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Australia is one of my favorite places around the world ever since I visited this beautiful country 14 years ago. That's why I was happy few weeks ago to get interviewed by Daz Chandler on Radio 2SER, a local radio sation in Sydney, and I'm even happier now on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with a Melbourne-based publisher with the great name 'Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins'.
Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins is an independent publishing company, dedicated to supporting emerging writers and illustrators. It publishes Torpedo, a printed fiction quarterly, which is available exclusively through its site (that way the publisher can give 50% of the very modest cover price to the contributors, who thus earn royalties for their work every quarter).
Volume One of Torpedo is already available on the website and now Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins is collaborating with Eco-Libris to balance out each one of the copies sold on its website. Hence, for every copy of Torpedo that to be purchased, a new tree will be planted and the buyer will also receive Eco-Libris sticker.
Volume One features fiction from Jim Shepard, Aniruddha Bahal, Clancy Martin, Josephine Rowe, Jon Bauer, Amelia Walker, Ronnie Scott, Chris Flynn, Ruby Murray, Luke May, Neil Boyack and Bryce Wolfgang Joiner. Illustrations by Eirian Chapman, Pat Dalton & Tim Molloy. A wraparound cover by Chris Ede!
I asked Chris Flynn, who founded Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins last December what feedbacks he get on the new collaboration and here's his reply:
"The feedback has been good, ranging from disbelief to excitement. In fact we have sold quite a few copies based upon the Eco-Libris factor alone, particularly at the Artist's Market here where we have a stall. It's definitely added a dimension to Torpedo that pleases readers and I think the Eco-Libris star will definitely be in the ascendancy this year."
Thanks, Chris! And good luck with Torpedo. We're already waiting for Volume Two and for the other upcoming publications of Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins (is this a cool name or what?) - novels, short story collections, graphic novels & novella collections, all coming up in 2008 & 2009.
Cheers,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
Free stuff is always great and free books online is even greater. The New York Times reported earlier this week that HarperCollins Publishers will be offering on their website free electronic editions of some of its books on its website, including books of Paulo Coelho, Neil Gaiman and Erin Hunter.
The idea, explains Motoko Rich in the NYT, is "to give readers the opportunity to sample the books online in the same way that prospective buyers can flip through books in a bookstore".
This step is part of a variety of online promotions that HarperCollins Publishers announced on in a news release last Monday. Two options will be offered to readers on their website - in the “Full Access” Program, a select number of titles can be seen in their entirety for a limited time, and in the “Sneak Peek” Program, readers will be able to view 20% of many new titles two weeks before their on sale date.
According to HarperCollins news release, a key component of this program is the launch of a year-long promotion of bestselling author Paulo Coelho’s books. Each month an entire book will be available for free. The first book, currently accessible, is The Witch of Portobello.
“I believe that online reading helps increase book sales,” said Paulo Coelho. “I am very pleased that HarperCollins is able to make my titles available online for my fans to read.”
Besides Coelho's book, you can all find now on HarperCollins website the following free books:
"Mission: Cook! My Life, My Recipes and Making the Impossible Easy" by Mr. Irvine
"I Dream in Blue: Life, Death and the New York Giants" by Roger Director
"The Undecided Voter's Guide to the Next President: Who the Candidates Are, Where They Come from and How You Can Choose" by Mark Halperin
"Warriors: Into the Wild" the first volume in a children's series by Erin Hunter
Another writer that will also have one of his books posted in the 'Full Access' progam is Neil Gaiman, the fantasy novelist, short story and comics writer. Gaiman invites readers of his blog to help him choosing the book that will take part in the program. You can do it on Gaiman's blog (go to the post from February 9 and click on your favorite book). The updated results can be seen on this page.
I liked what Gaiman had to say to the NYT about his participation in the program and the concept behind it: "“I didn’t grow up buying every book I read,” said the English born Mr. Gaiman, 47. “I read books at libraries, I read books at friend’s houses, I read books that I found on people’s window sills.” Eventually, he said, he bought his own books and he believes other readers will, too."
