Blast From the Past - Making of Wenda!

Here is a fun blast from the past we found looking through some old files. Meg and Christopher put a lot of thought into the placement of everything on the cover! A couple different covers for Wenda the Wacky Wiggler were created, which one do you like the best?

Dude - Book Lanuch!

Thank you to everyone that made it out to the Dude - Book Launch at Antisocial skate shop last Tuesday! It was a huge success and a lot of fun.

Dude - Book Launch!

The Dude - Book Launch at Antisocial was a huge success! I will be posting pictures shortly, but here's a sneak peek at what some of the children were doing while everyone was mingling with some refreshments! Feel free to print a copy for your children to colour!

BookCamp Vancouver

The BENJAMIN brown team attended BookCamp Vancouver on Friday. The sessions I attended were mainly marketing based.

Starting with Lori Dunn and Angela Crocker with a discussion on Book Marketing From a Reviewer's Perspective. Main topics including; book's with actual movie trailer's to get audiences engaged before the book arrives. Being interactive - blogging, commenting on related blog posts, the importance of being genuine.

The second session with Thad McIlroy and Monique Trottier: Optimal Use of Social Media for Authors and Publishers. Main topic was Time Management, linking social media tools together, ie. Facebook and Twitter, allows you to save time by doing half the work!

Getting to zero: Who Gets Paid When Books are Free? Sean Cranbury started the discussion on online books, and how they will effect the publishing industry. After an online book is initially purchased, the consumer can then share the book with friends with no added cost. Very interesting points were made for and against e-books, but actual tangible books will always be a staple for book lovers everywhere.

Ending with Deanna McFadden discussing Content Would be King...Making your words work on the web. An interesting conversation on the importance of author blogging and how it can grow their audience before the book is even released.

Overall the day was very successful, well run, informative and interesting! Thank you to everyone involved in Bookcamp Vancouver. I look forward to next year!

5 Minutes for Books

5 Minutes for Books is an amazing website run by a group of women that absolutely love books. Ever since they were little, they have never been without a book on the go. This continuous hobby has grown into a beautiful website discussing many of the amazing books they have enjoyed.

Dawn Mooney, a reviewer for "5 Minutes for Books" just loves Christopher Aslan's Wenda the Wacky Wiggler! Here's a peek at what she had to say:

"...When I first laid eyes on the illustrated cover for Wenda the Wacky Wiggler, I was immediately hooked. The bright colors and fun typeset were positives, but mostly it was that little girl with a gentle but confident smile, arms crooked in a self-assured way, wearing some unexplained hat and glasses. Hooked.

...Positive messages abound in children's books, and presenting it in a way that doesn't come off too preachy can sometimes be challenging. Wenda's tale is depicted in a heartfelt and straightforward manner, succeeding in being touchy and dear, without going overboard."

Dude - Book Launch!

Christopher Aslan's, Dude - Book Launch is finally almost here. It will be held at Antisocial, a cool local skate shop in Vancouver. Get a copy of Dude signed by award winning illustrator Emily Mullock!

The Family Reader - Dude Review!

An amazing review for Dude has already come in! The Family Reader, a blog with family friendly book excerpts and reviews from every imaginable category. Have a look around to find your next amazing family friendly read. Feel free to post some comments of your own, they love to hear what everything thinks! Here's what they thought about Dude:

"Dude, talk about awesome! Christopher Aslan's newest book, Dude, illustrated by Emily Mullock is another home run hit!... My six your old son loves putting himself into the book, pretending to be Dude and then trying all the different voices Dude would use in each situation.... This is the third book I've seen from Christopher Aslan and I already can't wait to see what he comes up with next..."

Visit The Family Reader to read the whole review, and while you're there check out some of the other amazing reviews!

Jess Weiner's Actionist Newsletter!

BENJAMIN brown books is proud to announce: Jess Weiner made Dude Book of the Month in her Actionist Newsletter! Jess is this generation's "Go-to Girl" for self-esteem, you can read her monthly body image column in Seventeen Magazine! Jess truly sees what is behind all of Christopher's stories. She loved Wenda the Wacky Wiggler, and now is soo into Dude!
Read Jess's inspirational pieces in her Actionist Newsletter!