A quick anecdote on my non-existent blog!
The other day at the store I was handed a galley of a new teen book coming out in summer that I'd never heard of, Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood. So naturally I starting perusing the back cover, and blah blah blah mermaids, was all I gleaned from it. So I said to Joyce (one of our fantabulous children's booksellers), how it seemed like mermaids were going to be the new trend, citing Anna Banks' upcoming book Of Poseidon as another book I recently heard of. And then we went our separate ways into a few more joyous hours of bookselling.
Later on in the day, Joyce came up to me again, holding a picture book with the title facing her. Before turning it around she said, I think we were right about the new trend... and when she turned the book around, lo and behold! It was the new Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet! And thus it was decided. If Fancy Nancy is going on mermaidesque adventures, it most certainly is the new trend.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Why I'm a Failure.
Remember that time I posted all the time and it was fabulous and great? Yeah, me neither. Sorry about that. I'll try harder. Maybe.
In other fabulous (for her) news:
April won the copy of Shatter Me from the Readathon!
So.. I'll get around to mailing that. Soon.
In other fabulous (for her) news:
April won the copy of Shatter Me from the Readathon!
So.. I'll get around to mailing that. Soon.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Holiday Readathon + Giveaway!!
Since I put the pro in procrastinate (har har har) this should have gone up WAY earlier than it's about to! And it will be short, because I've got mounds of books to read, and no one likes to read all this stuff anyways. So let me get to my point:
Sign up for the FREAKING FABULOUS Liza's Holiday Readathon - it's happening THIS VERY WEEKEND Y'ALL! And it's awesome. And she's awesome... so...
And so when she informed me of this readathon, which, to be fair, was like at least a month ago - oops? - I was all, "yeah, I'll do a mini-challenge and giveaway!" and she was all "heck yeah!" and then I proceeded to NOT post anything.
In conclusion!
Sign up for Liza's readathon at the linky-ma-jig above, then post in the comments on this blog post which fictional character you would most like to kiss under the mistletoe! (I can't even take credit for that idea, because that was all Liza too...) Leave your name and email address and then I will randomly pick a winner sometime next week! WOOHOO!
As of now, the prize is a surPRIZE, because I'm too lazy to go through my books and find ones I can giveaway. But hopefully that will go up sometime later this week, pending my amount of laziness.
Edit: Giveaway prize = SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi!
Sign up for the FREAKING FABULOUS Liza's Holiday Readathon - it's happening THIS VERY WEEKEND Y'ALL! And it's awesome. And she's awesome... so...
And so when she informed me of this readathon, which, to be fair, was like at least a month ago - oops? - I was all, "yeah, I'll do a mini-challenge and giveaway!" and she was all "heck yeah!" and then I proceeded to NOT post anything.
In conclusion!
Sign up for Liza's readathon at the linky-ma-jig above, then post in the comments on this blog post which fictional character you would most like to kiss under the mistletoe! (I can't even take credit for that idea, because that was all Liza too...) Leave your name and email address and then I will randomly pick a winner sometime next week! WOOHOO!
As of now, the prize is a surPRIZE, because I'm too lazy to go through my books and find ones I can giveaway. But hopefully that will go up sometime later this week, pending my amount of laziness.
Edit: Giveaway prize = SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Support Your Local (Independent) Bookstore!
Here are some fun (and also persuasive) facts about shopping local. They kind of span the distance between bookstores and shopping local in general, but they're all applicable to bookstores of course. (The bolded text is word-for-word from.. a random sheet I found at the store that has no clear source on it. So this is me citing that. Just so you know.)
1. For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.
Um, hello!? Numbers and statistics can sometimes be the easiest way to put things in perspective. I mean, there's really nothing else I can (or need to) say about this one.
2. You wouldn't want your house to look like everyone else's in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?
I'm a champion for individuality, and there's so much truth in this one. Milwaukeans (is this what we call ourselves? I've got no idea.) have so much freaking pride in their city that this feeling of just... ENERGY is palpable when you're here. AND I LOVE IT. You literally feel like a PART of something, just being in the city.
