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Book Events In The News

Luckily, people are as excited about Book Events as we are, and have written about our services in a wide variety of magazines and newspapers:

From Paul Constant, of The Stranger:
Getting Drunk with Ethan Canin

From John Marshall, of the Seattle Post Intelligencer:
Raves for Words & Wine

From Julie Bick, of the New York Times:
Book Lovers Ask, What's Seattle's Secret?

From Tamara Straus, of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Authors Drop by the Workplace…A New Way to Ring Up Book Sales

From Judith Rosen, of Publisher’s Weekly:
Thinking Beyond the Bookstore

From the Vancouver Sun, December 16, 2006
These Days, Authors Will Come Straight to You
    Writers traditionally meet their fans in bookstores, with chairs wedged between the shelves and a card table ready for the signing session. That’s all changing, thanks to some industry mavericks.
    One of the most fascinating models comes from south of the border. For five years, Kim Ricketts was the events and programs coordinator for the Seattle University Bookstore. At one point, a Microsoft executive approached her about bringing authors to visit the company’s headquarters in nearby Redmond, Wash.
     One of the first events saw renowned author and primatologist Jane Goodall speak to an auditorium full of about 900 Microsoft employees. “At the time, it was a very weird thing to do,” says Ricketts. At the flip of a switch, the talk was also streamed, live, to off-site employees. This was Microsoft, after all.
    “The impact the visit over there could make was immediately clear to me,” Ricketts says. The event sold hundreds of books, and the concept took off.
     In July 2003, she left the bookstore to create Kim Ricketts / Book Events. The firm now has more than 20 clients, from cruise-ship companies to non-profit groups that bring authors to their staff and customers for unique experiences.
     Ricketts sees herself as a “book matchmaker” and, ultimately, an independent bookseller. Her revenue comes from book sales, the event-planning fee and, in some cases, a monthly retainer.
     Other booksellers have criticized her for taking readers away from bricks-and-mortar neighbourhood stores, but Ricketts suggests they, too, can do exactly what she does. It’s an open playing field.
    “For me, it has been completely heartening how excited people are about having books and authors in their lives.”
    Kimberly Plumley, owner of the Vancouver firm Publicity Mavens, says publishers and authors need to find fresh ways to reach their audiences. “We have to actually take [the book] to the people and make it work for them.”
     Traditional bookstore readings can’t guarantee an audience, adds Plumley. People are busy, so authors need to go where their readers are, whether that’s a community centre, a corporation or a restaurant. “We’re just thinking differently. You can buy a book almost anywhere now.”
    Jamie Broadhurst, marketing director for Raincoast Books, says: “I would anticipate that you’ll see more and more events that are happening off-site and out of bookstores.” Readers want “honest-to-God conversations” with authors, not just someone who’s going to recite the published text.
     Broadhurst points to Vancouver’s Kidsbooks store and Bolen Books in Victoria as standout event planners. He also says the University of B.C.’s Talk of the Town series (hosted by Hal Wake) is a terrificway for readers to connect with authors and books.
    “It’s a formula that really seems to work,” agrees freelance publicist Margaret MacKinnon-Cash, whose clients Thomas Homer-Dixon, Karen Armstrong and Scott Griffin have participated in the free lecture series. “In the age of technology, it’s refreshing that personal interaction is still valued—and can sell books.”

From Greg Atkinson, of the Seattle Times:
Experience Necessary

From Haley Edwards, of the Seattle Times:
Authors on the Celebrity Circuit

From Mediabistro.com:
Bypassing the Bookstore