January 2009

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New Technology and Publishing

January 30, 2009 in publishing by Claire | 3 comments

How’s that for a sexy title?

We’ve all seen firsthand how technological advances change the way we do things.   I haven’t made a phone call since the Internet was invented.  (Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but in my perfect world, I wouldn’t make anymore phone calls.)  Publishing is an old and established profession, but it’s not immune to technology’s advances.  I wrote an earlier post about electronic forms of books and whether their future is brighter (so to speak) than print.   But there are other ways that technology is changing the publishing world.

Recently, I was in New York and discussing my first book with someone in the publishing industry.  My first novel had a different publisher than my others and hadn’t sold very well (except oddly in France), so I was saying that I should try to get the rights back from the publisher and see if anyone might be interested in re-issuing it.  That was a possibility, the insider conceded, but, she added, these days the whole idea of a book’s being out of print has gotten a little fuzzy.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Abraxus Books in Seattle, WA

January 29, 2009 in bookstore, first editions, used books by Kim | No comments

The Ballard News-Tribune recently published an article about Abraxus Books describing it as an “old world approach to bookstores.”  I love the atmosphere it described, a former library offering over 120,000 used books to peruse.  Abraxus has a nice online store also, offering Internet specials and free shipping in the United States for orders over $30.  However, owner Tony Topalian and the staff prefer to deal with customers in person to help them explore their interests.  It sounds like a nice way to combine the old and the new.  If you’re in the area, stop by and let the staff help you discover something new.

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Great Bookstore in London

January 27, 2009 in bookstore, childrens, overseas by Claire | 2 comments

Worth Crossing the Pond for

First, I’d like to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who has linked to Kim’s brilliant independent bookstore challenge or written us to say what a great idea it is.  I’m with you: I think it’s a great idea and I’m so glad others are onboard.   Kim gets all the credit although I can take pride in the fact that I didn’t stand in her way.  (Well, I did say I was scared of the challenge, so maybe I did stand in her way a little bit, but it takes more than that to deter Kim).  Anyway, yay for Kim!  And yay for everyone who’s enthusiastic about the challenge.

Now on to our friend Laura Sanderson Healy’s review of her favorite bookstore in London.  Laura actually lived in London for many years, so she knows what she’s talking about.   Laura is a former London Bureau correspondent for Time Inc. Magazines’ PEOPLE WEEKLY and its Australian sister publication WHO WEEKLY, and now that she lives in Los Angeles, she’s become a dear, personal friend of both Kim’s and mine.  Here’s her review, posted quite coincidentally on her birthday!  Happy birthday, Laura, and thanks–

On a recent trip to London I took the 14 bus from Piccadilly to Fulham to revisit Nomad Books near Parsons Green. There I pondered many titles unknown in the U.S. and purchased ME CHEETA, the “autobiography” of Tarzan’s co-star, tongue-in-cheek recollections illustrated by modern artwork of the world’s most famous chimpanzee which Sir Peter Blake curated to show alongside his own Pop Art at London’s National Gallery a few years back. Read the rest of this entry »

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HarperStudio Division Discussed

January 27, 2009 in press, publishing by Kim | No comments

Shelf Awareness, my favorite morning e-mail, wrote a special issue on HarperStudio yesterday that highlights some responses to the ongoing publishing and bookselling issues.  It will be interesting to see how this attempt to adjust to the new reading and buying reality works out.  The post is well worth reading.  It discusses in detail some of the policies HarperStudio, a division of HaperCollins, is trying out.  Here are some of the main points:

  • HarperStudio is encouraging booksellers to buy the books on a nonreturnable basis by offering a large discount on these books
  • Advances are lower to the author in exchange for a larger potential royalty
  • People who buy the paper book with be given the option to buy it cheaply in downloadable audio and digital form so it can be read in all formats
  • Marketing will concentrate on the Internet by using social networking, Twitter, related blogs and similar avenues

The debut book, Who is Mark Twain?, a compilation of previously unpublished stories, will be out on  April 21st.  Six of the stories are unfinished, so there will be a “I am the Next Mark Twain” writing contest allowing the entrants to finish a story.  I’m looking forward to that!

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Newbery Medal Winners Announced!

January 26, 2009 in childrens, Literary Event, young adult by Kim | No comments

Many Newberys are Wonderful, but not All

I am an Newbery Medal fan, mostly.  My daughter and I set a goal to read all of the Newbery Medal winners (see how I’m perfect for Reader’s Challenges) before she left elementary school and we made a decent go of it, until we were stopped dead cold by a few of the selections.  Now, I must admit, I’m a little suspicious of the award selections.  A Man Booker Prize winner I’ll pick up without hesitation, but a Newbery I’ll leaf through and read the description.  Some of the greatest children’s literature has won the award, but then there are the other years. 

Tackling Lifes Great Issues

Susan Patron, author of The Higher Power of Lucky and winner of the 2007 Newbery, wrote about some of the Newbery criticism in a recent Los Angeles Times article.  One issue is the seriousness of the topics of the books in recent winners– death, mental challenges such as autism, the absence of one or both parents.  But she points out that Newberys historically have always dealt with the hard aspects of life, when she was younger the issues were death, war, being torn from your family during an invasion and losing a beloved dog.  I believe one of the best ways to confront scary issues is through literature, life isn’t Disneyland and I want my kids to learn that step-by-step, not as one large shock when they leave home. 

While there is always a reason to discuss life, there is never a reason to do it in a boring manner.  Over years of picking books, clearly the Newbery Committee isn’t going to hit the mark every time, who remembers Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark, the winner of the Newbery the year Charlotte’s Web was an honoree?  But they have noted some jewels in the winner and the honoree category:  Old Yeller, Island of Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain, The Door in the Wall, One Hundred Dresses, From the Mixed Up File of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Sounder, The Twenty-One Balloons, Mr. Poppin’s Penguins, Sounder, The Giver, Number the Stars.  As Ms. Patron points out, these books can change your life. Read the rest of this entry »

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