Blog
Category: Vancouver
My Favorite Books of 2011: Crystal (Children’s Book Publicist)
by Crystal
Kids + Vancouver + YA Fiction / December 22, 2011
Seriously? You want me to pick my favorite children's books from 2011? That's like a parent choosing which of their kids is their favorite! Impossible. Can't be done. There are just too many FABULOUS choices!
Ok if you really want to twist my arm. Here are a few of my MANY favorite books from 2011. I should also say that I love all of the kids books that my collegues chose, but decided not to have any repeats.
I first heard that Lonely Planet was planning a line of Children's Books at sales conference 4 years ago. I waited for 4 long years for a Lonely Planet Children's Book to chomp my Kids Publicity teeth into. This book did not disappoint. Like the adult version of The Travel Book it features a page for every country in the world. Fun facts will keep kids turning page after page, trying to find new, gross things to gross mom out, while not even realizing their learning. An example: When Queen Elizabeth II visited Belize in 1985, she was served a local rodent called a gibnut, which some people say looks a bit like a giant rat without a tail (picture below). It tastes like rabbit.
Yeah. Gross.
This beautiful picture book is all the lovelier because the author (Sara O'Leary) and illustrator (Julie Morstad) are both really fabulous Canadian women. I also love that the little girl looks an awful lot like my daughter, Bella, if she would only allow me to have her hair chopped off into a bob. The story is of a mother telling her son the story of what it was like when she was little, however she takes it one step further and tells a fantastical story about her not only being little (young) but also little (tiny). My favorite spread is the one below where she feasts upon raspberries.
I confess. I have a shelf in my sewing studio of children's picture books that inspire me creatively. I don't let me daughter play with these books (mostly because I know that she will steal them and bring them to her own room.) Zeal of Zebras is one of the books that graces my sewing studio bookshelf. Created by Woop Studios (the graphic designers for the Harry Potter movies) this book of collective nouns is visually stimulating, educational and just plain entertaining. Really who knew that a group of pandas is called an embarrassment of pandas? The page below is the one that I find myself turning to most often as it reminds me of my time snorkeling with the sea turtles on The Big Island.
I affectionately call this title "The Book That Almost Ruined My Summer Vacation". It was just so good that I couldn't put it down! My husband and daughter were pretty upset that my nose was buried in my book the entire time instead of playing with them in the sand. Like Hunger Games in space, this book is a must read. Here is a trailer to give you a sneak peek.
Last but definitely not least I'm going to cheat a little bit. One of my favorite things about being a Children's Book Publicist is that I get to read a lot of books well before they hit bookstores.
Embrace is a book coming in March but I read it a few months ago and just can't get it out of my head. Here is a link to a blog post that I wrote on the day that we did the Embrace Cover Reveal. Sourcebooks also created a Making The Cover video which I found to be really fascinating. So much goes into creating a book cover.
Embrace Cover Shoot from Sourcebooks Inc on Vimeo.
Wishing you happy reading this holiday season and into 2012!
Crystal
Comments (0) |
Tags:
favourite books 2011
Intern Insights: A Raincoast Wishlist
by Janet
Picture Books + Travel + Vancouver + YA Fiction / December 13, 2011
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I hope you have all been enjoying Egg Nog Hot Chocolates (Crystal's creation) and gingerbread cheesecakes! My favourite things this season include lighting the Christmas tree, watching old holiday classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Elf etc.) and enjoying cheery tunes that bring back many memories.
It's easy to forget how to enjoy the season with holiday shopping and wallet stress but I've narrowed down ten of my favourite things with Raincoast to give you some ideas - whether it's a gift for someone else or for YOU!
Here's my “little” wish list:
-
Moleskine:
Who doesn’t love the feel of a new notebook waiting for your pen to scribble ideas and thoughts down? One of my top wishes from Moleskine, other than their pens, sketchbooks and new bag line, is their Passions Journal line. There’s one for everyone: the cinephile, the bookworm, the traveler etc.
I definitely want the Book Journal, here’s a great YouTube trailer:
-
Zombie Lovers!
First it was vampires, then werewolves and now everyone's current obsession is ZOMBIES!
Raincoast offers two great books for anyone who is a zombie fanatic. First, is the humorous “Dead Inside” which is like PostSecret mixed with the Zombie Apocalypse.
Then there's The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, a back story graphic novel which explores one of the series' most sinister characters. (The Walking Dead is currently an acclaimed TV Series airing on AMC.)
