New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year! Did you rest and relax and eat all sorts of goodies this holiday? I hope so (I sure know I did!). Since it’s the beginning of January everyone is thinking about resolutions and I have plenty of my own. One of mine is book-related and I think it deserves sharing.

Resolution: To Put My Money Where My Mouth Is

How often in the past year have industry folk and the general public alike heard how independent (and big box) bookstores are struggling? How ‘evil’ Amazon is? How Amazon doesn’t care about local booksellers? Lots and lots. And, on the flip side, how often is it discussed that local bookstores know books and their customers better than anyone else? And who hosts author events? Local bookstores—we hear about this all the time! Although these discussions are complicated they make one thing clear in my mind: If we want the wonderful institution of local, independent bookstores to remain, we need to support them over online retailers.

I have not been doing this. Buying books on Amazon is (often) cheaper and easier than from a physical store. 99% of my books come from the online retailer—I even have an Amazon.com credit card which gives me reward points that I turn around and use at Amazon. I’ve embraced Amazon as much as anyone else—even knowing its pitfalls better than the general public. And I’m beginning to feel horrible about it.

And so, my New Years Resolution is to buy more books—at least 50%—at a local store. This means the books I buy are going to cost more, and being on a budget such as I am, I’ll probably have to buy fewer books. But with my reading levels staying the same I’ll have to visit the library to get that additional reading material—and that’s another fine institution to be more actively supporting!

Do you have any book-related resolutions for 2012?

Legendary

Yesterday I got to meet one of my idols—fantasy author Tamora Pierce. She was appearing on a panel at the wonderful store Books of Wonder along with six other talented authors (including Rae Carson whose The Girl of Fire and Thorns is excellent and perfect for Tamora fans). I cannot begin to explain how honored I was to finally meet Tamora. I might have gotten a bit fangirl on her—but I’ve been waiting since I was ten to meet her! Alanna: The First Adventure introduced me to fantasy when it was part of the sixth grade curriculum. When my peers read the first for weeks in class I rushed to the library and read the entire series at home. I was hooked. And ever since then my writing has been informed by Tamora’s works. Her novels are still the closest comparative titles to my work in progress. So, to say the least, she—and her books—are pretty important to me. Meeting her in person did not disappoint, either, as is so often the case when you meet an idol. She spoke so wisely on the genre and on writing. And despite the fact that the line to get books signed by her was ridiculously long and meant she had to stay long past when the event was due to end, she kindly signed each and every book fans brought and had a brief conversation. It was wonderful. And the way she signed my copy of Mastiff, her latest book? “Be legendary.” I’m working on it, Tamora, I’m working on it!

Books at a Bookstore

Tomorrow is Save Bookstores day. A very worthy event that I will be taking part in, and I hope you do, too! What book(s) will you purchase? 

Other Bookstores

A lot of Borders Bookstores are closing- but that doesn’t mean you have to stop shopping at physical stores.  Check out this list of independents near the closing stores!  Maybe you'll even discover the indie that perfectly fits your reading needs.  You never know!

Happy reading on this rainy Friday!

Daily Changes

Having a job in publishing is AWESOME. Approaching three months in I love it just as much as I did on my first day, and as I learn more and more, it becomes even more exciting.  There are some changes in my life that come with having a job in publishing- the expected sort of things that I’ve already mentioned: getting an apartment, waking up early, reading until your eyeballs fall out.  There have been some changes in the past three months that I hadn’t anticipated. These aren’t bad changes at all, but they’re interesting to reflect on.

1.    SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES. 

Before: I’ve always been an Amazon.com girl when it comes to buying books, or if I wanted to take in the glorious smell of books, a chain bookstore girl.  This was a cost issue, mostly.  And the fact that the part of CT where I grew up never managed to support an independent bookstore, so my only options within a reasonable drive were Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Now: I’ve come to realize that independent bookstores are places that publishing houses rely on to hand sell our books. The booksellers that work at indies know our books, know their customers and know what would be a good match between novel and reader.  And independents rely on that community and host events- like the wonderful Books of Wonder which hosted the first stop on the Breathless Reads Tour* which I attended last week- that foster a love of reading. Books might be more expensive at indies, but you’re buying far more than a book- you’re supporting a community of book lovers.

(*Side note: if you can catch the Breathless Reads Tour, do so.  It’s a tour for five Penguin authors: Beth Revis (Across the Universe), Ally Condie (Matched), Andrea Cremer (Nightshade), Brenna Yovanoff (The Replacement), and Kirsten Miller (The Eternal Ones).  I was very pleased with the event/really want to read Nightshade (I’ve already read The Replacement)!)

2.    OPPOSE ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS

Before: I was blissfully ignorant where my music came from.  I didn’t download any; I just relied on my sister and never questioned where it came from.  And when a friend-who-shall-remain-nameless told me she downloaded Mockingjay shortly after it came out, I was in awe that that was possible- I had no idea.

Now: I get emails regularly from authors wanting HC to take down illegal book download links. There was a blog post floating around a while ago by an author illustrating (whether truly or not) how illegal downloads have been detrimental to her writing career and financial well being. Although I never had illegally downloaded a book, I know I never will now- and I’m much more aware of where my music and movies come from. I want to support the artists behind the media I love!

