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 ]
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For Indies First day, authors get behind independent bookstores

Thanks to Sherman Alexie's forgetfulness, writers across the U.S. will volunteer at their local bookstore Saturday for the inaugural Indies First day.Not long ago the writer Sherman Alexie missed one of his readings, standing up fans at the Queen Anne Book Company, a store in Seattle. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Instagram Is Now Publishing a New Ad Almost Every Day

Advertising on Instagram has quickly moved from a novelty to a near-daily occurence, and they're churning up a tsunami of "likes" as well as a dose of aggrieved user comments.General Electric, Levi's, Lexus and Ben & Jerry's have now posted their first ads to the mobile photo- and... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tweet of the Day to JMP

John Murray Press will publish the book of the BBC Radio 4 series Tweet of the Day, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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80 Years Later, Orwell’s “Burmese Days” Wins Award in Burma

The Burmese Ministry of Information announced that a new translation of Orwell’s 1934 novel, Burmese Days, won the National Literary Award’s informative literature award. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Traditional Publishers Are Struggling as Buying Goes Automated

No one expected publishing companies&rsquo; digital revenue to catch up to print overnight, but what does it say when that revenue stream at The New York Times Co., Tribune Co. and Time Inc. is already declining? All said so in their most rec ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alex Ferguson's errors join a grand publishing tradition

He hates making mistakes, but he's made an awful lot in his memoir. Luckily it's a venerable customIs there a special bad elf that creeps out in the pre-Christmas period to wreak havoc with would-be bestsellers? Novelist Helen Fielding and actor David Jason might be forgiven for thinking so,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 'Mister Max,' an endearing boy faces a family mystery

Cynthia Voigt's tale presents a youngster who must find out about his missing parents while working as a problem solver for others. Readers who wish their families were more interesting will be hooked, as I was, on Cynthia Voigt's "Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things," the first of a planned... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon and Facebook: Family members speak out

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's wife MacKenzie defends Bezos and Amazon, while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckberg's sister Randi expresses ambivalence about social media. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Carl Bernstein Plans Memoir on His Cub Reporter Days

The writer Carl Bernstein has struck a deal to write a memoir of his early years as a cub reporter in Washington, his publisher, Henry Holt & Company, said on Monday. Rather than focusing on his famous tenure at The Washington Post, where wit ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bridget Jones: first-day sales 'topped 46,000'

First day sales in the UK for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding topped 46,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The PW Frankfurt Show Daily: Day 3, October 11, 2013

Get complete coverage of the Frankfurt Book Fair with the PW Frankfurt Show Daily. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The PW Frankfurt Show Daily: Day 1, October 9, 2013

Get complete coverage of the Frankfurt Book Fair with the PW Frankfurt Show Daily. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Star Wars Reads Day is being held for the second time

Chain bookstores, indie locations, schools and school libraries are participating all over the world. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Government Social Feeds Go Quiet on First Day of Shutdown

While invective about the state of American democracy has reached a fever pitch on social media, several government feeds themselves have gone quiet on the first day of the federal shutdown.Agencies including FEMA, the National Park Service and NASA have stated on their Facebook, Twitter and... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New award for 'non-traditional' children's books

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Usborne Day for 40th anniversary

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiction Shelf: 'The Virgins,' 'Hypothetical Girl' and 'Loteria'

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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