How Bookstores & Libraries Inspire Reading

  

How do our nation’s booksellers and librarians impact what Americans read?  

A lovely book by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the magic of Reading, shares stories from those who help put books in the hands of others.  

Finding the right book for the right person is an art form.  

One person interviewed says: “Encouraging kids to read gives them tools to safely navigate the real world, and to protect themselves. Reading helps them think critically and it gives them the opportunity to learn about themselves and others, to create empathy and compassion. Students need to be able to see themselves in books but also be exposed to and experience somebody else’s life through books. Books are supposed to trigger conversations.”  

Another says: “I love doing this. I love reading a great book and recommending something that people haven’t heard of before, getting, to have interesting conversations with customers. And once they’ve read and loved it, they come back. They're so happy that you found something new for them.”  

And yet another in the book says: “I try to keep up with the trends, so I can make sure we have whatever the customer is looking for or so that I can offer great suggestions. ‘Let me feed you all these other books that you’re missing out on. Let me give you all these experiences, so that you can keep that newfound passion.’  

“A bookstore has many powers. If you want an escape from your life with a thrilling tale of adventure or romance or a good murder mystery, you’ll find it. If you want to learn something or locate information on a particular subject, you can find that too. Whatever you want or require, a bookstore will almost always have something to meet your needs. It can also be an incredibly healing place.”   

So many workers in the book ecosystem share the same sentiment -- their mission is to get *kids excited about reading books. But, as Patterson’s book notes. “33% of high school graduates never pick up another book and that 42% of college grads don’t either.” And yet, so many of us could not imagine a life without books.  

Though bookstores provide a central location for ideas, information, and curiosity to intersect, Patterson writes: “Books have deep connections. People are always looking for books on big life events - relationships, breakups, deaths, grief, getting married or what to expect when you’re pregnant- and there’s nothing better than recommending books that can have a meaningful and positive impact on someone’s life.”  

But bookselling, notes the author, is “a weird world where it’s kind of like rainbows and unicorns and magic.” Bookstores are places of business but they're also social institutions that provide for the greater good and benefit society.  

To help get kids to be reading-positive, you may want to connect with a nationwide program, Readers As Reading Partners (also called Pick A Reading Partner).  

“It doesn’t matter what you like to read as long as you love to read,” says Patterson.  

 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.