Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY

Also see: NAKED! Book Tour - NAKED! Teacher's Guide - How NAKED! Was Made & Other Bonus Goodies

I'm looking forward to visiting Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY on Friday May 2nd at 10:30 am. The 9,000-square-foot indie bookstore opened last summer.

While researching the store, I came across a great article about Northshire in AllOverAlbany.com in which co-owner Chris Morrow said that brick-and-mortar bookstores and e-books are compatible. Northshire, for example, sells e-readers and e-books, plus they compete with major e-tailers like Amazon by offering a compelling experience for visitors as well (ambiance, good selection, hiring and training good booksellers) as reaching out to the local community.

Northshire Bookstore's Rachel Person is the events and community outreach coordinator for the store, "which means that I'm lucky enough to handle author events for the store and to find ways to work with other local organizations throughout our area. I'm also something of a magpie reader, which means I'm always drawn to the next bright shiny object, and will read in pretty much any genre."

Q. What do you like most about working for Northshire Bookstore?

Rachel's answer:

"Coming to work in a bookstore every day is so energizing - it's really a great place to be. And, as the events coordinator for a brand new indie (our store opened less than a year ago), I feel like I'm helping to bring something to my town that hasn't been here before - a year-round lineup of strong, exciting literary programming."

Q. Why are picture books important?

Rachel's answer:

"As a reader, I feel that picture books can really bring out the best in writers and artists - creating books for such a young audience requires such care and precision. Every detail has to be just right. As a mom, I've loved watching my children discover the world through picture books. They pave the way to absolutely everything."

Model train in Northshire's children's department

I'll be doing a 30-45 minute reading, presentation and illustration workshop for young readers. Northshire Bookstore will provide paper and drawing materials. Can't wait! For more details, please see Northshire Bookstore's page about my visit.

Where to find out more about Northshire Books:

Northshire Bookstore website: you can also find out more about their Vermont location, plus info about their upcoming events, staff picks, store blog, new releases, e-newsletter and more.

On Facebook: Northshire Books Saratoga and Northshire Books (Vermont location)

On Twitter at @TogaNorthshire (or @NorthshireBooks for their Vermont location).

All Over Albany article about the opening of Northshire's Sarataga Springs location

Second floor is dedicated to children's books. Photo from AllOverAlbany.com.

Upcoming visit: Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA

 

Bookseller Sarah Rettger

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be appearing at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA on Thursday, May 1st, 2014 at 9:30 am as part of my book tour later this month.

I'll be doing a reading of NAKED!, talking about how I created the illustrations and give young readers a peek into the process, and doing a drawing demo/illustration workshop. Porter Square Books will provide the drawing materials for aspiring young illustrators who attend. :-)

Sarah Rettger has been in bookselling since 2006 ("with a few detours"). Sarah says, "If you asked me to name my favorite book I'd tell you about half a dozen and still feel like I was forgetting some of the best ones."

Q. What do you like most about working for Porter Square Books?

Sarah's answer:

"We have the best customers here. Many of them are here just about every day (possibly for our cafe's fantastic pastries as much as for the books). Bear, the large stuffed animal who lives in our kids' section, has a couple dozen devoted attendants, and it's fun to see them make a beeline for him whenever they come to the store."

Q. Why are picture books important?

Sarah's answer:

"The great thing about picture books is that they're universal. A really good picture book appeals to adults just as much as it does to kids, even after hundreds of readings. 32 pages can reveal so much!"

You can find out more about Porter Square Books on their website: Portersquarebooks.com. Do check out their staff picks, calendar of events, children's book section and ebook resources, plus the Porter Square Books Blog for reviews, author interviews and more. You can follow Porter Square Books on Twitter at @PorterSqBooks and Sarah Rettger at @SarahRettger.