The folks at Green Apple do hilarious videos. This one cracked me up - BOOK v KINDLE SMACKDOWN!
According to a UK study, "Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%" -- so an hour is like a day at the spa, without the expense or weird mud wraps. (Thanks PW)
If you are an Indie bookseller, please consider filling out the ABA's IndieNext Survey. "Data gathered from the survey will help ABA ensure that the Next Lists remain relevant for booksellers and customers alike." Deadline is Aug 5.
Finally, four months after a gigantic big-rig truck plowed through the store, killing two and almost destroying the building - Flintridge Books in La Canada, California is reopening. This store is fairly new but a wonderful part of the La Canada and Pasadena community. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by on August 1st and help them celebrate! (Thanks Publisher's Mktplace).
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
What would a digital translation of The Grapes of Wrath look like?
Reading Jenn and Emily's post a couple weeks ago made me wonder: what if Emily is right, and the future of the book is digital not just in terms of format, but also in terms of medium? In other words, much like we moved from oral storytelling to books hundreds of years ago, what if over the next few decades we move to a new digital medium in which the hypertext, notes, reader comments, and so become just as much a part of the book as the original story?
I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this idea, but it seems to be popping up in a lot of online conversations. And perhaps it would be foolish to use the potential of digital books for nothing more than, as Emily aptly calls the current e-readers, storage devices. For non-fiction this might be as straight-forward as linking to sources in the text (hell, even most online newspapers do this already). For fiction the implications are broader and almost overwhelming.
Some modern books seem like they'd fit well into this format. I, for one, would be more likely to tackle Infinite Jest if I knew I could touch the screen at each footnote and have it pop up over the main text. But here's what I can't stop thinking about: if digital reading, with its attendant whatever-we-add-to-it, becomes the primary way we read, would we need to translate today's books to this new medium? Much like you're now more likely to read Beowulf instead of hear a traveling bard read it in the original, and similar to the way that many classics have been given a graphic novel edition, would it be necessary for the books we read now to be changed to fit the digital reading experience?
And if so, which books would we choose? I imagine that the process of making a book a digital book would be like a translation in many ways---not all books make the cut. Beowulf was not, after all, the only epic poem of its time, but it's the only one you'll read in tenth-grade English. Which, of all the books I've read, of all the books we have before us, might we choose for this new digital formatting for hapless fifteen-year-olds to read on their retinal-book-implant in 2100?
As you can tell, I have a long walk to work, and sometimes I take my wondering a bit too far. But as you ponder which books you love enough to work on their digital translation, check out this list of favorites, new and old, from the EL council:
I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this idea, but it seems to be popping up in a lot of online conversations. And perhaps it would be foolish to use the potential of digital books for nothing more than, as Emily aptly calls the current e-readers, storage devices. For non-fiction this might be as straight-forward as linking to sources in the text (hell, even most online newspapers do this already). For fiction the implications are broader and almost overwhelming.
Some modern books seem like they'd fit well into this format. I, for one, would be more likely to tackle Infinite Jest if I knew I could touch the screen at each footnote and have it pop up over the main text. But here's what I can't stop thinking about: if digital reading, with its attendant whatever-we-add-to-it, becomes the primary way we read, would we need to translate today's books to this new medium? Much like you're now more likely to read Beowulf instead of hear a traveling bard read it in the original, and similar to the way that many classics have been given a graphic novel edition, would it be necessary for the books we read now to be changed to fit the digital reading experience?
And if so, which books would we choose? I imagine that the process of making a book a digital book would be like a translation in many ways---not all books make the cut. Beowulf was not, after all, the only epic poem of its time, but it's the only one you'll read in tenth-grade English. Which, of all the books I've read, of all the books we have before us, might we choose for this new digital formatting for hapless fifteen-year-olds to read on their retinal-book-implant in 2100?
