One of my favourite daily rituals is reading for (at least) an hour. I’ve had it for years. While most hours of my day are taken up with meetings, phone calls and the deluge of daily life, almost every single evening that time is mine.
You often write about fascinating events in history that most of us have never before heard of, but much is already known about the Lusitania. What made you decide to write about its last crossing?
For Toronto residents and frequent visitors, the name Matt Dean Pettit might be synonymous with Rock Lobster – a restaurant that staked its claim in the city’s restaurant scene by serving up simple, delicious, and authentic seafood dishes – something that can be tough to come by in a place so far removed from our nation’s oceanic coasts.
For this month’s edition of Shelf-Love, we decided to do something a little different. As individuals who work in publishing, our love of words and reading, feels, to us, completely natural - something that’s existed for as long as we can remember. While it’s nearly impossible for us to imagine a life prior to devouring books for breakfast, our seemingly natural inclination towards the bookish didn’t just crop up out of nowhere.
Tell us about the title [Tin Man], which carries echoes of The Wizard of Oz
Once you have selected your One Book title, the next step is to contact the publisher of the book. Even if you have no plans to bring the author to your community, the book’s publisher can provide promotional materials such as the book’s cover art, an author photograph and biography, excerpts, review quotes, and often a reading group guide; liaise with local booksellers on your behalf; expedite book orders; and generally be a valuable partner for your One Book program.
Below are some examples of the many different approaches to selecting a One Book title. Which approach or combination of approaches is right for your One Book initiative will depend on many factors, but having a strong sense of your program goals will make choosing an approach and a book much easier.
The most successful One Book events involve partnerships with other groups and organizations from across a community. Partnerships can include financial, promotional, planning, and organizational support. Be sure to network with others in the library, bookselling, and publishing communities as well as with local schools, writing groups, book clubs, non-profit agencies, governments, and businesses.
Allow plenty of time to plan the event. Many One Book programs are in the planning stages for more than a year prior to launch. As your One Book initiative becomes established, your timeline will become more efficient.
A steering committee should be an integral part of your One Book process from the very start. Committee members can be invaluable in helping to plan, promote, and execute a successful One Book event.