Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Week 9

Book trailers have become very popular over the past few years and are often a signal of how committed the publisher is in marketing a title. They can vary greatly in how they approach the subject, e.g. author interview, collage, or short films. In addition, some enthusiastic fans make their own trailers.
pencil iconWeek 9: Assignment 1Read these two articles on book trailers and watch the embedded videos from the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Go to You Tube and find some other book trailers and watch a few of the popular ones.

Done. 

pencil iconWeek 9: Assignment 2Post to your blog your opinion about book trailers – do they succeed in marketing the books they are trying to promote? Are they useful for readers’ advisory?

While I don't usually seek out or watch book trailers they are becoming more popular and some of them are useful and successful in promoting the book and generating interest.  Since You Tube is now 10% of all net traffic and the percentage of streaming video is only supposed to increase, it stands to reason that book trailers are here to stay and will only become more prevalent as a means for marketing books.  They do have a potential for readers' advisory but I haven't utilized a book trailer for that purpose yet. 

I agree with Chicago Tribune article - most book trailers are terrible and it is problematic when the trailer is a work of fiction and instead of you creating images in your mind your are being told what things look like. 

Trailers I watched:
REBOOT by Amy Tintera
NOS4A2 by Joe HIll 
Dork Diaries Rachel Russell Book Trailer
CLOCKWORK PRINCE TRAILER


pencil iconWeek 9 Assignment 3 Summarize your thoughts about this program in a blog post. What have you learned that was helpful? 
I really enjoyed this program.  I learned about a lot of new websites that I will be looking at regularly and it pushed me to look at genres outside of my personal interest or selection areas. 

Week 8

Why do people read narrative nonfiction? Reasons are many and varied, not unlike reasons for reading fiction. Both have various appeal characteristics and genres and can work well together in readers’ advisory.
pencil iconWeek 8: Assignment 1Read the following two articles for an introduction to nonfiction readers’ advisory.
Done.

pencil iconWeek 8: Assignment 2View this E-Learning video produced by the Maryland State Library Resource Center.

Done.

pencil iconWeek 8: Assignment 3Choose any four of the 16 nonfiction genres presented in the video. In what Dewey area(s) did you find narrative nonfiction in these genres? List each of the four genres and their Dewey areas on your blog. Choose one book from each of these four genres that you could recommend to someone who normally reads only fiction. List these titles and their authors.

1. Bio - Bio
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Call # Bio Zamperini
2. Memoir  - Bio
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Call# Bio Burroughs
3. History - 900
River of Doubt by Candice Millard Call# 918.11 M
11. Crime - 364
Manhunt by James Swanson Call# 364.1524 S


pencil iconWeek 8: Assignment 4Using appeal factors, write a 1-2 paragraph book talk for two of the four titles you would recommend, noting who you would recommend them to and why. Post these on your blog. 


River of Doubt by Candice Millard
Teddy Roosevelt has just survived an assassination attempt and is severely depressed after a failed attempt to run for a third term as president.  He decides to go on an adventure exploring an uncharted river in the Amazon to both challenge and cheer himself up.  His expedition is soon beset with challenges including having the wrong equipment, losing many of their provisions and boats - but most concerning is that it becomes clear that one of the members of the expedition is a murderer. 

Good for readers of thrillers and adventure stories.

Manhunt by James Swanson
This is a fast paced thrill ride on the hunt for Lincoln's assassin and conspirators.  A piece of history that perhaps you thought you knew but really didn't.

Good for readers of thrillers. 

Week 7

pencil icon Week 7: Assignment 1Take a look at the “What to Read Next” flowchart from the Lawrence Public Library (also available in PDF format.)

Done

pencil icon Week 7: Assignment 2
Read any two of the following short articles. Post comments on your blog, and make comments on two colleagues’ blogs.
While New Adult exists as a marketing term, I do not think that it needs to exist outside of the New York publishing world.  Lumping together titles that the only unifiying factor is the age of the protaganist is not a subgenre, it is a marketing term for looking at a demographic group (18 - 24 year olds).
"New market research shows that 55 percent of those buying books labeled 'young adult' are in fact 18 and over, a trend that's only been increasing over the past several years."