As you can tell, I have a long walk to work, and sometimes I take my wondering a bit too far. But as you ponder which books you love enough to work on their digital translation, check out this list of favorites, new and old, from the EL council:
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Jenn & Emily: The Future of the Book
We duke it out, Lucha Libre style, over the future of the book. This will probably become a series of posts, so stay tuned!
- Jenn's take: THE BOOK IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE BOOK
- Emily's take: The Book is NOT Dead, Especially if Digital = Medium, not Format
THE BOOK IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE BOOK - Jenn @ TKE
I've been agitating since early this year for the death of the book. Well, ok, not really. Actually, what happened is this: the giant stack of ARCs behind my desk fell on me. Again. Which (possibly because of the ensuing brain damage) led me to believe that digital ARCs were the answer to all of our problems. Instant distribution! No shipping costs! Save some trees! And most importantly, no giant stacks to fall on bookseller heads.
Which then begged the question, how would I read them? I don't know about you, but reading on a laptop or a computer is one of the things I am least interested in in life, a close second to anchovies on pizza. But alas, I'm a poor bookseller, and cannot afford spiffy techno-thingies that cost several hundred dollars and don't even have a WiFi connection. So my next brain child (see brain damage above) was that publishers should buy booksellers eReaders (not Kindles, but really anything else would be fine). It would probably save them money in the long run (Instant distribution! No shipping costs! Save some trees!) and if a publisher would actually buy me one, I'd promise to read their books first. Or something like that.
Turns out publishers don't feel like buying booksellers eReaders. Who'd'a thunkit? It also turned out a lot of publishers don't want to send me digiARCs, for fear that I will put them on the Internet and then the author will feel violated and never write again and no one will buy the book and it will have been all my fault, lions and tigers and bears oh my! Or at least that's my guess as to why they don't want to send digiARCs. And yeah, I can kind of understand. But wait, what happened to my brilliant (brain-damage-induced) plan?
So my solution: I bought myself an iPod Touch (WiFi! Email! Fun games! No monthly service fee! Oh yeah, and it can be an eReader too!) and signed up for NetGalley (which has an amazing number of good books on it, yours for the asking). Hey presto! I was reading digiARCs on my very own eReader. Is the experience all its cracked up to be? Surprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes. There are some snafus in actually getting the ARCs onto the iPod, but once they're there, the reading experience is great. So far, it matches actual books for visibility (you can see the screen in direct sunlight quite clearly, schockingly enough) and you can carry around, well, a bajillion times more ARCs with you than if they were regular ARCs. And then, after I've emailed my review in to the publisher, I can make a monkey pop balloons with darts.
The moral of the story? DigiARCs won't fall on your head and are fun to read, an iPod Touch is a great investment, and pizza is better without anchovies.
The Book is NOT Dead, Especially if Digital = Medium, not Format - Emily Pullen, Skylight Books (for her full review of Asterios Polyp, visit the Skylight Blog)
Bear with me here. I think that it is absolutely right that we talk about comics as a medium, as Scott McCloud and others have taught us to. But why aren't we thinking about digital in the same way, as a medium, rather than a format? Reading Asterios Polyp reminded me that the graphic medium can accomplish things in a novel that the written word cannot. Similarly, I'm sure that the digital medium could accomplish things in a novel that graphics or the written word could not, and THAT is where its innovation and interest lies for me. Not in its ability to replicate exactly what I might get in a book. And yet, that seems to be what developers of devices and digital formats are striving for at this point. They have yet to examine its possibilities as a medium.
To me, a Kindle or an eReader is a content storage device, not a book. It is mighty convenient for people who travel a lot or who have too many books or who deal in manuscripts on a regular basis. Forgot a book? Whip out your iPhone, it's so easy! But Asterios Polyp could not exist on any of these devices, and a child will never gleefully unwrap several of these devices at a birthday party, and rarely will someone have occasion to scan your device and glean something about your character. Devices are convenient, but they are not the be-all and end-all. Don't scrap your printing budgets just yet.
