Posted in Book Industry, Books & Reading, tagged Bryce Courtney on November 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Known as a master storyteller, the passing of Bryce Courtenay last week will leave a void in many lives.
As the author of more than 20 million books sold worldwide, this video, recorded by Penguin Australia in November 2009, gives us an everlasting glimpse of the man behind his 22 novels.
Just two weeks before his passing, Bryce Courtenay recorded this, his last message to us, his fans.
Posted in Book Industry, Book Shop, Book Trivia, Books & Reading, tagged banned books, book shop, Bookmans on September 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Many of us have lived through an era of seeing a wide range of books banned. And we all know, that this imposed form of censorship, often does more to promote the book than had it been left to live quietly on the shelf.
So when I saw this video, created by the Arizona based bookshop Bookmans, the message really spoke to me. Created for the 2012 Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out which celebrates the freedom to read: Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, 2012, the following quote appears under their YouTube video:
During Bookmans’ 36-year fight against censorship, the shattered light bulb emerged as a powerful symbol of the importance of free speech. In this video, combining passages from banned books read by customers and employees, Bookmans created a statement about how books inform, engage and inspire the light in each of us.
Have a watch. Powerful viewing indeed!
Take a minute or two also to check out the Bookmans website. It’s certainly not your run of the mill website which we usually associated with sales driven book shops. Perhaps libraries too can learn a lesson or two from the range of information shared on the Bookman website. Inspirational indeed!
Posted in Book Industry, Book Trivia, tagged publishing, The Espresso Book Machine on July 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
For those wanting to write and publish their own books, market forces have moved your way! The Espresso Book Machine proves that book publishing has moved well within the DIY market!
No doubt a disaster for the traditional book publishing industry though!
Posted in Book Industry, Book Trivia, Books & Reading, tagged Kim Yeoman on July 16, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Ever wondered how a book is born?
Thanks to a tweet by Kim Yeoman’s pointing to this great video we now know!
Posted in Book Industry, Book Trivia, tagged book shop, books, France, publishing on June 25, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Contrary to figures we constantly read in the press about the demise of book shops and the rise of eBooks, the book in France is alive and well!
Reporting that France has 2,500 book shops, Elaine Sciolino of the New York Times also reports that book sales from 2003-2011 increased by 6.5%. Propping up the French publishing industry, she reports, are state laws to protect the book. Passed back in 1981, the “Lang Law” (so named for the then Culture Minister Jack Lang) fixed prices for French-language books preventing the discounting of books by more than 5%.
Book publishers the world over are probably quite envious. Perhaps there needs to be moves by other countires to further explore French Government initiatives so as to ensure the future of the book industry.
Posted in Book Industry, Books & Reading, tagged authors, CBCA 2012, conferences, illustrators, The Children's Book Council of Australia, YA literature on May 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
It’s not often one is lucky enough to be totally immersed in a world of literature, but that is exactly what happened to me last weekend!
Attending the 2012 CBCA Conference in Adelaide was an amazing experience – a wonderful opportunity afforded to me by my school for which I am very grateful.
Meeting, speaking and listening to a range of authors and illustrators is always fantastic. But having more than 25 of them assembled in the one place at the one time, as well as an additional 385 delegates all of whom came from a wide range of allied fields related to children’s literature and had, like me, travelled considerable distances from remote corners of Australia, was indeed something very special.
The range and variety of presentations at this two day conference was outstanding. Following the opening presentation by seasoned author and storyteller, Phil Cummings, who recited a moving poem about his life, we shared with him the joy of seeing a performance of songs by The Festival of Music Choir. Based on Cummings’ stories “Danny Allen was Here” and “Take It Easy, Danny Allen”, the songs were written by Red Gum song writer, John Schumann. The performance was a most moving and inspirational start to the two day conference.
Listening to the inspirational words of the first Australian Children’s Laureate, Alison Lester, at both the welcome reception on the evening prior to the conference and then again as the opening keynote speaker at the start of the conference was indeed a pleasure. Her cry for a teacher librarian to be instated in every library in every school was met with much hearty agreement. Words shared by Nicki Greenberg in a panel discussion about Graphic Novels was inspiring as was the presentation chaired by Christobel Mattingley in which Jacqueline Hunter and Dorothy Davey shared the literacy program that evolved around the creation of the book “Our World” written by the children and reflecting the Bardi culture of One Arm Point Community School.
