1. Some stories of survival leave powerful imprints on human consciousness: a wrist stuck under a boulder; a teenager stranded with only a hatchet; cloned dinosaurs on a rampage.*  Such images leave us white knuckled with tense jaws and a ferocious desire to know what will happen next. Still, survival may mean something as simple as putting one foot in front of the other each morning, joining a choir, moving into a van, getting sober, or leaving the country. This month’s memoirs column features acts of survival that may seem small but are in fact indispensable steps taken in the direction of a more fulfilling life.

    I Will Survive | Memoir Short Takes by Erin Shea aka darienlibrary.

  2. Author events start conversations. Whether it’s book groups reading the author’s book in preparation for the event or two attendees striking up a conversation while saving seats for their spouses, author events are the spark that builds and strengthens community.

    — Erin Shea, librarian, zinester, genius, via Togather  (via rachelfershleiser)

  3. housingworksbookstore: togatherinc: Erin Shea is Head of Adult Programming at Darien Library in Darien, CT. She tweets from @erintheshea and manages Darien Library’s tumblr, where she recently wrote about hosting author events in libraries and how to find audiences for them: “Do not neglect niche groups! For example we recently hosted Becky Aikman, author of the memoir Saturday Night Widows. I reached out to local widow support groups. We had the CEO of Weight Watchers talk about his weight loss book and I reached out to local Weight Watchers centers. Sometimes I go undercover on MeetUp.com and join MeetUp groups and invite members. I have reached out to local magicians when we had a magician author visit. Get out into your community! Also invite a local blogger to be “in conversation” with an author. That way the blog’s readership finds out about the event and the blogger promotes the heck out of your program. Get your staff excited and interested so they promote it to patrons. How do you get them excited? Involve them in the planning of your event.” We talked to Erin over email this week and learned more about the ins and outs of author events in libraries: how they are planned, what makes them successful, and why libraries and author events make a perfect match. Read More I am mildly obsessed with Erin Shea, read this. I am openly, troublingly obsessed with Erin Shea. “Laser Fingers” Shea is also (FUN FACT) one of LJ’s memoir columnists. She is an expert at author events.

    housingworksbookstore:

    togatherinc:

    Erin Shea is Head of Adult Programming at Darien Library in Darien, CT. She tweets from @erintheshea and manages Darien Library’s tumblr, where she recently wrote about hosting author events in libraries and how to find audiences for them:

    “Do not neglect niche groups! For example we recently hosted Becky Aikman, author of the memoir Saturday Night Widows. I reached out to local widow support groups. We had the CEO of Weight Watchers talk about his weight loss book and I reached out to local Weight Watchers centers. Sometimes I go undercover on MeetUp.com and join MeetUp groups and invite members. I have reached out to local magicians when we had a magician author visit. Get out into your community! Also invite a local blogger to be “in conversation” with an author. That way the blog’s readership finds out about the event and the blogger promotes the heck out of your program. Get your staff excited and interested so they promote it to patrons. How do you get them excited? Involve them in the planning of your event.”

    We talked to Erin over email this week and learned more about the ins and outs of author events in libraries: how they are planned, what makes them successful, and why libraries and author events make a perfect match.

    Read More

    I am mildly obsessed with Erin Shea, read this.

    I am openly, troublingly obsessed with Erin Shea. “Laser Fingers” Shea is also (FUN FACT) one of LJ’s memoir columnists. She is an expert at author events.

