Independent Booksellers of New York City

Shop local – Don't go by the book!

IBNYC Photo Scavenger Hunt – Master List!

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Independent.Bookstore.print.72dpiThe hunt is ON! You’ve got a week to accumulate as many points as you can. Refer to this post for all the rules of the photo challenge contest.

Here’s the master list of all the items up for grabs in the hunt – different point values can be acquired for each, as noted below. Just take a picture of yourself with as many of the following items at the  stores over the course of the week and submit your photos for a chance to win prizes!

BROOKLYN BOOKSTORES:

at BABBO’S BOOKS (242 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn)
- the store cat, Holly (+10)
- oversize posters of Ezra Jack Keats’ Whistle for Willie and The Snowy Day (+3 each)

at BOOK THUG NATION (100 N3rd St btw Berry & Wythe, Brooklyn)
-a clothes iron (+5)
-a Bruce Lee Collage (+ 10)
-a series of books with titles such as “How to Identify Faults Without Changing them”, “How To Increase Worries”, “Phony Self-Improvement”, “Holding Grudges”, etc. (+3 each)

at GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE (686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn)
-Candlewick Bear (+10)
-Inside Maisy’s playhouse with the Candlewick Bear (+15)
-Your name on a Greenlight receipt (+20)

at POWERHOUSE ARENA (37 Main St, Brooklyn)
-who built the Arena steps in The powerHouse Arena? (+5)
-the current exhibition in The powerHouse Arena is based on which photography book? (+5)
-What is the name of Japanese company that currently has a pop-up store in The powerHouse Arena? (+5)

at VOX POP CAFÉ (1022 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn)
-the Vox Pop Statue of Liberty (+10)

at WORD (126 Franklin St, Brooklyn)
-a GREETINGS FROM GREENPOINT postcard (+10)
-a typewriter (of which there are three) (+3 each)
-a rocking chair (+5)

MANHATTAN BOOKSTORES:

at BANK STREET BOOKSTORE (Broadway and 112th St)
- The Cat in the Hat and friends “hanging” around (+10)
- “a menagerie for the hand” (+10)

at BONNIE SLOTNICK COOKBOOKS (163 West Tenth Street)
-a 1922 gas range (+10)

at BOOK CULTURE on 112th St (536 West 112th Street)
-Muslim women praying at dawn (+5)
-a vase of yellow flowers (+5)
-a picture of a burned-out library (+10)

at BOOK CULTURE ON BROADWAY (2915 Broadway at 114th St.)
-lavender (+10)
-a black cat (+10)

at EAST WEST LIVING (78 Fifth Avenue @ 14th Street)
-a large bronze Ganesh statue (+15)

at HOUSING WORKS BOOK CAFÉ (126 Crosby St, between Jersey St & Prince St)
-William Faulkner’s signature (+15)

at LOGOS BOOKSTORE (1575 York Ave)
- card mobiles featuring a: butterfly, cardinal, eagle, mallard duck, bear, light brown dog,  ruby throated hummingbird, brook trout, green fish, flamingo, white and brown spotted dog, black dog (3+ each)
-Great Philosopher Finger Puppets (+10)

at MCNALLY JACKSON (52 Prince St)
-15-gauge knitting needles (+10)
-the land bridge between Oceania and Canada (+5)
-a porcelain bird with a broken tail (+15 – bonus 5 points if you learn its provenance)
-“A donkey so terrifying, it could only be meant for children” (+20)

at PARTNERS & CRIME (44 Greenwich Ave, corner of Charles)
- the Partners & Crime logo painting (+5)
- a trick fireplace (+10)

at the STRAND (828 Broadway at 12th St.)
- a poster featuring Art Spiegelman’s Maus (+5)
- a gold Vault (+10)
- a hidden stairway (+15)

at URBAN CENTER BOOKS (457 Madison Ave)
-digital bookshelves (+5)
-the giant head of Jane Jacobs (+5)
-a map of Antarctica (+10)
-a bald Eagle (+15)

Bonus points you can accumulate from any store:

A picture of yourself…

-With a signed copy of Jonathan Lethem’s Chronic City (+10 – we’ll need to see the signature page)

-Playing with the Miniature Book of Miniature Golf (+ 10)

-Reading aloud from The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge (+5)

Written by ibnyc

November 15, 2009 at 8:00 am

Posted in Events

IBNYC Photo Scavenger Hunt (November 15-21)

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4840_135291040936_706840936_3327566_6993751_nCalling all photo enthusiasts and bookstore lovers – we’ve created a little photo challenge for Independent Bookstore Week NYC that will sent you on the hunt to indie bookstores around the city. The list of ttems to locate won’t be posted until Nov. 15th, but we wanted to start spreading the word about how this contest will work. Here are the details, check back on 11/15 for the list of scavenger hunt items!

