I know! I know! I understand your frustration.
Who gets those galleys aka arcs?
- Reviewers- I am one, writing reviews for a blog, a magazine and occasionally a
newspaper.
People who serve on book award committees- Again, I serve of the Children's Book
Committee at Bank Street that reviews books for the Best Children's Books of the
Year, published by Teachers College Press
Librarians who go to conferences- publishers consider those librarians and teachers
"big mouths" who will get the word out to other librarians, teachers and students,
if they like a book - I am one of those too
I had never wrote about books months before they were available - I read them
months ahead of the publication date, wrote about them months ahead then the
reviews were published in the magazine or newspaper on or around the street date of
the book.
I have just started writing for EaryWord.com- The mission of this on-line journal
is to give librarians who are purchasing for public or school libraries a heads-up
on upcoming titles. Acquisition librarians especially for big systems need to put
in their p.o.s early to make sure they can get the books, in house and processed by
publication date. These heads-up reviews help them with those decisions. sooo....
In no way am I a shill for the publishers- with the piles and piles of picture
books, chapter books and ya, I hope I am performing a service by providing a
critical opinion.
Yes I just started posting reviews for books that the ordinary librarian can't get
their hands on for months.
And no, I never thought I was lording it over you but yes the truth is, I love
reading books before everyone else. Mostly because I love reading. And I probably
get as excited as you are about the new book by the author of Graceling. And after
I read it I was dying to talk about it ( better than the first , believe me) and I
wish I could get a copy to everyone on LM NET right now!
So there is no easy fix except becoming a reviewer. I started at School Library
Journal. No special connections, I just sent them a query (a real letter- before
e-mail) They sent me two trial books to review. If you can possibly go to ALA in
Chicago the publishers will be giving out galleys. But not as many as before...the
downturn.
So here is a gift to the group. I am going to ask permission to post the access
codes to e- galley for Rampant- a new YA novel from HarperTeen on EarlyWord.com.
You have read about vampires, werewolfs and zombies. I have been looking forward to
reading this supernatural romance about killer unicorns. On sale August 28th 2008.
I'll let you know when it is up.
Lisa
Lisa Von Drasek
Children's Librarian
Bank Street College of Education
School for Children Pre-K- 8
610 West 112th St
NY NY 10025
lisav@bnkst.edu
212 875 4452
>>> Karen McLachlan <mclachlan_k@TRECA.ORG> 06/05/09 2:07 PM >>>
Hi All,
I must really be end-of-the-year cranky, but something is
beginning to get to me. Maybe your collective wisdom can set me
straight.
As a high school librarian, I try very hard to stay up-to-date in
reading and/or knowing about new YA books. In other words, I read
tons of book reviews, mostly online. What is really beginning to
upset me is the large number of reviews written about books that
won't be out for several months yet. I, too, am extremely anxious to
read the second or third book in a trilogy. I just can't wait to
read Author X's next new book. The reviews get me all excited about
reading the books I'm dying to read. Then I look them up, only to
find out that they won't be available till next fall! &^%#$%^&*@!
Yes, yes, I know about the ARCs. But I don't have access to them. I
don't have time to play the games on the blogs for the give aways and
I know of no other way to get them. Besides, my students would
probably attack me to get their hands on them if I did have any. So
what gives with these anyway? Are the bloggers in cahoots with the
publishers in exchange for free advertising? Why are so many reviews
written about books yet to be published? I feel like I'm hearing
echoes of that old childhood taunt, "Naa naa n-naa naa!"
Okay, go ahead. Tell me I'm the Andy Rooney of school librarians.
Tweak my attitude. But please do it gently because I'm last-day-of-
school bummed out.
Thanks for letting me vent,
Karen McLachlan, LMS
East Knox High School
Howard, OH 43028
mclachlan_k@treca.org
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