Black Friday
By Anna Elliott | November 27, 2009 |
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a wonderful, food- and family-filled holiday. Now it’s Black Friday, and on this, the biggest shopping day of the year, I’d like to make a special plea: buy books this holiday season. Not my books, I don’t mean, or even those of my fellow WU contributors. Just books. Fiction, nonfiction, picture books, cookbooks—any books.
These are such crazy economic times we’re living in, and I know we’ve all of us been affected, but the book industry has been hit especially hard. Sales are down, publishers aren’t turning a profit—and what’s worse, countless local independent book stores are being driven out of business.
And the thing is, writers, aspiring writers, readers, publishers and book sellers, we’re all in this together. We all need the book industry not just to survive, but to thrive. Obviously writers need people to buy their books or they won’t stay published long. But for the aspiring writers out there—it’s incredibly rare that a publisher actually makes a profit from a first time author’s book. You need the publishers to have a comfortable enough profit margin that they’re willing to take a chance on buying yours, on waiting to earn money until they—and you—have built your fledgling career. Really, we all need that. I can’t count the number of wonderful break-out books I’ve read from first-time authors. What a huge loss if simple economics had kept them from being published.
And we all need our local independent book sellers to stay in business, too. Debut and aspiring writers especially. You need your wonderful local bookstore to host your book signings, hand-sell your books, recommend you to every customer that comes through the door looking for a gift or their next great read. There are so, so many books published each year. Local bookstores are what keep debut authors from getting lost in the crowd—what keep the intimate, personal element alive in an industry that in this internet and mega-store age could so easily turn faceless.
So please, this holiday season, consider driving straight to your local bookstore to buy your gifts. It truly is one-stop shopping—where else can you find the perfect present for just about everyone on your list?
And as my holiday gift to all of you, I’d like to offer this added incentive: if you buy a book in the next month—say, before Dec. 21st, which is when my next WU post will appear—send me an e-mail (anna at annaelliottbooks dot com) telling me the title of the book and who you bought it for. I’ll have my husband plug the list of entrants into a random number generator and we’ll pick a winner (I really wish I could offer this to everyone, but babies and publishing contracts—in that order, pretty much—forbid) to whom I’ll offer to read and give feedback on either a query letter OR the first five pages of your work-in-progress, your choice. And for any non aspiring writers out there who want to enter anyway I can offer . . . hmm . . a recipe for fruitcake? No? Well, we’ll think of something.
Let’s all just buy books this year. Support our independents. And most of all, let’s keep the magic of reading alive.
Anna Elliott is an author of historical fiction and fantasy. Her first series, the Twilight of Avalon trilogy, is a retelling of the Trystan and Isolde legend. She wrote her second series, the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles, chiefly to satisfy her own curiosity about what might have happened to Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and all the other wonderful cast of characters after the official end of Jane Austen’s classic work. She enjoys stories about strong women, and loves exploring the multitude of ways women can find their unique strengths. Anna lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and three children.
[…] Thanksgiving! I’m over at Writer Unboxed today talking about a special holiday contest for this month. Stop […]
Fantastic, Anna! Not just your contest (and let me tell you, I have been buying-up books for gifts like life vests in a storm, so am quite excited to send you my list!) but the hard truth of your post. It shocks and disturbs me how many people I personally know who tell me, and with a strange sense of pride in their voices, that they “DON’T READ!” All of which means that those are of course the very people I am sure to gift with books because I know in my heard that it’s just impossible for anyone to honestly not love or at least enjoy books. Everyone in my family knows me as the Johnny-Appleseed of books, give me a birthday, holiday, wedding, etc and they know that lovely wrapped package beautifully tied with a bow will surely be a book!
Wonderful idea!! I’ve bought lots of books for myself.. hee hee.. and even more for my daughter already. And I agree, books make a great gift!
.-= Marie Burton´s last blog ..Women on Wednesday~ Thank you, Judy Blume! =-.
Oh wow, that’s a really great offer. I’ll be back in a few days to tell you at least one title. :)
(Unfortunately, I’m an aspiring writer whose friends don’t have the time or inclination to read much…)
.-= Kristan´s last blog ..My 2009 Turkey Day list =-.
That’s wonderful Marie and BAFA! And Kristan, you can totally use this as an excuse to buy a book for yourself even if you can’t think of anyone else to buy a book for! I’m still happy to enter you in the drawing! :-)
Went to my local bookstore’s (Dymock’s Australia) pre-Christmas wine and cheese shopping night last Thursday and perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was the wonderful covers and content that surrounded me or maybe it was just the need to give books to make people happy but anyway, here’s the list:
Sharon Penman’s Time and Chance for my mother.
Catherine Sanderson’s French Kiss, Cowley’s and Williamson’s World of the Book and Kim Wilkin’s The Autumn Castle all for my daughter (a voracious bibliophile).
Michael Connolly’s Nine Dragons for my brother.
The Complete Annotated Fairytales for my son to give me.
JRR Tolkein’s Mr. Bliss Collector’s Edition for me to give me.
Felicity Pulman’s Rosemary for Remembrance to have as the spare gift in the cupboard that one always needs.
PS: Sending list to you by email as well.
Excellent idea for a contest. I see some books people bought I may have to check out.
.-= jennygirl´s last blog ..Review: Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz =-.
[…] Anna suggested last week, my plan of attack this year is to give books and book-related products. I’m supporting indie […]
I bought C.L. Wilson’s Queen of Song and Souls and J.R. Ward’s Covet.
I make sure I buy books for people every Christmas and most birthdays. I’ve been doing that for about ten years. We must support the industry.
[…] in case you are an aspiring author, here is a great opportunity over at Writer Unboxed. If you buy books for the holidays you can enter a contest for a chance to win a review of a query […]