I want my Book-TV! Author Richard Hains knew that with 500 new books being published daily in the U.S., it would take something unusual to get his new book “Chameleon” noticed. That’s why he tapped a producer friend to create a music video to promote the new thriller. The video can be seen on http://www.chameleonanovel.com, and is tied to a content offering “a weekend in London that money can’t buy.” The contest began Feb. 1 and the winner will be announced at BookExpo America in June.
Booking travel. Bookseller Andrew Laties has announced plans to launch BiblioExpeditions, a new company offering weekly bookstore tours departing from colleges in Connecticut and Massachusetts to Greenwich Village, Western Massachusetts, and other destinations. Laties is with the Eric Carle Museum Bookshop in Amherst, MA, and is the author of “Rebel Bookseller: How to Improvise Your Own Indie Store and Beat Back the Chains.” More information about the company can be found at http://BiblioExpeditions.blogspot.com. The Bookstore Tourism concept , a grassroots effort to promote and support independent bookstores by marketing them as tourist destinations, was originally developed by Pennsylvania-based writer Larry Portzline.
Books on the air. National Public Radio’s Dr. Moira Gunn will host a series of podcasts sponsored by self-publishing service Blurb.Condensed versions of the podcasts will front-end the weekly Tech Nation radio program on NPR, available at http://www.technation.com. As underwriters of Tech Nation, Blurb will host full-length versions of the podcasts along with an RSS feed at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/podcasts#tech_nation. The podcasts will help Blurb authors market their books. “A book really comes alive when people hear the story behind the story,” said Eileen Gittins, Blurb’s founder and CEO. “People are natural storytellers; there’s something powerful about hearing the voice of the author tell their story, unscripted.” The first podcast will feature Allie Davis, a 12-year-old poet from Santa Rosa, CA.
A convention without walls. BookExpo America (BEA) has expanded its free podcasting service to become a year-round event. Content will be offered before and after the event. Reed Exhibitions first tried podcasting to promote the show last year, says Rob Simon, president and CEO of BurstMarketing, which is assisting Reed in the venture. In 2006, BookExpo logged 60,000 downloads from over 20 countries, and logged 220,000 unique visitors to the podcast Web site (http://www.bookexpocast.com). The expanded service began in November with coverage of the 57th National Book Awards presentation, which was held earlier this month in New York City. BookExpo America 2007 is slated for May 31 – June 3 at the Javits Center in New York.
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