I love bookstores. As much as I love my ereader—and I confess I very seldom read traditional books these days— I’d be devastated if traditional books died out, and took along with them the bookstore.

I don’t know whether it’s irony or just a sign of the times that the huge bookstore chains—you know who I’m talking about—are blamed for the demise of small, independently owned bookstores, and now those same huge chains have met their demise or find their existence in jeopardy because of the ereader.

I don’t want to lose these bookstores, large or small, because, as Mr. Seinfeld said, they do show us that people still think. They still broaden their horizons, explore other cultures, escape their own life—and they do it through a good book and not the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen.

On a weekend back in late June, while my parents were visiting from Texas, we drove two hours each way to northeast Iowa to have lunch with my Dad’s cousins and some extended family we seldom see.

My writing time was scarce while my family was visiting, so I took advantage of the long car ride by bringing a long a small notebook and working on my book in longhand.

We had lunch in McGregor, Iowa, a charming, picturesque town along the Mississippi River, directly across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It’s a touristy town, full of antique and other gift shops, and regular enactments of the Hole in the Wall Gang shootouts in the town square.

It’s also the home of one the most charming bookstores I’ve ever seen, the Paper Moon.

My mother, being my mother, did her best to embarrass me over lunch by announcing to this group of distant relatives whom I haven’t seen in years that I’m a writer. In this case I’m glad she did, though, because someone mentioned that I’d probably love this bookstore and should go there after lunch.

The Paper Moon is set in an old, three story built in 1860 and is a book lover’s dream. The first floor is a gift shop with all sorts of unique crafts, trinkets, stationery, etc.  The second floor houses children’s books and toys, and I found some nice things for my nephews there. The third floor is the general bookstore, with the latest fiction bestsellers along with nonfiction and local interest books and a cute little kitchen stocked with cookbooks.

In addition to the gifts for my nephews, I bought a few very helpful resource books on writing and a book on Amish culture, which has long been a fascination of mine.

The writing books I figured would be an asset to me—and they have—but more than anything, the purchases I made were to support this absolutely charming, locally-owned store.  Simply strolling through it and seeing all of the great merchandise reminded me of how much I love books and bookstores and would hate to see them fade away.

The next time you happen across a small, independently owned bookstore—they’re hard to find these days—stop in and browse and feel the joy of real books. And hopefully purchase one or two, as well, to try to keep the store alive.

For all you Bay area locals, Rachel Hartman will be meeting fans and signing copies of her book ‘Seraphina’ at the El Cerrito Barnes and Noble store on Wednesday September 26th at 6pm.  I’ll be in attendance, so if you have any questions you would like me to ask Rachel, let me know!

The Barnes and Noble website invitation: Author Event

In view of all that, and to encourage you, my readers, to support your local bookstores, I’m going to start a feature called ‘Spotted! Ye Olde Bookstore.’ I’ll be mainly visiting stores in the SF Bay Area, but occasionally I’ll visit more exotic locations while on my travels. Stay tuned! Oh, and if you have a recommendation, or a bookstore you’d like me to feature on the blog, send me a telegram.

xoxo
The Jaded Heroine

But if you don’t want to buy the book, please borrow it from the Greater Victoria Public Library. They have a copy, and if seven people borrow it in the year, the library will purchase another copy.

Please patronize your local bookstores, but only if they patronize local writers. Bolen Books said no to my book, even on consignment. I know this sounds like sour grapes, but they will not stock Victoria Writers’ Society’s literary magazine Island Writer either. I say, go somewhere else to buy your books.

Chapters/Coles/Indigo might say no to my book as well, but they order from Calgary and Toronto and don’t have to say no to my face.

Visible Voice Books, located in Cleveland opened back in 2007. It’s a independent bookstore that sells new and used books, if something you want is not available they will order it. Events such as author book signings and open mic are a regular thing there.

Support your local bookstores (large or small). The majority of businesses are small but their impact in communities are huge. Smaller bookstores are more personable, workers can build a repertoire with its customers, less time waiting, not so overwhelming as large bookstores. I swear sometimes I feel like I’m in a mall. So if you’re in the Cleveland check out Visible Voice Books at 1023 Kenilworth.

Peace and luv!

Leave your response in the comments, on our Facebook page, or if it’s concise, tweet at us.

We’d like to share this response from Kelly Hayes of Occupy Rogers Park:

Armadillo’s Pillow, a used bookstore in RP, brings something special to our neighborhood. It has character, and personally, I find the place downright enchanting. I did a photo shoot there, a couple years ago. I asked about bringing in a model and snapping some shots, and the owner didn’t even have to think about it. She was immediately down with her place being used for an art project. A corporate store wouldn’t have allowed such a thing, and they wouldn’t have had an ambiance that would have made the idea appealing in the first place.