Friday, July 3, 2009
INDEPENDENTS WEEK link roundup
OK this is gonna be a quickie.
Obviously in an indie bookstore, July 4th is a favorite holiday. Check out what bookstores around the country are doing to celebrate independents week. And while we're over at Indiebound, did you know that there is a 'social networking community' there, too? Sign up, friend your fave booksellers, make wish lists, and help the indiebound community by adding more indie businesses to their interactive map. Why yes, it IS yet another way to procrastinate. :-)
If you are in San Francisco next week, Thursday July 9 at 6pm join the all-cookbook bookstore Omnivore for their first annual Fried Chicken Taste-Off. $5 fee for eaters only, free for participants. And wine! Mmmmm...
What do Vladimir Nabokov, Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Dave Eggers, Hunter S. Thompson, E.L.Doctorow, Audrey Niffenegger, Richard Russo and pretty much every other famous writer living or dead have in common? If you answered "they have a new book coming out in Fall '09", you're right!
Something to look forward to. Now if you'll excuse me, the bbq calls...
Obviously in an indie bookstore, July 4th is a favorite holiday. Check out what bookstores around the country are doing to celebrate independents week. And while we're over at Indiebound, did you know that there is a 'social networking community' there, too? Sign up, friend your fave booksellers, make wish lists, and help the indiebound community by adding more indie businesses to their interactive map. Why yes, it IS yet another way to procrastinate. :-)
If you are in San Francisco next week, Thursday July 9 at 6pm join the all-cookbook bookstore Omnivore for their first annual Fried Chicken Taste-Off. $5 fee for eaters only, free for participants. And wine! Mmmmm...
What do Vladimir Nabokov, Margaret Atwood, John Irving, Dave Eggers, Hunter S. Thompson, E.L.Doctorow, Audrey Niffenegger, Richard Russo and pretty much every other famous writer living or dead have in common? If you answered "they have a new book coming out in Fall '09", you're right!
Something to look forward to. Now if you'll excuse me, the bbq calls...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Be a friend to Indies!
I've worked at independent bookstores for more than half my life, for the past several years as a buyer and events person at an indie in San Francisco. My family also owns a different small independent bookstore here in the city. So I may have a bit of a bias here. But something that drives me a bit crazy in the media is talk of “the demise of the little bookstore.”
First of all, this is a down economy, for sure. But all kinds of businesses close all the time. We don’t moan about how the cookie business is collapsing every time a bakery goes bust. I mean – don’t get me wrong, I am romantic about bookstores too, but sometimes they just close. That doesn’t mean that ALL bookstores are closing. And these articles very rarely talk about the fact that there are also new indie stores opening!
Indie bookstores aren’t going anywhere without a fight, kids. Here’s how you can help:
1) KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIES AND BIG BOX RETAILERS
Indies can be large or teensy. The can sell new or used books, or both. They can be specialty shops (children's only, or all mystery, for example), or they can be general interest. The main thing is, that they are owned and operated by people in the community, and they reflect the individuality and taste of the owners and buyers.
"Big Box" retailers are large chains such as Barnes and Noble or Borders. They typically occupy more than 50,000 square feet. They tend to focus on "big" titles from major publishers -- small or unusual publishers and first-time authors tend to be shut out. Malcolm Gladwell calls big chain bookstores "blockbuster factories." The sheer volume is so intimidating that customer tends to go straight for the piles on display - which is nice for the John Grishams of the world, but if you want the chance to find something that isn't already popular, you might have a problem.
Centralized buying offices also mean that the people who are CHOOSING the books for the store probably have no connection to the reading habits or needs of the people in the neighborhood. Though they buy many more books than I ever could, they ultimately have a less diverse selection.
Independent bookstores are a part of their neighborhoods. Their buyers live there - they respond to what their neighbors want - they are flexible - the store's selection can be quirky and feature smaller titles prominently because they aren't in pay to whatever the latest publisher push is. Yep, publishers pay dearly to be on the front displays of a big-box store -- the same is NOT true for independents. If you get rid of Indies, you will have a much more homogeneous and a much less interesting reading landscape.
