This summer, if you’re looking for books to read, I have a whole lot of fun planned, and I hope you’ll join me. I’ve partnered with AllRomanceEbooks.com to do a Sizzling Summer Book Club of great romance reads, and I’m so excited I can barely sit still. In Yiddish, they call that “shpilkis.” Everyone wants a great summer read, and romance is perfect for summer reading – so why not a whole season of good books, right? Right.
Here’s how the Summer Book Club will work: I’ll announce the selection, and folks will have plenty of time to buy and read it. Then I’ll be hosting a live chat on the site open to anyone – but I’ll be rotating the time of the chat session so that readers all over the world have a chance to participate. This will be extra fun when it’s 3am and I’m wired on caffeine. I’ll be selecting one book every 2 weeks, and scheduling the chat sessions at various times throughout the summer.
Here’s the spiffy part: AllRomanceEbooks is offering a 50% rebate on every book I select, so if you purchase it digitally through ARe, you get 50% as a rebate in eBook Bucks. And of course you can purchase paper copies if you like – I’ll provide links for that, too. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has wanted to try reading a digital book, and one thing I really like about ARe is that they respond to customer inquiries pretty quickly through their customer service department (service@allromanceebooks.com) if you run into trouble. Note: the offer runs from 1 June to 27 June, but if you purchased already, email AllRomance and let them know – they’re very cool people!
I’m still looking for ideas for July, so please, suggest a book you’re looking forward to reading that comes out this summer, as I want to make sure there’s something from as many subgenres as possible. I’ll be announcing the other books one by one. If you don’t want to leave a comment, feel free to email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom with “Summer Book Idea” in the subject line. And if you have a suggestion for a time that works for you in your part of the world, let me hear it. I’m ready and making coffee this summer to talk with romance readers around the world (can you tell I’m really excited about that part, too?).
Please note: I can’t use books that are subject to the agency model, which sucks, because ARe can’t do a rebate on those books, as neither they nor I can discount a book once the publisher has set the price. I suppose I could ask and then there’d be a subcommittee of a committee with a task force to examine the issue, and really, that’s just mean. Task forces are the devil.
There will, however, be prizes, guest appearances, and paper ARC copies of some of the upcoming books for the having, too, so stay tuned for that.
Shall we move on to the first book for the Summer Book Club? Yes, we shall!
The first book will be Tessa Dare’s One Dance with a Duke coming out today (woo!). I’ve already read it, so I won’t go into detail, but I thought there was a lot to enjoy about the heroine, particularly, and the setup of the series, and I hope you’ll read it and join in when I schedule the first Summer Book Club chat.
You can get your digital copy at AllRomanceEbooks.com, or a paper copy at Amazon, Book Depository, or Powell’s.
And how cool is the logo they made? I wish my hair would do that tousled thing. For more than five minutes anyway.
But wait, there’s more! ARe is also hosting a giveaway of their own: spread the word about the book club on your site, and you’re entered to win an
iPad
iPod Touch (MY BAD- total typo).
Give our Bookclub a boost by proudly displaying one of our Bookclub banners with a link back to the full page URL http://allromanceebooks.com/bookclub.html or just the tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/278pz22 Then .email us at links@allromanceebooks.com. One lucky poster will win an iPod Touch and a $100.00 All Romance/OmniLit Gift Certificate. Post as many links as you want.
**Contest Fine Print See submission instructions above under the “Boost the Bookclub” heading. Those instructions must be followed. This contest will run from June 1, 2010 – September 5, 2010. You must be 18 years of age to enter. Employees of All Romance eBooks, LLC are not eligible to enter. NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. You may enter once for each link posted. Duplicate entries for a single post will result in disqualification. The winner will be chosen at random on September 7th and notified via email. The prize, an iPod Touch and a $100.00 gift certificate from AllRomance.com/OmniLit.com is valued at $300.00. It is being furnished by All Romance eBooks, LLC, DBA All Romance and OmniLit. 334 East Lake Road, Ste 286, Palm Harbor, Florida 34685-2427.