I was riveted to my chair listening to panelists Rosanne Hawke, Gabrielle Wang, Ruth Stark and Sally Heinrich as they discussed the topic ‘One world, many cultures’. Having the opportunity to listen to their views about the well-worn themes of ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘cultural diversity’ was very thought provoking. “Celebrate the difference rather than trying to be the same” was a wisdom shared by Gabrielle Wang. It was fitting to follow this presentation with that of Penny Matthews. Her topic ‘Uses of History’ outlined the importance of ensuring authenticity and credibility in the writing of novels. A second panel discussion later in the day with Doug McLeod, Michael Gerard Bauer and Don Henderson discussing humour in teen fiction had the audience in stitches! Without a doubt, this trio would make a great line up for any school’s literature focus.
Hearing the thoughts and opinions of authors such as the inimitable Mem Fox was both enlightening and entertaining. Having never heard her speak before, I was transfixed and felt as though I could have listened to her speaking for an additional hour to that allowed by the program. This seasoned author, teacher and lecturer easily planted into the minds of conference delegates new ways to approach story sharing with children. In more ways than one, she proved that we are never too old to learn.
Having the opportunity to listen to overseas authors such as Oliver Jeffers, Eoin Colfer and Davide Cali was a blast. While an amusing and professionally polished presentation by Oliver Jeffers about the importance and wonder of the illustrated book left the audience begging for more, anecdotes shared by Eoin Colfer’s were priceless! This man is so funny; he must surely have a second career as a stand-up comic! While I admit to having only ever read the first Artemis Fowl story, I now have the whole series on my list of ‘must reads’. Unfamiliar as I am with the work of Davide Cali, I was mesmerized by his presentation which outlined the inspiration behind many of his books.
Perhaps many in the audience hesitated over the session titled ‘Non Fiction for Children’, but the presentations by both Dr Carla Litchfield and Dr Mark Norman had us spellbound. How children can learn, not only about gorillas, apes and an assortment of marine life, but how they can learn to care for the environment so as to ensure the longevity of these creatures made for a very powerful presentation. Being followed by Isobelle Carmody, speaking on the theme ‘Fairy Tales’, provided a fast speed analysis and a complete contrast to the seriousness of the previous session.
One would have thought that by the time we got to the final session of the conference that both interest and attentiveness would have waned. The complete opposite was the case though! Chaired by Dyan Blacklock, panelists, publisher Erica Wagner and bookseller James Williams, had the audience vying to share their opinion on the given topic ‘The Future of Books’. Troubling as it was to listen to what publishers see as the sudden appearance of eBooks and its devastating impact on the viability of the publishing industry, it was apparent from audience comments that publishers need to accept that it is the format of books that has changed not the interest in books. Caught up in the demise of their businesses, it was clear that publishers are lamenting the rise of eBooks while those working at the coalface with young readers see eBooks as an enhancement to reading.
Fourteen sessions were crammed into the two day conference, but an opportunity to indulge in more was offered at each morning and afternoon break when book launches were aplenty. A chance to browse through the work of authors in the conference bookshop was complemented by a visit to the State Library to view the Treasures Wall Exhibition ‘Multistoried’. And in an effort to maximize all minutes of the day, a ‘Breakfast with the Stars’ early on the second day of the proceedings provided delegates the chance to connect in a more personable way with participating authors.
The conference was a memorable occasion for me. Not only did it offer an opportunity to hear some of the best names in children’s literature, but it gave me a chance to ponder the significant contribution of a wide range of professionals working in the ‘book trade’ – authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, librarians, teacher librarians, journalists and reviewers each contribute much to the lives of our population of evolving readers.
Posted in Book Industry, Books & Reading, Writing Competitions, tagged Text Publishing on April 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Now in its fifth year, the Text Prize aims to unearth more great literature for Young Adult and Children’s Literature.
Open to both published and unpublished writers, the Text Prize aims to discover ‘some brilliant new writing’ to take to the world.
The Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing is an annual prize awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript. It aims to discover more wonderful new books for young readers, by Australian and New Zealand writers.
The winner will join the ranks of others:
Open from April 30th to June 1st, the winner of this competition is in the running for a publishing contract with Text as well as an advance of $10,000 against royalties. Interested writers can download the entry form online.
