Two years after initiating Read Around New England, a monthlong celebration of New England books and authors, the New England Booksellers Association is expanding the concept into a year-round promotion via the Web. Starting this week, independent members of NEBA are invited to list their upcoming events on www.readaround.com, where a searchable database shows which authors are touring and when and where they will appear. The database includes information on first editions, parking and tickets; there is even a special section just for children's events.
"I'm very excited about it. I think it has a lot of potential," NEBA executive director Rusty Drugan told PW. "It's the right idea and the next step for Read Around New England. This is an ambitious project. It can be sliced and diced any way you want it." Drugan views the site as an important aid for tourists, fans of particular authors, and media looking for information on regional events. "If you're traveling in Vermont, for example, you can see what events are coming up." Although the listings are relatively brief, visitors can click through to the bookstore's own site for more details and/or to order an advance copy of the book.
For her part, past NEBA president Linda Ramsdell, owner of the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, Vt., who helped develop the original Read Around, is pleased with the way the program has morphed. "The Web site is something I had hoped would happen for a long time. We felt that there are so many great events around New England, we wanted to give them a higher profile, not just try to fit them into a month. I think publishers will be excited about readaround.com." Ramsdell credits Tom Bowler and Kim Daley of Ovo Interactive, who also created the NEBA Web site (newenglandbooks.org) for their work on the readaround.com site.
Seventeen NEBA booksellers helped beta test readaround.com. NEBA's goal is to have 50 stores upload information about their events in the next few months. The organization recently sent out a mailing encouraging member stores to participate and will make an additional push at the NEBA trade show in October. To publicize the site, NEBA will feature it on the cover of its upcoming holiday catalogue, which will be inserted in more than 40 regional newspapers, including the Boston Globe.
