50 Shades of Hamilton

An article I wrote for Hamilton Magazine called "50 Shades of Hamilton" was just published in the magazine's fall 2013 issue.

"Hamilton is rich with history and a diverse sense of culture. It is also a city rich with ghosts. Fifty or more of them, in fact."

The article outlines the 5 different types of ghosts that haunt the Hamilton area as covered in my 2012 Dundurn book Haunted Hamilton, by breaking them down into the following categories.

• Historical Ghosts
• Truly Eerie & Creepy Ghostly Tales
• Sad & Forlorn Ghosts
• Ghosts in Public Places
• The Practical Joker Ghosts

I originally riffed on the "Fifty Shades" idea of counting the ghosts in Hamilton, on my blog last year. I didn't realize that the editor of Hamilton magazine (Marc Skulnick) was a fan of ghost stories - but when he contacted me to see if I'd put something together for the fall issue, I pitched the concept.

The article opens with the following paragraph....

"Before you think this article has anything to do with an explicit erotic relationship between a recent college graduate and a business magnate, I should remind you that one of the definitions of "shade," according to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, is simply a ghost."

The magazine spread is filled with beautiful historic pictures of the city as well as a collection of short tidbits from the book regarding haunted places.

No, that's not Patrick Dempsey on the cover - it's Rodrigo Venturelli

It's cool when something like that can eventually be converted into another piece of published writing.  And the extra exposure reminding people of my book doesn't hurt either.

Spirits of Hamilton Haunt New Book

The other day Hamilton Spectator reporter Jeff Mahoney called to talk to me about Haunted Hamilton.  He told me that he quite enjoyed the book, and I was immediately flattered because I had been reading Jeff's articles and columns in The Spec for years and quite like and respect his writing.

Jeff's article about my new book which was headlined with Spirits of Hamilton haunt new book:  Horror author calls his account of ghostly residents - historical and contemporary - a love letter to the city appeared in today's Hamilton Spectator.  It included a great photo that Cathie Coward took of me at my desk.

Here is the photo used in the online version of the article

The print article and the online version (slightly different photos) both show one of my favourite pictures of Alexander on the computer monitor behind me.  Notice, also, that one shot has my coffee mug in it while the newsprint version doesn't.

Jeff's great article garnered some some cool attention. Annette Hamm from CHCH Morning Live contacted me and I'll be on the show tomorrow (Thurs Sept 13th) at 7:50 AM.

And the cool thing:  she asked me to bring my skulls. When I told her about Barnaby (who is still upset he never appeared in the photo shoot - he was at his post in my passenger seat at the time) she said to bring him too.

Democratization of the Slush Pile

There's an interesting article by Mark Medley in Saturday's National Post called Self-Publishing: Doing it yourself and doing it better which is part of an Ecology of Books series examining the interrelationships comprising Canada's publishing industry.

The article begins by looking at Terry Fallis who took the self-publishing route a few years ago after several aborted attempts at going the traditional way.  And thank goodness Fallis didn't give up when he faced those brick walls, because when he self-published The Best Laid Plans in 2007 he proved something. Sure, publishers do a fantastic job of selecting great books to be published each year -- but each year, many more great books don't end up seeing the light of day.

Fallis went on to win the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for his first novel and then landed a publishing contract with McClelland & Stewart who republished the book and is releasing the sequel The High Road this fall.  (Last week I was raving about how progressive M&S is being in letting Fallis podcast the novel prior to the book's official print release)

The Best Laid Plans is currently the "One Book One Community" selection for the Waterloo Region and has been receiving consistent praise since it first came out.  I've already begun listening to Chapter 3 of the podcast for The High Road and am enjoying it as much if not more than I enjoyed the first novel.  Slipping back into Fallis's fictional world which takes a satirical look at Canadian politics is like being reunited with long lost friends.

The National Post article also mentions the Espresso Book Machine at my bookstore at McMaster University along with the huge success we've had helping self-published authors realize their dreams. Since Mark Medley interviewed me about it I've been thinking a lot about that.


I have been a bookseller for almost twenty years now and have certainly seen my share of self-published books that were obviously self-published for a reason.  (The reason, of course, is that no publisher was willing to touch the book)  And yes, I hate saying this because I as an author I'm also quite sensitive to the criticism of the world at large, but so many of the self-published titles that have crossed my path since I began bookselling are ones that rarely pass the "first page" test.  Often they simply weren't "ready for prime time" -- they either didn't capture my interest or else read like a first draft that needed either a major re-write or a fantastic editor to help them polish it up.