  4. cloudunbound: I’ve spent a goodly amount of February shining a giant pink light on Cloud partner Harlequin (see my overview of its series, Harlequin’s quick-and-dirty guide to erotica, and Cloud librarian Maureen Roberts’s interview with KISS author Kelly Hunter). Before the month of love and eros slips away, romance fans and publishing pundits of all platforms should, if they haven’t already, meet Angela James, executive editor of Harlequin’s digital-first, DRM-free imprint, Carina Press.  Below is Cloud librarian Erin Shea’s scintillating email conversation with James (pictured above, with e-reader in hand), who lives and dies by her intimate, enviable connection with the romance audience. She’s also a believer in the library as discovery center and holds forth with ten years of digital publishing experience on the relationship among word of mouth, digital marketing, libraries, and sales. ES: Carina Press is a “digital-first, DRM free” imprint of Harlequin. Would you explain what this means for library users downloading your ebooks? AJ: This actually means very positive things for library users, because Carina Press has chosen not to put DRM, or Digital Rights Management, on our titles, including those bought by libraries. This means library users can easily move the files they check out from the library to their device of choice. I have had a number of librarians tell me that, because of this, they often use Carina Press titles to demonstrate to patrons how to move files to a device, because we make it quite painless. ES: Your imprint primarily publishes genre fiction. Do you think genre fans consume their reading in a way that makes a DRM-free business model more sustainable than, say, nonfiction? AJ: I don’t consider myself an expert on the nonfiction market or its consumers, so it’s difficult to answer this question with any confidence. Anecdotally, I’ve heard many nonfiction publishers, especially textbook publishers, say DRM free is a nonstarter in their part of the industry. On the other hand, I’ve also heard fiction publishers say that. On the fiction side, I think some of the hesitation from publishers comes not just from the publishers and their concerns with reader usage of DRM-free material, but also from the pressure they get from some authors and agents to continue the use of DRM because of their concerns with reader usage. ES: Carina Press caters to niche and emerging reader markets. Do you worry about customers finishing a title and then passing it on digitally to a friend for free? Or do you see this as a way to build word of mouth? AJ: Yes, I do see it as a way to build word of mouth. I’m going to use myself as an example. I’m an avid reader; in 2012, I read between 410-420 books. In short, I’m a publisher’s dream come true! But despite the fact that I’m willing to spend several thousand dollars a year on books, I still encounter many that I’d like to read but am hesitant to purchase because I’m uncertain of the author’s writing ability, storytelling ability, or whether I can trust her or him with plot elements. Being able to get the book from a friend (or a library!) allows me to experiment with authors, stories, and even genres I wouldn’t otherwise try. Because of the wide availability of books to choose from, if borrowing the book by some legitimate means isn’t available to me, I simply skip it. However, if I am able to borrow it, and enjoy it, I am willing in the future to become a paying customer of that author. If the author has a preexisting backlist, I’ll invest in the backlist. I don’t think I’m that unique in this regard (perhaps unique in how much I read but not unique in wanting to be cautious of where I choose to spend my reading dollars). ES: Ebook discovery is a hot topic in Library Land. Browsing a digital collection is an inherently different experience than perusing a physical bookshelf. Because of this, librarians are constantly thinking about how they can streamline ebook discovery. How do you market your digital-first titles to new audiences? AJ: In many ways, digital-first marketing is much the same as marketing print. We advertise in key online places, as well as experiment with niche online places. We do etailer co-ops, seek out reviews, send newsletters, engage with our audience in social media channels, etc. But with the rise of digital and the rise of the reader also being online, we’re seeing how important word of mouth along with the right pricing strategy is. But if a title can generate excellent word of mouth, that’s the most valuable marketing!  ES: Would you be open to a library purchasing Carina Press ebooks and then assigning their own in-house DRM to those titles? AJ: You know, that’s something no one has ever asked me before. It’s a larger business decision, so we’d definitely be open to a discussion on the pros and cons of this. It would be a fascinating discussion! ES: You are a self-proclaimed advocate for digital publishing; how does your point of view influence your stance on ebook lending models for libraries? AJ: I think there are two things that predispose me to being a fan of ebook lending  in libraries. The first is that I’m, as I said earlier, an avid reader. So I definitely often see things with a reader and consumer’s viewpoint, even while understanding and evaluating from the publisher point of view. The second is that I’ve been in digital publishing for a decade, so I’ve seen the growth of the industry and seen up close the readership changes. Both of these things make me a fan of libraries as well as a consumer of ebook lending via libraries myself. ES: Finally, do you have any advice for publishers who are considering licensing their ebooks to libraries? AJ: I wouldn’t presume to tell another publisher how to do business, so no true advice. Instead, I’ll say that being open to library lending has been advantageous for us in building relationships with the libraries, with authors (and for authors to build relationships with libraries) and with readers.  LJ memoir columnist and star Tumblarian, Erin “Laser Fingers” Shea talks to Angela James, editor of Harlequin’s e-only imprint, Carina Press.

    cloudunbound:

    I’ve spent a goodly amount of February shining a giant pink light on Cloud partner Harlequin (see my overview of its series, Harlequin’s quick-and-dirty guide to erotica, and Cloud librarian Maureen Roberts’s interview with KISS author Kelly Hunter). Before the month of love and eros slips away, romance fans and publishing pundits of all platforms should, if they haven’t already, meet Angela James, executive editor of Harlequin’s digital-first, DRM-free imprint, Carina Press. 

    Below is Cloud librarian Erin Shea’s scintillating email conversation with James (pictured above, with e-reader in hand), who lives and dies by her intimate, enviable connection with the romance audience. She’s also a believer in the library as discovery center and holds forth with ten years of digital publishing experience on the relationship among word of mouth, digital marketing, libraries, and sales.

