At BookNet, we sometimes find ourselves trying to defend ONIX . People are often asking, “Why can’t it be easy?” But it is. After the last time I heard this I thought that a review of why ONIX is easy was due.
Selling Books Using Foursquare
Last week The New York Times published a piece on how businesses should use geolocation services. The article focused on a restaurant and a chocolate store, but Foursquare’s use can obviously be extended beyond food to books. Brick-and-mortar stores can reach out to existing customers and entice new ones easily using Foursquare.
We often roll our eyes at the thought of getting involved on yet another social platform, but can you afford not to?
Capitalizing on the Giller Announcements
The Scotiabank Giller shortlist was announced on Tuesday, and people are absolutely delighted by the number of independent presses represented on this list. But many are also worried. They worry that the independents won’t know how to react. Steven Beattie wrote a thoughtful piece on the plight of the shortlisted indie publisher just yesterday. It’s true. It can be difficult for publishers without much Giller experience to know exactly what to do, when to reprint and how much. BNC can help with that—as long as a print job can be scheduled in time.
BookCamp Hat Trick
BookCamp Vancouver (#bcvan10 ) marked my third BookCamp of the year (with previous editions taking place in Toronto and Halifax ). I also led sessions at all of them. So, how do they compare?
BookNet Beta: BiblioShare Image Service
So you are looking for cover images for books available in Canada, or perhaps Canadian books? Well, as part of BookNet Canada’s (BNC) BiblioShare project we have been aggregating cover images from publishers/suppliers, and we are now making those same images available to you to use in your projects…free of charge…within reason.
What I Did on My Trip Out West
BiblioShare by the Numbers
BookNet has been collecting/aggregating bibliographic information actively since January, 2010. It has been a tough, but interesting, slog as we build systems, recruit data providers, validate data and help publishers improve their metadata. We are not anywhere near done and we plan on continuing on all fronts, but I thought it might be a good time to share just where we are…
Are Hardcovers Outdated?
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a runaway bestseller. I’ve seen it consistently rank as a top fiction title in bestseller lists for months. At first, I didn’t know much about the book, and like many I wondered how it managed to build up so much speed.
An article in The Globe and Mail on Monday tried to demystify this phenomenon.
Check Out the Giller's Track Record
The fall book season has officially begun now that the Giller longlist is out. Everyone is overthinking how to sum up the jury’s selections, but the longlist does indeed seem like “a fairly balanced affair”.
Politics aside, this is a moment for the nominees to celebrate. The Scotiabank Giller Prize works. It brings considerable attention to Canadian fiction, and it has been proven to generate sales, significant sales.
BookCamp Vancouver 2010 #BCVAN10
Going to BookCamp Vancouver next week? Tim and I will be there representing BNC, so feel free to flag us down if you want to talk.
What’s a BookCamp? Well let me tell you…