Since the Pillow’s books are used, it’s easy to wander in on any given day and find some treasure that you can afford to take home with you. It’s cozy, and it feels like the kind of place where you can go to dream, or learn, or just get lost in possibility. If it ever closed, a beautiful piece of my neighborhood would disappear. How many chain stores can you say that about?

P.S. Don’t forget to attend our first event next week for Occupy Your Local Bookstore!

We have just created a Facebook event to announce our first of many such events/actions.  Please RSVP on Facebook or in the comments section below to let us know if you will be able to make it.

Details:

When: Monday, April 16th at noon

Where: Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore

What:

Our first event will be to visit Atria’s Great Mystery Bus Tour when it stops at Centuries & Sleuths in Forest Park next week. This event features not one but FOUR top-notch mystery authors (John Connolly, William Kent Krueger, Liza Marklund, and M. J. Rose) signing books and meeting readers.

To learn more about Atria’s Great Mystery Bus Tour, visit their Tumblr: http://mysterybustour.tumblr.com/

Centuries & Sleuths is easily accessible from the Forest Park stop on the blue line. Learn more at their website: http://centuriesandsleuths.com/

Please stop by, meet some authors, and buy a book from one of our favorite local indie booksellers!

Bookstores do more than sell a product.  They are community centers where people meet, ideas are exchanged, and knowledge is gained.  But they are threatened by businesses who sell books at a deep discount, hoping you will buy other products to make up for the money they lose on book sales.  These businesses do not cultivate community experiences or host events where you can meet authors and fellow readers; they just sell you cheap books – and often only the most popular titles.  Plus, according to IndieBound: “Spend $100 at a local [bookstore] and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.”

We at The People’s Library of Occupy Chicago have a great fondness for local bookstores, and many of us have worked as booksellers in the past.  As such we would like to encourage the 99% to occupy local bookstores and show them how important they are to our city and all its communities.  As an added bonus, we hope to highlight what physical bookstores have to offer and the value of interacting with knowledgeable booksellers, authors,  and other readers.

Occupy Your Local Bookstore

Here’s how it works:

• Once a month or so, we will choose an event at a bookstore in the Chicago area.
• We will put out a call on this blog, our Facebook page, and our Twitter account to “occupy” the event.
• All you have to do is show up for the event – it might be a poetry slam, an author signing, or some other community gathering.  (Extra points if you bring your friends!)
• Relax! Learn something! Enjoy!
• Before you leave, please consider purchasing at least one book – even just a paperback – to help support a local business that promotes literacy.  If you need a recommendation, ask a bookseller!

That’s all there is to it.

A few notes:

• We will choose events that seem interesting, not necessarily thematically connected to the Occupy movement.
• The goal of this action is simply to highlight existing community resources and put our money into businesses that serve the 99%.
• If you are an author or bookstore planning an event in the Chicago area that you’d like us to consider as part of this action, please email OChiLibrary [at] gmail [dot] com.

Hope to see you out occupying local bookstore events!  Our first action will be announced tomorrow, April 11th.  See you back here then!

Today I got some sad news that Book Warehouse, the independent Vancouver bookstore I worked at for two years, is closing all four of its remaining locations. This will leave only Chapters serving the downtown core area for new books (and home decor, of course!). There are a few other independent stores that sell new books scattered throughout the city, but it’s undeniable that the closing of Duthie’s a few years ago and now Book Warehouse is a real blow to the indie book scene in Vancouver, such that it was.

In other news, Book City in Toronto is closing a location and Nicholas Hoare announced the closing of its Ottawa store, with the fate of the Montreal and Toronto location still uncertain.

There has been, in the media both social and mainstream, an out pouring of affection for these stores after they announce their closing. Book Warehouse trended on Twitter today after their announcement. There’s no doubt that we love the idea of having independent bookstores. But loving the idea of them isn’t enough.

Here’s the secret about your local bookstore. Ready? If not enough people buy stuff, they’ll close. It doesn’t matter how warm and fuzzy you feel when you walk inside or how much you enjoy chatting to the cute book nerd behind the counter or how much you love to just walk around and browse on a rainy, Sunday night. A bookstore is a business, and like all businesses it needs your business to continue or it will shrivel up and die and you’ll feel sad, sure, but you will have contributed in your own small way to its demise.

I think, in conjunction with ever-rising rents, Amazon has done more to ruin the book business in Canada than anything else, including ereaders and Chapters. In all three of the bookstores I have worked at during the last six years, I had customers who compared our prices to Amazon’s (sometimes right in the store on their phones!) asked us to match the price, shrugged when I said we couldn’t, and then walked out. Amazon has created a legion of super price-sensitive book buyers.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been part of the problem, too. I bought a lot of books on Amazon when I stopped working at my last bookstore job. The lure of their prices is hard, and it’s perfect for lazy people like me who are also compulsive and easily persuaded shoppers who like to sit around in their underwear and drink coffee. Would I like to add this book to my cart? Why yes, Amazon, I would, and thank you for the creepily on point suggestion. Oh, I’m only two dollars away from getting free shipping? Sure, I’ll add another $20 book to my order. Look, I’m saving money!

