Archive for March, 2010

DailyLit Holding Webinar On “Get Your Books Found on the Web: SEO/SEM Strategies”

DailyLit’s industry organization, The Publishing Point, is hosting a free webinar next week that is designed to show authors and folks who work with books how to get their books discovered–and bought!–online. Since we know that there are quite a few writers and book folks among the DailyLit audience we thought we’d share the details of this event with you.

“Get Your Books Found On the Web: SEO/SEM Strategies”

We’re excited to announce The Publishing Point’s first webinar: “Get Your Books Found on the Web: SEO/SEM Strategies”. This free, one-hour webinar from 12:30-1:30pm EST on April 7, 2010 explores strategies for creating and capturing demand for your books online. We’ll discuss ways to participate in, and add to, the online discussion around your book’s theme―the best way to assure high rankings in “organic” search results (Search Engine Optimization or “SEO”). We’ll also discuss ways to build effective online marketing campaigns that drive sales and maximize profits (Search Engine Marketing or “SEM”). Finally, we’ll place SEO and SEM within the context of your overall marketing strategy and budget.

This webinar will be given by Hanny Hindi, an SEO/SEM expert and Clickable guru. Come armed with questions, which you’ll be able to submit directly for a live Q&A session.

RSVP here for this free webinar: http://publishingpoint.ning.com/events/getting-your-books-found-on

The Publishing Point thanks Bowker and its Identifier Services Group for sponsoring this event.  Bowker and its Identifier Services Group are committed to optimizing the discoverability of book titles and authors. For more information, visit www.myidentifiers.com or contact Andy Weissberg at andy.weissberg@bowker.com.

The Publishing Point is a community of publishing professionals excited by industry transformations and committed to sharing ideas about the future. Previous speakers have included John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan; bestselling author Seth Godin; and other media industry leaders found here: http://www.meetup.com/Publishing-Point/. All publishing professionals are encouraged to join The Publishing Point (membership is free), and The Publishing Point can be followed on Twitter @publishingpoint and uses hashtag #pubpt.

DailyLit and The Met Team Up to offer “Hamlet” Tickets to DailyLit Readers

We’re thrilled to announce a special offer for DailyLit readers: we’ve teamed up with the Metropolitan Opera here in New York, which is currently performing Hamlet. They’ve set aside 3 pairs of tickets for DailyLit readers for the performance on Friday, April 9.

To earn a chance to win, share your memories or favorite parts of Hamlet here: it could be from a version of the play you saw (in person or on film); a performance you participated in; a favorite passage or character–anything goes, really! You can refresh your memory about Shakespeare’s masterpiece by checking out Hamlet on DailyLit.

Please make sure to post your memories by 11:59pm on Monday, April 5. We’ll randomly select 3 winners first thing in the morning on Tuesday, April 6, whose tickets will be held at the Met’s box office for the performance on April 9.

If you’re not in the New York area please feel free to share this giveaway with your NYC friends and family. Or enter yourself and, if you win, you can give your tickets to friends you have here.

Check out the synopsis of the opera version below. Fun fact: when the opera debuted in 1868 the ending had been changed so that Hamlet didn’t die at the end. As you can imagine, that concept was not well received and the ending was revised a few years later.

Synopsis: HAMLET

Composer: Ambroise Thomas

Libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier, based on the play by William Shakespeare

World premiere: Paris, Opéra, March 9, 1868

Act I
Elsinore Castle, Denmark. Two months after the death of King Hamlet, fanfares announce the marriage of his brother and successor Claudius to the widowed queen, Gertrude. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and son of the former king, remains apart from the celebration. He is consumed by remorse and self-doubt and vehemently disapproves of his mother’s new marriage so soon after his father’s death. His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Ophélie, the daughter of the Lord Chamberlain, Polonius. She is in love with Hamlet and upset by rumors that he intends to leave the court. He assures her that he still loves her (Duet: “Doute de la lumière”). Laërte, Ophélie’s brother, arrives. He is being sent on a mission to Norway and entrusts his sister to Hamlet’s care. The prince refuses to join the others for the wedding banquet. His friend Horatio appears to tell Hamlet that his father’s ghost has been seen.

At night, alone on the ramparts of the castle, Hamlet meets the ghost. He tells his son that he was poisoned by Claudius and demands vengeance for his murder. Hamlet swears to obey.

Act II
Ophélie is distressed by Hamlet’s indifference (“Sa main depuis hier”). She would like to leave the court, but Gertrude thinks she can help cure the prince’s melancholy. Claudius, who also has noticed Hamlet’s disturbing behavior, arrives. Gertrude wonders if her son suspects the real cause of the former king’s death but Claudius assures her that he is merely losing his mind. The prince enters, rebuffs Claudius for addressing him as his son, and announces that he has arranged for a play to be performed that evening. When the players arrive Hamlet instructs them to perform “The Murder of Gonzago.” He hopes that the story of a murder by poisoning will prompt a confession from the king and queen. In order not to arouse suspicion, he plays the fool and invites the actors to drink (“Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse”).