THE HUNT:
We’re hosting a photo scavenger hunt during Independent Bookstore Week NYC. You can use the hunt as a creative way to visit some indie bookstores during the week-long celebration of indie bookselling in NYC. Take specific pictures during the process, and you could be eligible to win some great prizes.

THE TIME FRAME:
The Indie Bookstore Week NYC Scavenger Hunt will begin as soon as the list of hunt items is posted on the IBNYC blog on the morning of November 15th. The hunt will close at 11:59 p.m. on November 21st. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

THE OFFICIAL RULES:
You must photograph yourself, or some part of your person (hand, foot etc.), in front of each object on the list. Each object is given a point value, based on how hard we believe it is to find or photograph. The goal of the hunt is to accumulate as many points as possible. Keep in mind that this is more of a choose-your-own-adventure hunt: if you’re able to get one or two of the high-scoring bonus points, you can opt out of getting a few of the lower-point objects. You don’t necessarily have to find everything on the list to win.

HOW TO ENTER:
When you’re finished hunting, please go to www.snapfish.com and create a free account (it’s easy!). Upload your photos to a folder, and name the folder IBNYC Scavenger Hunt. Click the “share this album” button and send your album to indiephotohunt@gmail.com. You’ll get an automatic response e-mail as soon as we’ve received your submission.

HOW TO WIN:
The person who scores the highest number of points will win. The winners will be contacted, and announced on this page, by Tuesday, November 24.

THE PRIZES:
The 1st place winner will receive a gift basket filled with elegant, electrifying, and otherwise exceptional books, along with this year’s Indie Bookstore Week poster designed by New Yorker cartoonist and illustrator Bruce McCall, plus an IBNYC tote bag.

The 2nd place & 3rd place winners will receive gift certificates to select NYC indie bookstores.

Watch the IBNYC blog at: http://ibnyc.wordpress.com/

As soon as the list is added on the morning of Nov. 15th — you may start hunting. GOOD LUCK

Planning to participate? Let us know – RSVP at the Facebook page for the hunt!

Written by ibnyc

November 10, 2009 at 2:28 pm

Posted in Events

Events, Programs, Sales, Free Cookies + More!

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ibnyclogo(2)We’re hard at work loading in listings to our events calendar for Independent Bookstore Week NYC. There are fantastic literary programs happening throughout the city, plus some special sales, promos, special displays and events for kids too. Beginning this Wednesday, November 11, we will post highlights on this blog each day detailing what is happening at indies around the city. If you want to plan ahead, click here to view a listing of all events already scheduled.

And don’t forget to join us at powerHouse Arena this Wednesday night from 7-10 pm for the kick-off party! Details for the party are here and RSVP suggested here (Facebook) or to annie@ibnyc.org

What’s this week all about anyway? Here’s some info:

For the first time, New York City booksellers unite to celebrate Independent Bookstore Week November 15-21, 2009, a citywide event highlighting the diverse cultural contributions made by indie bookshops across the five boroughs. Featuring special author appearances, events, promotions and in-store displays, the week will kick off with a party at powerHouse Arena and conclude on America Unchained Day. A special poster designed by New Yorker cartoonist Bruce McCall will be on display in participating shops and available for sale.

Independent.Bookstore.print.72dpi“Indie bookstores are a great cord in New York City’s cultural fabric. This week is an opportunity to thank consumers for keeping indie bookstores thriving,” says IBNYC board member Chris Doeblin, owner of Book Culture. “We want to celebrate and recognize the unique qualities of the stores, and thank everyone for choosing to shop independent.”

Despite the gloomy predictions about the fate of the printed word and its retailing, bookselling in New York has demonstrated considerable resilience in the past year, as well as signs of new life. While veterans like St. Marks and Three Lives remain landmarks in their neighborhoods and prove customer loyalty has not slipped, established bookshops such as Book Culture, Book Court, and Posmans are actually expanding in size.  But most inspiring is the arrival of young entrepreneurs not afraid to open new shops in underserved communities: Greenlight (in Ft. Greene), Idlewild (in Midtown Manhattan), WORD (in Greenpoint), and the forthcoming Boulevard Books (in Dyker Heights).

