The future of publishing and bookstores - updates from last week

We are closely following the interesting discussions on the future of publishing, bookstores, magazines and the paper industry in general. Our interest in these shifts are mainly to see how environmental and social issues are been integrated into the future of the book industry. We believe that we will see these issues taken into consideration not just as a form good doing, but also and mainly as business opportunities.

We have created special webpages on our website with updates and resources on the future of publishing, bookstores and magazines and soon we'll have a webpage for the future of paper as well. Not only that, but from this week. we'll update you every Sunday with the latest interesting discussions, articles, lectures and debates that took place last week. So, here we go:

The Future of Publishing:

The Future of Publishing - Ben Werdmuller von Elgg, April 18, 2010

Thanks to everyone who came to Intersection: Publishing yesterday. Our fascinating round-table discussion was cut off far too soon: I think we could have gone on for days and only barely covered the issues. It's clear that an open conversation that treated publishers, authors, readers, technologists and lawyers as equals was long overdue. (Missed it? Watch this space.)

The Future of Publishing - by PastorGear.com, April 14, 2010

There's been a lot of talk about how the iPad is the future of publishing and that's probably true. People point to the various newspaper and magazine apps for the iPad as examples of where the industry is heading. To be sure, a lot of those apps are very strong and I'll be reviewing them here in coming days but to see what publishing is really going to looking like in two years you're going to need some help from Woody and Buzz.

We would also like to recommend an interesting talk of Richard Nash(Cursor Books) on BNC Technology Forum 2010 that took place last month and was entitled: Publishing 3.0: Moving from Gatekeeping to Partnerships

The Future of Bookstores:

The bookstore in a future full of iPads - iPad Watcher, April 12, 2010

I love reading books and I love shopping for them. Okay, let me rephrase that. I love browsing through a bookstore, but I rarely buy a paper book these days, always preferring the digital version if one is available. This duality of feelings and the certainty of the inevitable demise of the paper book in the future makes me a bit sad each time I go to a good bookstore.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading

Cartoon: Alan Moir, The Sydney Morning Herald

Om Baby, Child of the Universe is going green with Eco-Libris!

We're happy to announce on a new collaboration with author Schamet Horsfield on her book "Om Baby, Child of the Universe". This is the first book in the forthcoming Om Baby children's book series and it will be released on Earth Day next week! One tree will be planted with Eco-Libris for every printed copy!

It is a beautiful book full of colorful illustrations that are about love, peace, and happiness.The book's text emphasizes the importance of family, friends, and community. Children and adults alike will love Om Baby's colors, imaginative characters and settings, and the feelings the book evokes within them.

Om Baby is a superhero for the planet, for love, and for global peace. Om Baby reminds us of the most important things in life: truth, love, friendship, family, community, and the potential for greatness within us all. Om Baby provokes thought and stimulates the imagination. Om Baby invites meaningful conversations that will last throughout childhood and beyond. This is a book that will be read again and again as a valuable part of any child's development and education about caring for our environment and our fellow humans.

Author Schamet Horsfield has gone to great lengths to make Om Baby, Child of the Universe as green as possible, using soy-based inks and recycled paper. In addition, Horsfield is partnering with Eco Libris to plant a tree for each copy sold!

You can learn more about the book and the author on her website - www.ombabyworld.com. If you want to meet Schamet Horsfield, there are already few reading events scheduled for next week:

April 20th and 22nd (Earth Day), 11:00 am
Kids Quest Children's Museum

4091 Factoria Boulevard Southeast

Bellevue, WA 98006

April 21, 12:30-2:00 pm

Seattle Holistic Center

Good Shepherd Center

4649 Sunnyside Ave. N, Room 302

Seattle, WA 98103

These are events for children and adults. Schamet will be reading Om Baby at story time followed by book signing.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading

Green printing tip no. 41: Special tip for Earth Day!

We are back today with a new tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is talking about Earth Day in a special tip for the upcoming 40th anniversary of Earth Day next week.

