimaeus trilogy (it'll come out as one book some day)
2. Once and Future King TH White
3. Bottom of the Harbor (essays about old NY) Joseph Mitchell
4. October Light John Gardner
5. 100 Years of Solitude. Marquez
“I Challenge You to a Book Duel” is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Marta:
A Confederacy of Dunces - O'Toole
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter - Vargas Llosa
Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff – Moore
Decline & Fall – Waugh
Persuasion – Austen
Susan Wilbanks:
Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers
His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
In This House of Brede - Rumer Godden
Sharpe's Triumph - Bernard Cornwell
Guns, Germs & Steel - Jared Diamond
Penny L. Richards:
Octavia Butler, Kindred
Michael Berube, Life as We Know It
Anna Lanyon, Malinche's Conquest
Lindsay Clarke, The Chymical Wedding
Lisa See, On Gold Mountain
Andrea:
Snow Wolf- Glenn Meade
The Sculptress- Minette Walters
Lonely Hearts- John Harvey
lost boy lost girl- Peter Straub
Geek Love- Katherine Dunn
Cee:
1. Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
2. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
3. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
4. An Equal Music - Vikram Seth
5. The Assassin Trilogy - Robin Hobb
Susan Adrian:
1. Seen by Moonlight, by Kathleen Eschenburg
2. If I Never Get Back, by Daryl Brock
3. Suspicion, by Barbara Rogan
4. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
5. The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper
Robin Brande:
1. Polar Dream, by Helen Thayer
2. Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox
3. Road Fever, by Tim Cahill
4. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
5. The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman
Christine Fletcher:
1. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
2. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
3. Nobody's Fool, Richard Russo
4. The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
5. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
Web:
1) Lincoln's Dreams - Connie Willis
2) Then She Found Me - Elinor Lipman
3) The Easy Way Out - Stephen McCauly
4) I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
5) Joy in the Morning - Betty Smith
Diana P:
Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Dragonsquest by Anne McCaffrey
Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
Midnight in Ruby Bayou by Elizabeth Lowell
Janni:
1. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L'Engle
2. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
3. The Ice Queen, Alice Hoffman
4. Christopher Fry, The Lady's Not for Burning
5. Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Patricia McKillip
Lady T:
1)Northanger Abbey/Jane Austen
2)The Ladies' Auxillary/Tova Mirvis
3)Mammoth Cheese/Sheri Holman
4)Swan Song/Robert McCammon
5)Popco/Scarlet Thomas
Sue:
1. The Year the Music Changed by Diane Thomas
2. Come Like Shadows by Welwynn Wilton Katz
3. Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
4. The Goddess of 5th Avenue by Carol A. Simone
5. The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
Katherine:
1. A Moveable Feast, Hemingway
2. All Didion
3. All Chekhov (the stories, the plays)
4. Always Cheever, but never Updike.
5. My Phantom Husband, Marie Darrieussecq
Paul (whose profile is unavailable):
1. Tomcat Murr - ETA Hoffmann
2. At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
3. Master and Margarite - M. Bulgakov
4. Carmichael's Dog - R.M. Koster
5. The Kiss of the Spider Woman - Manuel Puig
Beth:
1. World's End, T.C. Boyle
2. A Gesture Life, Chang-Rae Lee
3. Ex Libris, Anne Fadiman
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
5. The Instance of the Fingerpost, Iaian Pears.
Jmc:
1. Persuasion, Jane Austen
2. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
3. Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie
4. The Far Pavilions, M.M. Kaye
5. Living to Tell the Tale, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ms. Librarian:
The Gate to Women's Country, Sheri Tepper
Combat in the Erogenous Zone, Ingrid Bengis
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
On Basilisk Station, David Weber
The Pride of Chanur, C. J. Cherryh
Otterb (who shares a mind with Susan Wilbanks):
The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
Anything by Lois McMaster Bujold, favorities are Memory and The Curse of Chalion.
The Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris
Pilgrim's Inn, Elizabeth Goudge
Liaden Universe books, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Michelle:
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
Possession - A.S. Byatt
Use of Weapons - Iain M.Banks
Acid Row - Minette Walters
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Alua:
Song for Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay
Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
Primary Inversion - Catherine Asaro
Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman
Kate R:
1. Bartimaeus trilogy (it'll come out as one book some day)
2. Once and Future King TH White
3. Bottom of the Harbor (essays about old NY) Joseph Mitchell
4. October Light John Gardner
5. 100 Years of Solitude. Marquez
“I Challenge You to a Book Duel” is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Things I Have Learned: Alcohol Brings People Together
Yesterday I learned:
There is a club promoter named Tequila Mockingbird (thanks Ronnie).
