How Elf On The Shelf Went From Family Tradition To The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

From self-publishing and selling out of the trunk of a car to millions of dollars in sales and a blue-sky spot in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the creators of Elf on the Shelf discuss how they packaged up a new American tradition. Innovators often have those “blue sky” moments, times where they close their eyes and conjure ideas on the grand scale. But for three business owners, the actual sky was the backdrop for their biggest dream: to see a 46-foot tall inflatable elf sailing through the air during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Not just any old elf, though. Twins Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell and their mom Carol Aebersold wanted to see that North Pole scout from Elf on the Shelf become the first storybook character selected from an independent publisher fly in the parade since Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit (self-published in 1901) sailed down Sixth Avenue on the way to Herald Square.Read Full Story Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #business owners #chanda bell #beatrix potter

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JK Rowling inspires surge to fund book on race and immigration in three days

A £5,000 donation and tweet from Harry Potter author JK Rowling have pushed The Good Immigrant to its funding targetA host of authors, including JK Rowling, David Nicholls, Jonathan Coe and Evie Wyld have powered a crowdfunded anthology of essays on race and immigration to its funding target in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jonathan coe #evie wyld #crowdfunded anthology #funding target #million followers #brown people


Author Day: Writers are 'divided into two camps'

Authors are divided into two camps – those who self-publish and those who are traditionally-published, and the “eternal debate” over which is superior should end, The Bookseller’s Author Day has heard. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kids These Days: They Might Just Pay for Digital Content

Media consumers who prefer native digital content now make up nearly half the audience for entertainment in developed markets and more than a third of the audience for publishing and online services. In developing markets, those shares are slightly lower but trending in the same direction, Bain... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile channels #media companies #online news


Thanksgiving Weekend Drew over 151 Million Shoppers

According to the National Retail Federation, more than 151 million people shopped in stores and/or online over Thanksgiving weekend. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #thanksgiving weekend


Radio 4 to air T S Eliot's Practical Cats poems on Christmas Day

Actor Jeremy Irons will read T S Eliot’s Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats poems on Radio 4 on Christmas Day morning as part of a host of literature-related festive programming. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christmas day


Authors Rally 'Round Ninja Day

A band of children's authors with recently published ninja-themed books have joined forces to organize Ninja Day Story Time, to encourage booksellers, librarians, and young ninja devotees to celebrate the occasion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors rally #joined forces #encourage booksellers


Amazon extends same day delivery to Scotland

Amazon.co.uk is expanding its Prime same day delivery service across the Midlands, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Milton Keynes. The service is now available to residents in Birmingham, Bristol, Dudley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Walsall and Wolverhampton, with further... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #milton keynes #rapid expansion #greater london


Bankrupt Family Christian Stores Plans a Holiday Rebound

Family Christian Stores is reemerging with pledges of better customer service, no active solicitation for its charities, and improved merchandising and product mix. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #holiday rebound #customer service #active solicitation #improved merchandising #product mix


Family Christian Stores Plans a Holiday Rebound

Four months after emerging from bankruptcy, Family Christian Stores is counting on better customer service, no active solicitation for its charities, and improved merchandising and product mix to lift year-end sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #holiday rebound #customer service #active solicitation #improved merchandising #product mix


Sylvia Day's One With You out in April

Sylvia Day’s fifth and final novel in the Crossfire series, One with You, is to be published by Michael Joseph on 5th April next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sylvia day #michael joseph


SMP to Publish Day's Last 'Crossfire' Novel

St. Martin's Press will publish 'One With You' on April 5 in the U.S., taking the series over from Penguin's Berkley imprint, which released the previous four books in the series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #berkley imprint


A Second Good Day at the Shanghai Children's Fair

The focus was on deal-making on the second day of the Shanghai International Children's Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good day #book fair #shanghai children


Dawson and Rowell at World Book Day's first live Teen Fest

World Book Day will host its first live Teen Fest as part of next year’s celebrations, featuring authors James Dawson and Rainbow Rowell, and will also attempt to break its first Guinness World Record. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rainbow rowell


Academic Book Week: trade and academy join for seven days of debate and discussion

Debate about the future of the academic book will rage across the UK this week, with widespread support among publishers, academics, booksellers and librarians for the first Academic Book Week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #academic book #widespread support


Publishers open submissions for Author Day

Publishers Pan Macmillan, HarperCollins and literary agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop will provide authors with face-to-face advice and feedback as part of The Bookseller’s inaugural Author Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author day #fraser dunlop


Amazon opens traditional bookshop

Amazon is opening a bookshop in Seattle, promising books will be the same price as those on its website. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary agencies host online 'Discovery Day'

Curtis Brown and Conville and Walsh are to host a Twitter based event dedicated to "de-mystifying" the publishing process for prospective authors, called Discovery Day Online. Following the literary agencies’ Discovery Days in 2012 and 2013, held at Foyles Charing Cross Road, Discovery Day... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #discovery day #curtis brown #literary agencies #literary agent #giving advice #published author


Author Day

The Bookseller and FutureBook invite you to our inaugural Author Day. Now is the time for authors, publishers and the book trade to come together, share ideas and move from discussion to action. At a time of unprecedented change and promise for authors, our emphasis is on exploring potentially... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author day #book trade #unprecedented change #industry players


Heartland 2015: Children's Booksellers Are Family

If there was a theme to this year's Heartland Fall Forum, it was that despite geographic differences, the attendees are all one big family, especially when it comes to sharing children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fairfax one-day basketball tournament: Live updates

The high school basketball season begins next month, and Fairfax High is the site on Saturday for a one-day event that will feature lots of top teams and players getting ready for the season ahead. Admission is free. I'll be providing notes, results and commentary all day. Here's the schedule:... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #live updates #fairfax high #one-day event #top teams #season ahead