What began as a 140-character message from author Mitali Perkins on Twitter four days ago has blossomed into a New England Children's Booksellers Advisory Council-New England Independent Booksellers Association initiative between 40 authors and illustrators and 13 bookstores (so far) called Kids ♥ Authors Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, February 14, from 10 a.m. to noon as a Valentine for authors, artists, booksellers and children.
"IDEA," Perkins tweeted last Sunday. "Indies partner with authors for a 'give a signed book' day, all Kid/YA authors in area show up at stores to sign one afternoon."
Perkins, whose YA novel Secret Keeper is due from Delacorte in January, told Shelf Awareness she was feeling discouraged by all the bad news in the industry lately and wanted to do something positive. "I have to remember my original mission statement, which is about connecting young readers to great stories," she said. "And I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great to gather around community bookstores?' As someone who's not a big name, I know what the local bookstores do for my books. I did that little Twitter post, and we started brainstorming."
Sarah Retgger, marketing coordinator at the American Booksellers Association and part-time bookseller, and author A.C. Gaughen were the chief brainstormers with Perkins. Once they came up with the idea of a Valentine's Day event and matching local authors with local bookstores, Perkins approached NECBA. "One nice thing about hard economic times is that it makes people reflect upon the importance of community," said NECBA co-chair Kenny Brechner of Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers, Farmington, Me. "This event is an appropriate and meaningful vehicle for strengthening our community of New England authors and independent booksellers."
Facebook also played a role in this 21st-century love story: many of the authors who will be participating learned about the event via the Kids ♥ Authors Day Facebook event page--among them Ellen Wittlinger, author of Love and Lies, Rachel Cohn, author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Nancy Werlin, author of Impossible. Deborah Sloan of Deborah Sloan and Company, who will be promoting the events locally and regionally, also connected with the group via Facebook. Aimee McLear at Chapters Bookstore, Pittsfield, Mass., designed the website's logo. For a complete list of author/illustrator and bookstore participants, visit kidsheartauthors.com.
New England booksellers who'd like to participate in the Valentine's Day event should e-mail kidsheartauthors@yahoo.com by January 15 and include a link to the store's website and the e-mail of a contact person. Stores will be matched with authors/illustrators in January and will receive a poster to help promote the event.--Jennifer M. Brown