Quick Hits

What, no BEA?!

This is the first post Memorial Day Tuesday that I haven't been gearing up for Book Expo America in six years. We made the decision to send a very small crew this year for a few reasons, including a recent trip to NYC for a launch party and a guess that this year's event won't be much of one.

I will miss a few things about BEA, including seeing good friends, getting a good pulse for the fall lists, swiping a few free galleys, the first-ever BEA Tweet-up and, you know, high-fiving the Pope:


I won't miss trying to catch a cab during a Friday afternoon downpour, waiting 20 min for $5 coffee, sore feet from walking the show floor all day or 6:30 AM breakfast meetings.

If you will also be vicariously attending BEA through Twitter, join me in following the BEA 2009 hash tag on Twitter: #BEA09.

For those heading to NYC, check out the Book Publicity Blog's list of things to download before you make the trip.


The Noticer is a bestseller

Late last week we received word from Thomas Nelson that The Noticer debuted on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It is #6 on the NY Times Hardcover/Advice list and #15 on the WSJ nonfiction list.

This book has been the subject of a large amount of well-deserved buzz this spring and is one of the best team-based campaigns we have been involved with.

For those of you who have yet to take part in the social media movement inspired by the book, The Noticer Project, you can read pages and pages of notices on the website and begin noticing those who have made the biggest impact on your life there as well.

It has been exciting to watch a campaign that has combined the best of traditional media with social media for the same purpose--to attract readers to a very good book by one of the best storytellers in publishing.

Amidst the shots publishing takes from those who label it slow-to-adapt and too dependent on print media, this launch is a very good example of how the industry is adapting and finding ways to reach readers in new ways.

For those who haven't read the book, through the end of May, Thomas Nelson is running a special where if you buy a copy of the book you can receive it in every format with which it is available. I highly recommend it.

Best of the Blogosphere

I polled a few publicists here for hightlights topping various blogrolls this week. A smattering of results includes:

All the book industry people you should be following on Twitter has been compiled onto one tidy little list, which came to us via Yen's always in-the-know Book Publicity Blog, originating here.

By way of "The 26th Story," The New York Times revealed a totally interactive and very cool billboard campaign by BBDO for HBO’s “Big Love” (of which I am a big fan). It brings the concept of PostSecret to the streets.

L.A. Times "Jacket Copy" finally revealed “How to read 462 books in one year." Thank goodness!When trying to explain how she's able to read so many books, Sarah Weinman (who also writes the LA Times' "Dark Passages" column,) had this to say: "It's like I'm reading from a whole-language standpoint instead of phonics -- that's the only way I can figure out how to explain it.”

Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com is headed to Austin‘s BookPeople in April to promote her upcoming memoir about postpartum, It Sucked and Then I Cried. (Simon Spotlight Entertainment). We love the cover. Ahem, shameless plug: Heather Armstrong is also a contributor in a book we’re currently promoting, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms.

Peter Shankman reported on a tweet gone awry – a heed to all who engage in social networking: “Be careful what you post.”

It's all about the 'Battlestar' this week – the final season begins tonight, and everyone on the blogosphere is guessing who the final cylon is. Wired’s “Underwired” reports on the various parties being organized in its honor. Word on the street says there’s a few of these so-called “frak parties” going down in Austin tonight.

Quick hits

More good news regarding book review sections

PW Daily reported today that the Los Angeles Times is "folding its standalone Sunday book review section, laying off two dedicated book editors."

Not to be outdone, the Hartford Courant decided to hand a pink slip to its book editor, Carole Goldberg, as well.

Though we've all become a bit jaded by stories about disappearing book editors, it is especially disturbing to see the LA Times make such a move. It's hard to imagine the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books coming out of this unscathed.

How to link when a long URL won't work (think Twitter)

Yen Cheong, Assistant Director of Publicity at Viking and Penguin Books, has a great write-up today on the Book Publicity Blog about a website, Tiny URL, that condenses your long URLs to exactly six characters.

Those of you who Twitter know the value of such a service. It should also help with email pitches that are bogged down by out of control links.