A Tale of Two Authors

I’m always excited to discover great reads from new authors. In May I found such a book and was eager to write my review. This past week I received an email from the author thanking me for the review and asking me to post it on Amazon. I was shocked to say the least!

After taking a deep breath I reminded myself that this is her first book and she may not be aware of how offensive this request is to an independent bookseller. Books that we are particularly excited about can be nominated for the Indie Next List which promotes new authors much better than one review among many on the online giant. I explained this to her as kindly as I could, pointing out that not only did I nominate her book, but it was chosen as a notable pick for August. The sting of her request was slightly diminished after looking at her site and seeing indiebound.org listed as a site to purchase her book.

On the flip side, in May of 2009 I wrote a short review of an amazingly original first novel by Brian DeLeeuw. This one was chosen for the Indie Next List last summer. Yesterday in the mail I received the paperback version, which will be out in August. The book was not only signed, but personalized! Included was a letter from Brian thanking me (me - not "Dear Reader"!) for nominating In This Way I Was Saved and promising to thank me in person if he’s ever in Wisconsin. In the letter he discusses his strong feelings about the increasing relevance and necessity of independent bookstores in this current age of depersonalization and tells us to keep fighting the good fight. Wow! Now this is an author I want to support! He does not have a link to Indiebound on his website yet (Brian, if you are reading this, please add one.), but the first link to purchase his book is an independent bookstore. It is authors like Brian that make me love coming to work each day.

I had to include both covers and would love your opinion.

Personally, I prefer the hardcover (left) over the paperback (right)

Perfect Partnership

In January, Borders will be closing 200 Waldenbooks, including the one located in Bay Park Square Mall in Green Bay. Luckily, there are still great independent bookstores located in and around the area. If you aren’t sure where your closest independent bookstore is located, this IndieBound link can help.

Tomorrow would be the perfect time to discover these local treasures during National Bookstore Day. There is a list of participating stores listed by state, but here at BayShore Books LLC we are offering a discount on purchases as well as a chance to win a book bag filled with best selling titles.

If you are looking for some great book choices, check out Buy Books for the Holidays. They offer great ideas throughout the season, including this list of mystery authors you may like.

Better yet, while in your favorite independent, find the Indie Best Seller Lists which will be prominently displayed. Four of these lists will be published by NPR beginning on November 13th. The book info pages on IndieBound now feature audio content from NPR's book coverage.

Perfect partnership!

My Life in Video

I missed posting last week and for this I apologize, although, given the choice, I would do it all over again. For years my sister attended the Women of Faith Conference in St. Paul, MN. This year she wanted to share the experience with me. Two days away from the store and my family! This was a big step for me, but one I reluctantly took. And I’m thankful I did!

There was a terrific lineup of speakers and musicians including Steven Curtis Chapman , Patsy Clairmont , Lisa Harper , and Marilyn Meberg. My sister especially enjoyed Sheila Walsh as she discussed letting go and is currently reading the book.

I admit, after hearing Lisa Whelchel, The Facts of Life theme song swam through my head the rest of the weekend, but the performance I most enjoyed would have to be by Anita Renfroe. She really hit home. In fact, the way she described her life, it could have been my life. You’ll just have to watch and see what I’m talking about.

Ask Indies

Ask Indies, an effort by dozens of independent booksellers on Twitter to share our knowledge, went live this week. Just ask a question about books, add the #AskIndies hashtag, and booksellers will respond with recommendations, ideas, and opinions. Every book page on IndieBound.org now has an Ask Indies button which links to a simple twitter form so you can also ask your questions directly from the site. The book’s URL and #AskIndies will be entered automatically.

As Paige Poe, IndieBound's outreach liaison, observed, "Ask Indies really came from booksellers who were looking for ways to use social networks to connect with readers, and make those ways new and interesting. So many booksellers are on Twitter, more of them every day, and Twitter's immediacy fit the idea perfectly. It allows indie booksellers to publicly display exactly what makes them such great curators: their knowledge and expertise. And hopefully it's fun for everyone involved."

Not tweeting yet? Check out The Little Book of Twitter.This handy little guide tells you everything you ever needed to know and more.

Shopping Local is Green

If you follow this blog, you have heard me rant plenty of times about the importance of shopping locally. The creative folks at a fellow independent book store, The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina, have created a much more fun way to spread the message that shopping local is green.