Obviously this is not a surprise.  Teen books have been growing in popularity for the past ten years due to the quality of the writing and also bigger publishers are more willing to take a chance on a title in the YA market then in the adult market.

I commented on Maureen R. and Zeke W.'s blogs. 

pencil icon Week 7: Assignment 3
Choose any two of the following blogs/websites. Follow them for a week. Post comments to your blog regarding who is writing it, who is the intended audience, is it successful, etc.
John Green's website is very engaging and he posts regularly or posts by proxy as is the case currrently since he is out on paternity leave.  Most of the posts are video and some text - there isn't always a correlation with his work.  There are links to separate pages for each of his books.  This is a brilliant use of a blog as he is connecting and engaging with readers or Nerdfighters directly.
From Stacked's about this blog -
STACKED, on the surface, is interested in reviewing books for readers while simultaneously enticing non-readers to think about reading in fun and interesting ways. As librarians, we are aware that literacy comes in many formats, so we strive to include not just physical book reviews, but also reviews of audio books, digital books, videos, music, zines, graphic novels, and other materials easily found in the stacks. 

Okay, that might have been this blog's initial charge, but it seems to me that it is a blog about YA books for librarians.  It is written by librarians and the guest posters are...librarians.  It seems like it is a successful and robust blog, but not one that I would be visiting often in large part because it isn't relevant to my selection areas and also it is material that I already get through other sources. 
pencil icon Week 7: Assignment 4Choose any two of the following teen imprints and spend some time on their websites. Blog about any trends you find in either current or forthcoming teen fiction.
At first glance this looks like a very low tech online catalog, but if you click on a title in addition to more information, there are excerpts, read alikes, customers can posts reviews of titles, and read the integrated Goodreads reviews.  No real new trend; lots of paranormals and dystopians still. 
Wow!  Lots of content here.  Readers can read some of new release or coming soon title before committing.  There are links to the publishers teen presence on multiple platforms Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.  The home page seems to be primarily about promoting their top selling authors.  There are 26 new releases and when you click on one of them it looks like there is a book trailer for each of them. Still no new trend here.  I only noted about two realistic fiction titles in the coming soon section despite the rumors that that is what is new in teen fiction. 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Week 6

Week 6: Assignment 1

I followed Heroes and Heartbreakers since I was unfamiliar with it.  Each day they publish a blog post with the romance releases.  While this is great information for a romance reader, I prefer RT Book Reviews where I get shorter reviews and a rating system for a month's worth of releases. 


Week 6: Assignment 2
Explore this
Prezi link of Fiction Genres and Subgenres.

The Prezi is fantastic! 

Week 6: Assignment 3

Pick 3 subgenres that you are unfamiliar with.
    Find a fan website for each subgenre and summarize the current buzz among fans. Why are they excited about this subgenre? How did you find the website?
    List three authors or titles that are associated with or typify each of these 3 subgenres. What are the hallmarks or appeal factors of each of the subgenres?
    Mashups of subgenres, e.g. steampunk westerns, are becoming increasingly popular. Find two titles, not shown on the flowchart, which could cross over into another subgenre. Describe your rationale.
     

Steampunk
http://steampunkscholar.blogspot.com/ After a lot of searching this site seemed to be current and had more book content than most of the other steampunk sites that I found which seemed to be more about the aesthetic.   The buzz seems to be more about conferences then individual book titles.   The Aylesford Skull by James Blaylock is a recent title mentioned on the site.

Authors:  Gail Carriger, Cherie Priest, and George Mann

Appeal: There is a wide range of titles under the steampunk umbrella but generally they are:  world building / setting, character driven, and language

Chick Lit
http://chicklitbooks.com/  After a lot of searching in other genres that didn't yield usable results an urban fantasty site (www.bookchickcity.com) lead me to try chick lit.  Within the site is are sections on subgenres within chick lit including dieting/weight loss lit, christian chick lit, fantasy lit, glamour lit, hen lit, mom lit, single girl in the city lit, wedding lit, and working girl lit.  Forthcoming titles include Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, Faking It by Cora Carmack, and Motherland by Amy Sohn. 