As for online retailers like Amazon - of course they are convenient. I am not saying they don't have their place! However, whenever possible, I prefer the personal attention and expertise given to me by real bookselling humans -- and the fact is that there are other reasons to prefer local brick-and-mortar stores, too.
2) KNOW THE ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF SHOPPING LOCALLY
The reality is, money spent locally tends to remain local. Local businesses contribute to the local economy by providing jobs - in fact, here in San Francisco, they provide residents with the most new jobs. They also spend their money in other local business and service providers at more than twice the rate of chains. (That's according to the Andersonville Study of Retail Economics). They pay taxes which go to fund local government services, streetlights, schools and more.
Let me break that down for you: WE pay for your kid's public school. AMAZON does not.
Here are a bunch of numbers, you can skip them if you want: LivingEconomies.org quotes a recent study in Barnstable Mass which found that small downtown stores "generate an annual net SURPLUS of $326 per 1,000 square feet. Big box stores on the other hand require more in services than they produce in revenue - an annual tax DEFICIT of $468 per 1,000 square feet."
Oh, and then there are charities. According to the SF Local Merchants Association, non-profit organizations receive 350% more support from local business owners than from chains. Wow.
OH, and did I mention the environment? Yeah, well, since local businesses generally set up in town or city centres, and buy more local goods, they contribute less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
3) HELP US HELP YOU
Independents do things that Amazon, and even most chain stores, won't or can't do. Things like hosting awesome author events and creating book fairs for your local school. Working with librarians to create programming and book lists. We don't MAKE MONEY at this, people. Most booksellers I know are way overeducated and way underpaid. However, we do this stuff because we are called to do it. Because we love books, and we want to share them with you. Because we love our neighborhoods, and want to make them better places for everyone.
As for "my indie is too little and doesn't carry XYZ! So the big store is better!" - umm, we aren't mind readers. If I don't have a ton of mass market romance, it's because mass market romance hasn't historically sold very well in my neighborhood. But y'know what? When people ASK for it, I GET it. My romance section is three times larger than it was a year ago, because I got requests. It will stay large as long as people keep shopping it. Your local bookstore wants to make you happy, O Customer! So help us help you. Tell us what you want. Seriously. We're listening.
Plus, we can get you just about anything in a couple of days, sometimes even in ONE day, with no shipping charges. Yay!
4) WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO HELP AN INDIE… SHOP AT IT!
Well, first of all, you can shop at an independent bookstore whenever possible. You gotta buy books at indies if you want them to stick around. Obvious, right?
I know that isn't always a possibility. We aren't the library, and we can't give big huge discounts on bestsellers like CostCo can. BUT! Many indies do have loyalty programs, teacher discounts, senior discounts, even friend-of-the-library discounts and the like, and almost all sell remainder "sale books". Even if you switched 10% more of your buying power to indies, you'd be doing a great thing both for them and for your local economy.
5) WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO HELP AN INDIE… FOR FREE!
Most indie bookstores in the US participate in "IndieBound", (which used to be called the Booksense program). What is that? Well, we put together an amazing list of picks every month, the Indie Next list, and distribute those newsletters in every member store. We also sell gift cards, which means that if you buy a gift card from my store, you could go to ANY indie store in the country to spend it. Which is pretty awesome, since they are in every state and online as well.
My big suggestion is, next to your Amazon or B&N link on your blog or website, why not also LINK TO INDIEBOUND? That way people can find the indie store nearest them. Indiebound even has an affiliate program, if that is your thing.
You could also choose YOUR fave indie bookstore and link to that! If you are a writer, you might even be able to partner with them - make your local indie your "official" bookstore - so that people can always get autographed copies of your book if they shop at your neighborhood store, that you link to on your website. Give people the option, you know? Especially because, if you are a writer and you're trying to kiss up to an indie bookstore, and the only thing you link to is Amazon, you make us cry.
