Twitter giveaway – Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors

Tomorrow marks the release of Carolyn Rubenstein’s new book, Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors, which shares the stories of 20 young people who exemplify success in the face of adversity, and the life lessons Carolyn learned from these brave survivors.

The author has decided to celebrate with readers by giving away four Kindle wireless reading devices via Twitter Tuesday, August 18, through Friday, August 21. To enter, simply include the hashtag #perseverance in ONE tweet ONE time during the contest timeframe. A winner will be randomly selected each contest day and will be notified of their Kindle prize in a Twitter direct message. If you still have questions, visit her blog for complete contest rules.

Carolyn will appear on the NBC’s “The Today Show” on August 31 to discuss Perseverance and to mark the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September). She is a featured blogger for The Huffington Post and Psychology Today.com.

Quick hits: Kindle 2.0, "How to Publish in a Recession" and farewell to Domino magazine

It’s already shaping up to be a busy week here at Phenix & Phenix and it seems that this is the case with our colleagues elsewhere in the industry! I thought I’d write some brief blurbs on a few headlines that caught my eye this morning:

Kindle 2.0 is here

A couple of years ago the first Kindle "Wireless Reading Device" was released to quite a bit of buzz and mixed opinion. Personally, I’m not sold on it just yet. I love having a real book in my hands and I don’t know that I’d be able to get used to reading a book on a little screen! To date, Amazon has sold over 200,000 Kindles and the features on this new model can only make it more enticing to the gadget lovers among us. The Washington Post has a really nice write up on the new Kindle. Some of the improvements include longer battery life, more memory and “it’s much less ugly.” What do you think? Are you a fan of the Kindle?

"How to Publish in a Recession" series

I’ve been reading this very interesting series on the blog Conversational Reading thanks to a link on GalleyCat. Aptly titled, “How to Publish in a Recession,” Conversational Reading is featuring a series of interviews with publishers at small presses and getting their perspective on what it takes to be successful during an economic downturn. Today’s piece features an interview with Margo Baldwin, publisher and president of Chelsea Green Publishing. Chelsea Green is a small press that focuses on sustainable living and environmental titles. The publisher had a banner year for sales in 2008 (along with several best selling titles in the last few years,) while many of the major publishers have had to restructure. Baldwin has some really interesting thoughts on the future of publishing and the business model of the small press.

Bye-bye Domino

Several of us here at the office were saddened to learn recently that Domino magazine is folding. Another victim of the economic downturn, this Condé Nast publication was a great source of design inspiration and articles on achieving a chic look with pieces from the likes of Target. The New York Times has a lovely story on the magazine and its former editor, Deborah Needleman. The article also provides great insight into the life cycle of a modern magazine.