BookExpo America 2016

I had the opportunity to attend BookExpo America, and while I have been to various book events before, none were as big as BEA, and certainly none as commercial. The 2016 Expo took place May 11 to 13 at McCormick Place, Chicago. I went on the last day of the Expo and could not have been more pleased about the fantastic books and ARCs I picked up! It was a smorgasbord of book totes, engaging discussions with book industry folks, and bookish swag (like artistic literary postcards from Obvious State).

One of my favorite takeaways from the meeting was a journal. I do not journal (despite best attempts), but this is a notebook that I just could not resist: it is a novel journal. The lined journal pages actually contain all the lines from classical literary favorites. Available from Thunder Bay Press's Canterbury Classics imprint, these journals are a clever concept and also struck me as well made, with covers soft to the touch. I picked up the Great Expectations journal.

I was also quite excited to learn about a relatively new book app from the same folks that founded the Out of Print clothing company. Their app is called Litsy, and I think think their tagline sums it up best: "Where books make friends." While I've only been using Litsy for the last 2 days since I first learned about the app, it is a bit like if Twitter and Instagram had an adorable little bookish social networking baby. Find me on Litsy with the username @ReadosaurusText, and learn more about Litsy from their engaged Twitter feed @getlitsy.

I cannot understate how incredibly enthusiastic I am about the stack of new books I picked up to read! My first objective was to find the Europa Editions booth--they are one of my favorite publishers because they consistently publish high quality literary fiction from international authors. When I found Europa Editions, I was delighted to discover they were having a signing! In addition to getting a copy of Sergio Y. signed by author Alexandre Vidal Porto, I was also given a copy of Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth. Northwestern University Press had hot-off-the-press copies of The Fiftieth Anniversary Edition of Biography of a Runaway Slave. I picked up a copy of Redskins: Insult and Brand by C. Richard King from University of Nebraska Press. And yes, in the background of the picture, that is a t-shirt for University of Georgia Press's new book, Blood, Bone, and Marrow: A Biography of Harry Crews by Ted Geltner.

I received a number of advance review copies, which I am listing here along with their release dates. Stay tuned for posts about these books!



August 2016

Ulitskaya, Ludmila. The Kukotsky Enigma. Trans. Diana Nemec Ignashev. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.

September 2016
Foer, Jonathan Safran. Here I Am. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
Gray, Sarah. A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Gift of Thomas Ethan Gray. New York: HarperOne.
Mazzeo, Tilar J. Irena's Children: A True Story of Courage. New York: Gallery Books.

October 2016
Bennett, Britt. The Mothers. New York: Riverhead Books.
Günday, Hakan. More. Trans. Zeynep Beler. New York: Arcade Publishing.
Szalay, David. All That Man Is. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press.
Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad. New York: The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

#AAUP2015

The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) met in Denver, Colorado, June 18 to 21, 2015. I travel to several academic conferences each year for acquisitions purposes where organizations meet to network, exchange ideas, promote professional development, and to present ideas about their current findings; the AAUP meeting is not much different. At Denver #AAUP15, people in all aspects of university press (UP) publishing convened, from production and marketing, to journals and design, to business and acquisitions. Much like UPs attend scholarly conferences to exhibit books to their target audiences, vendors that provide services for publishers attend AAUP, exhibiting while AAUP members dipped in and out of panels and catch up with old friends.

The theme of this year's meeting was "Connect, Collaborate," and that is truly what attendees did. To give a sense, I connected with people from press departments at a similar stage in their career, acquisitions editors at all career levels, early career and first time AAUP members, and a cohort of people who are tapped into social networking and the ways we can harness the power of social media for scholarly publishing purposes across a spectrum. There were also some panels dedicated to exploring the possibility of the intersection of scholarly and social. A roundtable panel that I was a part of asked "Should Scholarly Be Social?" Our conclusion: yes. Yes, because our mission as university presses is to disseminate scholarship to the broadest possible audience, and a tweet, a blog post, and an Instagram are in service of this. Yes, because we have to look to our authors and scholars in the fields we publish and take cues from their practices (oh, and how marvelously you scholars are tweeting and engaging in various media). Yes, because we are at a disadvantage if we don't think openly about the newest technologies at our disposal. Another session at the conference, "Scholarship in 140 Characters? Using Social Media in Acquisitions," spoke about social media specifically from the acquisitions perspective. The conclusions here were the same: the opportunities that social networking creates for you to build relationships far outweighs any potential drawbacks to what you might not be able to predict someone might post/share/tweet.