Authors: Sophie Kinsella, Lauren Weisberger, Jill Mansell
 
Appeal: usually first person, but can be from multiple perspectives; humorous in tone, usually dealing with realistic issues faced by women

Legal Thrillers
http://www.thebigthrill.org/ is a website/monthly webzine by the International Thriller Writers Association.  Under "THE LATEST BOOKS" is a drop down that is broken out by subgenre.  http://www.thebigthrill.org/latest-books/legal-thrillers/ Some forthcoming or new titles being promoted are: Corrupt Practices by Robert Rotstein, Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker, and Blood Money by James Grippando 

Authors: John Grisham, Steve Martini, Scott Turow

Appeal: vivid characters usually featuring a likable but flawed hero, complex plots, moral and ethical issues.

Mashups
Soulless by Gail Carriger is a steampunk paranormal romance.  It is set in an alternate Victorian England with vampires, werewolves, and central to the storyline is a romance between a souless bluestocking and a werewolf earl. 

Buntline Special by Mike Resnick is a steampunk western.  It is set in the Wild West - with robots. 



Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Week 5

Week 5: Assignment 1


I was following The Daily Beast for this assignment.  There are a lot of really interesting articles related to books and publishing, but not a lot that is relevant specfically to my job.  I think that I will continue to go to the site periodically, but it isn't professionally an essential read.  I like the "This Week's Hot Reads" section which as the title suggests profiles high interest titles that are coming out during that week.  Also "The Cheat Sheet" is a nice little current events in the book industry section.  Along the footer their are links to other sites like The Millions and NPR Books with links into top articles on those sites. 

Week 5: Assignment 2


Usually I read Early World every day.  The center content is generally useful and relevant.  While the site is a little cluttered there is a lot here that is very useful.  The Movies & TV Based on Books sections are really helpful.  The Coming Soon section and Consumer Media section are also good I haven't really explored those links before and now I will remember to look at those more frequently.  
The publisher's imprint section - and whether their catalog was available online was a new and welcome discovery. 

Week 5: Assignment 3

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

The publishing industry is buzzing about this soon to be released thriller featuring a time traveling serial killer who follows young girls filled with potential waiting for the perfect moment to strike.  He is untraceable until one of the girls survives and tries to bring him to justice.  The ultimate cat and mouse thriller, face paced, tense, and compelling.  Pitched as The Time Traveler's Wife meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Week 4

Week 4 Assignment 1
Goodreads

So, I know while I joined Goodreads a while ago (April 2011), I don't use it to its full potential.  Actually, it more like I barely scratch the surface.  Poking around on the site was good and I learned more about what was there, but from looking at how my Goodreads friends have organized their shelves and used tags I learned how I could better use Goodreads for RA and to maximize the effectiveness of an online reading journal. 

I commented on Julie McCann's Goodreads review of Ivan Doig's Whistling Season

Hi Julie,
Ivan Doig has a new book coming out in August.  Morrie Morgan, the teacher from The Whistling Season, is back this time in 1920's Butte, MT.  Where he is working for a newspaper and championing the cause for the miners as the struggle against the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company. 

Week 3

Week 3 Assignment 3

Conversation 1
Sounds like that elements she enjoyed:  autobiographical - introspective but not self-indulgent, a strong woman character, travel, personal growth, humorous but overall not too light.  Also, likes to read popular books and Oprah's picks.  Should be good for a book group.

I would recommend:
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Strayed, Cheryl
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Gilman, Susan Jane
Under the Tuscan Sun by Mayes, Frances

Conversation 2
Sounds like this customer is looking for a more adult vampire story with less teen aged angst and a faster pace than Twilight.

I would recommend:
Dracula by Stoker, Bram
Passage by Cronin, Justin
Bloodshot by Priest, Cherie
There are several vampire series that also may be good - Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat, etc. 

Conversation 3
Sounds like this customer is looking for fast paced narrative nonfiction possibly with elements of adventure, survival, and mystery.

I would recommend:
Destiny of the Republic by Millard, Candice
Manhunt by Swanson, James
or anything by Erik Larson or Nathaniel Philbrick
possibly Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild or Into Thin Air) or Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm.