I first picked up The Help while on vacation this summer. I was in need of lighter literary fare so snatched the sensationalized book club favorite from my mom’s nightstand. What’s all the fuss about, anyway? Five-hundred odd pages later, I see why Kathryn Stockett’s divisive work has been the object of so much scrutiny on both sides of the color line. Set in Civil Rights… [Read More]
Autumn Leaves, Ithaca’s beloved source for used books, boasts “60,000 books, 10,000 records and a café, all under one roof.” In the heart of the Commons (115 E. State Street), the basement of the bookstore contains Angry Mom Records, the ground floor contains the main bookstore, and the second floor doubles as the Owl Café (fair trade coffee, of course) and a space for the… [Read More]
I admit it: I’m an alta kocker who is loathe to learn new tricks, especially social media. Towson University professor, Andrew Reiner, expresses my sentiments exactly in the March/April 2011 edition of AARP Magazine. (I told you, I’m an old fart.) Reiner fears obsolescence in the digitized world and he mistrusts media in which people continuously hawk “brand Me” online. Like Reiner, I don’t want… [Read More]
A professional developmental editor works with a book author to: complete a manuscript that will interest agents and/or acquisition editors at publishing companies; develop a winning book proposal (perhaps the most important role a development editor can play); position and package the writer’s concept to an agent or publisher; and establish an electronic persona and online audience platform for the writer. A book development editor is NOT… [Read More]
A few months back, in April, Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Company moved to Capitol Hill, a trendy LGBT-friendly neighborhood east of downtown. I heard about the change from the Seattle Times and asked friends about it but no one had visited yet. The move was a surprise – Elliott Bay is a local staple, its location nearly as sacrosanct as Starbuck’s original café in… [Read More]