While the conferences panels are structured and offer enriching insights, some of the most valuable opportunities at the meeting are the informal discussions that happen between panels, during breaks, or over drinks. I see this as crucially beneficial on two main fronts. The first is that these candid moments of telling personal stories can bring to light different processes among jobs or presses that can lead to more efficient operations, whether institutionally, departmentally, or individually. The second is that the connections we make within the organizations have potential to grow into friendships and exchanges that will help to shape the organization and the future of university press publishing. To have established relationships that facilitate open dialogue and multiple perspectives prevent the risk of one, monolithic idea of what UP publishing has to be, because this breeds mediocrity and stifles possibility. The collegiality, generosity, respect toward different practices, and general enthusiasm that pervaded the meeting certainly bodes well for an industry that is always being told it is in crisis.

Of course, this post only covers a smidgeon of what happened. No post could adequately itemize the diverse, dynamic, and multifaceted exchanges throughout keynotes, lunches, and panels. Fortunately, the association has some very dedicated Tweeters, so take a look through the #AAUP15 hashtag, whether you are in publishing and looking for more insight into UP publishing specifically, are a prospective author who wants more insight into the functioning of the UP world, or are someone at a UP who wasn't able to attend the conference this year. 

Were You Raised in a Virtual Barn? Thoughts on Social Networking Etiquette

There is no Emily Post of social networking. Oftentimes, we are on our own when we find ourselves asking ourselves: Do we reject that person’s Facebook friend request, or just let it sit in our notifications queue so they can’t friend request us again? When should we follow someone back on Twitter? Do other people mind when we check them in on FourSquare, or do they only use it to lurk and prefer to keep their whereabouts private? What is a good rule of thumb for determining whether it is appropriate to post pictures of other people to Tumblr or Instagram? Social networking brings people closer together, and that is usually pretty awesome; however, it seems people forget that, like any other social situation, you should think before you speak (or post), mind your p’s and q’s, and give credit where credit is due (don’t steal people’s content and thank people for sharing yours).

There are innumerable things that people do on social networking sites that can be irksome, but there are some things that I consider to fall into the category of bad social networking etiquette.  Here are just a few:

• Don’t retweet people who have just retweeted you. If I follow you, I prefer to only see your message once; not every time you retweet any Joe Schmo who thought your tweet was funny or retweetable. I saw your tweet once; I don’t want to see it again.
• Consider carefully before you publicly correct someone or draw attention to someone’s error. I corrected someone who was very gracious in responding, but I later felt like a jackass even though I was correct. This was on Twitter, and a direct message may have been more appropriate. I also have been corrected. In a specific case, I was annoyed by the fact that the person simply didn’t get my pun. Unless you are sure that it is necessary to correct someone or that you haven’t misinterpreted their message, then think twice about it. It may result in you looking silly, and it will put the other person in an uncomfortable situation of wanting to defend him or herself.
• Everyone likes the life of the party, but don’t be an attention hog. Know your audience, notice what other people are doing, and post in accordance with that. While it isn’t that unusual for people to tweet several times a day, I don’t want to see what you are doing every hour on Facebook, and I’m not going to read your blog if it reads like text messages to a close friend. Be conscientious of your socially networked friends and their interests.
• Please don’t post something emotionally vague. This either tends to make people think you are on the verge of offing yourself or that you are trying to get attention, and sometimes both. If you have a situation you can’t be explicit about, then it is probably too private to post about. If something is truly wrong, think about picking up the phone and calling a friend or a self-help line instead.
•  Cyberbullying is a huge problem, especially among youth. As if kids needed one more way for the mean kids to make fun of them. Don’t use social networking to be a bully. Just don’t. In a virtual space that allows anyone with a Twitter handle to be a critic, I still try to heed the age-old advice, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

