week 9

Assignment 2
So, book trailers... I have seen a few prior to this training (credit to Earlyword for that), and I have to admit, I'm not convinced that book trailers are the way of the future for marketing new titles. Part of this has to do with the constant stream of book-to-movie movie trailers that are already out there. It's confusing to see a book trailer that is just for... a book. Also I agree with the argument from one of the articles that said it's no fun to be told how to envision a fictionalized story. I watched the trailer for the Maze Runner, for example, and it clearly changes one's perception of the book to have a stylized, movie-like set-up in your head before reading (and an aside: of course the Maze Runner is going to be a movie, too!).

I think it's the mixed up formats that don't make sense to me. A visual trailer for a movie- I get it. An audio clip for a podcast or comedy show- golden. A written review for any audio/visual/written art from- I'll take it. But I wouldn't want an audio-only clip for a movie trailer, nor a made-up visual trailer for an audio performance. It's artificial. And since visual cues are strong, they linger, possibly influencing how one reads the book.

Also, the term "bideo" for a book trailer will never catch on, it is just plain silly.


Assignment 3
Appeal factors sticks out as the most useful lesson from BMB. I learned a lot about exactly what they are, how readers respond to them, and their role in effective RA. Well done.

I thought the teen section was useful and important to have, given the boom that teen publishing has seen lately. We should all have a basic familiarity with the biggie teen titles. I see more and more 'grown ups' (if they're not new adults, are they old adults??) perusing our teen shelves all the time.

I liked the fiction genres section, and found the prezi and assignments helpful. The encouragement to examine one's own branch trends throughout was also helpful.

I enjoyed reading the blogs of other BCPLers, when I had the chance. We have some talented writers and hilarious people working here.

I did not like the "post comments to another person's blog" assignments, only because it was time consuming to do so. Finding blogs to which I could post was difficult. With staff at different points in the training, it took time to find someone who was at the point where you could comment.

The mashup genre and fan sites assignment also proved to be time consuming. I would think that most customers who are uber-fans of a particular author or genre are going to find those sites on their own.

Overall, I really enjoyed the bookishness, and feel as though I have become more bookish myself!

week 8

Assignment 1: I like the suggestion to have NF and Fic together on a single display theme. We should do more of that!

 Assignment 3: Nonfiction Genres

Contemporary Social Issues

Dewey Area: 300s, heavy in 305-308

Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India. Miranda Kennedy.

 

Medical

Dewey Area: 610s, 616 alongside particular medical concerns
Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety. Daniel Smith.

 

Food

Dewey Area: 640s, heavy in 641.5 (also crossover in foodie memoirs- in biog.)
My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story with Recipes.

 

Essays

Dewey Area: 813-814

I Was Told There’d Be Cake. Sloane Crosley

 

Assignment 4:

Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India. Miranda Kennedy.
Readers who like a strong sense of place and immersion in different cultures will enjoy this title. Kennedy moves to India after quitting a job in NYC, and recounts details of her varied experiences and relationships abroad. Fans of fiction featuring strong female friendships and realistic dramas may also like this narrative NF pic for its pacing and attention to detail.

 

I Was Told There’d Be Cake. Sloane Crosley

Twentysomething New Yorker shares short life stories where things go hilariously and often disastrously wrong. Intimate details and quick, smart humor make this a strong recommendation for lovers of quirky fiction and chick lit. I laughed so hard at the pony essay: Crosley replies to statements such as “I have a surprise for you” or “this party is going to be fun” with pony references (“is it a pony?” and “will there be pony rides?”, respectively), after telling the reader that she doesn’t even like ponies in the first place... and happens to have a drawer full of pony figurines. Crosley’s sharp writing does not disappoint.

week 7

Assignment 1: Fun flowchart, certainly a useful collection of titles that librarians should be aware of. I would guess that the avid teen post-HG readers have read all of these and more at this point.

Assignment 2:

I read the ‘New Adult’ article. I have to agree with the Random House VP quoted in here: the content has always been out there, whether you call it ‘new adult’ or ‘YA’ or ‘coming of age’, etc. It might be more relevant to publishers to have a more precise way to describe this booming genre or for authors to be able to sell their work by attaching it to this trend, but it seems like customers are going to find the books they want no matter what we call them. After all, “young adult” and “juvenile” are never the terms that customers apply to their reading tastes or age level. 

Article 2 was ‘Not Just for Teens.’ These are all sensible reasons that adults are (re)connecting with teen literature. While reading this I was wondering about the internet connection: adult readers in their 30s and 40s, whether they are parents or not, are the last generation of folks to remember life before the internet. Teens today take the internet (and 24/7 access to it via smartphones) as a given. Life happens online. As someone who remembers life pre-internet, I definitely wonder what life is like for teens today (not only because I have a sister 16 years my junior)… and reading teen literature is a way to bridge that gap and connect with the worldview of today’s teens.