Forget all the arguments about local neighbourhood bookstores being community amenities, here’s why you should stop buying books from Amazon: YOU ALREADY HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS. Seriously. Stop reading this right now and go to your bookshelf and count the ratio of books read to not-read. You will likely feel shamed. I am not even going to post my ratio. It’s a mathematical fact that it takes less time to buy a book than it does to read it. Amazon does nothing but further this problem. Instead of that one book we want, we buy two or three to get the free shipping. They are smart. They know us. They prey on our weakness. But it’s possible to resist. I’ve kicked my habit.

People think they are saving money by ordering books through Amazon, but I say that’s crap. Is it really saving money to buy so many books you are never going to read them? They’re pretty to have on the shelf, and yes they make you look smart at dinner parties, but the point of a book is putting what’s inside into your brain.

A few years ago, I worked at an independent bookstore in Vancouver that was slowly going out of business over the course of several months, having a huge sale to get rid of as much stock as possible. Two and even three months into the sale, I had people wander into the store, ask me what was going on, and when I explained the situation, they acted all surprised and sad. “But I love having you in the neighbourhood,” they’d say. “It’s so nice to have a bookstore.”

Yes, it is nice, isn’t it? Obviously none of these people had bought a book, let alone even set foot, in the store for months. It drove me crazy. A bookstore is like a pretty plant. You can admire it and love its plantly ambience, but admiring it isn’t enough–if you don’t water it, it dies.

So, no, it’s not enough to gasp and put a gloved hand to your forehead when you hear of your local bookstore closing. You actually have to, you know, go down there and spend money while they’re still open. So let’s stop buying shit from Amazon, put on some pants, and go to the local bookstore.

Barbara Fleming writes from personal experience with her book, The Backwards Buddhist: My Introduction to Dzogchen.  Here she talks about a variety of marketing techniques and why she would choose to only self-publish.

1. Tell me briefly about your book – what is it about and what motivated you to write it?

The beginning of the writing process was a challenge to write a book in a month.  The story, of necessity, was autobiographical so that it required no research.  Having just completed part one of recreating myself from the ground up by divesting myself of every spiritual thought or preconception I ever had from birth to age 50, it was a logical choice of subject matter.  The path I chose was so unlikely for me, it seemed a great example of the improbable becoming true.  My premise was I could choose to live in a world created by some perception of how things should be, I could just show up every day ready to embrace whatever arose, or I could experiment with any one of an infinite variety of combinations of the two.  Tibetan Buddhism is not the first place most westerners look to find their personal path, but it was mine, so that is what the journey is all about.  Finding a path with potential but no map and no fixed destination was my recipe for self-discovery.  Setting off on such a quest just because I could, and recording the journey to show the potential, complete with embarrassing pitfalls as well as triumphs, should anyone else want to do so, is the major point of the book.

2. How have your sales been?

Sales have been surprising.  My expectations were zero, so selling a few hundred was quite fine and I continue to sell.  The most surprising sales were triggered by the inclusion of my title on a college neuro-science course reading list, the subject being the Brain and Meditation, quite a hot topic these days.

3. You have not sought a traditional publisher.  Why?

I did not seek a traditional publisher because no one owes me any personal favors.

4. How have you liked self-publishing so far?

I would only self-publish.  If I choose to speak using passive voice, I can do so without guilt.  I can say exactly what I start out to say, not what someone else thinks will sell the book.  I cannot write what I am not interested in writing.  It was the same when I was an artist for almost twenty years.  I turned away commissions because I knew I would not be able to complete it according to their view.  I once did a painting before making this discovery and it has informed much of how I approach life.  The portrait was of a group of beautiful in face children.  The children themselves were spiteful, rude and abusive to each other and their caretakers.  I completed the painting but never asked for payment.  No matter how hard I tried it came out like a page from the Marquis de Sade.

5. What sort of marketing techniques have you used to sell your books, and which ones have been most successful?

I used newspaper interviews, professional reviewers, college connections at William and Mary, blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Web ring, local book signings, book talks and word of mouth, free copies to key individuals and professional handouts at local bookstores publicizing it.

6. Are there any marketing techniques you intentionally avoided or discontinued, and if so, why?

Discontinued bookstores because the local ones are not worth the trouble.  If it doesn’t sell on Amazon, I’m ok with that.  I have MS and no energy to promote what has already more than satisfied my hopes.

7. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about self-publishing that you didn’t know when you started out?