I’m sure there could be an entire blog devoted to social networking etiquette, and maybe there is. Maybe that person will someday be a household name just like Emily Post. Until that day comes, I hope people use some common sense and social grace when navigating their social networks.

Libboo: Get a Good Buzz Going

Remember those times when you've read a really good book by a really awesome author and all you wanted to do was yell from the highest mountain, the tallest building, and the spire-iest spire how wonderful the book was so everyone else would read it and share in your utter delight? Well, except for the yelling and the mountain and the building and the spire, Libboo looks like it has your Twitter handle written all over it.

The new publishing startup is calling all book nerds to sign up for a pilot program and start a buzz about books. Not just any books, books that make you go, as they put it, asdfghjkl. That’s right, ASDFGHJKL! And could they have made the explanation to get involved any simpler or any more adorable?

So, Libboo is looking for buzzers. What makes a good buzzer? Someone who is passionate about sharing the books they love. And by passionate, I mean a yell-it-from-a-mountain-building-spire type of person who is interested in curbing that desire to yell into an abyss and transform that energy into involvement with Libboo. I hear that buzzers even get rewards like free ebooks and sweet perks like working with authors directly.

Libboo is gearing up this fall and I’m told they have partners and supporters ranging from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to the National Literacy Trust and the BBC. The whole point of Libboo is to help authors (whether they have a traditional publishing deal or have self-published) increase their chance of success by pairing their books with the correct buzzers. If you think you were born to be a buzzer, I strongly recommend you email Katherine@libboo.com to get involved. She’s the good-humored type of gal that every publishing startup needs, and this sounds like a pretty sweet gig. 

LIBBOO PRESS RELEASE 8/4/2012

Calling all book lovers!

 Libboo is launching its pilot and wants YOU to be a buzzer.

BOSTON, MA (8/14/12) - The publishing industry is evolving, and in response, Libboo has created a community that will allow fans—or “buzzers”—to interact with and promote the authors they read and love. With the launch of its pilot program this fall, Libboo will provide buzzers with the opportunity to earn rewards like free e-books, access to exclusive content, and the ability to connect with the authors they buzz about, all by doing what they love: geeking out about books.

The Libboo pilot will be a three-month program that will help authors get discovered, and significantly increase their influence and books sales through the use of Libboo’s proprietary technology. Upon the launch of the pilot, buzzers will be matched with books they will love and want to talk about. They will then be rewarded for spreading the word about those books. All buzzers will have the chance to earn free e-books to distribute amongst their friends and followers, and each month for the duration of the pilot, Libboo will give away e-readers packed with every book from the pilot to the top three buzzers that month.

A buzzer is an influencer who is passionate about books. Buzzers enjoy both finding and being the source of awesome content. People go to buzzers for recommendations, and then take action based on the recommendations given. Libboo will harness the power of buzzers and use that power to help talented authors gain visibility and promote their work.Why should you be a buzzer? The more important question is, why not? You already read books and talk about them, so why not help out some great authors by spreading the word about their books, and earn some awesome rewards in the meantime? Visit www.libboo.com to register for the pilot or email Katherine Pereira at Katherine@libboo.com for more information.

With partners and supporters ranging from TechStars to the BBC and a number of the world’s largest publishers, Libboo seeks to help authors, whether they have a traditional publishing deal or have self-published, increase their chance of success by pairing their books with the correct buzzers. Readers and buzzers, on the other hand, are recognized and rewarded for bringing that talented author to the universe. As a proud partner of the National Literary Trust, Libboo believes in transforming lives using the power of reading.