3.    WEAR DIFFERENT CLOTHES

Before: I was a dresses girl, especially in the summer. If I could wear a dress, I would.  I had overly strict ‘rules’ that I followed about what I could wear (sweatshirts in public? Only if I was sick/sleep deprived!), which often resulted in me being a little dressier than the others I was spending time with.

Now:  I’m still a dresses girl, but when you have eight work-appropriate dresses and have to wear them five days a week, you get pretty bored with your wardrobe.  And tights get pretty darn uncomfortable, too.  So on weekends, it’s jeans jeans jeans.  Maybe even a sweatshirt, or sneakers (but let’s not push it yet).

So there you have it…three ways in which having a job in publishing has changed my daily habits, just a little bit, but a change nonetheless. This weekend I think I might head out in comfy jeans to my local bookstore and buy a book or two!

Bookstore Day

The fun fact for this Friday is…tomorrow is Take Your Child To A Bookstore Day. 

How great of a day is that?  Bookstores are the best place ever (especially if they have a café that makes warm chocolate chip cookies).  Each and every time I walk into one, I want to smell the books, pick up a new one (or a trusty favorite), and sit in a corner and never leave.  Alas, that is not always possible…but visiting for an hour or so and basking in the wonder that is a bookstore absolutely is.  And sharing that special place with a kid- even better!  For more information about the day, click here.

And just because kids aren’t the only ones who should have fun tomorrow, check out this awesome list from Lonely Planet:

The 10 Greatest Bookstores in the World

1. City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA)

2. Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

3. Livraria Lello (Porto, Portugal)

4. Shakespeare & Company (Paris, France)

5. Daunt Books (London, England)

6. Another Country (Berlin, Germany)

7. The Bookworm (Beijing, China)

8. Selexyz Dominicanen (Maastricht, Netherlands)

9. Bookabar (Rome, Italy)

10. Atlantis Books (Santorini, Greece)

Unfortunately, I haven’t been to any of these…yet.  I can’t believe there isn’t one in New York (The Strand? Books of Wonder? Come on, Lonely Planet!), but even more so, I can’t believe that I lived in London for five months and never made it to their bookstore!  I guess this list really is just an excuse to go and travel…for bookstore comparison purposes, of course!

I hope you make it to a bookstore tomorrow- and bring your kids, siblings, friend of a friend’s cousin, or whoever else you want to share the wonder of a bookstore with!

Buy v. Borrow, Hardcover v. Paperback

Do I buy a book or borrow it from the library and/or a friend? If I’m going to buy a book, do I want it in hardcover or paperback?  These seem like simple questions, but for a book lover, they’re essential. 

When I was little, I was a library girl because my mom didn’t like to buy many books.  Books are expensive to buy, especially if you don’t reread them.  Then they just sit on your shelves (and look very pretty).  As I got older, however, and realized that 1) I had a little spending money and 2) I DO like to reread books (for example, I reread the Harry Potter series each time before the new book came out), so I decided to start buying books.  Yet unlike today’s teens I didn’t know what the-next-big-thing-in-YA was.  Probably because the-next-big-thing-in-YA tread hadn’t even started yet.  I wasn’t inundated with social media that advertized books; I barely knew what Amazon was and most certainly didn’t order my books online!  I bought books the old-fashion way: going to the bookstore and seeing what caught my eye.  It’s true I had a few favorite series that I made sure to follow (Tamora Pierce’s several Tortall series, T.A. Barron’s The Lost Years of Merlin series, Elizabeth Haydon’s Rhapsody Trilogy and Symphony of Ages, among others), yet for the most part it was just pick and choose.  And because I was a teen with just a little spending money, often my decisions were based on cost.  A hardcover verses a cheaper paperback? I’d pick the paperback.  (Oh, and another tiny confession to make.  I HATE jacket covers.  I know they’re supposed to protect the hardcover book and look pretty, but to me they just get wrinkled and bent the moment I pick the book up, so it’s a waste of material.)

Now that I’m involved in the publishing industry things have changed, yet I’m hesitant to change with them.  I’m constantly surrounded by people talking about the-next-big-thing-in-YA, and I want to read it, too! Unless I’m lucky enough to have snagged an ARC, my options are limited.  Buy the expensive hardcover (I caved in and did that for Linger)? Wait a little longer to borrow if from a library (if they carry it), knowing that chances are I’ll buy the paperback, at least, eventually?  Right now I’ve settled in a sort of middle ground; buying popular books the moment they’re in paperback, but sometimes it takes a while for that to happen.  Even though I’ve read (and LOVED) The Hunger Games series, I still don’t own the first two books because they’ve yet to be released in paperback (what a marketing/sales feat!).  And I have yet to read books that I’ve heard positive reviews about for ages: The DUFF, Before I Fall, When you Reach Me. It’s killing me I haven’t read these books yet, and I’m going to run into the same problem when The Replacement, Beautiful Darkness, Matched and others come out later this fall.  I may sound like a bratty teenager (or whiny toddler), but I just want them ALL!

So there’s my book lover dilemma.  Thoughts? What do you prefer to read, a borrowed library book or a book you’ve bought? Will you go out and buy a book after you’ve read it and loved it? Will you buy in paperback or in hardcover? How do you keep up to date with all the awesome new books out there? I hope you’ve come up with a good solution, I’d love to hear it!