Ok, so to continue the recap. I met the awesome Kristin Nelson at Simone Elkeles' signing and she had the guy from Katy Perry's music video who was in her trailer there! It was awesome. He took pictures with everyone and it was very cute :)
I went to the YA buzz panel to hear the authors speak and it was great. Each one read an excerpt from their books and it was a lot of fun. I am excited to read everyone's book. I already finished two of the panel's, Rebecca Maizel's Infinite Days and Ally Condie's Matched. I will write reviews up for them, stat.
I also went to a really great and really informative panel for guys read. This initiative was started by Jon Sciezka, the previous National Ambassador for Children's Literature. He was on a panel with Marc Barnett, Jeff Kinney, Adam Rex and David Lubar. This was a fantasic panel where they talked about their new series of short story collections called Guys Read. It's their newest initiative to get kids to read and I think it's fantastic. I will be writing up my review of this puppy as well. From a bookseller's perspective, we are always looking for new exciting things to get the boys to read, so I am really looking forward to this one hitting the shelves.
All in all, it was an exhausting but exciting day. I will be writing up my reviews of some of the ARC's I received at the show shortly!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
BEA Roundup #1
There have been a lot of recaps about BEA and now I shall add mine to the mix.
I took the train up on Tuesday and proceeded to hang out with an author friend of mine who happened to be on one of the buzz panels. We hung out with another writer friend, ate lunch at this cute cafe called Penelope's and then went back to the hotel and crashed. I know, I know, but I was tired!
Wednesday was when the real fun began. I got up early to attend the Children's and YA author breakfast. Sarah Ferguson was supposed to MC and I wasn't sure if she'd show up after her big scandal, but there she was. I have to give her credit. Not only for showing up, but for being graceful and funny. She didn't avoid the elephant in the room, she tackled head on and even related it to her new series of picture books coming out :)
Next was Cory Doctorow. He gave a moving speech about his books and how they were making an impact around the world and it was great to see. Being a computer engineer, I love Cory's work. The way he intertwines high tech and story and his latest book, For the Win, is no different. My husband, who is an electrical engineer, is reading it now and loves it. In fact, he read about how plastic bottles are ruining India and now he wants to get water carbonator since the only bottled water we get is carbonated water :)
Next up was Mitali Perkins. She was fantastic. She told us the story of her childhood, but the biggest thing I took away was looking at books from a window/mirror perspective. She talked about being surprised that some non-Indian readers still found some of her books mirrors into their own lives, in addition to being windows into another time and place. This really moved me.
Finally, it was Richard Peck. I love Richard Peck. I first heard him speak at an SCBWI national conference and he was fantastic and inspirational and this was no different. He was funny, saying the British invented childhood but we, Americans, invented that troubled time of adolescence. He had a point to make about youth today and technology and he definitely made it, which gave us all a preview of what his book was about. I just love Richard Peck. His voice is incredible and he's a great speaker.
After the breakfast, we made our rounds of the booths and collected as many ARC's as possible. This was really fun, but I nearly broke my back carrying them all around in my huge bags. So, I sucked it up and paid the $3 to check it :)
I went to a panel on YA/adult crossover and then a YA paranormal panel and then the YA buzz panel. Needless to say, I walked away very excited about a lot of books.
Phew, tomorrow I'll write about Thursday!
I took the train up on Tuesday and proceeded to hang out with an author friend of mine who happened to be on one of the buzz panels. We hung out with another writer friend, ate lunch at this cute cafe called Penelope's and then went back to the hotel and crashed. I know, I know, but I was tired!
Wednesday was when the real fun began. I got up early to attend the Children's and YA author breakfast. Sarah Ferguson was supposed to MC and I wasn't sure if she'd show up after her big scandal, but there she was. I have to give her credit. Not only for showing up, but for being graceful and funny. She didn't avoid the elephant in the room, she tackled head on and even related it to her new series of picture books coming out :)
Next was Cory Doctorow. He gave a moving speech about his books and how they were making an impact around the world and it was great to see. Being a computer engineer, I love Cory's work. The way he intertwines high tech and story and his latest book, For the Win, is no different. My husband, who is an electrical engineer, is reading it now and loves it. In fact, he read about how plastic bottles are ruining India and now he wants to get water carbonator since the only bottled water we get is carbonated water :)
Next up was Mitali Perkins. She was fantastic. She told us the story of her childhood, but the biggest thing I took away was looking at books from a window/mirror perspective. She talked about being surprised that some non-Indian readers still found some of her books mirrors into their own lives, in addition to being windows into another time and place. This really moved me.
