Ok, I’m behind in closing out the Better Books series, but this tidbit in the Vancouver Sun this morning caught my attention.

Gumboot Books is a Vancouver publishing company who is using the web in an interesting way to market books.

Quote: Gumboot invites non-profits, charities and community groups to sign up on its website and receive 10 per cent of every sale they generate. The more buyers the groups send to the Gumboot website, the more books are sold and the more money they raise. Book buyers choose which cause will benefit.

Sounds good to me.

For more info: Gumboot Books: spREAD the word fundraising project.

I met Ayala at Portobello West last week and she runs perfume workshops. I can’t make it on Tuesday and Thursdays but for those of you interested in perfume, check out the below info.

There is a new calendar of workshops for July at Ayala Moriel Perfume Studio.
http://www.ayalamoriel.com/

Workshops are now offered on both Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30pm.

Or visit the SmellyBlog which is always up-to-date:
http://ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/calendar.html

Spaces in each workshop are extremely limited, so sign up in advance to reserve your spot.

* July 3rd (Tues.): Ice Cream and Hydrosols (children are invited to this
workshop with their parents!)

* July 5th (Thurs.): “Behind the Scents” – learn about the creative process
and the stories behind the creations of some of Ayala’s most haunting
perfumes.

* July 10 (Tues.): Scented Body Care Products (learn how to make simple and
fun body care products such as wonderful smelling bath salts and massage
oils)

* July 12 (Thurs.): Solid Perfumes – learn how to make your own solid
perfume from rare and precious oils and floral waxes!

Silly game over on the Facebook.

Type your name in quotations with the words “likes to” in Google and post the top 10 things.

“Monique likes to” results:

Monique Likes to Get Her Exercise.
Monique likes a workout that brings her pulse to around 140 BPM for a good 8 minutes.

This is sooooo not true.

Monique likes to let kids know how much fun math and science can be.

Yay, right.

Besides the ability to make friends and family feel right at home, Monique likes to entertain with a salute to her French heritage.

That means we drink wine.

Monique likes to go into a power walk as soon as my seat touches the saddle when I get on.

Sweet Jesus, I don’t want to know more about this one.

Monique likes to break free from the ordinary in her expression but also goes back into the more realistic look.

Indeed. Have you seen my avatar?

In her spare time, Monique likes to paint, has a keen interest in real estate and loves spending time with her best friend Tom.

I hope Tom doesn’t mention this to James.

Monique likes to be different. But it sure is hard to be different when you go to a school where all the students have to wear uniforms.

True enough.

Monique likes to create an easy-going atmosphere in her classes, focussing on awareness of breath and an understanding of the essence of a posture.

Sounds like me.

Monique likes to set up her classroom so students are free to take materials and work independently without constantly asking “Where are the scissors?”

Precisely why I never have any scissors. Damn Monique.

Monique likes to mention the first members who signed up because she was one of them.

I’m sure a spazz.

And here’s the first image that shows up for “Monique Likes To”

Maybe the most fitting find. It’s the cover of a book.

Thanks Sio.

Couldn’t attend Book Expo Canada this year?

If you’re a blogger, check out Mini Book Expo to claim it (an advance reading copy), read it and blog it.

There are 53 books ready to go this year, and another 11 Advance Reader’ Copies.

If you’re a publisher and you want to participate by donating some books or ARCs, contact Alexa:
lex [at] cheapeatstoronto [dot] com

I noticed that the paperback for Rob’s book, which I enjoyed, is available:
Monique’s review of Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema

Author Sid Tafler contacted me earlier this week to ask if I’d be interested in checking out his video. At first glance, it looks like a book trailer, which is exactly what I’m interested in at the moment. For those of you following my conversation with publicity Dan Wagstaff, we’ve been on about the usefulness of book trailers.

Well, have a look at what Sid’s done. I love it.

The book is for real, and there’s more info about the book at NetBC.com.

Us and Them is a memoir, a personal and family story about how people in Canada divide themselves into groups–French or English, Protestant or Catholic, Jew or Muslim, native or non-native, etc., and how this syndrome has changed over the years.

I asked Sid what the video was all about:

Quote: Sid said:

The video started as a plan to promote the book, but when I wrote it, I got caught up with the idea of the author interview and all the groans I’d heard over the years about the author tour and how some broadcast interviewers know nothing about the book or the author.

In my own case, I was interviewed on radio after the book was launched last year and a minute before the interview began I asked the host “Did you read the book?” and he said “No, but I like the cover.”

To me, this is hilarious and indicative of the nature of author interviews. It’s not really about the author reaching readers, it’s about the author generating good sound clips that can be reused.

Mark Haddon has posted a similar comment of discontent and disillusionment about author interviews on the Random House Insiders’ blog:

Quote: The Joy of Publicity by Mark Haddon

The biggest mistake is to think that interviews are a service provided to writers so that they can communicate with readers. The function of interviews is to provide good copy (and most editors will think nothing of ditching interviews if writers have failed to say anything interesting).

…

The irony is that interviews are a rubbish way of communicating actual information to readers. I sometimes think it would be more efficient to write them individual letters, put them into bottles and hurl them into the sea. I must have answered the question, ‘How much research did you do for Curious Incident?’ [5] at least 500 times, and journalists still ask it on a regular basis.

Overall, I like Sid’s video. It’s funny. It reminds me of the mock interviews on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. I’d love to see a series of these videos promoting books, but I think it also needs to be clear that these are real books. I had to clarify Us and Them was a published book. My suggestion would be to post a final frame telling viewers where to get book information and a link to the website. Other than that, I had a good laugh and I now know a lot about this book–I was curious enough to go and find out. That is what a good book trailer should do.