Check out my blog post over at Quirk Books (publishers of Miss Peregrine and Pride & Prejudice and Zombies), titled “The Ultimate, Exhaustive, Totally Awesome YA Summer Reading List.”
Which, honestly, is way better than my original title. And they fixed up my Photoshop confusion too. Props to the person who worked on making this post nice and shiny for the public!
Remember a few months ago when Scholastic announced the new cover artist for the 15th Anniversary Harry Potter Collector’s Set?
Well, the second cover is public!
What do you think?
While the publishing industry is mostly filled with females, it’s still amazing that books are judged by its covers based upon whether the author is male or female. Female authors generally have books with covers that are light, fun, and somewhere — somehow — there is a girl or couple featured across the front.
Angered by the inequality and curious by the differences, Johnson charged her twitter followers with a challenge: take a popular book and create a new cover based upon the opposite gender of the author. Check out some of the amazing results — publishers, you need to get in touch with these designers! They’re fantastic!
One of my favorites…
Two years after HarperCollins’ Avon Books imprint launched the digital romance imprint Impulse, its William Morrow imprint announced plans for Witness, a “digital-original” mystery, suspense and thriller line.
Over a hundred titles have signed for Witness and ten of them will appear this October.
Witness will feature the same royalty structure as Morrow/Avon’s other digital-first imprints: authors receive a 50% royalty once their book sells 10,000 copies (initial royalties start at 25%).
Agatha Christie’s short stories will be digitized and included, as well.
Thoughts?
I’m currently taking a genre study course on young adult literature, and we’re trying to find a way to define the genre, so that it encompasses current YA, classic YA, and all the subgenres of YA.
We’re finding it to be incredibly difficult! But out class has agreed on these points:
Other aspects of our definition we argue over, such as:
What do you think defines young adult literature? If you could define it in 1-3 sentences, what would be your definition of YA?
Looks like Ally Condie’s going underwater this time in two new novels! Thank you, GalleyCat, for the news!
Matched trilogy author Ally Condie has inked a deal to publish two new novels with Dutton Children’s Books. The Penguin Young Readers Group imprint will release the first book in fall 2014.
[The book] tells the story of Rio, who has waited her whole life for the opportunity to leave her safe, underwater city of Atlantia for life on the surface. But when her twin sister, Bay, shocks everyone and chooses Above first (only one family member may go), Rio is left with increasingly dangerous questions about the complex political and religious system constructed to govern the fragile divide between land and sea.
Apologies for the radio silence. Here are some snippets as to why I’ve been quiet lately.
You have a lot to look forward to once I get some down time. Are you interested in learning what panelists had to say about the publishing industry, agents, and YA literature at the AWP conference? News on the industry (independent bookstores on the rise, chapter books, ALA awards, etc) will be up soon as well, and some book reviews too.
I’m not dead. 🙂
In light of the news that Barnes & Noble will be closing a third of their stores across 10 years, that Nook may be separating from B&N, that independent bookstores are few and far between, allow this bookseller to answer the age-old question, “How can I keep bookstores from closing?” (which, of course, stems from the statement, “I wish bookstores weren’t closing!”).
The best and most obvious answer is purchase directly in the bookstore.
Seriously. I’m sick of explaining to people why we sell books at the sticker price, why prices are “high,” why online is cheaper than in store. As I cannot take out my frustration on our patrons, I’m going to step up with booksellers everywhere — including independent and used bookstore booksellers — and explain all these questions.
1. Why are online prices cheaper?
If a bookstore, like Barnes & Noble or Waterstones, has an online presence, the prices for the products are generally cheaper. This is because the consumer is going directly to the vendor — which has far fewer employees — and ordering from there. Whether or not one is a special member of some sort for this online bookstore, there is still the expectation that one will pay for shipping. The price offered is the lowest price that can still be split among the publisher, the author, and the bookseller.
When the consumer purchases in the store, they are paying for “overhead.” Overhead is payment towards the rent/lease of the venue, payment towards the helpful employees, payment for the upkeep and cleanliness of the venue, as well as the publisher, the author, and the bookseller corporation.