How happy I am I did not need to write for a living.

8. If you could do one thing differently in publishing your books, what would it be?

Skip the website and go straight to a lean clean blog site, post comments everywhere and enjoy it.  Also – at a book signing, remember I went there to sell books, not teach.  I was having so much fun answering questions the library closed and I never even had a chance to sign a single copy.  I did have over 30 people in a small town in Maine in winter.  I’m an “awayer” so it wasn’t because they knew me.

9. Independent authors face the obvious challenge of marketing their books without the resources of traditional publishers.  What advice do you have for an indie author just starting out?

My advice is worth less than two cents, but enjoying your experience is the one thing I would hope for every author.

10. What projects are you currently working on?

Currently I am writing daily on my blog, Backwards Buddhist Part 2.  Catchy title don’t you think?

11. If you could market your brand – not just one particular book, but your overall brand of writing – in one sentence, what would it be?

The Backwards Buddhist affirms Dzogchen is more fun.

12. How can readers learn more about your books?

Visit Amazon.com for Backwards Buddhist – My Introduction to Dzogchen, available in both e-format and hard copy.  Signed copies available from me on special request.  Or visit my blog.

Just One of Many Book Spaces at Home, History ...

Lavishly Illustrated Fairy Tale Books

Some books are more physically appealing than others. The covers may be well-worn or hand-tooled leather, or perhaps highly textured fabric. Maybe an amazing illustration graces it, drawing you to it like a magnet. The pages could be smooth and gilded or jagged and appear hand-torn. A book can smell of fresh glue and ink or a bit dusty and fragile. Before you even open a book, you’ll get your first impression.

A Couple Vintage Natural History Volumes

In an era of electronic books, I am a holdout. I’ve been called a Luddite, affectionately I assume, by some of those near and dear to me. That’s okay. In some ways, it may be so. I don’t oppose the advent of e-books, and for many, they may make reading more tangible, but I choose to maintain my life-long relationship with actual, vs. virtual, books.

Historical American Cooking

Books speak to me. I don’t mean the battery operated sort of language, I mean communication that makes me not want to stop reading, even when it’s hours past the time I should be asleep.”Just a few more pages…”

Concerning Seacoast NH

I love books. Of course I have preferences. Books that contain wonderful illustrations, whether they are for children or adults, are particular favorites. Vintage books,  beautiful to look at, as well as read, are also very appealing to me.

My Favorite Book

For actual content matter, I’m partial to well written Historical Fiction, cookbooks and reference books. I own an extensive library of books focused on New England. These run the gamut of New England architectural styles; New England-based fiction and Haunted New England locations. New England authors and places, as well as rural and maritime topics fascinate me as well.

I’m very interested in British architecture and customs. While my cookbooks run to a more international flavor, I do have quite a few that highlight various aspects of New England and British regional fare, and many that describe old-time cooking methods and foods.

Old poetry books and classical literature pose a strong lure, as do gardening books and those covering self-sufficiency. I have been known to haunt used bookstores, sometimes nearly camping out on premises. My oldest son and I would oftentimes make a day of planning a road trip, connecting dots on a map between used bookstores in New Hampshire and Vermont. We’d add a picnic in the middle and call it a great day.

A Book Without Words

A good book can transport you to another place, time and body even. The way the words work together, can inform and elevate. I have a few books that have no words at all, just pictures, one such is Boat by Barbara Remington. They force you to use your imagination and leave the story to some interpretation. What an interesting concept!

One of my favorite modern authors is Diana Gabaldon who writes historical fiction with a fantasy twist, especially her Outlander series, but J. R. R.Tolkien’s Trilogy and Hobbit are right up there for favorite classics. The one book I read over and over again is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Arthur Rackham is my all time favorite illustrator. He illustrated many classic fairy tales and other stories where intricate images of people, fantasy creatures and amazing trees were featured. Rackham also illustrated a version of The Wind in the Willows. Ultimate!

Handmade Book, Crafted by Myself

Books fascinate me so much, I’ve actually created a few of my own. One of my books is about one of my other favorite subjects;  doll houses. This book, Briar Rose, is about a doll house I built and photographed, then I wrote and created the book. It features handmade paper and several other natural materials as well.

Inside My Handmade Book, Briar Rose

I could and have, spent many hours, even at a time, in public libraries and bookstores.

Local bookstores are becoming an endangered species. The survivors offer more services than ever. Those independent bookstores, like River Run Books located in Portsmouth NH and Gibson’s Bookstore located in Concord NH, have become integral to their communities. They offer events,such as inviting local and well-known authors to visit the store for discussion sessions and signing copies of their works. The volumes I own, signed by authors, are especially precious to me!

How does one have an electronic book signed anyway?

Rackham's Trees Have Personality!