SO LINK. It is one easy-peasy way to be a Friend to Indies.
OK, my rant is over. Thank you for your attention.
-- Jennifer L., NCIBA
First of all, this is a down economy, for sure. But all kinds of businesses close all the time. We don’t moan about how the cookie business is collapsing every time a bakery goes bust. I mean – don’t get me wrong, I am romantic about bookstores too, but sometimes they just close. That doesn’t mean that ALL bookstores are closing. And these articles very rarely talk about the fact that there are also new indie stores opening!
Indie bookstores aren’t going anywhere without a fight, kids. Here’s how you can help:
1) KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIES AND BIG BOX RETAILERS
Indies can be large or teensy. The can sell new or used books, or both. They can be specialty shops (children's only, or all mystery, for example), or they can be general interest. The main thing is, that they are owned and operated by people in the community, and they reflect the individuality and taste of the owners and buyers.
"Big Box" retailers are large chains such as Barnes and Noble or Borders. They typically occupy more than 50,000 square feet. They tend to focus on "big" titles from major publishers -- small or unusual publishers and first-time authors tend to be shut out. Malcolm Gladwell calls big chain bookstores "blockbuster factories." The sheer volume is so intimidating that customer tends to go straight for the piles on display - which is nice for the John Grishams of the world, but if you want the chance to find something that isn't already popular, you might have a problem.
Centralized buying offices also mean that the people who are CHOOSING the books for the store probably have no connection to the reading habits or needs of the people in the neighborhood. Though they buy many more books than I ever could, they ultimately have a less diverse selection.
Independent bookstores are a part of their neighborhoods. Their buyers live there - they respond to what their neighbors want - they are flexible - the store's selection can be quirky and feature smaller titles prominently because they aren't in pay to whatever the latest publisher push is. Yep, publishers pay dearly to be on the front displays of a big-box store -- the same is NOT true for independents. If you get rid of Indies, you will have a much more homogeneous and a much less interesting reading landscape.
As for online retailers like Amazon - of course they are convenient. I am not saying they don't have their place! However, whenever possible, I prefer the personal attention and expertise given to me by real bookselling humans -- and the fact is that there are other reasons to prefer local brick-and-mortar stores, too.
2) KNOW THE ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF SHOPPING LOCALLY
The reality is, money spent locally tends to remain local. Local businesses contribute to the local economy by providing jobs - in fact, here in San Francisco, they provide residents with the most new jobs. They also spend their money in other local business and service providers at more than twice the rate of chains. (That's according to the Andersonville Study of Retail Economics). They pay taxes which go to fund local government services, streetlights, schools and more.
Let me break that down for you: WE pay for your kid's public school. AMAZON does not.
Here are a bunch of numbers, you can skip them if you want: LivingEconomies.org quotes a recent study in Barnstable Mass which found that small downtown stores "generate an annual net SURPLUS of $326 per 1,000 square feet. Big box stores on the other hand require more in services than they produce in revenue - an annual tax DEFICIT of $468 per 1,000 square feet."
Oh, and then there are charities. According to the SF Local Merchants Association, non-profit organizations receive 350% more support from local business owners than from chains. Wow.
OH, and did I mention the environment? Yeah, well, since local businesses generally set up in town or city centres, and buy more local goods, they contribute less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
3) HELP US HELP YOU
Independents do things that Amazon, and even most chain stores, won't or can't do. Things like hosting awesome author events and creating book fairs for your local school. Working with librarians to create programming and book lists. We don't MAKE MONEY at this, people. Most booksellers I know are way overeducated and way underpaid. However, we do this stuff because we are called to do it. Because we love books, and we want to share them with you. Because we love our neighborhoods, and want to make them better places for everyone.