I'll even admit that when Fallis, a McMaster graduate, approached me about doing a book signing for The Best Laid Plans back in 2007 I went to his website to check out his book and a sample of his writing.  And yes, I was leery, cautious and somewhat dreading the whole experience. Sure, I wanted to support a Mac Author but setting up a book signing, ordering in a bunch of books that are more than likely going to just eat up shelf space and not sell takes a lot of time and expense. Booksellers everywhere need to make difficult decisions like that every day -- deciding to put a particular book on your shelf becomes an investment in the hope that that book sells; every single book you bring in that doesn't sell is akin to lost money.  And while it may be easy not to order certain titles from a giant catalog, it's more difficult to say no to the hopeful smile of a local author standing in your store.


So, yes, I did approach the Fallis novel with caution.  However, I wasn't more than a couple of sentences into The Best Laid Plans when I was immediately charmed, hooked and swept into the fictional world Fallis had created.  Despite the fact that I had virtually no interest in reading fiction about Canadian politics (I mean, really, can you imagine a more dry topic?) he had me pretty much by the first word and kept me rivetted until the end. His characters, writing style and plot were top notch. I was haunted by the ghost of Robertson Davies, I was reminded of the slightly off-centre humour found in John Irving novels. All my instincts told me that Fallis was indeed a writer to watch and so I immediately called him back and practically begged him to come to our store to do his book launch at Titles. And from that day onward, I've been proudly watching this author rise to a much-deserved success.


Yes, the experience Terry Fallis had going the self-publishing route is a unique one and, as Fallis himself says in the National Post article, akin to a "lightning strike" -- however, since getting the Espresso Book Machine at Titles bookstore back in November of 2008, I've seen hundreds more self-published authors.  And no, I haven't read the books of every single one of them, but giving them the first line test and first page test I have to say I've been quite impressed by the quality of many of them.  In fact, in the past couple of years, I've been more impressed with the quality of the self-published titles I've seen than at any time in my bookselling career.


Several of the titles that I helped work on, such as the Alicia Snell biography Me Minus 173: From 328 Pounds to the Boston Marathon affected me in the same manner as the Fallis novel. No, I'm not a fan of self-help biographies, but Snell's prose pulled me in and didn't let go. I simply couldn't not read the whole thing. In fact, her book, which is as inspirational and entertaining as listening to Snell speak (she does fantastic motivational talks) inspired me to new heights and helped me change my life for the better.

When I asked Snell why she was paying us to print her book and suggested she send it to a publisher, she explained that the book had already gone the rounds with at least 4 major publishers. In each case, the book made it as far up the chain as an editorial round-table -- but with each major publishing house, the book was rejected due to reasons such as: "oh we already did a self-help title last month" or "we already have a diet book on our fall list."


Yet another case of a great book that didn't see the light of day in the traditional world due to nothing more than timing. Had those publishers not produced similar titles at the time Snell's manuscript crossed their desks, it would have been published by them.  But instead, the timing wasn't there, and now Snell, who has produced the book herself, is enjoying the success of having to return and getting more books printed because she keeps selling out of them.  A good problem to have, I suppose.


There are many more titles like that which I've had the pleasure of experiencing thanks to the self-publishing services offered through our bookstore. Books that are not only allowing authors to have their voices heard, but books that end up touching the lives of others and making a positive difference.  And it feels really good to be a part of not only being able to sell these books to customers, but helping the authors achieve their goals of getting the book out there.

Admittedly, yes, there is still a stigma attached to self-published titles -- but I've seen dozens upon dozens of great titles come through the print on demand option offered by our services at the bookstore at McMaster. Yes, some are published merely to be shared among a small group of friends or family. But some will reach a broader audience, be lifted beyond being carried in a single bookstore and championed by a small group of independent booksellers.

It strikes me that the publishing landscape, particularly one in which more than half of all the books published in 2009 were self-published titles, is becoming more diverse and dynamic than ever before.  I'm reminded of a comment that Richard Nash made on stage at the 2010 BookNet Canada Tech Forum -- he described the golden age of publishing as a bunch of white men in tweed jackets publishing each other. In addressing the publishing industry I must borrow the slogan from Virginia Slims: "You've come a long way, baby!"


It strikes me that the publishing world is undergoing an interesting shift, where a title might become big not because it was originally selected as a "million dollar advance" title from a major New York publishing house, but because word of mouth from readers and booksellers (typically combined with a heck of a lot of sweat and hard work from the author) helped it get there.  That the community aspect of publishing and bookselling is becoming more important than ever before.