A Wonderful Book Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Tiny Handmade Treasure

Brought Home to me by a Good Friend Visiting Italy

Shaker Studies

Tasha Tudor was a Very Gifted New England Author and Illustrator

In Albany, NY, Words and Images may be purchased at the locally-run independent bookstore The Book House. You may also find the journal in The Book House’s sister store in Troy, NY – Market Block Books.

Here in Maine, you may purchase your very own, shiny and new copy of Words and Images at USM’s Bookstore, as well as one of our favorite shops in downtown Portland, Longfellow Books.

So maybe it’s less far and wide, and more centered around New England – but if you’d like to see Words and Images in a bookstore closer to you, send us a message and we’ll do our best to get it out there.

The interview delves into the making of the book, startling moments in Ethan’s Cape shoots, his childhood memories of the Cape, and the continual environmental change among other topics (timely with the 50th Anniversary of the National Seashore Act this month, as well as the recent coverage of Cape beach erosion).

Look out for the Profile interview–or watch it on the Cape Cod Community Media Center website here–throughout the month of August on Cape Cod’s Community Access TV station. Under Cape Cod Waters is available in regional bookstores and online–and for those on the Cape, as always, we encourage you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

Here goes on the Blog This Week, Take 2

So, if you saw my blog post last week that for some reason everyone loved, (Rumors in YAlandia) you all saw that I’m doing 2 things: Writing and Researching Author Promo (in prep, people. no one get excited.)

So, one of the things I’ve been doing is researching local indie bookstores.

I KNOW! Totally a life sucker, huh…. Not.

I’m huge into the buy locally when it comes to books. Not that I don’t spend hours at B&N also, but supporting local bookstores is vital. I used to work at a local bookstore and the day it closed we all kind of stood around lost.

But, here’s the thing. I live just outside Boston. I’m blessed. There are no shortage of bookstores. But, so very many of them aren’t genre friendly. Mystery seems to be the exception to this. I have one bookstore I’ve stopped shopping at. I was told outright that they don’t sell “trash” — trash being romance, sci fi, fantasy and most YA.

But, this isn’t anything new. Google bookstores in Massachusetts and start scanning their sites. Let me know how many genre books you find… even in the local author’s sections, there are some stores where the number is ZERO. Do you know how many published authors there are in the Boston area? Well, I can tell you it’s no where near zero.

I sat down with one of these owners once at a coffee shop and we got to talking. He was lamenting the slow sales, lower walk-in numbers, rent worries. I asked why he didn’t start carrying more SFF (he has 1 shelf) and Romance (no shelves) – especially since there’s a gaming store 4 doors down! I can’t remember the exact words, so I won’t put them in his mouth. But he was horrified.

It makes me wonder about a lot of things.

The first is completely selfish: Where the heck will I be pimping myYA book locally when it comes out (Did you see that when? Aren’t I positive-thinking girl??) And, what is so wrong with selling two of the top grossing sections of publishing? Why does “genre” so often equal “unsophisticated” or “trashy” or “lowbrow” or whatever it is.

Some of the greatest stories of all times, ones that have long endured beyond the “literary masters” of their time. Austen was the equivalent of chicklit. Dickens and Alcott wrote serials for newspapers. Some scifi named our greatest inventions decades before we had them.

But, at least around me apparently, we’ve gotten to the point where only “literary fiction” and non-fiction is acceptable to sell.

I’m heartbroken by this for three reasons. First, all those books who are missing their local audiences. Second, the attitude this creates around genre books. I recognize the attitude. A lot of my friends have it. And, third, for every indie store that goes out of business because I (and all my fellow genre readers) don’t care to be talked down to and go to B&N, Borders, Hastings, and Amazon… When you close, I’ll mourn you, but still… I was already shopping at genre-friendly places.

Oh, and btw, one mile away: There’s an Annie’s. For those who aren’t in the NE, Annie’s are independently franchised used genre bookstores. The base of all of them is Romance, but most also have amazing SFF and Mystery sections. These stores stay in business (we’re talking decades) strictly buy doing used book credit/purchases with the addition of a very small “new” section. If they can make that work, that’s saying a lot for genre books.

So, tell us all – What’s your local indie store like? Is it your go to place? Do they carry everything? Specialize? Are they author friendly? Are they reader friendly? Are you still in love or fighting to find ways to support them when they don’t support your reading?

They’re a dying breed. I’m rooting for all of them, even the ones who would never carry my mainstream YA books. I do wonder how to support them… How do you?

Brett Arends wrote a story today for MarketWatch, “Get ready for the bookstore massacre.” In this story he discusses the pending demise of Borders and Barnes & Noble. That potential outcome has been postulated by other pundits over time. However, according to Arends, B&N is now for sale and Borders’ stock has dropped 95% from its peak.