    ES: Carina Press is a “digital-first, DRM free” imprint of Harlequin. Would you explain what this means for library users downloading your ebooks?

    AJ: This actually means very positive things for library users, because Carina Press has chosen not to put DRM, or Digital Rights Management, on our titles, including those bought by libraries. This means library users can easily move the files they check out from the library to their device of choice. I have had a number of librarians tell me that, because of this, they often use Carina Press titles to demonstrate to patrons how to move files to a device, because we make it quite painless.

    ES: Your imprint primarily publishes genre fiction. Do you think genre fans consume their reading in a way that makes a DRM-free business model more sustainable than, say, nonfiction?

    AJ: I don’t consider myself an expert on the nonfiction market or its consumers, so it’s difficult to answer this question with any confidence. Anecdotally, I’ve heard many nonfiction publishers, especially textbook publishers, say DRM free is a nonstarter in their part of the industry. On the other hand, I’ve also heard fiction publishers say that.

    On the fiction side, I think some of the hesitation from publishers comes not just from the publishers and their concerns with reader usage of DRM-free material, but also from the pressure they get from some authors and agents to continue the use of DRM because of their concerns with reader usage.

    ES: Carina Press caters to niche and emerging reader markets. Do you worry about customers finishing a title and then passing it on digitally to a friend for free? Or do you see this as a way to build word of mouth?

    AJ: Yes, I do see it as a way to build word of mouth. I’m going to use myself as an example. I’m an avid reader; in 2012, I read between 410-420 books. In short, I’m a publisher’s dream come true! But despite the fact that I’m willing to spend several thousand dollars a year on books, I still encounter many that I’d like to read but am hesitant to purchase because I’m uncertain of the author’s writing ability, storytelling ability, or whether I can trust her or him with plot elements.

    Being able to get the book from a friend (or a library!) allows me to experiment with authors, stories, and even genres I wouldn’t otherwise try. Because of the wide availability of books to choose from, if borrowing the book by some legitimate means isn’t available to me, I simply skip it. However, if I am able to borrow it, and enjoy it, I am willing in the future to become a paying customer of that author. If the author has a preexisting backlist, I’ll invest in the backlist.

    I don’t think I’m that unique in this regard (perhaps unique in how much I read but not unique in wanting to be cautious of where I choose to spend my reading dollars).

    ES: Ebook discovery is a hot topic in Library Land. Browsing a digital collection is an inherently different experience than perusing a physical bookshelf. Because of this, librarians are constantly thinking about how they can streamline ebook discovery. How do you market your digital-first titles to new audiences?

    AJ: In many ways, digital-first marketing is much the same as marketing print. We advertise in key online places, as well as experiment with niche online places. We do etailer co-ops, seek out reviews, send newsletters, engage with our audience in social media channels, etc. But with the rise of digital and the rise of the reader also being online, we’re seeing how important word of mouth along with the right pricing strategy is. But if a title can generate excellent word of mouth, that’s the most valuable marketing! 

    ES: Would you be open to a library purchasing Carina Press ebooks and then assigning their own in-house DRM to those titles?

    AJ: You know, that’s something no one has ever asked me before. It’s a larger business decision, so we’d definitely be open to a discussion on the pros and cons of this. It would be a fascinating discussion!

    ES: You are a self-proclaimed advocate for digital publishing; how does your point of view influence your stance on ebook lending models for libraries?

    AJ: I think there are two things that predispose me to being a fan of ebook lending  in libraries. The first is that I’m, as I said earlier, an avid reader. So I definitely often see things with a reader and consumer’s viewpoint, even while understanding and evaluating from the publisher point of view.

    The second is that I’ve been in digital publishing for a decade, so I’ve seen the growth of the industry and seen up close the readership changes. Both of these things make me a fan of libraries as well as a consumer of ebook lending via libraries myself.

    ES: Finally, do you have any advice for publishers who are considering licensing their ebooks to libraries?

    AJ: I wouldn’t presume to tell another publisher how to do business, so no true advice. Instead, I’ll say that being open to library lending has been advantageous for us in building relationships with the libraries, with authors (and for authors to build relationships with libraries) and with readers. 

    LJ memoir columnist and star Tumblarian, Erin “Laser Fingers” Shea talks to Angela James, editor of Harlequin’s e-only imprint, Carina Press.