Finally, it was Richard Peck. I love Richard Peck. I first heard him speak at an SCBWI national conference and he was fantastic and inspirational and this was no different. He was funny, saying the British invented childhood but we, Americans, invented that troubled time of adolescence. He had a point to make about youth today and technology and he definitely made it, which gave us all a preview of what his book was about. I just love Richard Peck. His voice is incredible and he's a great speaker.
After the breakfast, we made our rounds of the booths and collected as many ARC's as possible. This was really fun, but I nearly broke my back carrying them all around in my huge bags. So, I sucked it up and paid the $3 to check it :)
I went to a panel on YA/adult crossover and then a YA paranormal panel and then the YA buzz panel. Needless to say, I walked away very excited about a lot of books.
Phew, tomorrow I'll write about Thursday!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Author Events
We are having an author event at our store this weekend. I'm hoping it goes better than the last one we had. Here's why:
At the last author event, it was a local author. This means, she called us up and asked if she could set up a table with her books for a signing. It was NOT set up through her publisher's PR person. This means we are letting her come out of the goodness of our hearts. We are doing her a favor by allowing her to be there since we, the big commercial book store chain, aren't getting much out of it. If this is you, dear authors, please come ready to promote your own book and make sure to treat your booksellers with a lot of respect. If you do not, like this woman, then, well, we are not obligated to go out on a limb for you. If we like you, we'll do more for you than if we don't. We'll also do more for you if we've read your book. So, if we haven't received an ARC, then perhaps you should drop off a copy beforehand so we read it ahead of time. I know you don't get a lot of these, but come on, buy your bookseller a copy for pete's sake. It's for a good cause, believe me.
If you do these things then the bookseller is more likely to make announcements, letting their customers know you're there. In addition, if they know and have read your book ahead of time, they'll be telling their customers to look forward to your visit. Believe me, lots of good things can happen when you do nice things for your bookseller, like you could have people actually come to your signing! This author didn't do her research. She had no idea what to expect and was miffed that we didn't have a sign for her or anything. We only do signs for those events that are set up through your publicist, but if you were to bring your own, and we like you, then we'd be happy to oblige.
Now, if you are lucky enough to have your PR person at your publisher set up your visit then you get oodles of advantages. Usually there's a lot more press materials, you get a press release that sometimes can make it to the papers, you get signage and it's just a much bigger deal. We, as booksellers, are then obligated to put up signs, pass out your postcards, etc. etc. You should still be nice to your bookseller though :)
So, moral of the day:
If you can, have your PR person set up the visits and if not, be nice to your bookseller and become your own PR person.
At the last author event, it was a local author. This means, she called us up and asked if she could set up a table with her books for a signing. It was NOT set up through her publisher's PR person. This means we are letting her come out of the goodness of our hearts. We are doing her a favor by allowing her to be there since we, the big commercial book store chain, aren't getting much out of it. If this is you, dear authors, please come ready to promote your own book and make sure to treat your booksellers with a lot of respect. If you do not, like this woman, then, well, we are not obligated to go out on a limb for you. If we like you, we'll do more for you than if we don't. We'll also do more for you if we've read your book. So, if we haven't received an ARC, then perhaps you should drop off a copy beforehand so we read it ahead of time. I know you don't get a lot of these, but come on, buy your bookseller a copy for pete's sake. It's for a good cause, believe me.
If you do these things then the bookseller is more likely to make announcements, letting their customers know you're there. In addition, if they know and have read your book ahead of time, they'll be telling their customers to look forward to your visit. Believe me, lots of good things can happen when you do nice things for your bookseller, like you could have people actually come to your signing! This author didn't do her research. She had no idea what to expect and was miffed that we didn't have a sign for her or anything. We only do signs for those events that are set up through your publicist, but if you were to bring your own, and we like you, then we'd be happy to oblige.