To be fair both of these “brick and mortar” retailers recognized the need for an online presence fairly early in the game. They just did it in a half-assed way. Almost as if trying to prove that online book sales were not a good idea. If your website is bad enough you can drive sales away.

The next business model change affecting this market is the shift to downloadable books (so-called ebooks which are read on an electronic book reader such as the Kindle, Nook, Kobo or iPad). Both B&N and Borders jumped on this trend a bit earlier and with better products than their initial web efforts responded to the first shift. Probably timely since Amazon reports selling substantially more ebooks than physical books in the last quarter. (You could argue that Borders and B&N are book stores so people shopping in their stores are most likely looking for a physical book. I agree and more on that later in this post.)

However, Kindle is now a materially better product than either Nook or Kobo and less expensive, so B&N and Borders will need to address that … if they can. But even if they do, they will just be an online e-book seller with, based on past experience, a less desirable buying experience. And their bookstores are having trouble sustaining themselves.

Which leads to another business model change and opportunity. I believe there may be a rise and revival in local bookstores. There are still a lot of people who prefer to own a physical book. Additionally, many people like to shop in book stores and/or spend time in a bookstore. Many specialty/local bookstores have survived on this model. If the big chain bookstores fold, then the local bookstores may be able to thrive again because they will have less competition. Time will tell.

Are you making sure your business model is right for tomorrow’s market … or even today’s?

Mitch

Phoenix Theatre presents the staged reading of a new work titled “Divine Fruit /Kundalini Rising”–which tackles social issues from gay marriage and California’s Prop. 8 to reconciling a couple’s religious differences.

The theater is adjacent to the Phoenix Art Museum, so you can experience both performing arts and visual arts with a single trip to the area of Central and McDowell (also close to the Burton Barr Central Library, the Heard Museum and other fun destinations for families).

Remember that the Heard in Phoenix is holding “Free Target Sizzlin’ Summer Saturdays” this month–featuring special children’s activities and admission to the museum’s ten exhibits (including a fun offering on pop culture in American Indian art).

Policy wonks and those who love them–plus all of you wonderfully engaged citizens who pay attention to issue impacting our economy and environment–might enjoy “Community Movie Night” on July 23, which will feature the film “Fuel” presented by Local First Arizona members Hoodlums Music and Movies and Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.

While you’re there, check out their many offerings for book, music and movie lovers–and the schedule for upcoming events at Changing Hands, which range from story times for the very young to writing workshops for teens and grown-ups.

Pat Benatar (of vinyl record fame) will be at Changing Hands Bookstore on July 24–but you better look into this one quickly since space may be limited. Theirs is one of several e-alerts I subscribe to so I get ‘hot off the press news’ about artists headed our way

Music lovers have plenty of weekend options–including a free July 23 concert by “Press Play” at Chandler Center for the Arts and two different groups performing the Musical Instrument Museum’s beautiful Music Theater.

The MIM presents both “Parno Graszt” performing folks songs of Hungary and Romania and the “Tannahill Weavers” performing diverse Celtic music that blends traditional with modern.

Those of you with a penchant for world music may enjoy exploring the new world music archive from BBC Radio 3.

This weekend is nearly your last chance to see the “Only Tenants Reside” exhibit at the Mesa Arts Center featuring more than 30 oil on canvas works by “Low-Brow” artist Chris Mars, who explores the world of those considered “others” or “outsiders.”

Also on the art landscape, there’s a participatory art experience called “Color Me Cezanne” that’s free with paid general admission to the Phoenix Art Museum July 24 from noon-3pm.

It’s designed for children ages 5-12 and their adult companions, and includes a visit to the Cezanne exhibit followed by adventures in creating Cezanne-inspired collage.

“Juggler extraordinaire” James Reid–whose work includes everything from juggling while eating an apple and spinning a hula hoop to bowling-ball juggling–will perform at the event.

For those of you who routinely have to think on your feet (yes, parents–this means you), there’s a fun opportunity to let others sweat it out a bit in the artistic realm.

It’s the “48 Hour Film Festival” at Phoenix Art Museum–featuring 33 films, each 3 minutes in length, which were written, shot, edited and turned in just 48 hours after the 33 participating teams each received three items they were required to work with: a film genre, a line of dailogue and a prop.

Parents can have some serious fun playing around with this concept. Think horror/”It’s your turn”/dirty diaper or romantic comedy/”You volunteered to do what?”/macaroni and cheese. Maybe science fiction/”Where’s my espresso?”/litter box or action-adventure/”Your mother is such a dear”/recycling bin.

The event (presented by the Phoenix Film Festival and Independent Feature Project-Phoenix) includes two screenings–at 6pm and 8pm–and tickets are $15 a screening. Ticket holders also can enjoy pre- and post-screening activities.