-
Ivy & Bean Paper Doll Play Set: Some great gift ideas for any Ivy and Bean fan!
There's the Paper Doll Play Set where you can play out your own Ivy and Bean scenarios or the Mini Notes set which combines creative stationary with your two favourite trouble makers!
-
Grandpa Green:
What is greater than the gift of a good story and beautiful illustrations? Grandpa Green is a heartwarming book that you can give to anyone at any age. I am a personal fan of this book and think it would make a great gift for any loved one!
The book trailer:
-
The Cheesemongers Kitchen:
For any foodie or cheese fan is a fantastic cookbook with creative recipes for everyone's favourite dairy product: CHEESE!
Recipes include delicacies like Foccacia with Venetian Black Truffle and Squash Tuscan Devil's Pecorino with honey.
-
Your Playlist Can Change Your Life: For anyone looking for some inspiration or going through any life changing events I would recommend this lovely little book that states simply, music can change your life.
-
The Art of Pixar: I don't know a single person who has not loved at least one Pixar movie. As storytellers they have transcended animation from being just for kids or families to anyone. They have rooted their characters, their art and their stories deeply in our hearts. I love this large book that shows you the making of their films:
-
Darker Still:
Some good YA Fiction coming your way, this is a great read for anyone who enjoys sinister magic and fantastic situations. Imaginative and with an original concept this is a great stocking stuffer!
"Many teens will be reeled in by the romance, but will also be left thinking about how different things were for women a century ago, trapped by gender and birthright. This smart novel will have wide appeal." (Shelf Awareness)
-
Animals With Hangovers:
A great and humorous photobook of animals with HANGOVERS! Share this with the animal lover in your life, you know the one – they always forward you cute animals on YouTube or are constantly posting funny cat photos on Facebook.
-
Lonely Planet's Best of Travel 2012:
Travel junkies will enjoy this book with its great tips and beautiful photography! The book includes:
- Lonely Planet ranks the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit in 2012.
- The best travel experiences for the year ahead, from feeling the football fever in Ukraine to awaiting the Apocalypse on the Ruta Maya.
- Over 35 events mapped out month by month in the 2012 travel planner.
Happy Holidays!
Intern Insights: Writing & Moustaches in November
by Janet
Art & Photography + Gift & Stationery + Vancouver / November 03, 2011
It's NOVEMBER! You know what that means: stores are breaking out the Christmas specials, Starbucks has their Candy Cane lattes and men grow 
their moustaches for a good cause (Movember).
It also is, in the literary and online world, National Novel Writing Month! NaNoWriMo is "30 days of literary abandon" and what better way to get started on your next novel than with a Moleskine and NaNoWriMo's own “Ready, Set, Novel!” (Chronicle Books)?
The spirit of writing a novel in a month isn't to churn out the next bestseller or Nobel prize winner, it's to connect online with fellow word-lovers and to find your creative self. Write with abandon for the next thirty days and you may be surprised at what turns up.
.jpg)
"Ready, Set, Novel!" is a great writing workbook. Whether you're a first time novelist or seasoned writer, it has a lot of great prompts and exercises to get your brain thinking about the world you're about to create.
My book is slowly filling up, it's one of two writing tools I always carry around. The other is my Reporter Moleskine.
.jpg)
Here are some great resources and tips to get you started on your masterpiece:
- The Snowflake Method - starting a novel and staring at a blank page can be daunting but with the Snowflake Method you can start with the big picture and work your way into the details.
- Creative Writing Exercises - some great prompts by Penn State University's creative writing course
- Nine Steps to a Novel - Author Garth Nix's 9 Steps
- Craft of Writing - Science Fiction Writers of America's blogs with many writing tips and strategies
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down in front of a typewriter and bleed." —Ernest Hemingway
Selective Learning and Goodbyes
by Brian
Board Books + Fiction + Graphica + Humour + Kids + Parenting + Picture Books + Vancouver / August 09, 2011
Sad news everyone — it's my last day at Raincoast (cue crying and wailing of Raincoast staff here) and I'm still having trouble coming to grips with having to leave all this behind. But mostly I'm having trouble leaving...
- My Star Wars themed desk
- Our warehouse full of books
- And getting to flip through all the awesome ARCs and Samples
Oh, and the people — they were great too.
Seeing as how this is my last day, I think it'll be a good idea to take a moment and reflect on all that I've learned here at Raincoast.
(I've also been watching a lot of late night talk shows)
The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned at Raincoast Books
#10 - You can put Zombies in anything
#9 - "Baby Rage” is real. And IS frightening.