Thank you Tom Campbell and friends!
If you don't know where your closest independent bookstore is located, check out the

Indie Store Finder on IndieBound.

Best Books Ever Written

Can you name the best book ever written?
Who can honestly answer that question?
Has anyone read every book ever written?
And who’s to say what the best is?

Newsweek gave it a shot with their Meta-List. They combined the numbers from ten top book lists to come up with the top 100 books ever written . There are many classics, plenty of Shakespeare, even the Holy Bible; but Charles Dickens
is notably absent as well as Ayn Rand. Another interesting observation is the fact that the first non-fiction title arrives on the list at #26. Ah well, what can you expect from a list that doesn't even link to IndieBound as an ordering option?

How about you?
What would you add, remove, or replace?

Celebrate Your Independence with Independents

“I can’t believe you have this book! I’ve looked everywhere for it!!”

I have heard this many times and while I take it as a compliment, all I can think is

“why?”

Time is money, as they say. Combine that with the price of gas, why would anyone choose to drive from city to city, store to store searching for anything? Especially when you have the convenience of shopping locally. Sure, I had exactly what the customer was looking for, but if I didn’t I would be happy to order it. And I know I’m not the only independent business in town to offer this service. In fact, from my experience I believe most of us will do whatever we can to get whatever our customers are looking for. You are, after all, the reason we are here.

Next week Celebrate Your Independence with Independents.

I challenge you to take the Indie Challenge – use Independents Week to explore your community’s independently-owned businesses. See how much of your purchasing for the week you can do with them.

IndieBound best explains the question

Why shop Indie?
When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.
IndieBound supports Independent Business Alliances around the country. To find an alliance near you, visit AMIBA or BALLE.

I Do

This weekend kicks off the wedding season in my family. Many years ago when my sister was searching for her wedding dress, my mother thought she should wear something elegant like in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. For months she talked about the high necked gown Audrey Hepburn graced the screen with. My sister, not yet born in 1961 when the film was released, couldn’t picture this beloved gown so the two of them rented the movie with remote control in hand to freeze frame the desired scene. Imagine their disappointment when there was no wedding scene in the film! Right actress, wrong film. Eliza Doolittle wore the remembered dress in My Fair Lady.

Having been married now for more years than not, it’s difficult for me to remember the importance or lack thereof that I placed on the dress. For me it was more about the groom. I spent many years wishing I could marry Charles Ingalls before moving on to Fabio and then Nicholas Sparks . (Is there any man more romantic?)

Romance is usually where the story ends. Most romance novels do not include the years after the honeymoon. At some point my life moved from Danielle Steel to Dr. Laura Schlessinger, as in The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands , which my husband can attest, I have not yet mastered. That’s okay, he isn’t exactly Porn for Women , but I do see a little of Charles Ingalls in him.

What about you?

Is there a character that you envisioned as your significant other?

I'll Have it My Way!

It has been a busy week. So busy in fact that I just couldn’t find the time to replace the Mother’s Day display, which obviously had to go. The solution? Pass the buck!

The assignment: create a display. That’s it, the only request I gave to a part time employee and full time daughter. K took the same approach any teenager would – she pulled all her favorites along with books she has been anxious to read. Looking over her choices, I remarked that the display should have some sort of theme or make sense in some way. Next a sign was added to the display:

Great Books
According to K

Problem solved. But why are they great books (according to K)? Next pass of the display I noticed short reviews highlighting each selection. Some were positive:

Super wonderful fantastic book!

Some were opinionated:

100% better than Twilight (but not as clean)

And others were a little naughty:

Yummy!

Okay, maybe not the type of display I would create, but beggars can’t be choosers. The display has been quite a hit with the local high school students. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? It makes sense that a display created by a teen would be a hit with her classmates. Keeping a display created by area adults, teens and children may be a big draw to others in our community. Who can I pass the buck to next?

How about you?
What would be on your display?
What caption would you add?

ReadKiddoRead

It should come as no surprise that James Patterson has another new book out. Run for Your Life, which is coauthored with Michael Ledwidge, is a continuation of his newest series with unlikely hero Detective Mike Bennett. What makes Patterson such a popular author? Could it be that he has written something for everyone ? Mystery fans are familiar with Alex Cross and the Women’s Murder Club. If you prefer romance, you are probably familiar with Sam's Letters to Jennifer, Sundays at Tiffany's or my personal favorite, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Who hasn’t fantasized about joining Max and the gang in the young adult series, Maximum Ride? Have I left anyone out? Oh yes, what about younger children?