What is the advice from Denis Hayes, the founder of Earth Day to us today?

Tip #41

What Does Denis Hayes, the FOUNDER of Earth Day advise us to do now to keep their mission going? It is time to review where we stand, heading into Earth Day.

Last night I attended a screening of Earth Days, a movie coming out shortly, that is a review of "40 Years of Going Green"



The filmmaker is Robert Stone and the ORIGINAL Earth Day coordinator, Denis Hayes, were at the screening and we got to hear from them after this absolutely, terrific movie.

I was like a kid, and asked for Denis to autograph my invitation. That is the one and only autograph I have ever gotten in my life tme. I told him that I started my Environmental Printing businss at the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day. So his dream became my reality in forming my business.

It was funny how they said there were no Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook to help spread the word on the first Earth Day.

They went on TV, they got magazines to feature them, they worked around the clock to make it happen, and it was a bi-partisan effort in our government to support this hugely, successful 1st Earth Day.

THEIR ADVICE:

Their panel told us we need to energize ourselves, and keep their vision going. We need to encourage our friends to be environmental, and to not forget how our rivers and streams were so polluted, and how the smog in California was so bad, events got canciled. Just don't get lazy and complacent. Push for a better planet.

Don't put all our baskets in Climate Change. We need to control our population, and we need to
save our natural resources, and conserve our energy, etc. It was also funny to hear that President Nixon should be known as one of the most environmental Presidents.

The USEPA and many first environmental laws came because he pushed for them.

So, here we are 40 years later, and we all need to to our part to protect OUR environment.

You can choose to print on 100% Post-Consumer recycled paper.

You can choose to use 100% Processed Chlorine Free paper.

You can choose to be FSC.

You can choose to use a Green E Energy Printer and Paper Mill.

You can choose to call me.

Happy Earth Day!

For additional information, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You can email Greg at greg@gregbarberco.com.

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

The reissued novel The Birth Machine by Elizabeth Baines is going green with Eco-Libris!

We're happy to announce on a new collaboration with author Elizabeth Baines on her novel "The Birth Machine". This is Elizabeth Baines' first novel, which will be reissued by Salt Publishing on October 2010. One tree will be planted with Eco-Libris for every printed copy!

This is the second book of Elizabeth Baines we're greening up. The first one is "Too Many Magpies", which was described as 'Moving and compelling' by Sarah Salway. One tree is planted for each printed copy of this novel as well.

Here are some details on "The Birth Machine":

As Zelda labours in childbirth, she sinks into a surreal world where the past blends with the present, and facts become merged with fairytale and myth. The long-awaited reissue of the groundbreaking eighties novel which exposed a woman’s experience of hi-tech childbirth and tells a gripping story of a long-ago murder and present-day betrayals.

"The Birth Machine" was also adapted by Elizabeth Baines and broadcast as a play for Radio 4

Already it got some great reviews:

‘A gripping story, a pithy book’ – Katy Campbell

‘An increasingly powerful narrative … its presentation of the world of childhood contrasts nicely with sharp satire’ – Laura Marcus, Times Literary Supplement

‘Elizabeth Baines has a wry humour and satirical edge’ – Martin Nicholls, City Life

‘This powerful book leaves you with a sense of disquiet, anger and frustration’ – Jessica Corner, Everywoman.

About the author: Elizabeth Baines was born in South Wales and lives in Manchester. Salt previously published two acclaimed books by Elizabeth, her collection of short stories, Balancing on the Edge of the World (2007) and her novel Too Many Magpies (2009). Elizabeth is a prizewinning radio playwright and she has also written short plays for stage. She is also a performer and has been a teacher.

We'll keep you posted of course once the book is released.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

It's time to clean your body on our green gift giveaway!

We're happy to update you that we're adding another great green book to our green gift giveaway:

Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself

You can get a free copy of Clean Body by Michael DeJong when you balance out 50 books by planting 50 trees with Eco-Libris. You can also choose one of the other five books we offer as a free gift: Raw for Dessert, Greening Your Small Business, The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, Sweet Utopia and Sustainable Sushi.

