This Saturday on Strand Bookstore: Chuck Palahniuk's first and only NYC event for his new book, Damned

Here's an update from our friends at Strand about a special event that they organize this Saturday with Chuck Palahniuk, author of Damned.

Here are the details: The Strand is hosting this special event at The Great Hall at Cooper Union, located at 7 East 7th Street on Third Avenue.

Admission is $30, which includes a signed copy of Damned-- and can be purchased here.

Please note that there are no physical tickets and books can only be picked up at the event. Please bring a copy of your receipt for verification.

The event begins at 6pm. Doors open at 5:15pm. Seating is first come, first served.

The first 100 fans to purchase their seat for this event were invited to meet the author and get their book personalized. Those VIP tickets are now SOLD OUT! VIP ticket-holders will be contacted via email with information about when to arrive at The Great Hall to meet the author.

Signed copies of the author's previous books, as well as signed copies of Damned, will be available for purchase at the event and via our Pre-Order Signed Page.

Reserve your seat in the store or here. Guests who reserve a seat online will be added to a guest list at the event.

Chuck Palahniuk's eleven best-selling novels-Tell-All, Pygmy, Snuff, Rant, Haunted, Lullaby, Fight Club, Diary, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, and Choke-have sold more than five million copies in the United States. He is also the author of Fugitives and Refugees, published as part of the Crown Journey Series, and the nonfiction collection Stranger Than Fiction.

About Strand: Located in 828 Broadway (at 12th St.), this New York's independent landmark bookstore is not only one of most famous bookstores in the world, but also a partner of Eco-Libris. Strand are taking part in our bookstore program and customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Visit Strand's Event Calendar for the complete schedule of events.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Doom and gloom for independent bookstores? Not in New York!

Last Thursday we were all doom and gloom about Independent stores and called them to prepare a war plan. Well, it looks like there's at least one place where the sun shines over independent bookstores. It's called New York.

Yes, in the Big Apple, one of the meccas of independent bookstores, things seem to work much better for indie bookstores according to New York Magazine. In a special feature about New York City indie bookstores, entitled "Indie Bookstores Rising" New York Magazine is presenting what they call "an indie-bookstore renaissance," with new bookstores like Fort Greene’s Greenlight Bookstore (see photo above), Williamsburg’s Book Thug Nation, Dyker Heights’s Boulevard Books, and Mast on the Lower East Side, among others

What makes NY different from all other places? New York Magazine explains:

"Contributing to the resurgence is the local-is-better ethos, which has bled over from the culinary and fashion worlds, causing readers to crave a more human-scale shopping experience. And the specter of a world without indie bookshops has inspired a new, perhaps quixotic generation of entrepreneurs to jump in. The new booksellers bring a modern approach to the business: In place of the dusty riots of yore are more curated, well-lit shops that emphasize personal service and community—book clubs, readings, charity projects, and even the occasional lit-geek basketball league."

So what we see here is a blend of readers with local preference and stores that provides unique added value to their customers. Combine these elements with strong communities and a large market of readers and you've got a success story called New York.

Can it work in other cities as well? I wish I could say Yes for sure, but it seems to me that the Big Apple is a unique place and in other places indie bookstores will have to work very hard to create such an indie-bookstore renaissance.

Here are some of the interesting pieces you can find on this interesting feature:

Book-o-nomics: Maybe the most interesting part, as it reveals how much money a bookshop makes. In this case it's Greenlight Bookstore that shows how it turns an average monthly profit of $11,706.27. Kudos to Greenlight Bookstore for their radical transparency!

Cover to Cover - The new (and renewed) guard of independent bookstores in the city.

Where the Pros Go - New York authors’ favorite indies. Colum McCann, for example, can't pick just one: “If I had to choose from Housing Works, the Corner Bookstore, Crawford Doyle, Three Lives, 192 Books, or the Strand, I’d pick them all. I’d smash them together and give all the books a chance to flirt in a new neighborhood.”

Bound for Your Bedstand - Booksellers recommend their most eagerly anticipated titles. For example, David Franklin of Strand Book Store (our partner!) Pick is: Salman Rushdie, Luka and the Fire of Life (Nov. 16). “All of Rushdie’s work has an aspect of fantasy—this one goes a little further.”

Got Any Buddhist Police Procedurals? - In a city of enthusiasts, there’s a bookshop for every taste.

Seller’s Market - What used bookstores (and eBay customers) will fork over for three previously loved titles.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting   sustainable reading!

Special gift at Strand for the holidays season!

We always say that a good book is a great gift for the holidays season - unique, personal and affordable. And if you buy your books at Strand, you can also get a great gift for yourself with the free holiday tote bag they give for every purchase of $50 or more, online or in-store.

This is a great green offer from Strand and of course not the only one they make - Strand, New York's independent landmark book store, is taking part in our bookstore program and customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

This beautiful tote bag (see above) was designed by Strand Art Staffer Tyler Combs and features an illustration of books. The offer expires on January 3rd and limited to one tote bag per customer.

Don't forget to check out their website at http://www.strandbooks.com to learn more about the books offered at the store. You're also welcome to take a look at their events list at www.strandbooks.com/calendar

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainble reading!

A special offer from Strand Book Store!

You think the holiday season is over? not at Strand Book Store, where you can get a free holiday tote bag with the purchase of two books.

We are very proud in our collaboration with Strand Book Store, New York's independent landmark book store. Strand are taking part in our bookstore program and customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

We have just received from Strand greetings for the New Year and information on this great (and green) offer:

The Strand Book Store wishes all Eco-Libris partners & readers a Happy 2009!

Our gift to you… a free holiday tote bag.

With purchase of two books, receive a FREE holiday tote bag, just click HERE to redeem your gift online or print the page and bring it to our 828 Broadway @ 12^th Street NYC store to redeem your gift in person.

Hurry! Offer expires January 15, 2009. Limit one tote bag per customer, please.

Thank you Strand for this great offer! You're welcome to check out their website at http://www.strandbooks.com to learn more about the books offered at their website. Also don't forget to take a look at their events list - http://www.strandbooks.com/app/www/p/calendar.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Strand's customers are going green!

We are very proud in our collaboration with Strand Book Store, New York's independent landmark book store. Strand are taking part in our bookstore program and customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Now we're even more proud to update you that as of last month Strand Book Store's customers balanced out 999 books they bought at the store which resulted in 1,299 new trees! These trees are planted with our planting partner RIPPLE Africa in Malawi, Africa.

Strand are celebrating their customers' support of the environment with a new poster you can find all over the store. You can also see the beautiful poster right here:

So if you're in New York, don't forget to visit Strand. With their tremendous selection of more than 2.5 million used, new and rare books, I can assure you a great experience!

Strand's address is: 828 Broadway (at 12th St.) New York, NY 10003. You're also welcome to check out their website at http://www.strandbooks.com (and don't miss their impressive list of events).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!