Gaiman gave a further explanation to the point he tried to made on his blog: "I think the point I was making wasn't so much that eventually you buy your own books, as that there's not and there has never been a simple one-to-one relationship between the books you read and way you find authors and the books you buy. It's more complicated than that, and more interesting. It's about the way that it's assumed that books have a pass-along rate, that a book will be read by more than one person. If the people who read the book like it, they might buy their own copy, or, more likely, just put the author in that place in their heads of Authors I Like. And that's a good place for an author to be."
The free electronic editions would be available only for one month and readers won't be able to download or print the books, but nevertheless it's still a good opportunity to explore some great books at no charge. If you like any of the books there, but hate to read on your computer screen, try to see if there's any bookmoocher out there who is offering this book. It's also free!
In any case, it would be interesting to see if free content will actually result in increased sales as HarperCollins is hoping to be the case here. I promise to keep you posted as soon as HarperCollins will report on the results of this new initiative.
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
Eco-Libris starts this week a content partnership with Green Options. Green Options Media’s growing network of environmentally-focused blogs provides users with a broad spectrum of information on and direction for making more sustainable choices in their lives.
Launched in February, 2007, Green Options Media has grown into a leader among “green” web portals by combining news, guidance and community features for a wide audience. Both treehuggers and the “green curious” will find information they can use and people with whom they can share their journeys towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
I'm following Green Options since day one and it's very exciting for me to have this opportunity to partner and share content with one of the best green news portals on the web.
Green Options started yesterday by publishing this week's Monday green book on sustainablog. Today we're happy to bring you a post from Green Options that was written by Jennifer Lance and was published on Thursday, February 7, covering a new green children book.
There’s a plethora of wonderful children’s books on gardening, but there is always room for more! What’s This? A Seed’s Story by Caroline Mockford is a charming story about a child’s discovery of a seed and the cycle of plant life. I was lucky enough to have my six-year-old daughter read this book to me for her homework.
What’s This? A Seed’s Story begins with a bird discovering a seed one winter morning. I anticipated the bird would eat the seed, then deposit its droppings somewhere and begin the plant’s life; however, my prediction was wrong. Instead, a little girl, along with her marmalade cat, discovered it and “planted the seed carefully in a corner of her garden.” My daughter has her own garden, as I believe every child should, so I was happy to see the main character in this book also has her own garden bed. (Fellow writer Beth recently wrote about her child’s birthday garden, but back to our story…)
The girl tends to her seed, and then one day, it starts to grow. At this point during our reading, I asked my daughter what kind of plant she thought it would be. She guessed a flower, and I guessed a pea. As the plant grew taller and taller, I changed my prediction to a bean, and noticing the pole used to support the plant, my daughter thought it must be clematis.
Every day when she woke up, the little girl ran straight out to the garden to look at the plant that was growing from the seed. And one morning, when she ran outside, there, turning its head to the sun, was a magnificent sunflower.
At this point in the story, I was reminded of Melanie Eclare’s A Handful of Sunshine. Like Tilda in A Handful of Sunshine, the little girl saved her sunflower head in the fall. In What’s This? A Seed’s Story, the little girl takes her sunflower head to school, where the teacher helps her shake the seeds out gently. Too bad the teacher didn’t take the opportunity to teach the children about Fibonacci and flowers. When spring returns, all of the children in the class plant the sunflower seeds, “and when the next summer came, every child had a beautiful, smiling sunflower!”
Organic gardening with children is challenging at times, but it is also very rewarding. The fact that my daughter would guess that a plant in a book illustration is clematis shows that her plant knowledge is far superior to my own at six years of age. As spring time approaches, you can look forward to many posts on Eco Child’s Play about gardening with children.