Fiction Brigade’s Espresso Fiction

What is Espresso Fiction you ask? Well, I pondered this very same question myself when I first encountered the book. The short answer (and also based on the subtitle of the book) is that it is a collection of flash fiction for the average Joe from Fiction Brigade. The longer answer (and the one I came up with all on my very own) is that it is a collection of quality, literary micro fiction that you can read on the go, which means you can squeeze in a story between all sorts of activities and responsibilities. The title is apt because you can get your literature fix in a short shot of words. In sum, it is brilliant, and I use this to describe both the concept of the project and the selections included in the collection, and you are bound to find something you like in the collection.

The book consists of a variety of contributions by authors with various writing experience. Some of the authors are award-winning writers, others are graduate students of English or creative writing, and still others seem to be dabblers in the craft; all are great. The stories themselves cover the gamut: enlightening and puzzling, profound and lighthearted, international and local, short and extremely short. Despite the breadth of author backgrounds and storylines, it really does cohere as a collection, especially because the selections all very modern. Because the stories are so diverse, it is rather like accelerating through a diverse list of novels. The stories are also, obviously, short, which is a the greatest boon to the project. People have been eating up 140 character microblogs on Twitter (in fact, Fiction Brigade has its own Twitter project), and it has been argued that the success of some recent books is largely based on chapter lengths that are easily digestible on, say, a lunch break or bus ride. Espresso Fiction straddles both of these trends. The chapters are longer and more developed than a tweet, but shorter than a chapter, and also a complete story unit instead of part of a longer plot. But that’s not all! To round out your artistic diet, the book also includes some art and haikus. How can you go wrong with a perfectly strange haiku titled “Wronged by the Circus, Again” by Ryan Moll?

What I’m trying to say is that this reading experience couldn’t have been more satisfying. There is everything to love about the concept behind this book project and nothing to hate. And, just like any coffee addict, I’d love a second serving. I can only hope that a volume 2 is in the works.

Ricci & Habinek (eds.). Espresso Fiction: A Collection of Flash Fiction for the Average Joe. FictionBrigade, 2012.

Blog the First

Well, friends, today is the day. Today is the day I give the world my first blog entry. As a longtime resident of the Twittersphere, I have decided it is time to delve into the blogosphere. I have already exceeded 140 characters, and I feel like a rebel!

I am a simple creature, with simple tastes. I like my books (well-edited, of course) and I like the people in my life, who indulge my bookish ways. But, you may ask, why am I starting this blog now? I admit, it has taken me awhile to get on the blogwagon. This is mostly due to the last three years of my life spent juggling an English master's program, a Scholarly Publishing Certificate program, tutoring a fourteen-year-old in English and writing, freelance editorial work, working at various jobs and internships, volunteering at an organization that records books for the blind and dyslexic (RFBandD), presenting papers at academic conferences, and, in any remaining free time, reading for pleasure and sleeping. Why all the free time now? Well, despite what I consider being extremely qualified, I have had little luck in getting a job. More precisely, I have had no luck getting publishers to hire me as an editorial assistant so I can work towards the real goal: being an acquisitions editor. More on that later, because I suspect jobless woes may contribute content to this blog to some degree.

Besides being a highly qualified, vivacious, young lass not being able to secure a publishing job, what else do I anticipate this blog to bring? Well, it will have a lot about books. The books I am reading, the books I have read, and the books I want to read. I find it difficult to read as anything but a critical thinker, so I will likely defy the popular opinion on books. I have two English degrees under my belt, so, to put it simply: I read a lot and expect a lot. I will also regale you with the calamities and adventures freelance editing brings. I am an avid traveler, so await tales of foreign lands! My next trip is in July, when I find myself traveling to Israel and Egypt. And, due to semi-popular demand, I will, from time to time, harness my inner snarkiness to ruthlessly judge and possibly mock egregious errors of the typographical, grammatical, and spelling variety.