Bookstores Galore: Kramerbooks & Afterwords

       Kramerbooks & Afterwords, located in the heart of Washington D.C. on 1517 Connecticut Ave., was the first bookstore/Café in the country.  This bookstore was brought to life in 1976 by Bill Kramer, who was the manager of his father’s store called Sidney Kramer Books which unfortunately closed in 1997.  Kramerbooks & Afterwords prides itself on being the first independent bookstore to incorporate a café.  
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       Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it is open 7 days a week and offers live music on Wednesday’s.  Many bookstores throughout the country now incorporate café’s, all thanks to Kramerbooks & Afterwords brilliant idea!  The employees and owner of Kramerbooks & Afterwords stated that they love what they do and pay close attention to each and every customer. Who wouldn’t enjoy a bookstore that focuses so much on their loyal customers? A little TLC from a bookstore can be exactly what a customer needs after a long day sitting in a cubicle.
       This bookstore also features on tap beers for the beer coinsurer and is open all night on the weekends for the night owls in town.  Kramerbooks & Afterword’s offers a large array of books and has a great atmosphere for all of its customers.
       The Kramerbooks website boasts a review from The New York Times that quite nicely sums up the atmosphere and legacy of Kramerbooks.
       ”Kramerbooks is a cultural landmark of sorts…Many people do not consider themselves true Washingtonians until they have received a phone call that begins as an invitation for drinks after work and ends with ‘I’ll meet you at Kramer’s.’ Kramerbooks & Afterwords is definitely an institution. There is no place like it here. It is known throughout the town, almost entirely through word of mouth. Of course, anything worth knowing in Washington almost always is.” -The New York Times
       So, if you’re traveling to Washington D.C., be sure to stop by this iconic bookstore for a delicious meal, a good read, or a cold beer!      

Source: kramers.com

Startup Togather thinks crowdsourcing is key to profitable author book tours

Stuff We Love: Jellybooks

The next segment of Stuff We Love features an interview with the founder of Jellybooks, Andrew Rhomberg. Jellybooks is a digital platform that mimics the physical experience of book browsing, as one would at a bookstore. If you’re an avid reader and book lover be sure to check out what Jellybooks has to offer!

Pubslush: What is the concept behind Jellybooks?

AR: The key concept is that most sites selling books online -printed or digital - suck from a design point of view and provide a very poor experience for discovering new books.

These ecommerce sites are great for finding a book where you already know the title or author and they help you buy and check them out in under 60 seconds, but they do not replicate the warm, fun and entertaining feeling of visiting a physical bookstore, where you can leisurely browse books in a  relaxed atmosphere. We are trying to bring some of that  fun book shop  experience back into the digital world.

Pubslush: What is the goal of the site?

AR: First and foremost we try to help readers discover exciting new books to read, with a focus on titles outside the most-popular of best-selling lists.

Secondly, we try to give authors, big and small, new or established, digital tools to get readers interested in their books through samples, viral sharing or sweet deals.

Pubslush: Who is the audience?

AR: We focus on the avid reader, who reads a book a week.

Pubslush: What changes or adaptations can be expected in the future?

AR: We listen, listen, listen.

Initially, we had no categories, because we did not want a complex, multi-nested interface for looking up books. However, after listening to our users, we categorize as part of the “strawberry” release, but this will be different. These will be categories pre-defined by us or the user and they will function more like browser tabs to quickly zoom into a narrower range of books. They are not a search tool, but a personalization tool.

Also coming are widgets for authors, bloggers, reviewers and others to put the Jellybooks sample and share buttons on their own homepage, blog or website. This will be the “cherry” release.

Soon, we will also have “Send to Kindle” support and  a host of other features. 

Above all, we are working on ways to personalize and help readers discover new books in a last.fm style for books kind of fashion.

And off course many are waiting for our “pineapple” release, when we launch the “sweet deals” – group buying ebooks at ½ price.

Pubslush: Who created the idea for the site and why?

I had worked in ebooks for a few years and came to the conclusion that there had to be a better and more exciting ways to discover and sell books, so I set out designing a better experience and recruiting folks to help me build it. My colleagues have been fantastic in moving from concept to live product.

Pubslush: If you could tell our community only ONE thing about Jellybooks, what would it be?

Jellybooks is different, it is fun, it is about sampling and it is about sharing what you discover with your friends.

A big thank you to Andrew for sharing with us! Now go forth, Slushers, into the digital world of books and get to reading!

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!

Read More

In AWE right now. Take me here! (via Flavorwire » The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World)
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In AWE right now. Take me here!

(via Flavorwire » The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World)

Source: flavorwire.com

Restoring our hope in the world one book at a time!!
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Restoring our hope in the world one book at a time!!

TONIGHT! Calling all Connecticut writers! Join us tonight at R.J. Julia Bookstore, 7 PM! Have a cup of coffee and enjoy yourself while learning about Pubslush and social media! (via Pubslush | R.J. Julia Booksellers)
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TONIGHT! Calling all Connecticut writers! Join us tonight at R.J. Julia Bookstore, 7 PM! Have a cup of coffee and enjoy yourself while learning about Pubslush and social media! (via Pubslush | R.J. Julia Booksellers)

Source: rjjulia.com