Book Madam & Associates

Quite a lot has been happening this past month to keep me busy enough to not make this announcement earlier. I’m now a partner at Book Madam & Associates. The site, which features the musings of some of the brightest minds in publishing, officially became a magazine last week. Julie Wilson and I are managing the business end of things together.

One of the magazine sections is the beloved East Coast blog known as Salty Ink. Chad Pelley, the site editor, is looking for contributors. Thing is, we have no revenue coming in at this point so all the work that we’re doing is 100% unpaid. Yup, that’s how much we love books. However, it’s a good opportunity for exposure. If you’re interested in contributing or have other ideas for working with us drop me a line.

Happy reading!

If you’re a regular listener of the CKDU 88.1 FM Book Club with Stephen Patrick Clare you’ll have already heard me on the show with Julie Wilson yesterday. If not, here’s the interview:

CKDU Feb 22 2011 1

We talked about Book Madam & Associates (including an exciting announcement), the future of books and publishing, and a whole lot more. While she was in town we worked on a redesign of that site which is coming soon..!

Earlier this week, I had another opportunity to chat on the CKDU 88.1 FM. We talked about some of the fun online developments going on at CBC Books and a whole lot of other book-related topics. I have to admit to drawing out all the big names when I question came in about some of my favourite authors so to make up for it here, let me just point you to one of my beloved sources for new Canadian talent: The New Face of Fiction program at Random House. I cannot tell you how many great books I’ve read from this list including Ami McKay‘s The Birth House a Canada Reads contender this year. In any case, if you missed my interview, you can listen to it right here:

CKDU Book Club chat with Stephen Patrick Clare

Kimberly defends Ami McKay's The Birth House

This year for Canada Reads I’ll be the online defender for one of my fave books: The Birth House by Ami McKay. So that makes me the Debbie Travis of the web. Or something. (She’s defending the book on air.)

You can check out some of the discussion starters on the Canada Reads discussion page where in the weeks to come I’ll continue to build a case as to why this book should win the debates this year. While you’re there you can create a new member profile to connect with other CBC Books members (more features will be rolling out in the new year).

Want to help me build the case? I’ve already put out a call on Twitter and Facebook but feel free to leave your comments here or on the Canada Reads page to let me know your thoughts about the book.

If you’re so inclined, you can also add the following badge of support to your own web pages:

A Canada Reads 2011 contender

I’m off to Toronto for some CBC Books work. For readers who come to this blog from Toronto and surrounding areas (thanks for stopping by), check out the CBC Live events at the IFOA on Saturday. I’ll be around with some of my colleagues talking CBC Books and the fun things we’ve got lined up this year!

For everyone else, have you seen this year’s Canada Reads? We’re asking Canadians to nominate books for the celebrity panelists to discuss on the show. You have until Monday October 25 at midnight to get your votes in. Since I’m living on the East Coast I do want to encourage you to cast your votes for your fave regional books. Go! Do it! Let’s see Atlantic Canada represent on the top 40 list.

Hey, East Coast bookworms! I know you’re out there. Have you heard about the free event taking place in bookstores across the region tomorrow (Saturday, June 26) from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.? Atlantic Author Day is being put on by the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association and features writers included in this year’s Atlantic Summer Reading Guide. You can find out more info, including the schedule of events for each province, at Atlantic Books Today or check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

While you’re here though, why don’t you leave a comment below about your favourite book by an Atlantic Canadian author? I’m currently reading Chad Pelley‘s Away from Everywhere. He’s the Newfoundlander behind Salty Ink and the Atlantic Canada Reads Competition. The book is about two brothers torn apart by a series of events and…that’s really all I can say about it. If I didn’t have to put it down to do other things, I probably would have devoured it by now because the writing is that solid. Plus, he’s a first time novelist garnering a lot of attention so you should go out and support him.

There. That’s my PSA for the week. Happy reading!

Had a great time at BookCamp Halifax this weekend. If you missed out, here’s the session I ran on online communities with Eric Rountree (@faltarego). Thanks a million to Haligonia who webstreamed a number of sessions throughout the day and captured at least some of the event for anyone who wasn’t able to make it out to Halifax. A big thanks to all the volunteers and bookcampers who made the day such a success. Looking forward to next year already!

You can also check out our Flickr pool which will have more pics by the end of the week. Also, Eric and Julie Wilson (@BookMadam) will be attempting to capture some of the ideas that come to fruition out of BookCamp so I’ll point to that when it happens.

Finally, listen to CKDU (88.1fm in Halifax) today from 1:30-2:30 AT when I’ll be talking to Stephen Clare of the Book Club. If you’re outside the city, you can catch it livestreaming through their site.

UPDATE (audio): CKDU Book Club chat with Stephen Patrick Clare

Hot off the digital press, check out The Coast article in the arts news section where I give an interview about e-readers and physical books ahead of BookCamp Halifax this weekend (it’s not too late to register). I’m recovering from a viral throat infection but hope to have it all cleared up by the time I have to speak on Saturday.

The world of books is in transition. It exists somewhere between the bound and the binary. Literary journals and news magazines have relaunched themselves as online-only editions. Apple’s iPad just hit the market, joining other e-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and Indigo’s Kobo.

Read the full article.

BookCamp Toronto. The reason why BookCamp Halifax came to be. Yes, I’m writing yet another entry about this unconference. My blog, my rules.

Photo credit: LexnGer from Flickr

I promise I’ll keep it short though. The great thing about the unconference model is that you get to hear from a wide range of people interested in a certain topic, not just from the speaker. The first session I got to was midway through Michael Tamblyn’s from Kobo. It was legendary. Not just because of his speaking style but because he was serving a variety of wine. At 10:30 in the morning..!

The next session was by far my favourite, but I co-facilitated two sessions in the afternoon so missed out on other sessions. In any case, Ashleigh Gardner rocked the conversation about geolocation and books. Participants discussed QR Codes and augmented reality. If you’ve never heard of QR Codes, check out this cool video ad for a publisher that put together a “living book.”

Some other interesting projects using geolocation:
Phantom City — a public art project that uses digital devices to transform cities into a living museum. There’s an iPhone app that allows users to learn about never-realized designs.
The Miraculous Bench — a venue on Foursquare where writers can contribute to flash fiction.
The Clock Without A Face — in conjunction with a printed book, 12 emerald-studded numbers have been buried in 12 holes across the United States and readers are charged with finding them.

Of course, I have to give props to the bloggers who shared the panel discussion on Canada Reads:
Jen Knoch of The Keepin’ It Real Book Club and Civilians Read
Kerry Clare of Pickle Me This and Canada Reads 2010: Independently
Steven Beattie of Quill & Quire and That Shakespearean Rag (he also sat on the panels for Canada Also Reads and Canada Reads 2010: Independently)

And to co-facilitators of the online communities session:
Tan Light of Random House
Meg Mathur of Indigo

Funniest moment personally: the audible reaction when, after being introduced by my real name, I added my online handle of @AliasGrace. It made me feel internet famous. In a good way.

Don’t forget to register for BookCamp Halifax, taking place on June 5. Let’s bring the great discussion about books in a digital age to the East Coast! Register here and tell your friends! The event is 100% free.

Can you start a conversation about books, writing, reading, or related topics? BookCamp is coming to Halifax and we’re looking for people to lead unconference style sessions. Think of it like PodCamp only catering to bookworms. It’s not just for insiders though. We’re looking for bloggers, writers, readers, etc.

Drop me a line by e-mail at kimberly.aliasgrace [at] gmail [dot] com if you’re interested.

To register for the event, which takes place on Saturday June 5 at St. Mary’s University, please RSVP on EventBrite.