Category: Booksellers

May the Words Be Ever in Your Favor

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Another reason to pay attention in school–you could get ideas for your own bestselling dystopian YA series. The Oxford Dictionaries looks at the language of The Hunger Games. They point out how Panem is a take “panem et circenses,” a reference by Roman poet Juvenal to Ancient Roman society. Another part I liked in particular:

“Like many fantasy writers, Collins has invented some new vocabulary of her own. Anavox is akin to a slave – someone who has been punished for a ‘crime’ and thereby made a mute servant. Her reason for choosing this word is simple: the Greek prefix ‘a’ means ‘without’ and the Latin ‘vox’ means ‘voice’ so avox literally means ‘without voice’.”

When I was in sixth grade, I was so mad at my parents for signing me up for Latin class. But apparently they–and Suzanne Collins–were onto something. From real history to bits of inspired Latin, a little knowledge can really inspire your book.

(image: NYPL Digital Gallery)

The Neverending Love of Books and Bookstores

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My friend Sarah writes about The Neverending Story, writing as a career, why physical books matter, and her search for the ideal bookstore:

“And then, of course, I moved to Salem and found Derby Street Books. I quietly freaked out a little when I first walked in and saw the stacks of books teetering over my head. But how often do you step into a childhood dream?

Everything was right. The literal taste of the air — dust and leaf litter and that tongue coating you get from breathing leather and ideas and mold — was right. Even the guy behind the counter was such a dead ringer for Carl I had to double check he wasn’t reading anything exceptionally magical. Derby Street Books is on a very short list of Perfect Places, along with a Perfect Bar, McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan, a Perfect Restaurant in Corniglia, Italy, and a Perfect Park Bench, which is under a tree in Aberystwyth outside the National Library of Wales.”

She also quotes Giles from Buffy. Why yes, I do get to hang out with her on a regular basis. Seriously though, it’s a heartwarming literary read.

Have Fun and Be Cool at Bookstore Events

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For most people, public speaking is scary. Everyone’s watching you and listening to you. If you’re giving a reading, you’re also sharing your creative work, which can be intensely personal (even if the story has nothing to do with your actual life). And you’re supposed to read for an hour and then answer questions about yourself? Who invented this kind of torture?

Fortunately, Jennifer Laughran looks at what makes a successful bookstore event. Hint: it’s not reading for an hour. One part I liked:

“Tip #6: Visual aids raise interest level. Kids especially love to see visual aids. I know one prolific author who has ALL his jackets taped together and unfurls them like a scroll and has kids hold it up – it stretches across the room! People think it is cool if you show off all the book jackets from around the world or early versions of book jackets that didn’t make it, or a funny story you wrote as a kid, or a writing notebook with a thousand cross-outs in it, or your own embarrassing childhood photo, the menu from the restaurant that inspired the book, or whatever. People love “behind the scenes” stuff and “making of” stuff, and kids love knowing that fancy published authors were just kids like them once upon a time.”

I love all the ideas here that aren’t related to you reading a selection of your book. That’s important, but I think these “behind the scenes” looks at the life of an author and the creation of the book. Once I attended a reading by Shannon Hale and for the most part, she talked about how she became a writer. She even showed us a giant roll of rejection letters she’d received from literary journals–a few of which I’d gotten myself. It was a huge relief to know that someone like Shannon had worked through rejection to get The Goose Girl published (and all her other amazing novels that followed). Thinking outside the standard reading box can be so much fun for your audience, who tend to expect the standard “reading followed by a Q&A.”

Jennifer gives a lot of info and suggestions, so make sure to check out the whole post. Have you attended any cool readings? Do you do anything to make your readings stand out?

A YA Room of One’s Own

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From Callie’s “Why YA?” post at Teen Librarian’s Toolbox:

“I’ve realized teenagers are, quite possibly, the most forgotten group among libraries. And this fact is infinitely sad. And we, as adults, aren’t fooling anyone. Teens know they’re forgotten. It can be seen simply in the size of so many library YA departments. YA departments are tiny and, unless you’re in a large city, usually don’t actually have their own librarian. A teenager comes in with a question and is referred to a children’s librarian. And, come on folks, you remember what it was like. No teenager wants to be called a child. Teenagers aren’t children.”

I remember having this exact experience when I was in middle/high school. We had a small local library which had a children’s section but nothing like that for teens. Similarly, at Barnes and Noble I felt caught between the children’s section and the adult section. There was a small collection of YA books, but it was incorporated into the children’s section–not where I wanted to be at 13. Fortunately, libraries and bookstores are offering a lot more for teens these days, including their own sections and programming, but as Callie says in her post, it’s essential adults remember what it felt like to be caught between the world of kids and the world of adults.

Links Galore

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A few more mid-week links:

Out of the Alley

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Sad news in the bookstore world:

“Nothing seemed especially different about Bookman’s Alley. It still can be found in a low-slung brick building behind Sherman Avenue that, with “Harry Potter”-like surrealism, looks smaller than it is, stretching room to room to room long after that seemed possible. Carlson’s Nordic blues still twinkled, a white curtain of hair still hung from his head and a Southwestern-style blanket draped on the back of his chair. Indeed, Carlson appeared so cheerfully ensconced in his legendary bookstore, so hopelessly surrounded by its near geological layers of books and tote bags of books and boxes of books and odd miscellanea (top hats, scrimshaw, Abraham Lincoln bookends) that even an April closing seemed like wishful thinking.

Nevertheless, the store is closing.”

It’s understandable that the owner, Roger Carlson, would want to retire. But it’s a loss for the Evanston literary community. When Walt was living in Chicago, we’d go to Bookman’s Alley when I’d visit for the weekend and could get lost in there for a few hours. It’s a special place and I wish Carlson the best.

Hat tip to Walt for this one!

(image: Bookman’s Alley by Jesse Garrison)

At-Risk Teens Give Books a Good Home

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If you’re in the Boston area and want to donate some of your books (or CDs or DVDs or games), check out More than Words. It’s a nonprofit that empowers at-risk youth by running a business. From the MTW website:

“By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business, café, and community space, youth develop the employment skills, leadership, and self-confidence they need to successfully transition to adulthood. In addition to store-based job training, youth are engaged in personal transition planning and case management to support their progress towards employment and education. The MTW model is premised on the belief that when at-risk youth are challenged with authentic and increasing responsibilities in a business setting, and have high expectations and a culture of support, they can and will address their personal barriers, create concrete action plans for their lives, and become thriving members of society.”

I like the idea of helping teens develop a better sense of self and practical skills through something like a used bookstore. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to pass along books you’re not going to read again. The MTW team even picks up books at your home/building on particular days in the Boston area. (My husband and I just donated and it was so convenient.) I think a lot of times, people have books they would give away but aren’t sure where to send them. Libraries may not need another copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but a program like this might.

I’m sure there are a lot of other programs like this around the country, so if you know of one, please share in the comments.

Links Galore

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Lots of good links today!