As for "my indie is too little and doesn't carry XYZ! So the big store is better!" - umm, we aren't mind readers. If I don't have a ton of mass market romance, it's because mass market romance hasn't historically sold very well in my neighborhood. But y'know what? When people ASK for it, I GET it. My romance section is three times larger than it was a year ago, because I got requests. It will stay large as long as people keep shopping it. Your local bookstore wants to make you happy, O Customer! So help us help you. Tell us what you want. Seriously. We're listening.
Plus, we can get you just about anything in a couple of days, sometimes even in ONE day, with no shipping charges. Yay!
4) WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO HELP AN INDIE… SHOP AT IT!
Well, first of all, you can shop at an independent bookstore whenever possible. You gotta buy books at indies if you want them to stick around. Obvious, right?
I know that isn't always a possibility. We aren't the library, and we can't give big huge discounts on bestsellers like CostCo can. BUT! Many indies do have loyalty programs, teacher discounts, senior discounts, even friend-of-the-library discounts and the like, and almost all sell remainder "sale books". Even if you switched 10% more of your buying power to indies, you'd be doing a great thing both for them and for your local economy.
5) WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO HELP AN INDIE… FOR FREE!
Most indie bookstores in the US participate in "IndieBound", (which used to be called the Booksense program). What is that? Well, we put together an amazing list of picks every month, the Indie Next list, and distribute those newsletters in every member store. We also sell gift cards, which means that if you buy a gift card from my store, you could go to ANY indie store in the country to spend it. Which is pretty awesome, since they are in every state and online as well.My big suggestion is, next to your Amazon or B&N link on your blog or website, why not also LINK TO INDIEBOUND? That way people can find the indie store nearest them. Indiebound even has an affiliate program, if that is your thing.
You could also choose YOUR fave indie bookstore and link to that! If you are a writer, you might even be able to partner with them - make your local indie your "official" bookstore - so that people can always get autographed copies of your book if they shop at your neighborhood store, that you link to on your website. Give people the option, you know? Especially because, if you are a writer and you're trying to kiss up to an indie bookstore, and the only thing you link to is Amazon, you make us cry.
SO LINK. It is one easy-peasy way to be a Friend to Indies.
OK, my rant is over. Thank you for your attention.
-- Jennifer L., NCIBA
Links, got your links here
Last week PW's Shelftalker blog ran this superb article on handselling and the fine art of "reading the customer" - this is a MUST READ for newbie booksellers and a pretty good refresher for those of us who've been in the trenches for a while, too...
Our very own Rich Rennicks of Malaprops in Asheville NC has two pieces of news: He's the brand-new Emerging Leaders council's rep from SIBA and he's working for our good friends at the very cool indie publisher Unbridled Books as their "Bookstore Liason." (Perhaps when it is Rich's turn to blog he can tell us what the heck that is, exactly!)
In case you've been looking for yet another reason to disdain the Kindle, Boing Boing tells us how the Kindle DRM is rearing its ugly head. "We found out the hard way that Amazon can revoke your Kindle's ability to read your ebooks aloud after you've bought them." You know, when you buy a paper book, it is really and truly yours to do what you like with... Just sayin'.
Looking for a way to spice up your sex life? The NYT book review invites you to enter (the mind of) octogenarian Gloria Vanderbilt, if you dare. "Mint, cayenne pepper and a fresh garden carrot are deployed in the book in ways never envisioned by “The Joy of Cooking.” And there is also a unicorn, though, blessedly, it remains a bystander."
Our very own Rich Rennicks of Malaprops in Asheville NC has two pieces of news: He's the brand-new Emerging Leaders council's rep from SIBA and he's working for our good friends at the very cool indie publisher Unbridled Books as their "Bookstore Liason." (Perhaps when it is Rich's turn to blog he can tell us what the heck that is, exactly!)