  5. Our own Erin Shea, aka darienlibrary, debuts as LJ’s second memoir columnist today. Check out her first column! In it she gives a star to Elizabeth Scarboro’s My Foreign Cities: Conceived from a New York Times “Modern Love” column, this entrancing story of a woman’s marriage to Stephen, a man living with cystic fibrosis (CF), should not be written off as merely a memoir of disease. When Scarboro met her future husband at 17, she struggled to make a life for herself while faced with the challenge of loving someone with a constantly looming expiration date. While Scarboro, her husband, and CF are the three main characters, the story truly shines as the two try to navigate their twenties bouncing between the Bay Area, Boulder, and Boston during the 1990s. VERDICT This book squeezes a soul-encompassing marriage into the events of just one decade, and Scarboro manages to tell—with strength and grace—her all-too-short love story in less than 300 pages.

    Our own Erin Shea, aka darienlibrary, debuts as LJ’s second memoir columnist today. Check out her first column! In it she gives a star to Elizabeth Scarboro’s My Foreign Cities:

    Conceived from a New York Times “Modern Love” column, this entrancing story of a woman’s marriage to Stephen, a man living with cystic fibrosis (CF), should not be written off as merely a memoir of disease. When Scarboro met her future husband at 17, she struggled to make a life for herself while faced with the challenge of loving someone with a constantly looming expiration date. While Scarboro, her husband, and CF are the three main characters, the story truly shines as the two try to navigate their twenties bouncing between the Bay Area, Boulder, and Boston during the 1990s. VERDICT This book squeezes a soul-encompassing marriage into the events of just one decade, and Scarboro manages to tell—with strength and grace—her all-too-short love story in less than 300 pages.

  6. As a librarian who can’t be a librarian today (library closed), this is KILLING ME.

    — Erin Shea of Darien Library in the wake of tropical storm Sandy  (via cloundunbound)

  7. darienlibrary: My first book review in Library Journal. My real reason for posting this is to say that now I can officially take Molly out for margaritas and tell people I’m having drinks “with my editor.” I was thinking about posting this song in response but instead I will say, 1) there are few things as wonderful as the fancy language Erin and I can now use about our friendship, and 2) YOU, TOO, CAN REVIEW FOR LJ. (Email me!)

    darienlibrary:

    My first book review in Library Journal.

    My real reason for posting this is to say that now I can officially take Molly out for margaritas and tell people I’m having drinks “with my editor.”

    I was thinking about posting this song in response but instead I will say, 1) there are few things as wonderful as the fancy language Erin and I can now use about our friendship, and 2) YOU, TOO, CAN REVIEW FOR LJ. (Email me!)

  8. Erin the Programming Librarian

    thecardiganlibrarian:

    Erin lives it up with library-themed trompe l’oeil.

    1. Can you tell us about your position?

    I am the Head of Adult Programming for a public library in Connecticut. This means I coordinate author events, music concerts, film screenings, technology classes, and workshops for adults. Because our library has a relatively small amount of full-time staff, I have my hand in a lot of different pots at all times.

    Read More

    Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce my fiance (she popped the question over Twitter yesterday) Erin Shea.

  9. thecardiganlibrarian: My least favorite aspect is some of the stereotypes we face as librarians. I long for the day when I tell someone that I’m a librarian and he says, “Oh so you must like technology” rather than, “Oh so you must like books.” I like both, by the way. — Erin the Programming Librarian, this week’s Five Question Friday interviewee [image via] Erin Shea, aka youtastelikenachos, aka my heart, is interviewed this week for thecardiganlibrarian’s Five Question Friday.

    thecardiganlibrarian:

    My least favorite aspect is some of the stereotypes we face as librarians. I long for the day when I tell someone that I’m a librarian and he says, “Oh so you must like technology” rather than, “Oh so you must like books.” I like both, by the way.

    — Erin the Programming Librarian, this week’s Five Question Friday interviewee

    [image via]

    Erin Shea, aka youtastelikenachos, aka my heart, is interviewed this week for thecardiganlibrarian’s Five Question Friday.

  10. darienlibrary: This week is Banned Books Week! Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed was challenged in 2004, 2010, 2011, and 2012 for “promoting socialist ideas, economic fallacies, and belittling Christians.” This week, we’ll be featuring staff members reading their favorite banned books. I just can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this picture.

    darienlibrary:

    This week is Banned Books Week!

    Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed was challenged in 2004, 2010, 2011, and 2012 for “promoting socialist ideas, economic fallacies, and belittling Christians.”

    This week, we’ll be featuring staff members reading their favorite banned books.

    I just can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this picture.

  11. Libraries are a 3,000-year-old brand.

    — Erin Shea, aka darienlibrary and youtastelikenachos, via Twitter.