Today’s post is something new. I’d really like your feedback on this: do you like it? Should we do more of this from time to time?
Inspired by two of my favorite bloggers, Mitch Joel and Chris Brogan, both of whom blog about social media and interactive marketing, we present you with Pixelated: A Virtual Book Conference. Mitch had the idea to present a virtual conference through videos that are available online, and Chris had the idea to spread the idea further among the blog world. You can “attend” this conference from your desk or living room softa, at your convenience, watching all of the videos at once, or in dribs and drabs.
I’ve always thought that there should be a huge book conference with author panels and publishers and sessions that would appeal to the general book reader who is not in the publishing industry. So this is my attempt to bring one to you here on our blog. Some of these videos are quite short, and others are an hour long. These are some of my favorite books right now, and I hope you enjoy this peek into the authors’ worlds.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is one of those books that I can’t stop thinking (or talking) about. Sadly, author Stieg Larsson died shortly after the novel was first published in Sweden. Here, Sonny Mehta, publisher of Knopf, talks about the book. (00:04:06)
Richard Russo on his latest novel, Bridge of Sighs, which has just been published in paperback. Bridge of Sighs was my favorite book of 2008. (00:11:21)
Dexter Filkins, author of The Forever War, tells us about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, and about his incredible book. This is one of my current favorites, and I spoke about it on Books on the Nightstand podcast episode #13 (01:05:33)
Michael Greenberg talks about being a writer, and about Hurry Down Sunshine, a memoir of his daughter Sally’s “crackup” at the age of 15. Heartbreaking and poignant, the video gives you an unvarnished look at a family dealing with mental illness. (00:04:58)
As our nation discusses and obsesses about politics, author Stephen Carter brings us Palace Council, a novel about politics in another time. (00:01:40)
One of the most unusual novels published this year is The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway. It is unusual not just in terms of content, but it is one of the most unique book jackets I’ve ever seen or felt. Those of you in the United States must take a look at the book in a bookstore. Nick, the son of novelist John LeCarre, talks here about making the transition from film scriptwriter to novelist. (00:02:00)
So what do you think? Would you like to see more of these “virtual conferences?” Would you like more videos, longer ones, shorter ones? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments._______________________________
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins, Knopf hardcover
Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg, The Other Press hardcover Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter, Knopf hardcover
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway, Knopf hardcover
(all information is the U.S. editions)
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I think this is a great idea and look forward to seeing some women authors up here!
Aren’t there any out there in the news today? I tend to keep an eye out for books and videos by the female species.
THANKS!
Debbie,
Hmmm, interesting.
I hadn’t considered a gender distribution — I took my favorite books that are recently published that I could find video for, and this is what I came up with. I didn’t realize until you pointed it out that they were all male authors.
We’re about to record the next episode of our podcast, and it does feature some female authors, as we have across previous blog posts and episodes. If we do another round of Pixelated videos, I’m sure that there will be women represented.
I’m glad you like the idea, and appreciate your comments. Thanks!
As I said at Chris’s blog, I absolutely love this concept! Looking forward to these videos, too. Thanks, Ann!
I like this option (but I hope it doesn’t replace any of your regular postings!). I’m not sure if I’ll always watch them, but I found that they are good to listen to while doing other small tasks, like filing, that you can’t do while reading a blog or an interview. Thanks for making filing less painful!
Don’t worry Dreamybee… these videos will always be a way to give you MORE content, not replace any!
I just finished Girl w/Dragon Tatt on vacation and can’t help but wonder if there would have been a sequel. It definitely stays with you…
I’ll be linking up the interview on your blog later this week
mel
Mel,
Yes, there is a sequel! It should be out in summer 09, I think. Stieg Larsson wrote 3 books before he died, but submitted them all at once. So there are actually 2 more books to look forward to. I have the manuscript of the 2nd book,but haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet. I’ll report back when I do.
Thanks!!
Ann
What an absolutely wonderful idea. Thanks!
This is such a cool idea! Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Lots of good videos that I never would have dug up on my own.
As a bookseller, the printed promotional material that publishers send out can be a bit overwhelming to sift through and of course, they are usually at work when there’s just no time to look at it all. Buyers have more of an advantage because they see the reps, but the seller on the floor often doesn’t have that chance. We wind up constantly paging the poor buyer about books customers are looking for because they don’t remember the title/author and only recall the content. Podcasts and videos “to go” make it easier to catch up and accessible to all.
I’ll be sure to pass the word on to my co-workers about this blog/idea. As trav said, thanks for taking the time to put this together. You’ve made my job a little easier!