Book Publicity News

Saturday, October 08, 2005

FALL FRENZY

As usual, September has been filled with author tours, author tours, and more author tours. For those of us in the book business, the cycle of the seasons is reminiscent of our childhood. After a sleepy summer, filled with lazy days by the pool, it's back to school, so to speak, when the wheels of the fall frenzy kick in.

This summer was not so sleepy for me, however. I was gearing up for a huge campaign for the MOM AND ME COOKBOOK: Have Fun in the Kitchen (DK Publishing; September 2005), by Annabel Karmel, an international bestselling author and guru to moms with young kids who refuse to eat. Her previous book, FIRST MEALS: Fast, Healthy and Fun Foods to Tempt Infants and Toddlers, has become the Bible for young mothers.

In her new book, Annabel says the best way to motivate finicky eaters is to get children involved in the kitchen. "Children will eagerly eat something they have prepared themselves and take great pride in watching someone else enjoy their food,” says Annabel.

Annabel, who was featured in the October 3rd edition of Newsweek, enjoyed a whirlwind cross country tour with plenty of media coverage.

Scheduled to be a guest on The Early Show on September 21st, however, Annabel was one of the many authors feeling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's coverage. I spoke too soon on August 29th, when I mentioned in my blog, that "I was grateful I didn't have any authors scheduled for a morning show today who would end up sitting in the green room as the hurricane coverage preempted their interviews."

As the coverage of Hurricane Katrina's devastation continued throughout September, Annabel was one of the many authors who got bumped from a national morning show. But the good news is, she will be appearing sometime before Christmas (stay tuned).

Jennifer O'Connell will be touring Philadelphia this October. Her new book, OFF THE RECORD (NAL; September 2005; $12.95), is a fictionalized look inside the music business. Loosely based on a popular recording artist, OFF THE RECORD traces the comeback of a former pop sensation and explores the public's fascination with the real identity of people in hit songs such as You're So Vain.

Jennifer will be discussing the parallels between her character, Teddy Rock and the rock star who inspired his character on WCAU-TV News 10 (NBC Affiliate and Philly's top morning show) in Philadelphia on October 17th. She will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in Rittenhouse Square the following evening.

Alan Nadel, Ph.D., explores the birth of television in his provocative new book, TELEVISION IN BLACK-AND-WHITE AMERICA: Race and National Identity (University Press of Kansas; October 25, 2005). Professor Nadel traces how popular TV programs such as Bonanza, Disney Productions, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Gunsmoke, The Burns and Allen Show, Route 66, Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, I Love Lucy, Make Room for Daddy, The Virginian, Davy Crockett all helped to underscore racial discrimination and bigotry throughout the fifties and sixties.

Nadel will be discussing his book on various NPR programs throughout the country this fall.

On a lighter note, Liz Maverick writes about the hottest craze among Americans everywhere in her new novel, CARD SHARKS (NAL; December 2005). Poker has become a national obsession, according to USA Today, which reports "they're doing it in Vegas, and in family rooms, dorm rooms and senior centers across the country. They're even doing it on TV."

In CARD SHARKS, "They're doing it in Vegas" as well, as one of the heroines finds herself competing in the high stakes World Series of Poker against some of poker's greats as she and her best friend discover that all the eligible boys are holed up in casinoes and backrooms playing poker.

Ally Carter, has also written a card-themed novel, CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE (December 2005). This debut novel pokes fun at self-help gurus and the media. The protagonist, a bestselling author and self-help guru, is about to embark on a book tour when the paparazzi capture her in a compromising photograph that threatens to sabotage her forthcoming book.

Set in the cut-throat Los Angeles fashion industry, Beth Kednrick’s FASHIONABLY LATE (Downtown Press; January 2006) offers a juicy glimpse into the treachery and lies churning beneath the glitz and glamour. Reminiscent of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Kendrick’s protagonist finds that talent will only get her so far in the ruthless world of high fashion.

Stay Tuned:
Sue Carter, a former television anchor who interviewed authors on book tour for an NBC Affiliate in Detroit, finds herself on the other side of the fence. She has just published a book about an all-female expedition to the North Pole.

Kyra Davis, the author of SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE (Red Dress Ink; May 2005), has a sequel coming out this spring, PASSION, BETRAYAL AND KILLER HIGHLIGHTS (Red Dress Ink; 2006).

Angela Henry, the author of THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (BET Books; May 2005), also has a sequel coming out this spring.

I will be discussing all of the above, plus additional exciting news in a future blog, so stay tuned...