We're very happy to update you with a new partnership - Kedzie Press, an independent publishing house based in Seattle, Washington is collaborating with Eco-Libris in a new initiative called Million Tree-A-Thon.
The goal: planting one million trees for one million books to be sold by Kedzie Press until the end of 2009.
Kedzie Press is already a green publisher - it publishes books with socially conscious and or environmentally friendly messages, as well as the occasional work of fiction. It strives to help its readers lead better lives and all of our titles are printed on 100% recycled, 100% post-consumer waste paper (FSC certified), and processed chlorine free. It means that by pledging to plant one tree for every book sold, Kedzie Press actually maximize the positive impact it already has on the environment.
Million Tree-A-Thon will start with a new book, The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living by Jenn Savedge, which is jam packed with information, interviews, and inspiration to help parents become Green Parents. Eco-Libris logo will appear on every printed copy of the book, signifying that one tree is being planted for each and one of these copies. The book will be available at local and online booksellers nationwide on April, 2008 and and can be pre-ordered already from the Kedzie Press website.
Kedzie Press is looking to make a difference in their conservation efforts and inspire others to do the same. We are very excited and proud to be part of these efforts and look forward to meeting the goal: planting one million trees for one million Kedzie Press books. I'm positive that with the support of all the eco-conscious readers out there we can do it!
So buy any Kedzie Press title from Kedzie Press website (check it out, they've got really interesting green books..) and join the Kedzie Million Tree-A-Thon.
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
Today on our green books series, we're talking radical. "Something has gone terribly wrong in the relations between humanity and nature." Joel Kovel believes he knows what's the reason for that. Hint? it starts with a Capital C.
Our book for today is:
The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World? , Second Edition.
Author: Joel Kovel
Joel Kovel is Distinguished Professor of Social Studies at Bard College. He has written ten books, including the first edition of The Enemy of Nature which appeared in 2002, and Overcoming Zionism (2007). He has edited the journal of radical ecology, Capitalism Nature Socialism, since 2003 and has been active in Green politics, running for the US Senate in 1998, and seeking the party's presidential nomination in 2000.
Publisher: Zed Books
Published in: December 2007 (second edition)
What it is about (from the publisher's website): We live in and from nature, but the way we have evolved of doing this is about to destroy us. Capitalism and its by-products - imperialism, war, neoliberal globalization, racism, poverty and the destruction of community - are all playing a part in the destruction of our ecosystem.
Only now are we beginning to realise the depth of the crisis and the kind of transformation which will have to occur to ensure our survival. This second, thoroughly updated, edition of The Enemy of Nature speaks to this new environmental awareness. Joel Kovel argues against claims that we can achieve a better environment through the current Western 'way of being'.
By suggesting a radical new way forward, a new kind of 'ecosocialism', Joel Kovel offers real hope and vision for a more sustainable future.
The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World? was originally published in 2002. This is and updated and expanded edition, which bring Kovel's arguments up to date.
Why you should get it:
Even if you don't agree with Kovel's radical ideas and thoughts, I think it's always interesting to get to know better another way of thinking, especially when it challenges the capitalistic system which most of humanity had embraced in this stage or another.
The connection between economy and environment is always intriguing and Kovel's thoughts, such as "however capital may restructure and reform itself to secure accumulation, it is incapable of mending the ecological crisis it provokes" definitely contribute to the debate on what the right way to reach sustainability is.
What others say about it:
"Joel Kovel has brought us a persuasive, passionate and hopeful ecosocialist manifesto. He shows how problems from toxic pollution to globalized poverty reflect the inner logic of capitalism, and extends the lessons of Marxism and other radical traditions to illuminate a path toward an ethical and ecological revolution. This book offers much food for thought to all who seek a systemic understanding of today‘s social and ecological crises." (Brian Tokar, activist and author of Redesigning Life? and Earth for Sale)
"Among the many benefits that have resulted from cessation of the Cold War is our freedom to criticize capitalism, openly and forcefully, without being labelled "communists," or worse. Joel Kovel takes strategic advantage of this development by indicting capital‘s dismal ecological record in a book that is sure to spawn lively and sensible debate." (Mark Dowie, author and former editor of Mother Jones)
Enjoy the book, and if you're looking for other interesting green books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
In many universities tomorrow is the first day of the spring semester. If you're a student, it means that you probably already started your search after the textbooks you need for your classes.