Now, if you are lucky enough to have your PR person at your publisher set up your visit then you get oodles of advantages. Usually there's a lot more press materials, you get a press release that sometimes can make it to the papers, you get signage and it's just a much bigger deal. We, as booksellers, are then obligated to put up signs, pass out your postcards, etc. etc. You should still be nice to your bookseller though :)
So, moral of the day:
If you can, have your PR person set up the visits and if not, be nice to your bookseller and become your own PR person.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Reading under
Today I had a mom and son come in. Her son really wanted Ricky Ricotta books. When I pulled them out for him, the mom was appalled.
"These are too easy for you!" she said. The son was in at least 3rd or 4th grade I'd say. Were they too young? This is a common problem, parents evaluating their kids reading levels incorrectly. Now, Ricky Ricotta is a chapter book series, equivalent to Magic Treehouse. For a 3rd or 4th grader, these are probably too easy, however, that is not always the case.
Nowadays, books don't always have the age range on the inside covers. Many parents rely on the bookstores to have labels, which they do, but these are always very broad. And they are always very broad because they are trying not to be insulting and also, to encompass as many readers as possible. I know some publishers have gotten away from putting age ranges on covers because for older kids, as soon as they see a book is too young for them they won't pick it up. But parents are pretty clueless as well.
This is why, as a bookseller, I always ask them what the most recent thing they've read is. Many times it's something in school, and from that I can get a good idea of where their actual level is. Plus, asking them if something is easy or hard also helps. Kids can tell you a lot. But, for me, this is the best way to determine what the reading level is. I am only able to do this because I've read a lot of the books in the children's department, but I can't get to them all.
So, what is the point of this post? Well, to be honest, when I'm interested in a book and I check out that author's website to learn more about the book, it might actually be helpful if they put what their opinion of the reading level is. Not in terms of ages, or grades or those special literacy indice, but instead, through other books. In other words, if I were to read the Ricky Ricotta website and it said, this is similar in reading level to Magic Treehouse, that would tell me a lot right there.
Ok, that is all for my reading level rant today.
"These are too easy for you!" she said. The son was in at least 3rd or 4th grade I'd say. Were they too young? This is a common problem, parents evaluating their kids reading levels incorrectly. Now, Ricky Ricotta is a chapter book series, equivalent to Magic Treehouse. For a 3rd or 4th grader, these are probably too easy, however, that is not always the case.
Nowadays, books don't always have the age range on the inside covers. Many parents rely on the bookstores to have labels, which they do, but these are always very broad. And they are always very broad because they are trying not to be insulting and also, to encompass as many readers as possible. I know some publishers have gotten away from putting age ranges on covers because for older kids, as soon as they see a book is too young for them they won't pick it up. But parents are pretty clueless as well.
This is why, as a bookseller, I always ask them what the most recent thing they've read is. Many times it's something in school, and from that I can get a good idea of where their actual level is. Plus, asking them if something is easy or hard also helps. Kids can tell you a lot. But, for me, this is the best way to determine what the reading level is. I am only able to do this because I've read a lot of the books in the children's department, but I can't get to them all.
So, what is the point of this post? Well, to be honest, when I'm interested in a book and I check out that author's website to learn more about the book, it might actually be helpful if they put what their opinion of the reading level is. Not in terms of ages, or grades or those special literacy indice, but instead, through other books. In other words, if I were to read the Ricky Ricotta website and it said, this is similar in reading level to Magic Treehouse, that would tell me a lot right there.
Ok, that is all for my reading level rant today.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Customer of the Day
So, today, I had one of those moms. You know, the somewhat overprotective ones. Here is the scenario:
Her daughter is 12. She is an avid reader and advanced (of course). She wants to get books that are more challenging for her so she wants to move out of the children's section (equivalent to MG) and into teens (YA territory). However, she doesn't want any books that have romance in them. No romance.
As of right now, this is harder than it looks. In my experience, if the parent doesn't want romance, she doesn't want very much else controversial either. In other words, nothing edgy. This mother also wanted to buy books that were going to be a little weighty. Her daughter loved Percy Jackson and had just read the Giver in school. So, she likes fantasy and adventure but also likes thought provoking books as well. Her mom didn't have a problem with books that made her think, but she did have a problem with novels with extra violence or that seemed "trashy".