Thanks to emerging technologies, many different companies and services geared towards helping authors choose an alternative path, and the tireless efforts authors are putting into promoting their work, the democratization of the slush pile is beginning to happen and writers who would normally not be given a chance to shine are having their voices heard.

Interesting times we live in.

United We Stand

The spring issue of Canadian Bookseller magazine (a publication of Canadian Booksellers Association) is out.

It includes an article I wrote called: "Better Booksellers Together" which covers various ways in which booksellers have successfully collaborated as well as the net effect these collaborations can have.

It would at first seem counterintuitive for independent operations to collaborate, particularly with a nearby bookstore that could potentially be a rival. But my article gives the perfect example of how two such booksellers have done so, quite successfully, for some time now with an incredible track record of success to show for it.

Similarly, the collaborative efforts between a small community bookstore and some other independently minded retailer make perfect sense.

Sure, an easy link between a bookstore and a coffee house have been around for a while, but what about some of the other not so immediate connections a person can make between a bookstore and another retail operation? Is there a possibility for a bookstore and a hotel to work together? What about a bookseller and a travel agency? Or a laundromat? Or a sporting goods store? Can you draw a connection between any two of them and see how they might be able to collaborate, help each other out and each become stronger and offer more to their customers?

The only thing stopping you from seeing the connections would be the limits we often impose on our creativity and free-spirited thinking.

Bookstores are a dynamic and critical element that are part of the complex mosaic of a local community. Drawing lines between a bookstore and any other neighbourhood businesses should be easy. And, in offering the customer more within their own community, make each business that much better.

And on the flip side of neighbourhood, one would think that geographic distance would make collaboration between booksellers in different regions difficult; but digital technology as well as the broad geographic divides that exist between us all make those types of collaborations unique, offering grounding within multiple communities while at the same time offering a connection that can be unique and lasting.

Similarly, collaborations between two physical locations is one thing, but bridging the gap between physical and virtual takes it one step further -- can you think of any ways in which customers can be better served by a wholly physical location working collaboratively with a service that does not occupy any physical space?

In any case, my article discusses various examples of how booksellers have been able to collaborate to each become stronger and offer more to their customers in the hopes that it offers booksellers food for thought when it comes to establishing their own collaborative efforts

The beauty with this type of strategy is that collaboration can be as small or simple as you'd like or as grand and complex as you're willing to attempt. Each opportunity, of course, has its own challenges and its own rewards. My article points out several different forward-thinking booksellers across our great nation who have collaborated quite successfully, making this business of bookselling, which so many of us are passionate about, that much better for ourselves and our customers.

If you already get Canadian Bookseller magazine, you should be reading each issue cover to cover -- in which case, you'll see my article on page 34.

And if you don't already get the magazine, you can read the article online here where the pdf is posted.

The latest issue of Canadian Bookseller magazine features Penguin Books on the cover -- they are celebrating 75 Great Years. I'm delighted with the great Canadian authors that Penguin Canada has published over the past several decades. (Speaking of collaborations, here's an oldy but a goody, a staple of bookseller collaboration -- my bookstore is collaborating with Penguin Canada for the official launch of Robert J. Sawyer's 10 city book tour for WATCH on March 31st)

Oh, and one last thing before I forget: Happy Birthday, Penguin! (I like your fancy polka-dot bow-tie -- and yes, I did notice that the polka dots are actually the official Penguin logo -- nice touch)

iRead iBooks On My iThing

An article I recently wrote to offer a bookseller's perspective on the iPad and what it might mean to the book industry was recently posted on The Mark News.

It's entitled Will The iPad Kill The Book Industry?

It was a tough article to keep to about 1000 words because I have so much to say about ebooks and the iPad and the book industry.

In a nutshell, it's not a simple question to answer -- I truly believe that the answer is a bit more complex than a simple one line answer. Yes, the iPad and digital books will kill some parts of the book industry; but they'll also allow other parts of the book industry to grow. The editors I worked with in getting the article finalized helped me polish my yin/yang perspectives into one in which I'm positive about ebooks, yet also positive about books. But, rather that re-summarize, you should just go read the article itself.

And yes, I think I can be both without contradicting myself.

Of course, on the satirical side of the whole iPad discussion, I rather like Rick Mercer's spoof on Apple's new product . . . "the iSlab"

Public Domain Replicas

I was recently asked if I would write a series of articles for The Mark News, a hot new online news magazine with a combination of news, op ed and opinion pieces.