The Phoenix Art Museum has a rich calendar of ongoing film offerings, which I’ll take a closer look at next week as part of a blog dedicated to the fine art of film in Phoenix.

It’ll introduce you to various ways you can enjoy art and independent films for grown-ups as well as families. Now is the time to drop a line if you have something to share!

–Lynn

Note: For a comprehensive calendar of family-friendly events, visit Raising Arizona Kids magazine online.

Coming up: Close-up with Creative Stages Youth Theatre in Peoria, School edition of a Broadway classic, AriZoni Awards celebrate live theater excellence (to be among the first to learn who’s up for awards this year, attend the free reading of the nominations gathering Monday, July 23, at 6:30pm at the Fiesta Resort in Tempe)

FYI: Painting above is Cezanne’s “Still Life with Compotier”–which I’m told you can even get wallpaper style

A Simple Question, Not So Easily Answered by Joseph Arellano

One seemingly easy question facing a book reviewer is – When should a book review be published?   Yet the answer varies greatly – and surprisingly – in the publishing industry.   I say surprisingly because I once wrote music reviews for a college newspaper.   At that time, if one asked when a record album review should be published, the answer would be “any time is fine.”   Record companies did not seem to care whether their albums were reviewed prior to release, on the date of release or even days, weeks or months later.   (Today you can find books with recent reviews of record albums that were released decades ago.)

Major publishers have so many different policies on book reviews that it’s a wonder they’ve been able to agree on an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).   One publisher wants no reviews posted prior to the date of release because, in their view, people get angry if they read about a new release and can’t find it at their local Barnes and Noble or favorite independent bookseller.   Another says a review is OK if it is posted one week or less before the release date.   Several publishing houses encourage book reviewers to post their reviews within the first one or two weeks following the book’s release.

If this isn’t confusing enough, a few publishers indicate that they do not embargo reviews.   In other words, if a reviewer has a galley or advance review copy (ARC) of a future release in his/her hands and wants to write about it now, that’s fine.

There’s similar confusion over posting pre-release excerpts; so-called sneak peeks.   Some publishers won’t allow them.   Some will allow them if the reviewer requests permission, and will then respond with specifics as to when the excerpt can be posted online or in print.   Ironically, some of the publishers who do not allow the posting of pre-release excerpts themselves post them on their websites or on online sites which cater to librarians and booksellers!

Confusing, huh?   You bet…

Then we have the policies of book review publications to which reviewers like me submit reviews.   Some want only reviews that they’ve received prior to the book’s release date so that they can post on the date of release.   Some review only new releases (often in hardbound form) but not the subsequent popular re-releases in trade paperback form.   Some, like this publication, review new releases and those re-releases missed the first time around.   It all means that a book reviewer needs something akin to a flow chart to track which policy applies to which publisher, and which policy applies to which publication.   Oh, my!

Why do things have to be so confusing?   I have no idea, except that if a publishing company foots the bill – and assumes all the risks of failure – it is fair to assume that the publisher can call the shots.   However, if I ran a publishing house – let’s call it Brown Cat Books for the purpose of illustration – I would have no problem with reviews of BCB releases running at any time.   Why?   Because from everything I’ve read, publishers must rely on the sale of back catalog books to keep them in business.

Think about high school and college students, and boomers who walk into a Barnes & Noble or community bookstore these days.   How many of them would you guess are buying a book that was released more than a year or two ago?   Perhaps not half of them, but it’s probably a higher number than your first guess.

Despite my view, one source has written that the expiration date for buzz to be generated on a new book is its release date.   In this source’s view, if people are not talking about it – and reading about it – on the first day it is sold, it is not likely to become a best seller; which translates into dead on arrival.   Yes, of course, there are and have been spectacular exceptions to this “rule” – two examples being The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Lovely Bones.   These are popular fiction releases that took months and years to become overnight best sellers.

This reviewer simply wonders sometimes why things are as they are in the publishing trade, but then I can’t complain.   I just need to remember to continuously update my Publishers and Publications Review Policies flow chart.

Reprinted courtesy of Sacramento Book Review.   Written for “The Critical Eye” column.

Pictured:  The Stuff That Never Happened: A Novel by Maddie Dawson, which will be released by Shaye Areheart Books on August 3, 2010.

In the past, I went to my local Barnes & Noble at least once a week, sometimes more often, and always walked out with 1 new book and often 2 or 3. But for the past couple of months I have had no desire to visit the store and the one time I did, I bought 2 books rather than the 5 I had originally picked up (i.e., I put 3 back on the shelf after first having decided to buy them). Even more telling, however, was that I had gone to the B&N only because my wife needed to pickup some B&N gift cards for neighborhood children; otherwise I wouldn’t have gone at all. And even more telling was that in the past I loved to browse the shelves looking for books; this trip I was impatient to leave.