No, I’m not going to tell you about Patterson’s new picture book. Although he has always been a huge supporter of children’s literacy, giving away more than $600,000 between 2005 and 2007 through his annual PageTurner Awards, he realized there had to be a better way to get kids excited about reading. From that idea was born his newest PageTurner project, ReadKiddoRead.com.
“One of the best ways to get kids reading is to find books they love,” Patterson explains to Publishers Weekly. “There are millions of kids who’ve never read a book they liked. I always say that if movies were taught in school and they started with Ingmar Bergman, we wouldn’t like movies.” His goal is to get kids reading by helping parents and educators choose books they won’t want to put down.

If you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or librarian, this site is a well organized place to find exactly what your young readers are craving from the best of the best illustrated books to great advanced reads. There is no pressure to buy, but if you do decide to make a purchase, the IndieBound Link is clearly visible. Better yet, stop in and visit us and let us help you choose.

Good Bye 2008!

This will be the last post of 2008. Talk about pressure! I must have done something right during 2008. You are, after all, still reading this blog. Of course, some of you may be thinking there is much that can be improved on.

Well, now is your chance to share, vent, brag, whatever!

What do you love about BayShore Books?

What improvements would you like to see in the new year?

Are you a cyber buddy who has never actually been to the store?

Don’t feel left out! What is your favorite independent bookstore and why?

Help all of us make your experience even better in 2009.

What to Give

By now I’m sure you have all realized that books make great gifts. Did you ever wonder what your favorite authors read? Penguin Group asked their authors which books they will be giving this season and which books they would most like to receive. If Stuart Woods or Geraldine Brooks is on your shopping list this year or if you are a huge Nick Hornby or Jan Brett fan, check out Penguin’s site on What to Give & What to Get .

Need more ideas? The 2008 Indie Bestsellers were announced this week. The list includes the year’s top-selling titles at independent bookstores across the country in the categories of Hardcover Fiction, Hardcover Nonfiction, Trade Paperback Fiction, Trade Paperback Nonfiction, and Children’s and Young Adult.

Did you find any surprises?

Which books would you consider the best of 2008?

Perfect Gift

Last week I gave some not so subtle hints as to what would be the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list , but you don’t have to take my word for it.

Okay, now you have made up your mind to give everyone on your list a book this year. Now the only question is, which book should you get each family member? There is a book perfect for each of them, but how do you find it? Buy Books for the Holidays is a great site for finding out about different genres and you can even ask for suggestions for that hard to buy for reader on your list. An even better option would be to visit your local independent bookstore and ask the knowledgeable staff there for help.

Here at BayShore Books the greatest pleasure is to find the perfect book for each customer. Many books are ordered with a certain customer in mind since we get to know the regulars and what they enjoy. Living in a small town has it’s advantages. If one of our regular customers is on your list, we can not only recommend something they would enjoy, you can also be assured that they didn’t already purchase that title from us.

So, what are you waiting for?

It will be at least a couple of hours until the snow starts again.

There is still plenty of time for us to order that off the wall title that your brother mentioned five years ago.

I'm a Winner!

I’m a winner! Break out the champagne and help me celebrate! I just completed my NaWriMo novel! 50,000 words in 30 days! Yippee!! For those participants who haven’t finished yet, you have until Sunday, so don’t give up.

Now to other big news: the holiday shopping season officially kicks off today. Not only have I finished my novel, I have also come up with the perfect gift idea. Is this a great day or what? Wondering what the perfect holiday gift is this year?

I’ll give you a few hints:

Follow the links to get great gift ideas from our friends at Buy Books for the Holidays, Indiebound, and Random House!

Local Challenge

Have you been reading the news? Depressing, isn’t it? Everyday we hear about families struggling, massive lay-offs, and businesses closing. It’s time for us to ban together and support the independent businesses in our community by shopping locally. That is the message of the American Business Alliance through America Unchained which takes place this Saturday. Indiebound is also about raising awareness and taking pride in our communities.

