Star Bright Books would like to thank the Barnes & Noble of Holmdel, New Jersey for selecting
Madison's Patriotic Project,
Madison and the Two Wheeler, and
Madison and the New Neighbors by Vanita Braver as advertised "Top Picks in Picture Books" (alongside the beloved classic
The Giving Tree, nonetheless!). We are very excited that we have had the opportunity to work with Vanita to share Madison's many thought-provoking adventures with the world, so we are touched to hear that people share our excitement.
Seeing our titles on display was just a small piece of this month's Barnes & Noble excitement, however; in addition to the display, Dr. Vanita Braver, a noted child psychiatrist and author of the "Madison" series, lead a workshop titled "Creating Confident Writers." By examining research-based techniques that enhance the writing process, Dr. Braver provided the audience with several tips and tools for early writing instruction. If the and excited and delighted smiles in the pictures below serve as any indication, the event looks like it was a huge hit!
Once again, Star Bright Books would like to thank the Holmdel Barnes & Noble for hosting this event. We, as well as Dr. Braver, would also like to thank anyone who came out to this event. Your attention, support, and laughs were appreciated by everyone involved.
Readers! Spring is here! If you are anything like me-you have a ton of books on your shelves. How often do you get to dive into them? I strongly suggest that you get ready for summer reading and summer giving early. You might be wondering how...I'll tell you. Grab 2 boxes or bins. Mark one: "Donations" and mark the other one "To Read List". Take a look at items that you have read a ton of times that no longer belong on your shelf and make plans to donate to a library, a school or a community group. The other one is your start to getting your summer reading goals met. Spring cleaning can be fun. -Read something great
Everyone is making goals and checking them twice. Welcome to January! Fresh ideas, new perspective and a clean slate is on the horizon. As an author and an avid reader my goals tend to lean towards literary objectives. Do you have any goals that focus on literacy? Here are a few of mine: Have at least four library visits each month, read and complete one fiction book and one business oriented book monthly, read through my son's personal library collection in entirety every week (this goal is shared between my hubistrator, sitters and myself because he has a lot of books), write in a gratitude journal daily, work on incomplete manuscripts. Those are my reading resolutions-what are your goals when it comes to literacy? Read to a classroom, volunteer at your library, work on a project related to helping others with their literacy goals. The list can be quite endless. Readers are leaders-let's begin this year by leading by example. Read something great.
When I was in the 7th grade I won a scary story writing contest at my middle school. The prize was receiving a free signed book from a published author and being able to meet him at his book signing in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This experience was a pivotal opportunity for me. I was a girl who was bullied in school and tormented on a regular basis. I recall winning this contest not only being a confidence booster but also a sign that I was more than the insults that others hurled at me. I was able to put words on paper and make others interested. My thoughts mattered. I remember being in my happy place listening to the process involved in developing stories and thinking that one day I would love to do the same thing. This was an incredible treat for me. I am looking forward to seeing many of my readers this weekend at participating Barnes & Noble Booksellers. I love to meet my readers in the bookstore. It is an amazing opportunity to connect, listen, share and learn. I always look for kids that remind me of myself. Those who are eager to meet an author, those who are interested in their own dreams being realized one day and those who need to be reminded of their worth. In the spirit of paying it forward I would like to have a small contest of my own. This upcoming weekend I have a treat for those who purchase one of my books and who mentions this blog post. In the spirit of giving and bringing forward a positive harvest I am giving away a "mystery" item at each signing. Feel free to share with those who might be interested. Saturday: Rochester 11-1. Sunday: Troy 4-6. Monday: Northville 5-7. Read Something Great!
My books were out on Amazon, KOBO, Barnes & Noble, and all the other available venues. It was easy since my formatter did everything for me, but last week I switched to Amazon only.
I started paying attention to the e-mails I received from the other companies, advertising books for sale, and I noticed it was the same everywhere, all the bestsellers were being promoted, not a midlist author among them.
It was the same everywhere except on Amazon. I saw my books being advertised along with others. That is a brilliant and savvy move on Amazon’s part, because among those lesser names could be the next huge bestseller. Why is it that only Amazon recognizes that possibility? Where are the others? Why is Amazon the only one giving midlist authors a chance to build their readership?
I fully recognize that bestsellers make money, they sell large numbers of books, and this is a business, and as such must turn a profit to survive. But surely there is room for a different voice, a new breath, those writers that aren’t main stream but have something to say that may not be quite middle of the road, but may succeed beyond expectations. Surely that is how a business grows, and markets expand.
Amazon recognizes the value of smart advertising, and in reality it costs them little to add a few new writers to their ad campaigns. Why can’t the others do the same?
They made the decision for me, I have more to gain when I give Amazon my exclusive rights. Amazon offers KDP Select, Paid Library Lending, discounted or free promotion days; it’s up to me to decide how to market my books. I have plenty of opportunities to promote within Amazon, and with their resources I’m better off.
The issues about market and pricing control are complex, and many claim Amazon wants to control the market, currently the battle with Hachette is an example. In reality what company wouldn’t want to be in Amazon’s shoes?
From my perspective, as a small midlist author, I’ll stay with Amazon only, for growth and potential new readership, at least they give me a chance.
Cheers
Margot Justes
Blood Art
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
A Fire Within
www.mjustes.com
(Bloomberg) -- Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook e-reader business, renewing efforts to challenge Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc., is teaming up with Samsung Electronics Co. to create co-branded tablet computers.
The new devices will combine the Nook software with Samsung's Galaxy Tab 4 hardware, creating full-service tablets that can access Barnes & Noble's collection of more than 3 million books, magazines and newspapers, according to a statement today. The 7-inch model will debut in early August, followed by a 10-inch Galaxy Tab 4 model about two months later.
Barnes & Noble, a bookstore chain with almost 700 stores, has been scaling back its investments in the money-losing Nook unit after earlier tablet models flopped with consumers. The company, which has struggled to compete with Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad, hasn't released a new device since October. As part of today's agreement, Barnes & Noble will buy at least 1 million devices from Samsung within the first 12 months.
Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, is the world's largest maker of mobile devices that run Google Inc.'s Android software. The deal will bring world-class technology to Nook, Barnes & Noble Chief Executive Officer Michael Huseby said.
"Our job and focus is to be a content company, not a device manufacturer," he said in an interview. The partnership with Samsung "allows us to focus on what we're good at."
Read the whole article at:
The number of Americans who have a tablet or e-reader (jumped significantly between December 2011 and January 2012, thanks to robust holiday sales, according to Pew Research. In fact, among Millennial adults, tablet ownership — at 24%... Read the rest of this post
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Teen Choice Awards (the Jonas Brothers hosted this year's ceremony with "Twilight" taking home the most wins at 12 awards. Plus Britney Spears wins the "Ultimate Choice" award for her "extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry") (USA... Read the rest of this post
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