There is a sound/music studio in Austin named Tequila Mockingbird, and if I tell them that Annette sent me they may do the Bookseller Chick theme song…which they will have to compose entirely on their own because I’m tone deaf.
There was a Get Smart! episode called Tequila Mockingbird in which “Smart and 99 pose as a flamenco dancer and a seedy doctor to fool KAOS as both search for hidden gems in Mexico.” This is one of those things I missed when my mom kept kicking us outside to play instead of letting us watch Nick at Nite. Hide and seek at night, Ma? We could have killed ourselves (especially after the bit with the scary tales, the full moon and the cape, you evil woman). Apologies to Paul for my lack of pop culture knowledge. If Get Smart! is on DVD, I’ll do my best to rectify the situation.
So what have I learned from all of this? Well, to quote Chuck Palahnuik, “There is nothing a blue-collar nobody in Oregon with a public school education can imagine that a million-billion people haven’t already done…” (Fight Club, new intro, xix-xx)
In my favor is the fact that my Tequila Mockingbird recipe contained Coca Cola Blak, which is new, but really if we changed a few pertinent facts in the above quote to be reflective of me the sentiment would be correct.
Sigh.
I’m liking this “literate” drink book idea (although unless we went through lulu.com I’m thinking it would be the literate drink link in the side bar, something I’m totally cool with). I know that there is a Hemingway Cocktail, which is odd to me because Hemingway loved his daiquiris (I thought), so what’s up with the champagne (forever pronounced Sham-pon-ya in honor of Walken’s stint on Saturday Night Live). Anyone have an explanation for this?
Anyone have any other literature related drink recipes? Is there a Dorothy Parker? Or an Algonquin Round Table (or maybe we can just make it an Algonquin Sidecar take-off)?
They don’t have to be drinks after literate drunks, they could be a twist on a book title (or the book title itself). Imagine, if you will, a rendition of the Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse) renamed (and reconfigured) to be known as a Good Omens (newly re-released in hardback for your collecting pleasure).
And we’ve already got the whole Star Wars book phenomena taken care of with the Darth Vader (guaranteed to kick in thirty minutes after being consumed and kick your ass for the next three hours).
So c’mon y’all. Put on your mixologist hat, ignore your liver, and chill some vodka in the freezer. Who or what deserves to have a drink named after them, and what should be in it? Already existing drink recipes greatly appreciated too.
There is a club promoter named Tequila Mockingbird (thanks Ronnie).
There is a sound/music studio in Austin named Tequila Mockingbird, and if I tell them that Annette sent me they may do the Bookseller Chick theme song…which they will have to compose entirely on their own because I’m tone deaf.
There was a Get Smart! episode called Tequila Mockingbird in which “Smart and 99 pose as a flamenco dancer and a seedy doctor to fool KAOS as both search for hidden gems in Mexico.” This is one of those things I missed when my mom kept kicking us outside to play instead of letting us watch Nick at Nite. Hide and seek at night, Ma? We could have killed ourselves (especially after the bit with the scary tales, the full moon and the cape, you evil woman). Apologies to Paul for my lack of pop culture knowledge. If Get Smart! is on DVD, I’ll do my best to rectify the situation.
So what have I learned from all of this? Well, to quote Chuck Palahnuik, “There is nothing a blue-collar nobody in Oregon with a public school education can imagine that a million-billion people haven’t already done…” (Fight Club, new intro, xix-xx)
In my favor is the fact that my Tequila Mockingbird recipe contained Coca Cola Blak, which is new, but really if we changed a few pertinent facts in the above quote to be reflective of me the sentiment would be correct.
Sigh.
I’m liking this “literate” drink book idea (although unless we went through lulu.com I’m thinking it would be the literate drink link in the side bar, something I’m totally cool with). I know that there is a Hemingway Cocktail, which is odd to me because Hemingway loved his daiquiris (I thought), so what’s up with the champagne (forever pronounced Sham-pon-ya in honor of Walken’s stint on Saturday Night Live). Anyone have an explanation for this?
Anyone have any other literature related drink recipes? Is there a Dorothy Parker? Or an Algonquin Round Table (or maybe we can just make it an Algonquin Sidecar take-off)?
They don’t have to be drinks after literate drunks, they could be a twist on a book title (or the book title itself). Imagine, if you will, a rendition of the Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse) renamed (and reconfigured) to be known as a Good Omens (newly re-released in hardback for your collecting pleasure).
And we’ve already got the whole Star Wars book phenomena taken care of with the Darth Vader (guaranteed to kick in thirty minutes after being consumed and kick your ass for the next three hours).