If you want to do something about the environmental impacts of your textbooks, you have few possibilities. One option is to rent textbooks and not buy them. You can do it at Chegg.com that also partners with us to plant a tree for every textbook that is rented, so the environment gains twice here (maximum usage of each textbook and a new tree for every rent). If you are looking to buy a textbook, I would like to recommend on iChatpers.
I learned recently that iChapters is a source for printed textbooks, eBooks and even single eChapters. What really makes it attractive, besides their big stock of electronic textbooks, is the fact that they also plant one tree for every eChapter or eBook purchased through their website until February 15th.
The trees are planted by the non-profit organization Paso Pacifico, which operates in Nicaragua. So far the program is responsible for more than 35,000 trees that will be planted by Paso Pacifico!
This is a great program and we congratulate iChapters on their efforts to go green and make textbook purchasing more sustainable. iChapters' offer to plant a tree for every eChapter or eBook purchased on their site continues for five more days, so you still have time to check it out and see what they've got to offer.
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
Valentine's Day is almost here (five more days, I checked..), and I'm happy to bring you few recommendations of Evan Munday, a publicist from Coach House Books (a Canadian publisher and printer of high-quality innovative fiction and poetry since 1965) on how to celebrate Valentine's day with your loved ones a unique literary way:We know that day of forced romance is soon upon us, so if you're infatuated with a lover of great Canadian literature, we guarantee you'll be able to woo your Canlit casanova with one of these sigh-worthy Coach House titles:
1.) Pulpy and Midge: Our titular couple spends their evenings ice-dancing, and their lunch breaks talking on a food court pay phone. Will Pulpy and Midge's happy marriage disintegrate when tyrannical office boss Dan and his lascivious wife Beatrice enter their lives?
2.) The City Man: The City Man is a darkly funny romance between a newspaperman just recovering from a breakdown and a member of a Kensington Market pickpocket ring. It'll steal your heart faster than a stall can pinch a poke.
3.) All My Friends Are Superheroes: Shelia Heti (The Middle Stories, Ticknor) said it best: 'This book is like a kiss in the afternoon sun ... I expect this story will replace boxes of chocolates and flowers in courting rituals to come.' The future is now, people.
4.) Age of Arousal: Corsets burst with unbridled desire and petticoats are raised with much relish in this lavish, sexy play set in 1885, after the advent of the suffragettes and the typewriter.
5.) Nellcott Is My Darling: Who hasn't fallen in love with a boy who works at a record store, smokes too many cigarettes and is just wrong for you? That's why we're sure you'll love this novel, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.
Check out these and other Coach House titles, as well as our February events - including David McGimpsey in Toronto, Cara Hedley in Vancouver, a launch for Reel Asian: Asian Canada on Screen and more - at http://www.chbooks.com.Thank you Evan for these great recommendations. If you want to get future updates from Evan, you are welcome to join Coach House Books Facebook group. And if you missed yesterday's post, I remind you that if you are anywhere near Soho Square in London on Valentine's Day, Do The Green Thing invites you to come to be there at 1.30pm and become a part of the world's first Body Warmth Flash Hug. Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!
Australia is one of my favorite places around the world ever since I visited this beautiful country 14 years ago. That's why I was happy few weeks ago to get interviewed by Daz Chandler on Radio 2SER, a local radio sation in Sydney, and I'm even happier now on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with a Melbourne-based publisher with the great name 'Falcon vs. Monkey, Falcon Wins'.