In case you've been looking for yet another reason to disdain the Kindle, Boing Boing tells us how the Kindle DRM is rearing its ugly head. "We found out the hard way that Amazon can revoke your Kindle's ability to read your ebooks aloud after you've bought them." You know, when you buy a paper book, it is really and truly yours to do what you like with... Just sayin'.
Looking for a way to spice up your sex life? The NYT book review invites you to enter (the mind of) octogenarian Gloria Vanderbilt, if you dare. "Mint, cayenne pepper and a fresh garden carrot are deployed in the book in ways never envisioned by “The Joy of Cooking.” And there is also a unicorn, though, blessedly, it remains a bystander."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Greetings from Minneapolis!
I'm Jay and I'm the Emerging Leaders Council representative for the Midwestern Booksellers Association. I'm also the manager of Magers and Quinn Booksellers, the largest indepedent in the Twin Cities.
So, enough about me, here's what's new in the world of bookselling Minneapolis-style:
Magers & Quinn Booksellers wrapped up a wild weekend of unconventional bookselling with a publication party and poster sale for Gig Posters Vol. 1: Rock Art of the 21st Century (published by Quirk Books) on Sunday, June 14. We invited 8 of the graphic designers featured in the book to show their works on display tables throughout the store. The designers included Amy Jo, Aesthetic Apparatus, Burlesque of North America and Adam Turman. Nearly 400 people turned up to view and purchase limited-edition screen printed posters from the artists and (most importantly) copies of the book. It was one of the largest in-store events we've hosted in our 15 years of business.
In addition to being home to a plethora of talented graphic artists and world-class design firms, Minneapolis also has an insanely huge bicycling subculture. On Friday, the stretch run of the Nature Valley Grand Prix bike race took place on Hennepin Avenue, just outside our front door. Thousands turned out to watch the blur of pro racers speeding through the Uptown neighborhood. As part of the festivities, we hosted Doug Shidell, creator of the Twin Cities Bike Map (from Little Transport Press), and partnered with the worker-owned Hub Bike Co-op to provide free smoothies from a bicycle powered blender for spectators.
The Hub also helped build a window display featuring two of its top of the line bikes and a number of cycling books, including Pedaling Revolution : How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities (from Oregon State Univ Press) and Doug Shidell's Bicycle Vacation Guide to Minnesota & Wisconsin (another one from Little Transport Press).
All in all, it was an exhausting but successful weekend of slinging books to the masses.
Thanks for reading!
- JAY
So, enough about me, here's what's new in the world of bookselling Minneapolis-style:
Magers & Quinn Booksellers wrapped up a wild weekend of unconventional bookselling with a publication party and poster sale for Gig Posters Vol. 1: Rock Art of the 21st Century (published by Quirk Books) on Sunday, June 14. We invited 8 of the graphic designers featured in the book to show their works on display tables throughout the store. The designers included Amy Jo, Aesthetic Apparatus, Burlesque of North America and Adam Turman. Nearly 400 people turned up to view and purchase limited-edition screen printed posters from the artists and (most importantly) copies of the book. It was one of the largest in-store events we've hosted in our 15 years of business.
In addition to being home to a plethora of talented graphic artists and world-class design firms, Minneapolis also has an insanely huge bicycling subculture. On Friday, the stretch run of the Nature Valley Grand Prix bike race took place on Hennepin Avenue, just outside our front door. Thousands turned out to watch the blur of pro racers speeding through the Uptown neighborhood. As part of the festivities, we hosted Doug Shidell, creator of the Twin Cities Bike Map (from Little Transport Press), and partnered with the worker-owned Hub Bike Co-op to provide free smoothies from a bicycle powered blender for spectators.
The Hub also helped build a window display featuring two of its top of the line bikes and a number of cycling books, including Pedaling Revolution : How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities (from Oregon State Univ Press) and Doug Shidell's Bicycle Vacation Guide to Minnesota & Wisconsin (another one from Little Transport Press).
All in all, it was an exhausting but successful weekend of slinging books to the masses.
Thanks for reading!
- JAY
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