If consumers continuously purchase online rather than walking into the store, the store’s physical presence declines and thus they close. Chain bookstores live with a double-edged sword: online presence can boost sales, but it can also aid in store closings.
2. Why are so many indie/used bookstores closing?
Most independent bookstores and used bookstores use a mathematical formula to lower the sticker price to it’s lowest possible value before harming their sales. Say you spot a rare edition of a book by an author you love. The original sticker price is $25, but the indie store is selling it for $15 and the used store is selling it for $10. The indie store will make a small profit from selling this book, but the majority will still be sent to the publisher and author. The used bookstore is barely making enough profit to keep the place running, but nothing goes toward the publisher or author.
A lot of independent and used bookstores are closing because consumers still find cheaper prices online. The stores’ prices are also heavily dependent on scraping by: keeping employees employed, paying venue rent, keeping the place in good condition and clean. If you want your mom-and-pop, independent, or used bookstore to stay in business (either because you like the cozy atmosphere, it’s location, the selection, or even it’s nice low prices), you need to walk into their store and purchase from them directly.
3. But I like Amazon’s prices! Why should I, the consumer, not use Amazon?
Mention Amazon to a bookseller and we do everything we can to not explode with anger. Those stiff smiles, blank stares, and suddenly curt speech are the only acceptable ways for us to express our dislike.
Amazon never sells at the sticker price. They are an online presence, not a physical presence. They make enough profit off shipping and other products to keep themselves in business. [Refer to Answer #1 on online prices.] Great on them. They’re a monopoly.
But the prices they offer, including the used ones, rarely — if ever — benefit the publisher, the author, or anyone else in the book business. Yes, the prices are miraculously cheaper and in this economy everyone wants the cheaper price. But consistently purchasing from Amazon only creates a larger monopoly, creates a business that will not help you in person, and drastically lowers the likelihood of a brick-and-mortar store staying in business near you.
Sidenote: This is for all those cranky customers who say to booksellers, “Ugh, I had to drive 30 minutes out here just to get to this store and you’re telling me you don’t have this book?! This is why Amazon is in business; I’m ordering from them!” No, Amazon is not in business because we’re 30 minutes away — we’re 30 minutes away because consumers like you consistently purchase from Amazon and we have to close our stores closest to you.
4. If booksellers frown on Amazon, what are some other online groups with low prices that booksellers don’t get angry over?
I’m glad you asked!
Better World Books “collect and sell books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide.”
Books sold on BetterWorldBooks.com help fund high-impact literacy projects in the United States and around the world. That’s why we commit to matching every purchase on our website with a book donation to someone in need.
What sane bookseller would say no to that?! Literacy is something to support and celebrate!
AbeBooks has some amazingly cheap prices on everything. They help those independent booksellers get their presence known. Small stores, nationwide and worldwide, advertise the availability of a new/used book they have in stock. When you purchase through AbeBooks, you’re benefitting this organization as well as the small seller.
Alibris also helps independent sellers stay in business by connecting them across the globe and aiding in library collections.
Biblio is also fantastic — a large selection of rare books, connecting indie and used stores across the country. They also help in non-profit organizations.
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So. You want your bookstore to stay in business? Go in the bookstore and purchase from them today.
A New Look for Harry Potter — Publishers Weekly — Shannon Maughan
Though the assignment was daunting at first, Kibuishi says he started thinking about the Harry Potter books “as if I was looking back at them from the future. I wanted to pay tribute to the series itself and to classic literature. I wanted to take those two things and fuse them together. In a way, the first Harry Potter cover should feel like Dickens.”
Have you encountered Bookish?
Bookish is an organization founded by Penguin, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster. The purpose is to promote books and help bookworms find their next best pick. In light of bookstores closing, these publishers created this fantastic website that helps personalize the reader’s interests. Get the latest news from authors, editors, and publishers!
Check out their twitter, @BookishHQ.
They were recently featured in Wall Street Journal. Check it out!
Scribbles & Wanderlust 