The court assembles to watch the play. It has the desired effect: Claudius erupts in anger as the murderer of the story gains the crown. Hamlet hides his true feelings by feigning madness, snatching the crown from the king’s head, to the horror of everyone present.

Act III
Hamlet reflects on life and death: he could have killed the king but did not (“Être ou ne pas être”). He hides as the king enters. Claudius is racked with remorse and calls on his dead brother to intercede for him with God (“Je t’implore, ô mon frère”). Polonius appears, calming the king, and the two leave. Hamlet is shocked to discover that Polonius was an accomplice in the murder. When Ophélie enters with Gertrude, he roughly rejects the girl’s advances and urges her to enter a convent, declaring that he no longer loves her and will not marry her. Gertrude wonders what really prompted Hamlet’s change of heart. Ophélie leaves in tears, and Hamlet confronts his mother with her crime. She begs for mercy (Duet: “Pardonne, hélas! ta voix m’accable”). At that moment the ghost reappears and reminds Hamlet that it is not up to him to judge his mother. Gertrude, who cannot see the apparition, believes that her fears Hamlet has gone mad are confirmed.

Act IV
Ophélie has lost her senses. She imagines herself to be married to Hamlet and recalls the tale of a water nymph who lures away wandering men (“Pâle et blonde dort sous l’eau profonde”). She kills herself.

Act V
In a cemetery, two gravediggers discuss the inevitably of death. Hamlet arrives. Unaware of Ophélie’s death, he reproaches himself for the way he treated her and the madness his behavior has provoked (“Comme une pâle fleur”). Laërte appears, demanding vengeance, and the two men are about to duel when the funeral cortège with Ophélie’s body approaches. Hamlet, distraught to discover she is dead, kneels by her bier. He then rushes at Claudius with his sword and kills him, before being stabbed by Laertes.

DailyLit Announces New Distribution Platform

We’re bringing DailyLit books to Tumblr. In case you aren’t familiar with it, Tumblr is an innovative blogging platform that allows you to follow friends’ blogs and easily share posts. Tumblr joins DailyLit’s other distribution platforms: email, RSS, and Viigo.

We’re kicking things off tomorrow–Tuesday, March 30–with our first three, what should we call them? Tumblebooks? Tumblogbooks? Tumblooks? Anyway, you can find them here:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Emily Dickinson’s Poems

The Art of War

We hope you’ll join us in this new way to read together!

Question of the week #67: Leading Roles

Since we just launched Leonard Matlin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, we’ve got movies on our minds. Think of your favorite book: who would you cast as the lead(s) in the film version?

Share your leading gents and ladies in our Question of the Week forum.

DailyLit News: March 2010

Note from the CEO
How many of you are like me, running around like crazy each day, trying to fit in work, family, and (gasp) a little fun? I’m hoping our daily installments help provide that brief respite to make your life a little richer or at least a bit more fun. You can escape down the rabbit hole with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (this month’s Big Read). Or check out essays from single mother Lisa Kogan, the Writer at Large for O, The Oprah Magazine, who writes about ambivalent men, lunch meat, and scary superstores. And if you ever have time to enjoy a movie (or just want to be in the know), you can read daily reviews from Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. Oh, and come join the countdown to Poetry Month with poems by John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Sapphire, and others.

As always, I’d love to hear any suggestions you have. You can write them in our forums or feel free to write directly to me. In the meantime, cheers—to enjoying life to its fullest!

Susan Danziger
Founder/CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

Countdown to Poetry Month with Updike, Oates and Sapphire
To celebrate April as poetry month (just around the corner), we’ve teamed up with Knopf to launch a Poem-A-Day collection featuring such bestselling authors as John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sapphire. Sign up here and join the countdown now.

Essays by Lisa Kogan, Writer at Large for O, The Oprah Magazine
Someone Will Be With You Shortly: Author Lisa Kogan writes for O, The Oprah Magazine, and in her new book discusses everything from her life as a single mother in New York City to her quest for the perfect tomato. She’s nostalgic for that time when you had to walk across a room to change channels and for when there was no such thing as a spy satellite capable of spotting a pre-cancerous mole on your inner thigh. Check out her essays here, compliments of our sponsor, HarperStudio.

Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen
Discover hidden movie gems or throw around film trivia at your next dinner party. Here’s a taste from reviewer Leonard Maltin who dug up the best movies adapted from books: “The films I’ve chosen are ‘The Door in the Floor’ (from John Irving’s A Widow for One Year) starring Jeff Bridges; ‘Thumbsucker’ (from the novel by Walter Kirn, who also wrote Up in the Air); and ‘The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio’ (from the memoir by Terry Ryan).” You can read more about each of these films here. And get a daily series, compliments of HarperStudio, here.

Big Read: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
You may have heard of a little movie called “Alice in Wonderland” which was just released. Before you see it, read the original on DailyLit, which we’re making this month’s Big Read. Check out Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland here.