So c’mon y’all. Put on your mixologist hat, ignore your liver, and chill some vodka in the freezer. Who or what deserves to have a drink named after them, and what should be in it? Already existing drink recipes greatly appreciated too.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Tequila Mockingbird
One of the most mispronounced titles I’ve ever encountered is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Some just run “To Kill A” together so fast that it sounds like tequila, and others just honest-to-God ask for Tequila Mockingbird leaving me with that pressed lips face you make when you are trying desperately not to laugh. Granted there are books out there bearing that title, but I’ve never had anyone ask for them.
Sad, really.
Still it would make a great name for a drink (and maybe it has already been turned into one), and, thanks to the nice people from Coca Cola handing out free soda pops this whole weekend, we now have the ingredients.
(Someday I hope to create a whole bar book full of “literate” drinks.)
The Tequila Mockingbird
One part Tequila (not Cuervo, something better. Save your gut)
One to Two parts Coca Cola Blak
Slice of lime
Serve over ice when you need the caffeination of coke and coffee mixed with the smooth burn of something alcoholic. Great for an after work drink, a pre-funk before a long night of dancing, or just something to sip while fighting off the humid weather many of us seem to be experiencing. If you are doing the last (and doing it in front of a computer) you should check out the following links:
Sad, really.
Still it would make a great name for a drink (and maybe it has already been turned into one), and, thanks to the nice people from Coca Cola handing out free soda pops this whole weekend, we now have the ingredients.
(Someday I hope to create a whole bar book full of “literate” drinks.)
The Tequila Mockingbird
One part Tequila (not Cuervo, something better. Save your gut)
One to Two parts Coca Cola Blak
Slice of lime
Serve over ice when you need the caffeination of coke and coffee mixed with the smooth burn of something alcoholic. Great for an after work drink, a pre-funk before a long night of dancing, or just something to sip while fighting off the humid weather many of us seem to be experiencing. If you are doing the last (and doing it in front of a computer) you should check out the following links:
- Sara Holbrook performs her poem “Chicks Up Front,” which I love. For some reason it always seems to remind me of Christine Fletcher’s character Ruth in Tallulah Falls, although I don’t know why. Probably the been there, done that, got to live with it now persona.
- Y’all are going to kill me with this list, you know that right? I put it up three hours ago and already ten of you have responded. As I was pulling my blanket up to take a nap, I thought to myself, “Maybe I should have added that I usually ask people what they liked about their favorites…nah, not that many people will respond.” Ten points for readers, zero for the bookseller. This will teach me to never assume that y’all will react with the predictability of my customer base.
- The Written Nerd has put up her response to her question on the future of bookselling. Excellent as always.
- The NY Times posts a blog round up of “Reactions to the Best Fiction Survey.” If you have absolutely nothing planned for this evening and want to do a lot of blog hopping, then you should check it out.
- According to Fuse#8 Authorgeddon is nigh! Run! Ruuuuuuun! Just as soon as you find out what Authorgeddon is, of course.
- Meg Cabot is writing a Guidebook to surviving your book tour. Check out the first two entries at her blog.
- And finally, there is an interesting article over at Slate called, “Book Clubbed: Why writers never reveal how many books their buddies have sold.” I’ve never thought to use Book Scan this way, mostly because it doesn’t include Wal*Mart (from what I understand), and despite being the evil empire, Wal*Mart sells a lot of books.
I Challenge You to a Book Duel
On the “Take Two Christopher Moores and Call Me in the Morning” thread Paul said,
“Challenge:I'd like to see how this works. Why not ask your readers to post the names of 10 books we love and see if you can come up with one recommendation off the top of your head from your own font of booklore. You get a point if the commneter we hasn't read it and a big bonus if we subsequently buy your recommendation.”
And fool that I am, I think that I will take that challenge with these changes.
If I think of any other qualifiers, I’ll let you know, but the above or just to keep me from going insane.
P.S. Blogger is being hateful and this is the third time I've tried to post this, so I apologize for the delay/any mistakes.
“Challenge:I'd like to see how this works. Why not ask your readers to post the names of 10 books we love and see if you can come up with one recommendation off the top of your head from your own font of booklore. You get a point if the commneter we hasn't read it and a big bonus if we subsequently buy your recommendation.”
And fool that I am, I think that I will take that challenge with these changes.
- List five books you love, not ten (I don’t want my head to explode).
- I reserve the right to recommend the same book multiple times (we all have our loves).
- I will answer the challenge as time allows (the last few weeks have been crazy busy, but looking ahead I think I’ll have more time to focus on this blog).
If I think of any other qualifiers, I’ll let you know, but the above or just to keep me from going insane.
P.S. Blogger is being hateful and this is the third time I've tried to post this, so I apologize for the delay/any mistakes.
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