All of these books are printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper and readers can choose from this list the book they would like to receive as a gift from us.

So what's Sustainable Sushi about? (from the publisher's website)
Clean Zen, clean green! Clean Body follows the successful Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing, by cleaning guru Michael DeJong. As with the first book, this is not merely about washing away the dirt: it embodies a mindset, a philosophy, an alternative to mass consumerism.

DeJong draws from Eastern belief systems - especially the element theory in Chinese medicine and Asian cooking - and harmoniously balances five pure essentials in his recipes, using baking soda, lemon, olive oil, salt, and white vinegar as the basis for his all-natural concoctions.

Including special, separate sections for men and women, Clean Body has ideas for everything from facial exfoliants and natural aftershave to moisturizers and creams for itchy skin, discolored knees, and smooth feet. EVERY part of the body, from head to toe, is covered.

You can read more about it on Pajama Mommy's review of this book, which was part of our green books campaign.

More details about our green gift giveaway and the other gifts we give to readers who balance out 25 books or more (gift cards for Strand Bookstore and BookSwim!) can be found on the campaign's page at http://www.ecolibris.net/gifts.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

New video from RIPPLE Africa: Deforestation, bush burning and Forest Conservation in Malawi

Our planting partner RIPPLE Africa is working in Malawi, Africa and is doing an amazing job there. They've just published a new video, showing the effects of deforestation and bush burning, and also illustrates the woodland conservation program that RIPPLE Africa has initiated.

This film shows both sides of reality in Malawi - deforestation and frustration on one side and reforestation and hope on the other side, which we're proud to support. You can read more about RIPPLE Africa on their website - www.rippleafrica.org and learn on our work with them on the last assessment we published last year.




Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Celebrating the National Library Week: An interview with a librarian (and my mother)

This week (April 11-17) we're celebrating the National Library Week, an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians.

I wrote here many times how much love libraries and definitely a big part of it is due to the fact that my mother is a librarian. I interviewed her two years ago in celebration of this occasion, and I thought it would be appropriate to repost it in honor of this week and all of the librarians around the globe, including my mother who is doing it with a lot of love for the last 29 years!

Hi mom - how many years do you work as a librarian?

29 Years [updated to 2010, r.g.]

How much have libraries changed during these 29 years? when did you enjoy it more - now or back then?

The work of a librarian today is more technocratic because of the greater availability of information and also because computers takes a bigger part of the librarian's work. Personally, I enjoyed more the kind of work we did back then in the old days..

What do you think is the most important part in the work of librarians?

Good contact with the people who come to the library, which I think encourages reading, knowledge - you have to stay up to date with the latest books, and of course to read, read and read.

What do you like most and what do you like less in your work?

like to read books and recommend those that I liked. I don't like to lending DVDs and see that they get more and more popular at the expense of books.

What's more fun - working with grown ups or children?

Both - with the nice ones in both groups :-)

Do children really read more because of the Harry Potter series?

I don't feel that the series made a significant change. It also looks to me that kids are much less enthusiastic about the last book comparing with the first one.

How libraries fit in the 21st century digital world?

We will see more computerization of libraries that will influence many processes - registration, ordering books, the online connection between libraries that allows to 'import' a book from another library when you don't have it in your own, etc.

We already see more and more libraries with their own websites and online catalogs, which for example enable readers to check out at home what new books arrived to the library.

When you look 29 years backwards, if you could have choose again what would you like to do back then, would it be to work as a librarian?

Probably yes.

And finally, what do you think of Eco-Libris?
I think it's a great combination between the world of books and ecology, which emphasize the value of conservation of trees, which are disappearing from our globe at an alarming rate.

Thanks mom! and greetings to all the librarians that will celebrate the National Library Week.

And one last recommendation - check out the the most amazing libraries in America on Huffington Post. It's indeed amazing!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!