Reader challenge: Before I die…
Not to be grim or overly dramatic, but I thought this month we could focus on one of the more important questions in life—that is, what does each of us want to do before we die? Inspired by the same question I saw posted on 5th Avenue (related to the launch of an MTV show, “The Buried Life”—and no, it’s not a sponsor), I thought it was important enough to ask our readers. So, in no more than 10 words, tell us: what do you want to do before you die? Post your life wishes in our Reader Challenge Forum.

DailyLit on Tumblr
We’re excited to announce that we’re bringing DailyLit to Tumblr. In case you haven’t heard of it, Tumblr is an innovative blogging platform that allows readers to follow certain blogs (also called Tumblogs) and reblog posts to share with friends. We’re offering Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; The Art of War; Emily Dickinson’s Poems as our first, what should we call them? Tumblogbooks? Tumblooks? Well, anyway, the countdown begins now, and the books begin on Tuesday, March 30th.

New in our Book Channel
This month we’re welcoming a new guest curator to the Book Channel: Carl Lennertz. He’s a real star in the publishing industry, and I’ve been a big fan of his for years. We’ve also included The Help, featured on The Today Show’s list of “10 Must-Read Books for Spring;” a collection of new Sherlock Holmes adventures; a dazzling debut novel selected by DailyLit staffer Maggie; sensational novelist Joshua Ferris’s latest; and New York Times bestseller You Are Not a Gadget. To start receiving these recommendations sign up now for our Book Channel.

This Week in DailyLit’s Book Channel

This week in DailyLit’s Book Channel we highlighted a new pick from guest curator Gotham Gal. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a look at the surprising ways one woman’s life has transformed modern science and medical care. It’s currently on the New York Times Bestseller list (and author Rebecca Skloot appeared on the Colbert Report last week).

We’ve also got another recommendation from publishing insider Carl Lennertz. First Contact is one of his favorite recent books and he’s heard from booksellers in his network who can’t say enough about their love for the book.

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.

Winners of Love Bites Reader Challenge

We, ahem, loved reading your entries to our Love Bites Reader Challenge. In 140-characters you told love stories that were funny, sweet, sad, and everything in between. It was hard to choose winners, but here are our top five (in no particular order), each of whom will receive a free copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love. Thanks to everyone for participating!

-I keep a lot of photos at the Missed Persons Bureau. It’s like that other bureau, except I know where the person is. He’s just not with me.
–candace2932

-We met in the comic book shop where we both wanted the last Watchman trade paperback. We decided to share it. And now we share everything.
–Golem100

-i thought unconditional only preceded surrender. she showed me unconditional love. i really love this girl. how do i tell her i’m married?
–anon_e_mouse

-Middle-aged love: the memory of the spark fades, the glow more warm and comforting now.
–Chaosopher

-The one I love is looking straight back at me. I blink and double-check the mirror. Yup I am still there.
–x4xtazy

Question of the Week #66: Favorite Poets

This week includes World Poetry Day and the birthday of beloved American poet Robert Frost. Who is your favorite poet? Why?

Share yours in our Question of the Week forum.

Read DailyLit on your Kindle

We’ve had a number of folks ask about reading DailyLit on their Kindle, so we tested it out and came up with two methods you can use.

Method #1

1) On your computer (because the Kindle browser is more difficult to use), find the book you’d like to read, and view the first “preview” page.
2) Note the URL.
3) Type the URL into your Kindle’s web browser. (On the first-gen Kindle, you will find the browser in the menu under “experimental.”)
4) Once you’re at the page, bookmark it, possibly want to increase the text size, and then start reading.
5) The first DailyLit installment will take up several Kindle “screens,” so use the “next page” Kindle button until you get the the end of the installment.
6) When you get to the end of the installment, use the DailyLit “next” link to view the next installment (or edit the URL to the number of the next installment, if you’re comfortable doing so).
7) When you’re done reading, change your bookmark to the URL of the installment where you left off.

Keep in mind:
- This is not like the “Kindle experience” where you are downloading the whole book first, so you’ll have to stop reading if you lose the internet connection.

Method #2: Using Google Reader

1) On your computer, set up an RSS subscription to the book you’d like to read.
2) On your computer, set up / sign into your RSS feed reader and paste your RSS URL into Google Reader
3) Using Kindle browser, go to: www.google.com/reader/m/
4) Sign in with your Google account.
5) You should see your RSS installments.  Bookmark this page.  Click the installment you want to read.
6) Increase text size, read!
7) Use “next:” button to adavnce through book.

Keep in mind:
-You could do something similar with any online RSS reader of choice, especially if it comes in a “mobile device” format.
- There are numerous resources online with tips on how to use RSS readers on Kindles. You might trying searching for “RSS on Kindle” to find some information.

“An Education” in DailyLit’s Book Channel

I’ve seen photos of actress Carey Mulligan, the face of the film “An Education,” all over the place these past few months, so when Atlas & Co. asked if I wanted to check out the memoir that inspired the Oscar-nominated film I jumped at the chance. It’s the story of an Oxford “education” that takes place, as so many of the most important educations do, far from the classroom. Hope you’ll enjoy this taste of a classic coming-of-age story told in the sharply witty voice of award-winning journalist Lynn Barber.

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.

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