The History of Bookstores in Ithaca
by,
August 1, 2023
Swenson Book Development - Sharon Yntema

After years of research and writing, author Sharon Yntema has published her latest book, Ithaca Area Bookstores: Two Hundred years of Bookstore History in Tompkins County 1819-2019. A compendium of retail operations dedicated to purveying books offers a history of a reading community through the lens of bookstores. Sharon agreed to an interview about her new release. Q: When were the first bookstores opened in Ithaca? The… [Read More]

Understanding Teen Eating Disorders
by,
March 13, 2018

This Friday, March 16, Routledge releases Understanding Teen Eating Disorders: Warning Signs, Treatment Options and Stories of Courage by three Central New York authors who bring years of experience and expertise in the eating disorder field to the subject. Eating disorders are relatively common among tweens and teens and the numbers have stayed roughly the same for several decades despite effective prevention and early intervention… [Read More]

Procrastination, Laziness and other names for Writer’s Block
by,
July 12, 2016

There is a new book out from Shambala Publications: On Being Stuck: Tapping into the Creative Power of Writer’s Block by Laraine Herring. Her approach is one of “making friends with your stuck places,” with a great tag line, “We will see windows where we once saw only walls.” I love to write. There are other activities that make me happy, but when I am able to… [Read More]

Adventures with a Small Publisher
by,
July 28, 2015

Often when people plan to write a book, they dream their book will get published by one of the big publishers – Hatchette, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, or HarperCollins. My story is different and I’ve always been grateful to have gotten in on the ground floor with a small publisher. When my son was about 6 months old, I began working very part-time… [Read More]

Jill Swenson relocates to Appleton, WI, on April 15, 2015
by,
April 7, 2015

  After more than twenty years in the Ithaca area, Jill Swenson moves to Appleton, Wisconsin this month. She arrived from Athens, Georgia, in 1992 to teach at Ithaca College and stayed in 2002 when she left the golden handcuffs of tenure behind. Living off the land and off-the-grid, she and her husband raised deer, elk, and bison. When Sam Warren died in 2009, she… [Read More]

Spring Writes in Ithaca
by,
May 2, 2014

In its fifth year the Ithaca Literary Festival, Spring Writes, presents a weekend full of workshops, readings, and performances. Check the calendar for the full schedule of activities. Here’s a few highlights to entice to you to one of the dozen venues downtown to participate in the festivities. There are more than 30 events to inspire you. Sponsored by the Community Arts Partnership in Tompkins… [Read More]

Ithaca: A Book Lover’s Paradise
by,
July 9, 2013

Ithaca, New York is more than just “Gorges.” Luminosity recently released a study deeming Ithaca the smartest city in America based on cognitive training exercises. A thriving, progressive college town, Ithaca is certainly a center for learning and growth. But what else makes it such a hotspot for brain power? Ithaca boasts a community of writers, readers, and researchers; one that makes our small city… [Read More]

Gone Local: Larson Publications
by,
November 29, 2011

Our blog’s “Gone Local” series aims to explore who and what the Ithaca area’s literary community has to offer. Be it bookstores, publishers, or local authors, each contributes invaluably to the bookish zeitgeist. Recently, Swenson Book Development contacted Larson Publications (of Burdett, NY) to get an independent publisher’s views on the literary business, the craft, and the community. Larson Publications started in 1982 as a… [Read More]

Attitude of Gratitude
by,
November 24, 2011

An attitude of gratitude isn’t just a holiday message. It’s a company philosophy for Swenson Book Development LLC. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to affirm our sentiments that we have so much for which to be grateful. We appreciate all the good books our clients have published: Almost Everything Takes Forever (Antrim House) Dear Friend Amelia (Six Mile Creek Press) Drawing Love (Indie Writers Press)… [Read More]

History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky
by,
November 10, 2011

An endless loop of images, sounds, and events play in the theatre of my horrified mind. Specific details brand themselves red hot into memory. The hour, the day, the week, the month, the year, the decade before it happened replay backward and forward as my mind searches for clues to the mystery of my lover’s suicide two years ago. As a reader, I rode a… [Read More]