Blog
Tag: Books
Distribution Change: Owlkids
by Dan
Kids + News / December 08, 2011
Effective January 1, 2012 Owlkids Books will be distributed in Canada by UTP
Distribution. Returns of Owlkids books will be accepted by UTP as of this date.
Raincoast Books will also accept returns of Owlkids product until March 31, 2012.
Canadian sales will be handled by ampersand inc., formerly known as Kate
Walker & Company.
Owlkids Books and Maple Tree Press ISBN prefixes are:
978-1-897066
978-1-897349
978-1-926818
978-1-926973
978-2-89579
New distribution contact information:
University of Toronto Press
5201 Dufferin Street
Toronto, ON, M3H 5T8
(PH) 1-800-565-9523 (North America) / (416) 667-7791
(FAX) 1-800-221-9985 (North America) / (416) 667-7832
Fictional Homes in Literature
by Dan
Fiction / June 20, 2011
Writing for the Huffington Post last week, author Mary Kay Andrews discussed her voyeuristic obsession with houses and picked 10 iconic fictional homes from literature. Her list included Jay Gatsby's mansion on East Egg and Manderley from Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca.
But the list was notable for the classic fictional homes it didn't mention such as 221B Baker Street, Pemberley, Satis House, Green Gables, the "Little House", Bag End, and the Burrow (not to mention 12 Grimmauld Place!).
Of course, who doesn't love reading about other people's houses? And there are so many great houses in literature to choose from (I haven't even mentioned the original "man-cave" Wayne Manor!), it is hard to choose just ten.
So tell me readers, what would be on your list of the best fictional homes in literature?
Comments (1) |
Tags:
books houses literature
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.
Publish Your Photography Book
by Dan
Art & Photography / March 08, 2011
Scenes From an Impending Marriage
by Dan
Graphica / February 17, 2011
Adrian Tomine's latest book, Scenes from an Impending Marriage, started life as a small personal gift for guests at his wedding. But what began as an illustrated card soon grew into a collection of short comics strips about the absurd process of getting married.
Now a fully-fledged comic book, Scenes from an Impending Marriage sweet-naturedly skewers (in a funny, all too relatable way) the modern marriage process, including hiring a DJ, location scouting, trips to the salon, suit fittings, dance lessons, registering for gifts and managing familial demands.
Adrian AND his wife Sarah Brennan talked about the book, and the process of getting married, with NPR's All Things Considered earlier this week:
Tomine says that he also has an easy time drawing himself.
"It helps that I have some fairly typical comic book shorthand qualities like big glasses and a beard and a funny posture," he says. "Even if the technical likeness isn't there, if you throw in some of those things, it's enough to communicate who it's supposed to be."
"You're also frequently crabby like a lot of cartoonists," Brennan says.
Adrian was also recently interviewed by The Economist's More Intelligent Life this week:
If the hypothetical reader's life has progressed similarly to mine, they'll probably enjoy the book. If it hasn't, then they might want to sit this one out. What can I say? I took a gamble! The one thing I'd say is that the only thing this book really whole-heartedly endorses is a good relationship. I should mention that another impetus for publishing this work was the simple fact that it was time for me to do something different. I think the worst thing I could've done to follow up “Shortcomings” would be to do another book with a similar tone and drawing style. So it was kind of exciting for me when I realised that kind of departure that I was aiming for was already completed and ready to go.
You can read a 6-page PDF preview of Scenes from an Impending Marriage is available here.
Favourite Books 2010: Heather Camlot, MySweetBaby
by Dan
Kids + News + Parenting / December 28, 2010
Create Your Own Planet
Todd Parr
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871464
$16.99
Trying to explain the world beyond the window to young children such as my own is tough, but this fun “doodle and draw” book makes them to think about life around them, from whether caterpillars wear shoes to what makes people happy.
Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99
Imaginative play at its best — while the young girl in Shadow creates her own world with simple items found in the attic, young readers create their own story to the simple, striking images in the wordless book.
Every Day's A Holiday: Year-Round Crafting with Kids
Heidi Kenney
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871440
$26.95
I can’t get enough of craft books — they are without hesitation my favourite reads. I love this one for the range of techniques and materials, from fruit-stamping onto fabric to constructing a garden basket out of mini fencing, as well as for the list of unusual holidays — World Origami Days, who knew?
Heather Camlot is the editor of MySweetBaby.
Favourite Books 2010: Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, YoYoMama
by Dan
Kids + News + Picture Books / December 28, 2010
Play All Day
Taro Gomi
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871211
$22.99
Trust Taro Gomi to take it to the next level. While everyone else is now doing doodle books he’s moved on to playing. Play All Day is filled with things to punch out and make from games to toys to finger puppets. It’s literally hours of engaging entertainment and would be great for holiday travel with kids.
Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99
Shadow, a two-word, two colour book about a dark attic, a light bulb and an imaginative little girl can be “read” right side up or upside down as one side shows what’s really in the attic while the other shows how the shadows of ordinary household items like a vacuum cleaner and a ladder morph into a tropical jungle complete with exotic animals, rampant vegetation and just a hint of danger. Kids of all ages are entranced by the shadow world and Lee's lovely art.
Ivy + Bean What's the Big Idea
Annie Barrows
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811866927
$16.99
I've enjoyed reading this whole series with my now seven-year-old and the latest book in the series. The adventures of this unlikely BFF duo are everyday in a lovely way that kids can relate to and parents will appreciate. With nary a licensed character in sight, Ivy and Bean's shenanigans are based on imaginary play and they're just "naughty" enough that kids will thrill to it but parents won't be dismayed. Plus I was thrilled to be able to meet Annie Barrows when she came to town this fall, my kids thought I was a rock star!
Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit founded yoyomama, a free daily e-newsletter for mums in Vancouver (and now Toronto), in 2007 when she couldn’t easily find local info on products and services for mums and their babies. As a mother-of-two girls and busy entrepreneur, she taps into her own front-line experiences to provide readers relevant, useful information that will (hopefully) make their life less harried. Favourite Books 2010: Monique Trottier
by Dan
Food & Drink + Health & Wellness + Kids + News + Vancouver / December 20, 2010
Tartine Bread
Chad Robertson
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811870412
$46
I know this book is a favourite among the Raincoast staff, but I have to call it out as well.
I am most certainly not the professional baker or bread-maker in our home, but thankfully neither is my sweetie James. Chad Robertson, however, has promised me that his detailed descriptions and step-by-step inspiration will result in the perfect loaf of bread. I'm totally game!
Those in my family who make bread are like magi. They understand the feel of the bread, the smell of the starter. I understand the taste of awesome warm bread melting in my mouth, and the smell of good bread from the oven. We'll see how my training goes.
My resolution for 2011 is to make bread, and I'm putting my eggs and flour into Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread basket.
Just an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure
James L. D'Adamo
Hay House ISBN 9781401927196
$29.95
I'm infinitely fascinated by natural medicine and how little Western nations have invested in understanding natural remedies, diet, exercise and meditation. I'm also frightened by the reactive approach the medical system, insurance industry and government take to health. I truly believe that we have to take responsibility for our own health and wellness, and Dr. D'Adamo's teachings add one more piece of the puzzle.
WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
If I needed to cheerlead, this is the book that gets two pom-pom fist pumps.
Vancouver Then and Now
Francis Mansbridge
Thunder Bay ISBN 9781592239177
$22.95]
The previously mentioned non-baker in our house is also a big fan of Then and Now photography. We have quite a digital collection of historic and contemporary photos of Winnipeg, and are constantly on the look out for cool before and after shots of Vancouver. Why? Why not. Getting to know a place requires you to know what came before. One of the things that impressed me while travelling in the Middle East was the street directions--go north to the old hotel, turn left ... (by "old hotel" they mean something that was there 50+ years ago that is no longer there but is still in recent memory and continues to be because of the instructions). By the way, never get lost with me. Bring money and your phone.
Speaking of travel, James and I were recently in Wanderlust on 4th Ave and we spent a long time perusing this book instead of buying my suitcase and clipping through the rest of our shopping list. (Needless to say, someone has a book in his stocking.)
Day and Night
Teddy Newton
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811876643
$16.99
Since Pete has already called out the wonders of Tartine Bread, I'll add Day and Night to my list of favourites.
Part of going to a Pixar movie is the joy of watching the Pixar shorts in advance of the feature film. I first saw Day and Night as the short before Toy Story 3, and I was equally charmed by the picture book. Pixar is magical in all its formats.
In Day and Night, Day meets Night and Night meets Day. There's confusion, a bit of fighting, and a moment of realization that blossoms into a lovely ending. Super cute.
Monique Trottier is the founder of Boxcar Marketing and the blogger behind SoMisguided.com, a site about books, writing, perfume, technology and other amusements. She runs amok in Vancouver and on twitter @somisguided.
Favourite Books 2010: Crystal Allen
by Crystal
Kids + News + Travel / December 17, 2010
Those who know me well consider me to be a bad girl, a rebel if you will. I think that is why they hired me as a Children's Book Publicist here at Raincoast, to give it a bit more edge. Rules? Ha! I laugh in the face of rules. So when Dan Wagstaff our dashing (yes dashing! Have you heard Dan's English accent?) Online Marketing Specialist asked us all to come up with our favorite 3 books of 2010 I said "No way! I'm choosing 5!" So here they are, in no particular order, Crystal Allen's Favorite Raincoast Books of 2010!
