Pubslush on the Road: R.J. Julia

On June 19th, the Pubslush team was lucky enough to visit R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut to talk social media and self-publishing with a great audience.

R.J. Julia, located in Madison’s town center, is the perfect bookstore to get lost in. With its cozy interior, extensive selection of books, and great café, we will certainly be visiting again. During our visit, we had the opportunity to meet and greet members of the community, discuss Pubslush’s website, and talk about promoting a book using various forms of social media.  We also had a chance to ask Denise Santisteban, R.J. Julia’s Events Manager, some questions about the store, its history, and what’s planned for this summer!

Pubslush: How did R.J. Julia Booksellers get started?

D.S.: The bookstore was started with some long, hard work by it’s owner, Roxanne Coady. R.J. Julia opened 21 years ago as an independent bookstore whose mission was, and still is, to be a place where words matter, where writer meets reader, where the ambiance and selection and merchandising of books creates an atmosphere that is welcoming and presents the opportunity for discovery. Ultimately, we are fiercely committed to putting the right book in the right hand.

Pubslush: What are some milestones achieved by the bookstore since it opened?

D.S.: We are extremely proud of having won major awards nationally, statewide and locally, including in part: Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year, Lucille Pannell award for bookselling excellence, Connecticut Magazine Best Bookstore, Connecticut Retailers Award for Community commitment, Advocate’s Best Bookstore and the New Haven Business Small Business Award.

Pubslush: What is in store for customers this summer?

D.S.: This summer we are engaging our customers with a Where’s Waldo? Hunt throughout the merchant community of Madison.  We have Summer Reads luncheons with major authors, Ice Cream Sundays, Terrific Tuesdays with activities for children, and as always wonderful book events with great authors.

Pubslush: What’s on your summer reading list?

D.S.: “Gold” by Chris Cleave which is about the competitive event of bicycling and revolves around three individuals working towards their Olympic dreams.

We love R.J. Julia’s commitment to picking out the best book for the reader, and we thought it was so helpful that staff members wrote handwritten reviews of their favorite books in the store! It could not have been a better match for us, as our website has some great features that help readers find books they will love based on their past reads. Be sure to check out R.J. Julia in Madison if you are in the area!