I’m not buying fewer books; in fact, since I was given my Sony 505 Reader 2.5 years ago, I’m buying more books than ever. But what has changed in my buying habits is the number of fiction books I am buying — from a handful each year pre-Sony 505 to hundreds each year post-Sony 505 – and how I am obtaining them.

As those of you who have followed my On Today’s Bookshelf posts (On Today’s Bookshelf, On Today’s Bookshelf (II), and On Today’s Bookshelf (III)) know, I still buy quite a few nonfiction hardcover pbooks. But whereas before I would largely find them by browsing the bookstore bookshelves, I am increasingly discovering them through ads and reviews in The New York Review of Books, the New York Times Book Review, and the book review sections of various magazines to which I subscribe, such as The Atlantic and Smithsonian. If I read a review of a book that intrigues me or see an ad for one, I simply go online and order the book.

Fiction books, however, follow a different trajectory. For those few authors whose new books I buy in hardcover (e.g., L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Robin Hobb, Harry Turtledove, David Weber, Terry Brooks), I go to an online site, check the coming soon category for these authors, and preorder the books. For those fiction authors whose books I do not buy in hardcover, the process excludes the brick-and-mortar bookstore because these aren’t authors I am likely to find on the shelves — they are independent authors. And the largest growth area in published books is books by independent authors whose books are only available online.

I discover independent authors via online forums like MobileRead and by looking through the multiformat section at Fictionwise and Smashwords. At Fictionwise, I wait for the big sales because I am unwilling to spend too much money on an unknown author; I usually get to Smashwords via a recommendation at MobileRead and often with a discount coupon.

But even then independent authors are losing out — at least as far as my buying goes — because I simply do not have the patience to sift through lists of books. Neither Fictionwise nor Smashwords makes it very easy to scroll through their offerings. There is no way to stop for the day, return tomorrow, and pickup where I left off — I am forced to start from the beginning of the list yet again, which rapidly becomes tiresome. And it doesn’t help when what I see is poorly designed cover art; at least in the physical bookstore browsing is much easier. (See Finding the Needle in a Haystack of Needles (II): eBooksellers for an earlier discussion of my ebookseller frustrations.)

The brick-and-mortar (B&M) bookstore suffers from an inability to compete either in price or selection. Independent authors are increasingly (or so it seems) pricing their ebooks at $2.99 or less. Knowing this makes me reluctant to try a new author I find at the B&M bookstore; it is one thing to gamble $2.99 on an unknown author and quite another to spend $12.99 or more.

So what is there to attract me to the B&M bookstore? As each week passes, I find it a greater struggle to want to go to the B&M bookstore. I’m not interested in the pastries and coffee; I rarely ever peruse the magazines; I can buy the same books online for less (in Barnes & Noble’s case, its online bookstore undercuts its physical stores on pricing so why buy at the B&M version?).

Are ebooks quickly making B&M bookstores uninteresting destinations? In my case, yes, because there is little incentive to shop at the B&M store, especially for fiction. Unfortunately, the online ebooksellers aren’t making their sites must-go-to destinations either. I think there can be a great future for B&M bookstores, just not in their current guise. I’m not sure what guise they need to undertake, but it is certain that they do need to make the experience an interesting one and they must become must-go-to destinations.

Mapping Book Censorship

Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities.

I frequent libraries and I love to browse in bookstores (I really really REALLY miss The Tattered Cover in Denver!).

In my dreams I envision a great local bookstore in a corner of a Seguin Arts Center that houses an art gallery, theatre, coffee shop, upscale restaurant, outside seating areas with lovely foliage and sculpture.  Ah – in my dreams . . .

AND I envision a new spacious attractive accessible LIBRARY!

Perhaps . . . this dream . . . in my lifetime . . .

“Leaving any bookstore is hard, especially on a day in August, when the street outside burns and glares, and the books inside are cool and crisp to the touch; especially on a day in January, when the wind is blowing, the ice is treacherous, and the books inside seem to gather together in colorful warmth. It’s hard to leave a bookstore any day of the year, though, because a bookstore is one of the few places where all the cantankerous, conflicting, alluring voices of the world co-exist in peace and order and the avid reader is as free as a person can possibly be, because she is free to choose among them.” -Jane Smiley

]]> http://carrymehomebook.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/book-signing-at-maple-street-bookshop/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:59:51 +0000 Mark Folse http://carrymehomebook.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/book-signing-at-maple-street-bookshop/ The Maple Street Book Shop will host a signing of Carry Me Home on Saturday, February 14 from 12-2 p.m. Maple Street Book Shop is located as 7523 Maple St. in New Orleans in the Uptown/Carrollton area.

Carry Me Home is available online at Lulu.com and Amazon, but I encourage you to patronize your local bookstores listed at right.