Got all that? You can buy the book, read it, and put a note on your calendar for the third week of June to discuss the book -and watch for more book club selections coming all summer long. Please note: I don’t actually encourage literal sizzling in the sun. I’m a big proponent of sunscreen. Slather on!
I’m so giddy about this and I hope you’ll join me to celebrate great romance, discuss the summer book club books, and enjoy some fine reads. Big mad proppy thanks to AllRomanceeBooks for the discount and the prize (and the total complete hair envy I’m now suffering).
Nicole Peeler’s newest book, Tracking the Tempest, comes out on July 1st. It’s on the urban fantasy side of the romance spectrum.
I was all excited and went to ARe to buy the Dare. At 50% I was willing to try her again. Until I saw that they have inflated the price to $9.99, I assume in an effort to not lose too much money on the 50% off. Note that her other titles are at mmpb prices for e-books and that ODWtD is available elsewhere for mmpb price.
No sale.
Oh, this is awesome!
Okay, no recommendations here, but thanks for the great excuse for having to get the Tessa Dare book (HAVE to after that trailer!). And I can get behind Kleypas/Quinn/Singh/Showalter/Wine/Howard. (same reason as for the Dare book minus the book trailer) 🙂
About the time: since I am in Germany, it would be great if it were around 9 p.m. here. (I am terrible with this whole time difference thing and my version of dealing with it is to ask the person living in another time zone what time it is there, then check what time it is here and do the math – and yes, I do that every single time one of us has to change summer to winter time and vice versa).
Duh. NEW books. Ignore my last comment for flowers.
*going off to get vision checked now*
This is really cool! Quick question though…
IPad or IPod Touch?? Your post says IPad but the ARe ad says IPod Touch. Not that I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth (I’d be happy with an I-anything!) but just wanted to clarify… maybe I missed something.
My vote for book suggestions is anything paranormal…something from Shelly Laurenston or Cynthia Eden would be cool. I think they both have a book coming out soon. Are they agency model? How do I know what is agency model? Um… what is agency model?
Jennifer Ashley’s Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage is coming out in July, I believe. If it’s anything near as good as the first in the series, it’s worth a look.
I wish, wish that Meredith Duran’s books were available in ebook form. She has one coming out soon too.
@GrowlyCub – I want to assure you that we don’t mark books up. The suggested retail price set by the publisher was $9.99 for this one. With some publishers, including this one, we’re allowed to discount or provide incentives (like our loyalty points or a rebate). The cost of any promotional discount comes out of our take, not the publishers.
@Michelle – The prize for the Boost the Bookclub contest is an iPod Touch, not an iPad. We do have other prizes, contests, and fun planned for the summer though…so stay tuned.
We weren’t going to start the rebate until June 1 – I’ve received several emails from folks who purchased today thinking they would receive the rebate. If you write to me at lori.james @ allromanceebooks.com with your order number, I’ll make sure you are given your eBook Bucks credit.
Happy reading!
I’m off to buy my copy now.
(umm…right after I fix the spelling mistake on that banner)
Lori
Lori,
I guess I’m confused about the pricing because ODwtD is not priced at $9.99 at other e-tailers.
Sony $7.59, Diesel $6.90-$8.49, BooksonBoard $6.78-$8.99, B&N $6.39, Amazon $6.39 and on the Ballantine site $7.99.
I’m really puzzled why there would be a different recommended price for ARe than for Ballantine’s own website and all other e-tailers I’ve looked at.
Hurray! Perfect timing as I received the book in a package in the mail today!
I also vote for Victoria Dahl’s latest. She writes great interesting contemporaries.
Retailers have the option of charging suggested retail price, or a discounted amount (we’ll call that the retail price). Some retailers will post both prices, some will only post the current retail or the after rebate (micropay, whatever) price. We always post suggested retail and if a book is discounted or rebated, that will be reflected.