Posted in Book Industry, Book Shop, NYOR, tagged Amazon, Janaka Stucky, NYOR on January 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
There probably aren’t too many people around today who haven’t been struck, at least once, with the ‘how much on Amazon’ syndrome.
It’s been sad to watch the demise of so many great book shops in our local shopping centres and shopping strips. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not talking here about the big chain book shops like Borders, but about the small independent book shops. As exciting and inviting as some of them can be, it is apparent that when independent book shops try to ‘stand up’ to online shopping to the likes of Amazon, the writing on the wall is often plain to see.
I came across an interesting article just recently in The Huffington Post. Packed full of interesting facts, the article Independent Bookstores: How to compete with Amazon was not your run of the mill article about the David and Goliath struggle that we’ve often witnessed over the last couple of years. Written by Janaka Stucky, I discovered (after a little investigative online searching!) that the article was originally published as an essay under the title How to survive in the age of Amazon on the Poetry Foundation website. Describing himself in the article as “an author, a publisher, a consumer, and a former indie bookstore employee”, Stucky paints for us an interesting perspective of the reality of the struggle between author, publisher distributor and consumer and the colossus company Amazon. Valuable reading for all independent book shop owners!
Frightening as it may seem, Stucky highlights reality:
Amazon has a dynamic infrastructure with relatively low overhead that not only capitalizes on the latest technological developments but has begun driving them as well. Some market analysts speculate that Amazon sales will account for 50 percent of all book sales in the US by the end of 2012, which is stunning since book-selling has actually become the minority revenue stream for Amazon now that the company has branched out into a market for everything from video games to sex toys. Amazon has become a primary competitor not just to Barnes & Noble but also to Walmart, eBay, Apple’s iTunes, and even Netflix.”
It seems that the impetus for Stucky’s essay were two recent articles Amazon’s jungle logic published in the New York Times last December and an article in Slate, an online magazine published daily on the Web, also published in December Don’t support your local bookseller. Both of these articles highlighted the unsightly behaviour by Amazon who offered customers a five percent discount on purchases in exchange for them checking the cost of books in retail book shops by using the company’s price check app. Not very nice corporate behaviour really, is it?! No way to win friends and influence people!
What I really enjoyed about Stucky’s article is his advice to the owners of book shops.
But if what you want to do is promote a love for reading and the books you love to read, then you can begin transforming your store into a valuable resource for other people who share your passion.
In other words, he is advising book shop owners to do just what librarians and teacher librarians have always done in their public libraries and school libraries – sharing the joy of reading with their patrons through a range of events and programs that define the distinctive character of their book shop.
Don’t compete with Amazon. Beat them at their own game!
There’s no doubt about it, all of us – school libraries, public libraries and book shops – must work together to create the buzz and ignite in our patrons the passion of the joy of reading in this The National Year of Reading!
Posted in Book Industry, Book Shop, tagged eBooks, online shopping on November 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
With the recent closure of the Borders and Angus & Robertsons book shop chains in Melbourne, it had been feared that the demise of all book shops was imminent.
Not so, says a rece
nt Age newspaper article: Bookstores without Borders find life not so bad. While there are certainly the challenges of eBooks and online sales to contend with, several of the book shop owners mention in this article contend that book lovers seem to be rallying around their local book shops.
Commenting on sales, Chris Redfern, of the Avenue book shop in Albert Park, says that sales are up 5% since July – an encouraging sign.
Matt Boyle of Benn’s Books in Bentleigh similiarly commented:
”Since the collapse of those two chains, people have been coming in saying they are glad we are still here, so there is still a future for bricks-and-mortar bookselling,” he said.
Posted in Book Industry, eBooks, tagged Booktrack, digital books, soundtracks on October 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it before ….. but my response is well ….. why not?
As mentioned in a recent article on The Atlantic website – Books With Soundtracks: The Future of Reading? – silent movies are a misnomer. In the earliest ‘silent’ movies there were always sound tracks to add depth and emotion to the visual. So why not, thought enterprising brothers Mark and Paul Cameron. Founding the company Booktrack, they have, over the last three years, developed a “cinematic-type experience” for readers. While five soundtracks for digital books are already available to download to an iPhone or iPad, further titles, either free or at a cost of between $1 and $4, will be available in the near future.
