Archive for February, 2010

Carl Lennertz Now Serving as DailyLit’s Guest Curator

I’m truly thrilled to announce that Carl Lennertz is the new special contributing guest curator of DailyLit’s Book Channel. Carl is known for his impeccable recommendations and offbeat sensibility; he’s a real star in the publishing industry. I’ve been impressed with Carl for years now, ever since we both worked at Random House, and he’d circulate recommendations of books he loved that were published not just by Random House but by all different houses (quite scandalous, at the time, I’m sure). This week we’re featuring his first recommendation for our Book Channel, The Pig Did It.

He’s moved on from Random House since then, but I’ve remained a fan of his ever since. Here’s his current bio:

Carl Lennertz has been in bookselling and publishing since the death of disco, first in bookstores and then joining Random House as a sales rep. He was Marketing Director for Knopf, Pantheon and Vintage, and then Associate Publisher of Little, Brown. In 1999, Lennertz joined the Book Sense (now called IndieBound) campaign, initiating the Book Sense Picks and Bestseller Lists. In 2003, Lennertz returned to publishing as VP/Retail Marketing for HarperCollins. In 2004, Crown published his multi-copy selling memoir entitled Cursed by a Happy Childhood, and has now begun acquiring books for publication by Harper and Perennial, with 7 projects out now or coming. He also teaches the week of marketing each summer at the Denver Publishing Institute and is Harper’s liason with Delphinium Books.

New on DailyLit: Tell-a-Friend Anytime

One of the great things about reading on DailyLit is that it allows you to read with friends and family even if they’re thousands of miles away (check out our recent reader spotlight for one example). We’ve already enabled the ability to tell a friend when you first start reading a book, but now we’ve expanded it to allow you to do the same by clicking on a link in any installment. You can share with friends either by entering their email addresses or pulling your contacts from your email service or Facebook account. Enjoy!

Reader Spotlight: Distance and Dickinson Make the Heart Grow Fonder

We’ve received some great reader stories since we called for them in our last newsletter–check out how one reader has made an innovative online book club. We loved this story a reader shared with us on our recent survey, especially since it’s still February, the month of love:

Daily Lit is great. My fiance and I are separated by 1000km and we both get Emily Dickinson sent to our inboxes and it arrives at the same time. It’s lovely.

Thanks so much to this (anonymous) reader for sharing this great way to connect with loved ones who are far away.

Do you have a DailyLit reader story? Share with us at support[at]dailylit[dot]com.

DailyLit News: February 2010

Note from the CEO
I love snow days! I’m holed up in my house, kids outside sleigh-riding (no wonder it’s peaceful!), with time for myself—a real treat! Speaking of which, we have some real treats in store for you this month. We’ve got a short story from Alice Munroe’s new collection that everyone’s been raving about, and we’ve just launched a Berlitz French series, which follows on the heels of last month’s popular Berlitz Spanish course. Oh, and for you SAT-takers, check out our new Kaplan SAT series. Uh oh. Kids just got home. There goes that peace and quiet!

Susan Danziger
CEO/Founder, DailyLit
sdanziger@dailylit.com

Alice Munro: Our Big Read
Writer Alice Munro won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her lifetime body of work, and people are over the moon about her latest short story collection, Too Much Happiness. We’re excited to feature one of her short stories (”Fiction”) as this month’s Big Read. Life, love and writing all intertwine in one woman’s life. Read it here.

New! Berlitz Essential French (and Spanish)
Given the amazing response we had from the launch of Berlitz Spanish Lessons, we’ve teamed up with Berlitz again to offer Berlitz Essential French. And while we’re at it, we’re offering Berlitz Essential Spanish too. Both series feature bite-sized lessons in vocabulary perfect for travelers (or at least arm-chair travelers), from culture to transportation and accommodations. Read Essential French here and Essential Spanish here. (And if you missed our exclusive Berlitz Spanish Lessons, you can find those here.)

Kaplan SAT Prep
Taking the SATs or have a friend who’s due? We’ve got a daily course for that extra little something—and it’s all on us! Read it here.

Reader Challenge: Love Bites
We heard about this challenge on Twitter and thought it would be a fun Reader Challenge for February. Tell a love story (your own or make one up) in 140 characters or fewer—that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll choose five winners who will each receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love, a collection of folks talking about love. Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, March 7th to be included in the contest.

New Detective Story
We know from our recent survey that Laurel Dewey’s heroine, Detective Jane Perry, has become a reader favorite, so we’re excited to launch the fifth and final piece of original fiction featuring the detective, Promissory Payback. And if you missed the first four pieces, you can find them here.

Our Book Channel
Our Book Channel brings you excerpts from books hand-selected by DailyLit staff and those in the know in the book industry. We’ve recently featured the 2009 Man Book Prize winner for fiction; a new novel that O, the Oprah Magazine called “mesmerizing;” and the #1 New York Times bestselling Happiness Project. What’s up next? It’s a surprise, of course, but count on more bestsellers, award-winners, and buzzed-about titles—the ones everyone will be talking about. Sign up for our Book Channel here.

And, finally, thought you’d enjoy this love sonnet from Shakespeare (I’ve always heard the first line but never really read it myself):

XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

From Sonnets by William Shakespeare.

Final Original Detective Fiction from Laurel Dewey

We’re excited to announce the launch of the fifth–and final–piece of original detective fiction from author Laurel Dewey. As we’ve launched these stories over the past few months, we’ve heard how much you love Dewey’s singular heroine Detective Jane Perry. In “Promissory Payback” you’ll see Perry investigate the murder of a woman who herself was a criminal, bilking people out of money they couldn’t afford to lose–which means a lot of people wouldn’t mind seeing her dead. Check out this final piece from Dewey here (and get caught up with the other four here).

New on DailyLit: Berlitz Essential French and Berlitz Essential Spanish

We loved that so many of you jumped on our newly free Berlitz DailyLit Spanish Lessons–in fact, in response to their popularity we’ve worked with Berlitz again to make even more language learning books available on DailyLit. We’re delighted to offer Berlitz Essential Spanish and Berlitz Essential French, each of which offer key vocabulary words and tips for travelers–whether you’re planning a trip or just dreaming from your armchair. Enjoy!

Reader Challenge: Love Bites

Since it includes Valentine’s Day, February is the month of love. We heard about this love-themed challenge on Twitter and thought it would be perfect for this month’s challenge.

Tell a love story–your own or one you make up–in 140 characters or less: that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll select five winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love (in more than 140 characters!). Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm on Sunday, March 7 to be included in the challenge. Good luck!

Question of the Week #63: Remakes

Masterpiece Theatre recently aired a brand-new adaptation of Emma and re-aired adaptations of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

Which book-film adaptations would you like to see remade? Which are perfect just the way they are?

Share your responses in our Question of the Week forum.

NY Times Bestseller and a Debut Novel in DailyLit’s Book Channel This Week

The first title in the Book Channel this week is Ali Shaw’s gorgeous debut novel The Girl With Glass Feet. I first heard of this book through this glowing New York Times review and fell in love with the book myself as I read it. It’s a beautifully told modern fairy tale–there is literally a girl with glass feet–and I hope you’ll enjoy this taste of the book.

We also have an excerpt of Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget, a New York Times bestseller. In fact, the Times called it “necessary reading for anyone interested in how the Web and the software we use every day are reshaping culture and the marketplace.” Given that the web is already reshaping the way DailyLit readers read, I thought this would be a thought-provoking pick for the Book Channel.

Sign up for the DailyLit Book Channel for hand-picked recommendations and excerpts from great books like those selected for Oprah’s book club and the newest titles from bestselling authors.

Kaplan SAT Prep Now Free on DailyLit

It’s been a while since I took a college entrance exam, but I remember exactly how stressful it could be. That’s why I’m so excited to announce that we’ve just launched a free Kaplan SAT Prep Program on DailyLit. The course is gives daily vocabulary words with weekly quizzes to check understanding.

Here’s a full description:

A DailyLit Exclusive!

Taking the SAT is hard enough. Make studying easier—and more successful—with the Kaplan SAT Prep Program, an innovative program from the leader in test prep that is available only on DailyLit.

With the Kaplan SAT Prep Program’s daily lessons, you’ll improve your vocabulary, usage, and grammar in just minutes a day—and through DailyLit’s unique subscription service, the lessons will be ready and waiting for you to study whenever and wherever you want. Each day you’ll receive via email (or RSS feed) one lesson that covers important vocabulary words by giving concise definitions, helpful synonyms, and sample sentences that show words in context. At the end of each week you’ll test your new knowledge with a short quiz, complete with answers and explanations. The program gives you the tools to learn, review, and master essential vocabulary and will make each day a step closer to success—and the college of your dreams.

The Kaplan SAT Prep Program on DailyLit is convenient test prep that’s perfect for today’s student: flexible, mobile, and sharp enough to tackle even the toughest test around.

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