My latest article, about the mass digitization of rare out of print public domain titles went live today. In it I make specific mention to the way in which the partnership between McMaster University's library and bookstore has helped increase access to more readers by collaboratively using their Kirtas scanner and Espresso Book Machine.

Here's a link to the article, which is entitled All That's Old Is New Again.

Weathering The Digital Storm

The editors of The Mark did a phone interview with me the other day asking me pointed questions regarding the subject of my article "The Future of Publishing is Here" and embedded a wonderful montage of audio clips about my speculation of the effect that the digital landscape might have on the book industry.

They did a wonderful job of encapsulating a 10 minute conversation into a juicy little 2 minute chunk in which I make some pretty bold statements about how I see digital actually benefiting the book industry rather than destroying it. Being the avid book lover, I, of course, couldn't help slipping in the mention of two books -- Chris Anderson's book Free: The Future of a Radical Price as well as one of my favourite new authors, Terry Fallis and his book The Best Laid Plans.

The audio clip opens with me saying: "Digital is here to stay, but that doesn't not necessarily mean books are gone," and going on from there to speculate about the huge potential the book industry is facing. Notice that I say potential and not Apocalypse.

The embedded audio player appears near the top of the article -- go have a listen if you can stand listening to my optimistic viewpoints.

The Lost Children of Academia

"The lost children of academia." It sounds like the tagline for a cheesy b-grade movie about spirits haunting a hundred-year-old campus building and picking off tenured faculty one by one.

But it's a reality I've slowed uncovered since first moving from the "trade" side of book retailing and into an academic/campus retail environment.

- From my article in Canadian Bookseller magazine Volume 4 - 2009

That's how my latest article in Canadian Bookseller magazine opens and is a subject that has been milling around in my head for several years now. In 2006 I was an "outsider" to the campus side of book retailing, and though I came with plenty of years of bookselling experience, I was to discover there's a whole new world of bookselling out there with regards to the campus experience.


And I don't just mean the backwards and twisted world of textbooks. That's a whole different ballgame and I'm not going to go there no lest I get all sidetracked and on my "this needs to be changed" soapbox.

Just focusing on the general books or "trade" book side of the business, it's still an interestingly different game, particularly since trade booksellers in campus stores have three main audiences to attempt to please: faculty, campus staff and students.

Talk about a broad spectrum.

Talk about huge challenges for the booksellers on campus.

But talk about opportunity.

My article looks at the differences, but more importantly, looks at the similarities between campus booksellers and other independent and chain bookstores out there and attempts to help campus booksellers recognize their strengths and benefit from networking opportunities and resources that exist for them.

If you don't already read Canadian Bookseller magazine and you're a bookseller, you should. The latest issue not only has this article I wrote, but plenty of great content geared specifically for booksellers and book nerds in Canada. Not that it wouldn't interest people outside our great country, but it is geared towards bookselling north of the 49th parallel.

About The Mark

No, I'm not like that freaky character in Seinfeld who refers to himself in third person as "The Mark" -- I'm talking about Canada's daily online forum for news, commentary and debate . . .

The Mark - News & Perspectives Daily

I was recently asked to submit articles to The Mark -- they recruit contributors using two criteria: professional credibility and a connection to Canada.

What I like about the articles on this online news digest/forum is that they are less than 1000 words and are relatively digestible chunks of thought and perspective for today's reader.

My first article is called The Future of Publishing is Here and it debuted yesterday.

The "summary" phrase for the article is: Print on demand supplies books almost instantly while lowering costs, allowing local bookstores to compete with the Amazons of the world.

I could describe what this essay is about, but it's only 700 words -- you might as well just go read it yourself.

Here's my author bio page on The Mark. For it, they used a photo that my buddy and talented photographer Greg Roberts took several years ago when I was in need of some serious "author" pictures.

Photo by Greg Roberts

The photo was taken on Hamilton Mountain in the spring of 2004 (I believe) on the side of the road near the West Fifth mountain access. I think it's cool that in the background you can see McMaster University, where I now spend a good deal of my time.

And since much of what I'll be writing about in my articles for The Mark will be based on my real-world experience as a bookseller rather than pulled from the eerie depths of my imagination and fears, I've opted to write under my full name Mark Leslie Lefebvre rather than the pseudonym of Mark Leslie which I adopt for my fiction.

It at least helps ME keep the non-fiction straight from the fiction pieces.