Out of Sight
Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811877121
$22.99
I remember the first time I heard about this book I thought "Oh that sounds like it will be pretty good!" Then I saw it and it and I was absolutely blown away! If you want to buy one book this year that will be enjoyed by everyone in your family from ages 6 months (with supervision) to 100 this is the book. The animal kingdom comes alive with over 50 known and unknown creatures from around the world. With lift the flaps and pop ups this 11 inch by 15 inch book is not only beautiful but it will also keep a child entertained for hours. And it's only $22.95 which gives you a lot of bang for your gift giving buck!
The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World
Robert Reid
Lonely Planet ISBN 9781741792119
$56.00
My husband and I were given the first edition of The Travel Book for a wedding present back in 2006. Too poor to travel the world we often pull this tomb out and armchair travel for an evening. The book has 229 countries & destinations to explore each laid out over a two page full color spread. My very favorite part of the book is that each destination has recommendations on something to Read, Listen To, Watch, Eat and Drink to help experience the country. Then it sums up each country in one word. One of my favorites is Tahiti who's word is Haere Maru which means Take It Slow.
Alphabeasties Amazing Activities
Sharon Werner & Sarah Forss
Blue Apple ISBN 9781609050412
$15.99
One of my favorite book of 2009 was Alphabeasties, a book that explored all the different types of fonts and turned them into animals made out of combinations of different typefaces. From an alligator made of A's to a Zebra made of Z's the book took fonts blocky, small, thick, tall, roundish, slope-y fancy and dopey and brought them to life. For 2010 we have the sequel to the book Alphabeasties Amazing Activities which is packed full of mazes, word searches, rebus puzzles and other intellectual play plus 300 stickers and the really cool animals. It's a must have not only for kids but also for design nerds... or want to be design nerds... like me.
I had the opportunity to work with 2 fabulous authors in 2010 for their Canadian Tours and I would be remise if I did not mention their books on my list.
The first was the lovely Annie Barrows who visited Vancouver and did 3 events plus a bookseller & librarian lunch all in one day for her new book Ivy and Bean What's The Big Idea. The Ivy and Bean books are my very favorite chapter book series about two girls who are neighbors and best friends and get into all kinds of mischief together. My favorite books as a child were the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary and these take me right back to those days. Like the Ramona books the Ivy and Bean books have huge fans that are both female and male. I expected a ton of little girls to gush over Annie during the day that I spent with her but I was pleasantly surprised to see how many little boys were huge fans as well!
The second author we had in Canada was the hilarious and delightful Bart King who visited Toronto to promote his book The Big Book Of Gross Stuff. Bart was on Breakfast Television and fried up some worms for a little breakfast treat and had a great time sharing gross facts from around the world on YTV's The Zone. Farts, poop, boogers, maggots, vomit, head cheese and just about every other gross thing you can think of are explored in this book so it will delight boys (and we have to admit girls too) with it's grossness. The thing that parents will love? Bart is a middle school teacher so while kids think they are reading about all this nasty stuff that would churn grownups stomachs they are actually being tricked into learning a lot of really great things!
So that's my list of my favorite books of 2010! I think there is something for just about anyone that you may have on your gift list! Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!
Crystal Allen is the Children's and Travel Publicist at Raincoast books. As much as she would like to think of herself as a bad girl, she really isn't. She is also mama to 2 year old Isabella and the owner of Lilikoi Lane where she makes and designs really cool shirts for kids!
Comments (1) |
Tags:
bart king best of 2010 books ivy + bean kids books lonely planet reading travel
Favourite Books 2010: Chelsea Theriault
by Dan
Food & Drink + Kids + News / December 13, 2010
How to Cook Like a Top Chef
Chronicle Books ISBN 978-0-8118-7486-1
$34.95
Top Chef is the pick of the litter when it comes to reality TV. This colourful cookbook helps you to recreate and taste some of the show's most memorable dishes, and is a crash-course in techniques, ingredients, and the art of cooking on the fly.
It also includes recipes from some of the renowned chefs who competed on Top Chef: Masters, such as Hubert Keller and Rick Bayless. Bayless' Chile-Garlic shrimp is a winner!
Bear in Underwear
Todd Goldman
Blue Apple ISBN 9781609050160
$14.99
Not sure what it says about my maturity level, but this book makes me smile. Bear and his adorable forest friends (I have a soft spot for Porcupine and Big Foot) discover a bag full of underwear and try them on for size. Bear's undies on the cover are made of real fabric, which is guaranteed to get a laugh out of the target audience...and maybe those who fall outside of it, too.
Passions Book Journal
Moleskine ISBN 9788862933193
$26.00
It's the perfect marriage: Moleskine journals and literary obsessions. I love having a place to store my ever-growing lists of "What to read next," and "Books____ would like," as well having a journal tailored to collecting favourite quotes and documenting the lasting impressions that good books bring.
Chelsea Theriault is the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Raincoast, and can't imagine a life where she is not surrounded by books and pugs. Her secret weapon is colour-coded spreadsheets.