3. Local businesses are better at creating higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
Oh, hey. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but we're totally in a huge freaking recession. So I find this one particularly relevant, for obvious reasons.
4. Buying from a local business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation, less packaging, and products that you know are safe and well made, because we stand behind them.
Have you ever spent hours on the phone with customer service for some national company, only to be put on hold like 50 BILLION times, and more often than not, hang up the phone feeling like your problem was not solved in the slightest? Yeah, same here.
5. We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.
Yeah, chances are slim that that national chain you just bought a book from is going to donate any money to your local causes. Oh, and they also aren't going to advertise your school's play/other obscure and very random community event. Because they don't know it exists. If they do, I'm going to go out a limb here and say they probably don't care.
6. Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify our community. Also, spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong -- right here in your community!
Money! For the community! When it is so sparse! I like pretty communities. You too, yeah?
7. We pick the items we sell based on what we know you like and want. Local businesses carry a wider array of unique products because we buy for our own individual market.
We use our customer database for good. We can suggest books to you based on what we personally remember you read and liked. If you want something we don't have, we can GET IT FOR YOU! Spare me the dramatic, "Well, I kind of wanted it today..." Interestingly enough, Amazon doesn't have that instant-ship option either.
8. You are our friends and neighbors, and we have a vested interest in knowing how to serve you. We're passionate about what we do. Why not take advantage of it?
Seriously. Pretty similar to the last one, but we. effing. love. books. We want you to love your books, too. So we will do whatever we can to make that happen.
9. Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community.
As previously stated: strong communities = THE AWESOME. Being part of a strong community = THE AWESOMER.
10. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors and guests. This benefits everyone!
I know, I know. Sometimes you want to keep something all to yourself. But what's the fun in that?
So, go to your local bookstore! And if you don't... maybe you'll at least feel a little guilty about it after reading this ;)
Indiebound Store Finder <-- Use this fancy linky to find an independent bookstore near you!
The coolest bookstore known to man <-- Well, what do we have here?
Boswell Book Company <-- Awesome, awesome, awesome bookstore that I love.
Our Milwaukee <-- Great website dedicated to shopping local in the Milwaukee area.
1. For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.
Um, hello!? Numbers and statistics can sometimes be the easiest way to put things in perspective. I mean, there's really nothing else I can (or need to) say about this one.
2. You wouldn't want your house to look like everyone else's in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?
I'm a champion for individuality, and there's so much truth in this one. Milwaukeans (is this what we call ourselves? I've got no idea.) have so much freaking pride in their city that this feeling of just... ENERGY is palpable when you're here. AND I LOVE IT. You literally feel like a PART of something, just being in the city.
3. Local businesses are better at creating higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
Oh, hey. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but we're totally in a huge freaking recession. So I find this one particularly relevant, for obvious reasons.
4. Buying from a local business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation, less packaging, and products that you know are safe and well made, because we stand behind them.
Have you ever spent hours on the phone with customer service for some national company, only to be put on hold like 50 BILLION times, and more often than not, hang up the phone feeling like your problem was not solved in the slightest? Yeah, same here.
5. We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.
Yeah, chances are slim that that national chain you just bought a book from is going to donate any money to your local causes. Oh, and they also aren't going to advertise your school's play/other obscure and very random community event. Because they don't know it exists. If they do, I'm going to go out a limb here and say they probably don't care.
6. Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify our community. Also, spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong -- right here in your community!
Money! For the community! When it is so sparse! I like pretty communities. You too, yeah?
7. We pick the items we sell based on what we know you like and want. Local businesses carry a wider array of unique products because we buy for our own individual market.
We use our customer database for good. We can suggest books to you based on what we personally remember you read and liked. If you want something we don't have, we can GET IT FOR YOU! Spare me the dramatic, "Well, I kind of wanted it today..." Interestingly enough, Amazon doesn't have that instant-ship option either.