When you take into consideration the rebate, our price essentially drops to $5.00. We get $9.99. We have to purchase the book at the wholesale price (which is actually higher than the B&N and Amazon prices you listed). Then we give you $5.00 back in store credit. So let’s say we pay $6.50 for the book. That leaves us $9.99-$6.50=$3.49. Except we just gave you $5.00 and when you use it to purchase a book, we’ll be paying 60% or $3.00 to the publisher of that other title. So that leaves us with .49. But we haven’t taken into account the financial processing fee which can be anywhere from 3-6% for the merchant. And there’s the general cost of doing business, customer service, IT staff, etc. You can see how narrow the profit margin becomes.
There have been a TON of discussions about pricing in the market. Since I’m sure half of you dozed off already, I won’t rehash it. The short answer is that you aren’t seeing the “recommended retail” across the board. What you’re seeing is how various retailers are trying to compete on pricing.
Pricing is very important to readers, but it’s not the only reason people will choose to shop at a certain store and with the advent of the Agency model, it’s going to become less and less of a factor. As retailers are locked in to having to sell a book for a particular price and the ability to discount is removed, they are going to have to compete based on other factors, things like ease of use, selection, and customer service. It’s going to be an interesting year for eBooks.
My suggestions:
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
Savor the Moment -Nora Roberts (which is already out, but you know, that’s just a technicality.)
Two books I’ve had on my wishlist for a while—-
Sherry Thomas’ His at Night (excellent review at DA today!)
Loretta Chase’s Last Night’s Scandal
Yes!!! It was already on my tbr list for this summer 🙂
Fantastic idea! Time to start stacking up those poolside reads.
My suggestion is Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua—steamy fairytales—-yummy!
Molly Harper’s And One Last Thing comes out on July 27. Her Nice Girls series was a hoot, and this sounds like a fun contemporary. But it isn’t mass market, so perhaps it’s not eligible for the club(?).
I want to pipe in one more vote for Shelly Laurenston’s Beasts Behaving Badly – she’s the most laught out writer I know.
Did anyone else read that as “Breasts Behaving Badly”? Or is it just me, because I’m sitting here perusing blogs in my unflattering running bra?
There are so many books coming out right now that would be good for your list as well. Some of them are
If He’s Wild by Hannah Howell (just picked up a copy)
Demonkeeper by Jessica Andersen (fabulous read)
All I Ever Wanted by Kristen Higgins (love her books)
The Temptation of Savannah O’Neill by Molly O’Keefe
The Baby Surprise by Brenda Harlen
For steamier stuff
Cowboy Double Decker by Reece Butler
Crap I press submit before I was ready.
I’m really looking forward to Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua
Ok, Whew. Loot of books and many authors I haven’t heard of.
But a quick questions ( I guess this qn will come up often when in a series). Since Married by Midnight (MbM) is the 4th of the Hathaways, shoud it all be read in a sequence. I have read most of Kleypas’s back list but haven’t gone through all of them and the Hathaways is one them. I’m a liiitttle bit anal, so I’d be reading the series in order making this post a moot one; still I’d like to know (a safety net?).
Thanks!
LMAO @ Cara, that cracked me up! thanks for the coffee out the nose thing. 🙂
Happy to know some of my favorite authors are coming out with new books—and writing down names to check out others recommended here. Thanks Sara and Lori and all those involved in the offer…
Please, can I make a recommendation NOT about books and authors? It’s about terms of art for people in the biz and readers like me (who thought she knew a little about publishing with 4 non-fiction books in print) who may not fully appreciate what we read from SBTB.
What are all these terms like agency model and uuuh.. Dsomething that has something to do with covers…maybe? I appreciated the whole Napoli lexicon because I found this site long after he stepped on his dick, but now I’m crossing my tits over not knowing what the fookin’ hell you guys mean! It’s like I can’t really be in the best clique ever cuz I don’t know the secret word!
yes! I’m so excited about the book club. I’ve ordered the book and I look forward to a wonderful discussion. Thank you.
Little late coming into this, but I just wanted to say that I’m psyched for this idea! I hope all the stars align so I actually get a chance to take part in it! (ie – crazy work schedule working out, internet connection not crapping out on me, me actually remembering to read the book, me actually remembering when it’s going on)
But awesome idea!!