So, what was the Bookseller Babe to do?
First I clarified her use of the word romance. Getting to the root of the matter, she wasn't opposed to romance per se, she was opposed to high school romance. She also didn't want anything just fun and frivolous, she wanted something meaty. What did I recommend?
She walked away with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson and Hatchet by Paulsen because she had been afraid to get it for her earlier and was now ready to get it for her.
Now, this mother also asked me my thoughts on Twilight. This is always a tough question because, IMO, Twilight is pretty harmless when it comes to what girls can be exposed to, however, tailoring it to this mom, I let her know it was, at its core, a romance. Interestingly, she said her daughter would have to get it from the library. This was interesting because ultimately, this mom was not opposed to letting her daughter read about romance, she was opposed to buying romance.
After thinking about it, this has become a trend lately. Many mom's, and usually it's the mom's, are trying to steer their daughters away from the typical romance novel that has become so popular amongst teens. Obviously they are still selling, the teens still want them, but the mom's are wanting a little bit more.
Thoughts? What would you have recommended to mom?
Her daughter is 12. She is an avid reader and advanced (of course). She wants to get books that are more challenging for her so she wants to move out of the children's section (equivalent to MG) and into teens (YA territory). However, she doesn't want any books that have romance in them. No romance.
As of right now, this is harder than it looks. In my experience, if the parent doesn't want romance, she doesn't want very much else controversial either. In other words, nothing edgy. This mother also wanted to buy books that were going to be a little weighty. Her daughter loved Percy Jackson and had just read the Giver in school. So, she likes fantasy and adventure but also likes thought provoking books as well. Her mom didn't have a problem with books that made her think, but she did have a problem with novels with extra violence or that seemed "trashy".
So, what was the Bookseller Babe to do?
First I clarified her use of the word romance. Getting to the root of the matter, she wasn't opposed to romance per se, she was opposed to high school romance. She also didn't want anything just fun and frivolous, she wanted something meaty. What did I recommend?
She walked away with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson and Hatchet by Paulsen because she had been afraid to get it for her earlier and was now ready to get it for her.
Now, this mother also asked me my thoughts on Twilight. This is always a tough question because, IMO, Twilight is pretty harmless when it comes to what girls can be exposed to, however, tailoring it to this mom, I let her know it was, at its core, a romance. Interestingly, she said her daughter would have to get it from the library. This was interesting because ultimately, this mom was not opposed to letting her daughter read about romance, she was opposed to buying romance.
After thinking about it, this has become a trend lately. Many mom's, and usually it's the mom's, are trying to steer their daughters away from the typical romance novel that has become so popular amongst teens. Obviously they are still selling, the teens still want them, but the mom's are wanting a little bit more.
Thoughts? What would you have recommended to mom?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Why are you talking to us Bookseller Babe?
Yes, why am I writing a blog?
Well, because I saw this blog skin and loved it, that's one reason. Another is, well, I love the shelftalker blog at publisher's weekly, but it's from an indie bookstore perspective and I thought I'd give the evil empire perspective :) Evil Empire being the largest brick and mortar book retail giant still standing, not naming any names or anything though.
I'm also an aspiring children's book writer, so I thought the knowledge I've gained by working at said Evil Empire should be shared with all authors and aspiring authors out there since I have learned so much from their blogs! So, there you go, the reasons for my existence.
Here I will share the goings on at the bookstore and the goings on of my writing life and every once in awhile the goings on of some random person's life I guess, just to keep it interesting.
Well, because I saw this blog skin and loved it, that's one reason. Another is, well, I love the shelftalker blog at publisher's weekly, but it's from an indie bookstore perspective and I thought I'd give the evil empire perspective :) Evil Empire being the largest brick and mortar book retail giant still standing, not naming any names or anything though.
I'm also an aspiring children's book writer, so I thought the knowledge I've gained by working at said Evil Empire should be shared with all authors and aspiring authors out there since I have learned so much from their blogs! So, there you go, the reasons for my existence.
Here I will share the goings on at the bookstore and the goings on of my writing life and every once in awhile the goings on of some random person's life I guess, just to keep it interesting.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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