#8 - Women really DO want to trade husbands for housekeepers
#7 – Taco in a Bag is delicious
#6 – "Moleskine" isn’t the same as “Vole Skin”
#5- Vegetables are the “New Meat”
#4- Hand puppets and books DO go hand-in-hand
#3- There’s no such thing as “too much Darcy.”
#2- It takes 1 determined intern, 2 weeks and 3 americanos a day to input sales data for 800 titles into an e-catalogue.
#1 Googling The Naked Roommate at work does not produce the best results.
*I had a great time and learned a lot this past year. Thanks for reading about all the quirky things that happen at Raincoast Books through the eyes of a 20-something and I hope you continue to read about all the awesome people here and their love for books.
Cheers,
Brian
Chevy Stevens Events
by Dan
Events + Fiction + Vancouver / June 27, 2011
Chevy Stevens, the New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing, will signing copies of her new book Never Knowing at events in Nanaimo, Victoria and Vancouver in July:
Saturday July 23rd, 2pm
Chapters Nanaimo
6650 Mary Ellen
Nanaimo, BC
Sunday July 24th, 2pm
Chapters Victoria
1212 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC
Monday July 25th, 7pm
Chapters Vancouver
2505 Granville Street
Vancouver BC
A complex and compelling psychological thriller, Never Knowing is available from bookstores on July 5th.
In the meantime, Still Missing is available in paperback. Listen to what booksellers and reviewers had to say about it:
More room ... to fill up with books!
by Siobhan
News + Vancouver / June 24, 2011
Raincoast has been abuzz in all departments this week, getting everything set up for our new distribution partner, Macmillan.
The warehouse is looking really good, especially with the addition of yet more shelving... And if you love books, you know that new bookshelves really are exciting!
Lots of new space ... soon to be filled up by all those great Macmillan books coming in!
Job Posting: Sales Operations Manager
by Siobhan
News + Vancouver / June 13, 2011
Raincoast is hiring a Sales Operations Manager.
Job Posting: Sales Operations Manager
Reports to: EVP Sales and Marketing
Supervises: Sales Analyst, Inventory Coordinators
Major responsibilities
The sales operations manager ensures that the operational and sales departments are fully aligned in terms of key customer expectations and processes, acting as liaison between the sales team and the company’s operational departments.
This position also is responsible for inventory forecasting and analysis, including communication with client publishers and management.
Goals
- Ensure that operational departments, especially systems and warehouse, fully understand and implement the specific requirements of key customers as identified by senior management, with an eye to maximizing profitable sales.
- Work with the sales team to develop realistic title-level forecasts each season, and continue to monitor and adjust as necessary throughout each season.
- Communicate forecasts to key stakeholders, including client publishers and management, meeting varying deadlines
- Through forecasting and regular reviews of current stock holdings, help the inventory team to maximize turns while supporting the sales team in the achievement of annual sales goals.
- Work with sales analyst to develop new reports and streamline existing reports, both to support sales and to satisfy the needs of client publishers and management.
Skills and Experience
The successful candidate will be fluent in both written and spoken English and will hold a post secondary certificate or degree from a recognized public institution. Experience or study in areas such as business operations management, database applications, supply chain management, business processes and inventory forecasting would all be assets, as would relevant work experience.
Applicants should be proficient in the Microsoft suite of products and have extensive Microsoft Excel experience.
This position requires excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to build and maintain strong working relationships at all levels within the company and with external stakeholders.
Experience in book publishing or distribution would be a plus.
We regret that we can only acknowledge applications from candidates selected for interviews. No phones calls or agencies, please.
To apply, please email your resume to Paddy Laidley by June 24, 2011:
paddy [at] raincoast.com
Comments (0) |
Tags:
job posting news vancouver
Macmillan Announces Raincoast as Sales and Distribution Partner in Canada
by Dan
News + Vancouver / June 09, 2011
MACMILLAN ANNOUNCES RAINCOAST AS SALES AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNER IN CANADA FOR INDEPENDENT, LIBRARY AND SPECIALTY ACCOUNTS
June 9, 2011 — Raincoast Books has reached agreement in principle with New York-based Macmillan U.S. to handle sales, fulfillment and marketing for the Macmillan imprints previously sold by H.B. Fenn and Company in Canada.
Raincoast will be responsible for the independent bookstore, library, and specialty markets as well as for Costco Canada. Farrar, Straus & Giroux will continue to be sold by Douglas & McIntyre in Canada.