I recently read an article about how people are cutting back this holiday season. The reporter asked one shopper what she was doing differently this year and her response was that she was doing all of her shopping at a single big discount store. You know the one. This got me thinking, what would happen if everyone made the same change in their shopping habits? What would happen if every shopper in America shopped exclusively at this one store this holiday season?

Think about that for a minute. Now fast forward one year, five years, ten years. Eventually this particular store would be the only one still in business. How would that change your shopping experience? What I envision is a retailer that has very poor customer service and extremely high prices. Why not – they have no competition. They don’t have to impress their customers since their customers have no other options. Imagine how this would affect local farmers, artists, authors, manufacturers, distributors, I could go on and on.

Scary isn’t it?

Sure, you could say that I encourage friends, family, and customers to shop locally because I am a local business owner and I want your business. You would be right. But think about this – I live in this community, too. I want the businesses in my community to do well because that helps all of us. You shop at BayShore Books for the used books purchased from your friends and neighbors or the gifts made by local artists or the new books written by local authors. The profits are then spent at other local businesses or donated to local organizations. That’s what keeps our community economically strong. That’s what helps every one of us survive.

I challenge you to do as much of your shopping as possible tomorrow during America Unchained and every day at locally owned businesses. And if you aren't sure what gifts to buy, remember:

Yes, We Can!

Halloween is over and that means the holiday shopping season is here. I think about all of the families that are planning on cutting back on their holiday shopping, mine included. Then I think about all of the families that are already struggling and wondering how Santa can possibly visit their homes this year. Can we help all these families when we are struggling ourselves? As our new president elect says, “Yes, we can!!”.

Every author, illustrator, and publisher of children’s and young adult’s books, I urge you to donate even one copy of your book to a program in your area that is collecting books and toys for children in need. If you don’t know, ask your local independent bookseller – they will be able to point you in the right direction. If all else fails, send them to BayShore Books and they will put your books in the hands of the children who will most appreciate them.

Business men and women, your community is what makes your business possible. This is the time to support them. Adopt a family, collect food from your employees to donate to your local food bank, send your management team on a shopping spree at your local book or toy store for gifts to donate. You will be boosting the economy in your home town while helping those in need.

Moms, dads and grandparents, think about if it were your children and grandchildren who will be waking up disappointed this holiday season. When you shop for the children in your family this year, pick up an extra gift for a child not fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents who are able to give them more than the necessities. And don’t forget the teenagers – the most forgotten age group this time of year.

Think about what kind of holiday season this will be if each and every one of us spent as little as $10 to purchase a gift or a meal for a total stranger. Think about how that meal or gift would affect us if we were the one desperately trying to show our children there is something worth celebrating. Together I know we can make this the best holiday season ever! “Yes, we can!”

A Whole New Community

Exciting news! IndieBound has launched its social networking site, the IndieBound Community and now anyone can sign up to become part of the community. Not only can you connect with other book lovers, you can also become a fan of your local independent stores and share stories about them. If your favorite indie store, book or any other, is not listed you can add them. By adding your community stores and becoming fans, you can earn points to be entered into drawings for great prizes. Show your local independent businesses that you support them and share stories about your favorites. What more can anyone ask? Don’t forget to become friends with BayShore Books !

The Book (list) Thief

School is back in session along with the need for students to get their hands on the necessary text books. I came across this amusing article about professors at a university in Amherst supporting local independent booksellers by providing them with their required reading lists. The university bookstore, which is run under contract by the nation’s largest collegiate-bookstore chain, was left in the dark. The director of this campus store was caught posing as a parent of a student inquiring which textbook a professor required for her class.

I couldn’t help but stand up and cheer for the professors who see the importance of supporting independent businesses and sharing that knowledge with their students. The same would apply to high school teachers as well. Doesn’t it make sense for all teachers to send their students to an independent business less than two miles away rather than a chain almost thirty miles away? How about providing the nearest independent bookstores with required reading lists and preferred foreign language dictionaries in plenty of time to stock up?

Speaking of required reading lists, I just received a list for a local high school English class and have to admit, a few titles made me cringe at the memory of my own high school years and the dreaded reading lists. The Good Earth , Pride and Prejudice , Jane Eyre . Some were gifts presented to me by my knowing teachers; others were not the enjoyable experience they had promised.

What about you?

Any books you are still fuming about having to endure?