8. You are our friends and neighbors, and we have a vested interest in knowing how to serve you. We're passionate about what we do. Why not take advantage of it?
Seriously. Pretty similar to the last one, but we. effing. love. books. We want you to love your books, too. So we will do whatever we can to make that happen.
9. Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community.
As previously stated: strong communities = THE AWESOME. Being part of a strong community = THE AWESOMER.
10. The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors and guests. This benefits everyone!
I know, I know. Sometimes you want to keep something all to yourself. But what's the fun in that?
So, go to your local bookstore! And if you don't... maybe you'll at least feel a little guilty about it after reading this ;)
Indiebound Store Finder <-- Use this fancy linky to find an independent bookstore near you!
The coolest bookstore known to man <-- Well, what do we have here?
Boswell Book Company <-- Awesome, awesome, awesome bookstore that I love.
Our Milwaukee <-- Great website dedicated to shopping local in the Milwaukee area.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Hello!
See what I did there, with the blog title? (Perks of Being a Wallflower FTW)
Basically, before I started bookselling (Safari is telling me bookselling isn't a word, this is BLASPHEMY!) earlier this year, I had no idea what it really entailed. I won't go into the depths of the long story, but the short of it is that I interviewed and got hired mostly on a whim.
As any (dedicated) bookseller will tell you, it's A LOT of work, often with little rewards. People get mad at you if you don't know the book they want, if you don't HAVE the book they want (what do you mean, I have to wait 3 WHOLE DAYS), if you ACCIDENTALLY hang up on them (okay, it isn't my fault that the hold and release button are both orange and right next to each other), if you look at them funny (seriously, this happened to me, too), and so on...
BUT! There is a light at the end of the bookselling tunnel! If you love what you do (and if you don't, please quit immediately), the perks that you do get will make you fangirl like crazy. Or fanboy, you know.
And the best perk of all, is working and meeting with people WHO GET IT. They totally understand how freaking excited you are about your favorite author's new book, why you NEED to own 5 copies of the same book, and why you can't wait to meet an author at an event - but then FIND YOURSELF RENDERED SPEECHLESS AND YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT (which has never NOT happened to me, yet).
So in conclusion (I know the powers that be tell you not to use this, but it's MY blog damn it),
I'm not entirely sure what I'm all going to post about, or when and how frequently, but I can totally assure you it's going to be awesome.
And you know, if you're bored, maybe you could buy some books from my store. I will handle them with care. http://www.nextchapterbookshop.com
Basically, before I started bookselling (Safari is telling me bookselling isn't a word, this is BLASPHEMY!) earlier this year, I had no idea what it really entailed. I won't go into the depths of the long story, but the short of it is that I interviewed and got hired mostly on a whim.
As any (dedicated) bookseller will tell you, it's A LOT of work, often with little rewards. People get mad at you if you don't know the book they want, if you don't HAVE the book they want (what do you mean, I have to wait 3 WHOLE DAYS), if you ACCIDENTALLY hang up on them (okay, it isn't my fault that the hold and release button are both orange and right next to each other), if you look at them funny (seriously, this happened to me, too), and so on...
BUT! There is a light at the end of the bookselling tunnel! If you love what you do (and if you don't, please quit immediately), the perks that you do get will make you fangirl like crazy. Or fanboy, you know.
And the best perk of all, is working and meeting with people WHO GET IT. They totally understand how freaking excited you are about your favorite author's new book, why you NEED to own 5 copies of the same book, and why you can't wait to meet an author at an event - but then FIND YOURSELF RENDERED SPEECHLESS AND YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT (which has never NOT happened to me, yet).
So in conclusion (I know the powers that be tell you not to use this, but it's MY blog damn it),
I'm not entirely sure what I'm all going to post about, or when and how frequently, but I can totally assure you it's going to be awesome.
And you know, if you're bored, maybe you could buy some books from my store. I will handle them with care. http://www.nextchapterbookshop.com
Friday, October 28, 2011
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