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 ]
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Chief executive of 9,000-member UK group argues that while 'authors' earnings are going down generally, those of publishers are increasing'After figures released this week showed professional authors' median annual incomes have collapsed to to £11,000, The Society of Authors' chief executive has... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just days ahead of Chicago Bookstore Day on July 12, California Bookstore Day, which inspired it, announced a new sponsor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, the chair of Irish PEN, outlines how Ireland continues to punch above its weight in the literary world. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three librarians with novels published in 2014 gathered at ALA Vegas on Saturday afternoon to share their experiences as authors navigating the library world and vice versa. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To mark Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary, licensor Sanrio and its publishing licensees are planning the first Hello Kitty Reading Day this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nine indie stores so far have teamed up to hold a Chicago Independent Bookstore Day this July. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Family Christian Stores, the largest Christian retail chain in the U.S., has appointed Charles Bengochea as president and CEO, succeeding Cliff Bartow, who is retiring after 11 years at the helm. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marketers are gung-ho on playing up photo-sharing and social media this year to tap into the power of dad, as seen in Father’s Day campaigns from Ace Hardware, Craftsman, Dremel and O2X. You may not expect dads to be receptive about posting touchy-feely streams of pictures on social media, but... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After J.J. Smith's appearance on the "Steve Harvey Show," the author's "10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse," published in February, moved from #42 to #2 on Amazon's bestseller list, pushing Hillary Clinton's memoir down to #3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two months after California's Bookstore Day on May 3 proved to be an overwhelming success, Chicago indie booksellers are organizing their own bookstore day, scheduled for July 12. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shares in Time Inc., owner of People, Sports Illustrated and Time magazines, were off nearly 1% to $23.30 Monday, its first day of trading as a public company.The company's share price had tumbled about 4% after trading began but regained much of the lost ground during the afternoon.Time Inc. is... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. shares fell, marring the first day of trading after a spinoff from Time Warner Inc., on concern that the company's singular focus on magazines will hinder growth prospects as demand for... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Part of family legend for Lin Enger was how his paternal great-grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant who homesteaded 160 acres in the Dakota Territory, shot one of the last wild buffalo east of the James River when the animal drank from the precious stock tank behind his sod barn. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ann Hood’s bibliography is full of families both fictional and real. Family tragedy was the source of two memoirs, Do Not Go Gentle (2000) and Comfort (2008), and have informed her novels, including The Knitting Circle (2007) and The Red Thread (2010). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book industry’s largest event will be four days in 2015, with two days for consumer event, BookCon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Coming to BEA with her first novel, Flying Shoes (Bloomsbury, June), Square Books co-owner Lisa Howorth is excited to return to the show and see it through an author perspective. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The last time Garth Stein was at Book Expo it was 2008, and he admits he was happy to get “spill” from Tom Wolfe’s (I Am Charlotte Simmons) autographing line. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat’s CEO Evan Spiegel has apologized after a series of emails from his college days revealed insensitive statements regarding women. Gawker’s Valleywag published Spiegel’s e-mails from when he was a fraternity brother at Kappa Sigma at Stanford, a notoriously wild house that got kicked off... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On May 3 at St. Mary’s Bookstore and Church Supply in Nashville, Tenn., Franciscan Media author Julie Dortch Cragon, whose new book, "Visiting Mary: Her U.S. Shrines and Their Graces," is out for Mother's Day, signed books for some 100 attendees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A year in the planning, California Bookstore Day proved to be a success for participating stores, all of which demonstrated significant sales increases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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