Both companies will begin the transition immediately. Raincoast will be responsible for selling in Macmillan’s fall lists and books will be available to ship from Raincoast in early July.
In a unique arrangement to increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, larger Raincoast accounts located in the eastern half of Canada will receive books directly from Macmillan’s Gordonsville, Virginia warehouses. The sales, billing and customer service for those shipments will remain with Raincoast in Vancouver.
John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan said, “We are pleased to have found an excellent business partner in Raincoast for Canada. Raincoast has a stellar reputation, knows the market and was creative in helping us find ways to make the fulfillment portion of the agreement more sustainable.”
Alison Lazarus, President of Sales added, “We met with many fine companies in Canada, but Raincoast’s systems and reporting strength, adept and creative marketing, modern warehouse and network of award-winning sales representatives made them a great fit. We are looking forward to working closely with them to renew our strong Canadian sales.”
John Sawyer, CEO of Raincoast said, “In discussion with Macmillan it soon became apparent that the two companies share common values; total focus on customer service, respect for the environment and great optimism about the future of quality publishing. Our partnership with Macmillan sends a strong signal about the book market in Canada and the importance of Canadian customers.”
Paddy Laidley, Executive Vice-President of Sales & Marketing agrees. “The independent and specialty market in Canada has always been core to our business. We choose our distribution partners carefully; for the quality of their publishing, how they fit with our other publishers and the way they do business. We look for companies that can make us better at what we do. Macmillan fits the bill perfectly.”
About Macmillan:
Macmillan is a global publisher of books, magazines, textbooks, scientific information and digital content and services. In the U.S., the group includes Farrar,Straus & Giroux; Henry Holt; St. Martin's Press; Tor Books; Picador; Macmillan Audio; Bedford St. Martin's; W.H. Freeman; Worth Publishers; i-clicker; Hayden-McNeil; Palgrave Macmillan; Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; and Scientific American Magazine.
Macmillan is a subsidiary of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, GMbH, a global media company based in Stuttgart, Germany.
About Raincoast:
Founded in 1979, Raincoast offers full-service sales and marketing expertise for leading publishers from Canada and around the world, along with a wholesale division that drives our customer service standard. Raincoast has been awarded an Ethics in Action Award for Environmental Excellence for our commitment to sustainable environmental practices and has been voted Distributor of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association more times than any other publisher or distributor.
Job Posting: Data Specialist at Raincoast
by Siobhan
News + Vancouver / June 07, 2011
Raincoast Books is looking for a data specialist to start immediately. Raincoast maintains a central database that stores bibliographic data, enhanced book descriptions, book covers and interior images supplied by our client publishers. The data specialist maintains the database as it pertains to individual book content and its application by Raincoast sales and marketing departments.
The data specialist is responsible for adding new titles every season from ONIX and text files, while problem solving any data deficiencies and creating seasonal runtime eCatalogue applications for two divisions of Raincoast and other companies. The job will entail constant communication with our client publishers.
The successful candidate will show a great concern for detail and be able to multitask at a very high level. They will have excellent communication and organizational skills and a high level of proficiency in the Office Suite of programs, especially Excel. Strong copyediting skills would be beneficial. An interest in publishing is not essential, an aptitude for data management is.
Candidates should send a CV and cover letter by June 17, 2011 to Jamie Broadhurst, Vice-President of Marketing via email: jamie [at] raincoast.com
Comments (0) |
Tags:
job posting news vancouver
Job Posting: Customer Service Representative
by Siobhan
News + Vancouver / June 06, 2011
Raincoast Books is hiring a Customer Service Representative.
Job Summary
- The Customer Service Representative assists all customers with orders, shipments, and stock information, and has specific responsibilities for warehouse club and prepaid orders.
Job Responsibilities
- Providing Service to customers
- Coordinating the processing and shipping of warehouse club orders
- Overseeing the release of prepaid orders
- Providing back-up for the tasks of the Customers Service Supervisor
- Sending out desk copies request as required
Qualifications
- Excellent phone and interpersonal skills
- Excellent customer service and problem solving skills
- Good numeric ability and attention to detail
- Computer literacy and familiarity with spreadsheets
Previous customer service and book industry experience are assets.
This is a part time position with a minimum of 30 hours per week. Remuneration is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
If you are interested, please submit your resume to Bev MacNeil at Raincoast Books via email: bev [at] raincoast.com by Friday, June 10, 2011.
Comments (0) |
Tags:
job posting news vancouver