@Sycorax:I wish, wish that Meredith Duran’s books were available in ebook form. She has one coming out soon too
They are out in ebook. I have three. I got mine at B&N, but they are also available at Amazon, and Sony. Haven’t checked others.
not a romance, but isn’t there a new temeraire book by naomi novik coming out in july? you’d think i’d have more details given how much i’m looking forward to it, but i’ve been distracted with moving into a new place. *le sigh*
I’m in!!! I loved Tessa Dare’s last series of books. This new book is a good choice for me. Off I go to B. and N. TTFN!!! 😉
@ JoAnn Chartier—I get annoyed a little by this, too, but I’ve found (that with the acronyms and slang, at least) I can just type it into Google and get an answer. The Urban Dictionary—http://www.urbandictionary.com—is great for some things. And very funny. For the technical lingo, I’ve slowly been educating myself, especially as I read more ebooks.
Can we read some sci-fi romance? Susan Grant re-released her Star Trilogy this month, and the first one The Star King is a great book. The Galaxy express @ http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net is a great resource for other authors in the genre (there must be a way to put links in here, but I can’t figure it out).
Also, I totally vote for Suzanne Brockmann’s Infamous. It’s her first stand-alone novel in forever, so perfect for an intro to her. And she’s the queen of romantic suspense in my book. Get it? My “book”? Ha. Ha.
@ehoyden
You need an American billing address for B&N, unfortunately, and I don’t have a Kindle, so Amazon isn’t an option either. 🙁
@Sycorax Give AllRomance.com or OmniLit.com a try. You don’t need an American billing address or a Kindle to shop with us… And we are sponsoring the bookclub AND giving a rebate. 🙂
@ Lori James
I usually shop at AllRomance and BooksonBoard, but neither of them have Meredith Duran books. Nor does Omnilit, apparently. Perhaps she’s just not well known enough to be available beyond the corporate monoliths like Amazon and B&B.
Thanks for the suggestions, though. 🙂
I guess I’ll just have to read Meredith Duran on paper.
It looks like Meredith Duran is published with Pocket, a division of Simon and Schuster. They were one of the publishers who announced in early spring they would be switching to the Agency pricing model. Their books were initially removed from all retail outlets on April 1. We’ve been awaiting their new terms since, along with just about every other independent bookseller. We’d love to be able to sell these titles again.
Agh! I’m so excited about this book club! If every book we read is as awesome as ODwaD was, my summer will be fantastic! I can’t wait for discussion chat, and I also can’t wait for the next read.
Nice, and here I was wondering what to do with summer and all my kids out of school! Thanx, smart bitches! Great Reads and lemonade!
Yay I just bought One Dance With A Duke today along with a whole pile of romance. I’ve been reading The Passage this weekend, and thought romance is just what the doctor ordered. It’s encouraging, how many other people are into this genre. One Dance With A Duke is the first romance I’ll be trying 🙂
Yay I just bought One Dance With A Duke today along with a whole pile of romance. I’ve been reading The Passage this weekend, and thought romance is just what the doctor ordered. It’s encouraging, how many other people are into this genre. One Dance With A Duke is the first romance I’ll be trying 🙂
Ok, this may be a ‘lil sassy for mainstream, but hey, its romance (and kinky ropes ‘n stuff)… My suggestion for July out in late June from Samhain Publishing:
Raising Kane: Rough Riders Book 9 by Lorelei James
Super sexy cowboys roping more than cattle in the modern wild west… sigh.
Julie, who does our market and promotions, was just suggesting we highlight this series in our “Hooked on a Series” column in our Wildfire Newsletter. I met the author (who also writes more mainstream as Lori Armstrong), very interesting lady. Is the series something I’d have to read from the beginning? Just curious. I’m a series junkie, but I usually read paranormal romance/urban fantasy series.
Lori, so far, only on book 2 (finished book 1 in a day.5) but yes, I’m COMPLETELY hooked. The fun western cowboy speak and the great backdrop of gorgeous Wyoming is pretty mesmerizing for me. It IS kinky though, and pretty graphic, but, hey I prefer when they call it what it is and leave the “members” to society groups. Lol.