Remember the Edgar Allen Poe story "A Descent into the Maelstrom?" That's our economy. And the book industry too, if it isn't bailed out. We don't have seven hundred billion dollars, but we do have a slogan: Books Make Great Gifts.
Let's say your nephew is celebrating his Confirmation and you've been asked to serve as his sponsor. You don't know what a Confirmation is, nor what a sponsor does, nor even where the damn church is, but you do know you're supposed to give him a gift. What kind of gift do you choose? A book.
Okay, now suppose you've been invited to a wedding, and the couple has registered particular items they would like to receive as gifts. Books are not on the list. Kitchen appliances, bedroom accessories, and most objects composed of precious metals are on the list, but not books. What do you get for them? A book.
Your daughter wants a puppy for her birthday. Nothing else in the world will satisfy her. In fact, if you don't buy her a puppy the transgression will be seared in her memory and years later she'll place you in a New Orleans nursing home at the start of the hurricane season. What do you bring home for her birthday? A puppy of course. And a book.
Christmas is coming. Spread the word: Books Make Great Gifts.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Circle the Wagons
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25 comments:
YAY!!!!! I saw your comment over at Orion's and thought, "Dare I hope?" and here you are! Warn us next time so we can find other diversions, won't you. I was feeling the way I did those first weeks after Miss Snark signed off...
Welcome back, Stephen. KIM
Welcome back, Shteef!
:-)
This is a great post, btw!
"...she'll place you in a New Orleans nursing home at the start of the hurricane season."
I love that.
I only remember a little bit of that Poe story. I'm going upstairs and grabbing the short story collection to refresh my memory. I can never get enough Poe around the holidays. lol!
Books do make great gifts. Everybody is tired of getting the same old appliances in varying colors. And you don't have to buy any warranties with a book.
I bought books books books this year for Christmas. Such an easy entertaining gift. And we SHOULD support our industry. Published or not. Agented or not.
K
Umn, you don't have a sponsor for Communion - you have one for Confirmation... but every fourteen year old could use an extra bible, if only to hollow out and keep his stash in.
Books make up a good deal of my Christmas list this season, but they usually do... and I mentioned this at Moonie's post on the subject, but I'll repeat it here:
We all scoffed (myself included) at Bush's statement that we should go out and shop after 9-11... but aren't we all saying the same thing here? Does it make it better that we're narrowing it down to our own industry, cuz I'm thinking that just makes us self-centered... not that I'm disagreeing, I'm just pointing it out because I think it's kind of funny.
Good to see you back, Stephen! Hope the writing's going well.
Welcome back! I agree - tell us next time you plan to vanish.
If I were buying gifts this year you can bet I'd be buying books. Half the time that's all I really want, and my family is slowly getting the idea.
Umn, you don't have a sponsor for Communion - you have one for Confirmation...
Right. A wire was loose. I fixed it.
Does it make it better that we're narrowing it down to our own industry, cuz I'm thinking that just makes us self-centered...
It is self-centered. But if we don't look after ourselves, who will? CNN recently interviewed staff of Caribbean tourist ministries attending a trade show; each country is reaching hard at a diminishing population, essentially telling tourists, "Visit us, not them."
The yacht people can look after the yacht trade, the lawn fertilizer people can look after the lawn fertilizer trade; we book people have to look out for the book trade. Neither the yacht, lawn fertilizer, nor tourist people are going to do it for us.
I see you used your time out with CL to do some good thinking. Though I don't recommend thinking on a regular basis. It can be dangerous.
I'll be getting books and toys and clothes this year for Xmas and giving them to kids whose parent(s) cannot afford gifts. My relatives will be getting a little card telling tham that such things were done in their honor. There are too many people who have nothing in our world these days.
Oh, I'll still get the relatives a little something, too. But it won't be business as usual this year and maybe not for several years to come.
The wife and I got ourselves a new stove. Now how do I justify that? ;-)
My favorite Christmas gifts were always the giant Scholastic book orders. The videos were fun for one or two viewings, but the books would keep me entertained well into April.
Books are good value for money, is my point. A frugal choice in these troubled times.
I'll be getting books and toys and clothes this year for Xmas and giving them to kids whose parent(s) cannot afford gifts.
Sarah: got a website for that?
So all of our well-laid Christmas buying plans are running amok because we're babysitting an 8-week-old puppy for the next two weeks.
I think it's going to be puppies and books at our house.
(Sarah's going to be getting books about the history of stoves for the holidays.....)
I always give books, especially to niece & nephews, so that this year hubby expressly asked me not to buy them books. So I bought them toys and bought myself books. I think it works.
I searched on things like "adopt a family" "holiday" and "los angeles" and came up with this one. e-mailed the contact over the weekend and am waiting to hear back. I also found out about a new recovery house for women with children and they are looking for toys for the 15 kids living there now. Most of these women and kids come from domestic violence situations.
I know the chain bookstores usually have book collections for the kids. I can't find anything about it online though.
Just searching on "adopt a family" will bring up programs in several US states, but I'm not sure if they're all holiday related or not.
Oh Aerin. What a wondeful gift. Thank you! ;-)
I always gave my nieces and nephews a T-shirt with a Chapters bookstore gift card on top.
They won't be around this year, but I can always mail them their gifts.
My daughter always appreciates a good book. She's into illustrated animation books these days.
My son is into spy books.
My husband... well, that's another matter. He'll read a computer trade magazine from cover to cover!
Books are my favorite gifts, to give and to get.
Not sure if this will work as I'm trying to post from work, but here's another book donation website to check out.
And the upper level site of First Book itself.
Glad to see you're back; I was worried something might have happened.
Love the post. Puppies are all important for daughters. All my gifts to people were going to be books anyway, and some are going to the retirement homes nearby.
I insist on buying my niece and nephew books, whether they want them or not. Aren't I horrible?
What? No puppy for your daughter? Yer an ogre.
Welcome back.
Moonrat invited me to join this relevant FaceBook group. I see Merry and Ellen are already in.
I just joined the facebook group. Just today I learned of this new blog: http://buymorebooks.blogspot.com/
My aunt is running it but it looks like there are quite a few people involves.
Well SHTEEF. Where's YOUR book??? I wanna buy YOUR book damnit. That's what I want fer Christmas. Screw puppies.
Realmcovet, you crack me up. Some totally cool editors are reading one of my manuscripts, I've got another ready to go, and two more will be finished in 2009. If that doesn't do the trick I'll sell apples.
If that doesn't do the trick, I'll take those fucking apples and throw them at those editor's heads.
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