I posted to Melissa G.’s blog:

Howdy. I read the same articles. 'New Adult' seems fine for the industry folks, but I'm not sure that customers care one way or another.

I also feel the exact opposite way you do about adult fic-- though I do steer clear of the authors you mentioned. I think I would pick up MORE teen titles if they weren't part of a series, which seems to be the way teen publishing is these days. I so rarely get invested in a series that starting one sounds, I don't know, exhausting.

…and to Jarrett F.’s blog:

Hi Jarrett,

Re: New Adult... I think you may be right here. It's a trendy term right now, but it may sound dated and stale (like 'young adult') in a couple of years. Your point about sexuality is a good one, and I wonder who marketers are really trying to nab with this term: all the actual adults who are reading teen now, and don't care? or the actual older teens who are already reading this stuff anyway? For me, it's very profit-focused, and not an identifier I expect readers to pick up. People want the books they want, whatever the category: "juvenile", "teen", "adult" or otherwise.

 Assignment 3:

I followed John Green’s tumblr and Stacked. John Green’s tumblr is great and I’m a little embarrassed I hadn’t looked at it before, though I have seen some of his videos. Geared towards fans of his regardless of age, as well as people interested in…many things. I’ll be following his site from now on.

I like the appearance of Stacked, and it’s reviews seem to appeal to the teen reader. Written by librarians, the reviews link titles to others that may be similar. Librarians and bookish folks will enjoy.

Assignment 4:

Little, Brown Books for Teens: Thrillers and realistic fiction seem to be big winners here. I saw no fewer than three James Patterson teen titles. This site also links to thenovl.com, which appears to be a cute, book-themed tumblr for teens, though judging by the ‘likes,’ it may not be that well-trafficked. Although I do like their manifesto.

Teens @ Random: … is a pretty dated-looking site. Lots of fantasy titles here, as well as hype for a new title from James Dashner , who just recently joined them for a chat.

 

week 6

Assignment 1: Stop You’re Killing Me!

I mentioned in week 5 that I haven’t been following along with SYKM as well as I should. The location index is cool, as a lot of customers seem to want mysteries by setting. Another nice feature is the historical period index; it makes it easy to isolate authors who write about the same time period.

I must admit that while SYKM is full of useful information, it is not the most eye-catching, nor fun to browse (though since mysteries aren’t my bag, who am I to say?!). I see it becoming a go-to when I’m helping customers, but it’s text-heavy, dry design makes me less interested in visiting.

Assignment 2: Neat-o.

Assignment 3:

Three subgenres with which I’m unfamiliar:

Cipher Thriller (sounds like--- Psycho Killer, Qu’est-ce que c’est?)

I found the website ciphermysteries.com through the magic of google searching. The site focuses mainly on actual historical cipher cases (in quite a lot of detail), but features a cipher fiction category. Within fiction, interest seems to surround Brown’s recently released Inferno, as well as some older titles on the Voynich manuscript (which unbeknownst to me has apparently stumped ciphers across the globe since the 15^th century).

Three authors: Dan Brown, Robin Wasserman, Steve Berry

Appeal factors: usually fast-paced, good sense of time and place (often historical), keen eye toward detail-oriented plot points, allowing readers to crack the code (or at least follow along)

Amish Romance / Clean Romance

We have a lot of interest in this topic, particularly Amish fiction, at Parkville. I found more than I expected in terms of fan sites, and went with a Goodreads Fans of Amish Fiction Group. There seems to be lots of interest in Wanda Brunsetter’s most recent Discovery series, and someone posted a list of dozens of Amish fiction books due out through the end of 2013; many readers seem excited for the new releases, as many occur within series.

Three authors: Wanda Brunsetter, Beverly Lewis, Barbara Cameron

Appeal factors: realistic feel, dramatic tension, introspective characters

Epic Fantasy

I found www.rantingdragon.com through a quick google search. Readers seem to eagerly await the newest installments in their favorite epic series, which seem to come many years apart (epic takes time to write). These novels seem to transport readers to a new world and engage them in grand heroic adventures and battles.

Authors/Titles: Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (teen), Anne Bishop, George R. R. Martin

Appeal factors: Immersion in a fantasy world, attention to detail, engrossing storyline and strong characterization.

Mashups

Chicklit/magical realism? Cecelia Ahern’s The Time of My Life, perhaps. Sounds like a realistic story that contains elements of the surreal.

Romance/suspense/spy? Lora Leigh’s Wild Card. Woman assumes her Navy SEAL husband is dead after a spy mission, but lo and behold he isn’t? Can he make it back to her? No question that the cover denotes a romance, but it seems to have elements of the other genres as well.

week 5

Week 5

Assignment 1:

I followed Earlyword and Stop You’re Killing Me in week 1.

Earlyword: I learn something new every time I check this fantastic site. Most often, I take note of new books on the publishing horizon that are garnering review buzz and holds in other library systems.  Recently, these were The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, Jeannette Walls’ new fiction title, The Silver Star, and a throng of hot romance reads in the 50 Shades arena. I also count on Earlyword to point out the book-to-film connections; it’s the first place I’ll hear that a book has had the movie rights purchased, or a certain actor is slated to play a particular character. Hollywood shows no signs of slowing down on nabbing novels—books are where it’s at!—so knowing in advance what customers will be looking for is a big help (or maybe even scooping the customer and being able to tell them about the next big blockbuster).

Stop You’re Killing Me: I have not been checking this site as often as I should. I did use it to help identify some new authors for a mystery customer who loves any and all UK mysteries. She had followed—and completed—several series, and was looking for new authors writing from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, GB, you name it. The location index, as well as monthly updated characters, made it easy to throw out a few authors she hadn’t heard of yet.

Assignment 2:

Parkville has a pretty hefty readership in the mainstream stuff- James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Stuart Woods, and whatever hits the bestseller list. We also have a considerable Christian fiction following- Melody Carlson, Lori Copeland, etc.- along with fans of Amish fiction. Romance readers, too, we have them. There’s also a much bigger SF population than I would have guessed before working here. All that being said, those are the customer trends that jump to mind because the customers ask for assistance; there are many other voracious readers who never ask for help. Our audiobook listeners and graphic novel fans seem to find what they want, checkout, and leave, for the most part.

I’ve already written about Earlyword, and yes, it is awesome. I like that there are links to just about any collection of books you’d need—indie next picks, bestsellers, grouped by genre, best books of 2012, award winners, etc. All in one spot. Also, it’s fun to see what Nancy Pearl is up to when she posts new content. I made Earlyword a shortcut on our internet windows at our information desks to encourage staff to check this resource frequently. I appreciate the heads-up on TV appearances, which helps to jog my memory when a customer wants that book that was on the Today show this morning, but can’t put her finger on the title.

Assignment 3:

I tried to select a title that hadn’t been released yet, and went with:

Fast-paced, absurd stories with quirky characters, Don’t Kiss Me promises to entertain short story lovers as well as those interested in a new reading experience. Fans of Lorrie Moore or George Saunders might enjoy.

week 4

Goodreads is a great tool, and I've been using it to keep a reading log for a while. I place many holds based upon what like-minded friends are reading, what sounds intriguing that I maybe haven't heard of yet, and what gets stellar reviews from friends.

Up until this exercise, I had pretty much used Goodreads as a log of what I've read: no real organization other than chronological. I like to think of myself as a pretty well organized person, so adding some 'shelves' to my Goodreads should have been easy-peasy. And it is easy, but since the site is slow to load, it is proving to be a time-consuming process to categorize my backlog of reads. I may have to try from the app later, which zooms along much more quickly. Bottom line: it would have been easier to start out with shelves and organize as I added titles!

The Goodreads recommendations were...pretty general. They seemed to be subject-oriented, which may just hint at how difficult it is to recommend by appeal characteristics. Not always spot on, but I like that you can select "not interested" for titles that aren't your cup of tea. I wonder if Goodreads learns user preferences the way that Netflix does... hmm.

I recommended Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante to Yvette, based on her review of Reservation Road. Of course, I posted these to her blog, then realized I needed to post them to Goodreads instead, and now need to friend Yvette and repost! I will get the recommendations to the right spot eventually!

Here was my post:

Hi Yvette!

Based upon your review of Reservation Road, I'll recommend Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante and/or Before I Go to Sleep, by SJ Watson. Both books contain psychologically gripping stories, one surrounding a tragedy (in Turn of Mind), the other where the main character must piece together her reality while suffering from a memory disorder (Before I Go to Sleep). The fast pacing in both would be right up your alley. Before I Go to Sleep offers unclear characters that aren't immediately revealed as good or bad; I think you'd enjoy figuring it out.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

week 3

Conversation 1 : The Eat, Pray, Love customer

It sounds like the customer wants a personal story: she enjoyed the introspective elements of EPL. Oprah books also tend to offer emotionally engaging stories. She’s looking for a book club book, so something discussable.

What I’d recommend: Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The story also involves travel—a solo journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail—but the journey acts as a parallel to her inner voyage processing the death of her mother and other personal hardships.

Conversation 2: The Not-Twilight customer

The customer wants a fast-paced vampire story sans the pining of Twilight.

I might recommend the Sookie Stackhouse novels—faster paced, yet still dark and… vampire-y. Also, perhaps Laurell K. Hamilton for compelling, steamier-than-Twilight novels.

Conversation 3: The fascinating, fast-paced narrative non-fiction customer         

The customer wants a narrative NF story that has a thrilling adventure element to it.

Novelist seems to want this customer to read more about Teddy Roosevelt, but I thought the customer was more interested in a true, captivating story than about TR. I’d suggest the Erik Larson titles, Devil in the White City, etc. for their quick pacing and can’t-believe-it’s-true storylines.