As Amazon and Wal-Mart battle over the price of just ten commercial titles, New York independents remind readers that they have hundreds of thousands more books at their disposal. Providing personal service and recommendations lost on the big box and chain level, locally-owned, community-supported booksellers are New York’s most reliable literary curators.

Indie Bookstore Week NYC ends on Nov. 21, America Unchained Day, a national campaign to encourage consumers to “unchain” for at least one day, boosting their local economy by shopping, dining out and conducting other business transactions at neighborhood establishments.

Written by ibnyc

November 9, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Posted in Events

Authors share thoughts on independent bookstores

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Some of our favorite authors recently shared thoughts with us on what independent bookstores mean to them:

“There is a little independent bookstore down the street from my house – Three Lives – where I buy almost all of my books. It’s the size of a small apartment. There’s something special about a place where you know that someone has thought about every book in the store.” — Malcolm Gladwell, What the Dog Saw

“”Independent” and “Bookstore” are two of my favorite words, and when you put them together it stirs my heart (and usually gets me reaching for my wallet). I’ve worked in independent bookstores, sometimes slept in them after hours when I had no where else to go, and now feel they’re my home away from home whenever I pry myself out of the cave of my studio to meet my readers. Such places are, for me, the heart of human civilization — long may they wave.” — Jonathan Lethem, Chronic City

“The value of indie bookstores is the value of the humane.”  — Joseph O’Neill, Netherland

Written by ibnyc

October 31, 2009 at 5:42 pm

Posted in News

Celebrate Indie Bookselling in NYC!

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Kick Off Party for

Independent Bookstore Week NYC

November 11, 2009

at powerHouse Arena

7-10 PM

Schedule:

7 PM

Reception (wine and/or beer and light snacks)

Live music by Mark Ettinger

7:30 PM

Brief remarks from local writers on independent bookselling in NYC

Kurt Andersen (Reset and Heyday)

Michael Greenberg (Hurry Down Sunshine and Beg, Borrow Steal)

Jennifer Egan (The Keep, The Invisible Circus and Look at Me)

Josh Neufeld (A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge)

Sharon Zukin (Naked City, The Cultures of Cities, Point of Purchase)

John Sargent, CEO, Macmillan

9:00 PM

Performance by Brooklyn’s own Jones Street Station

9:45 PM

Raffle Drawing

Prizes include books and a special signed edition of the poster
created by Bruce McCall for this event.

Books by the featured authors will be on sale throughout the evening.

Posters (signed and unsigned) will be available as well as IBNYC totes.

There will be a selection of book and book-related giveaways donated by the publishers.

Suggested donation at the door of $10 to benefit The Independent Booksellers of NYC (IBNYC)

Facebook users – RSVP here!

independent-bookstore-print-72dpi1


Written by ibnyc

October 30, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Posted in Events

First Independent Bookstore Week NYC

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Independent.Bookstore.print.72dpiGet ready to celebrate independent bookselling all over New York City! The IBNYC is hosting the first ever Indie Bookstore Week NYC!

Special author appearances, events and promotions will happen throughout the city from November 15-21, and a special pre-week party will take place on November 11 from 7-10 pm at powerHouse Arena. Featured authors speaking at the event will include: Kurt Andersen (Heyday), Jennifer Egan (The Keep), Michael Greenberg (Beg, Borrow, Steal), Josh Neufeld (A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge) and Sharon Zukin (Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places) The party will include refreshments, giveaways and live music – Jones Street Station will be performing! It is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 to IBNYC at the door.

You’ll hear lots more about all of this in coming weeks, but be sure to save the date for the Kick-off party and week-long celebration to follow. And take a look at the special poster designed by New Yorker cartoonist and illustrator Bruce McCall. Copies will be available for sale at indie bookstores throughout the city and at the kick-off event. Hope to see you there, RSVP via Facebook here.

Written by ibnyc

October 21, 2009 at 8:38 pm

Posted in Events

The Future of Bookselling: Sunday Oct. 25th

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n145389153429_8651HUNTING FOR THE FUTURE OF BOOKSELLING

presented by the Independent Booksellers of New York City and the Emerging Leaders Project of the American Booksellers Association

On Sunday, October 25 from 4-6pm, author and bookseller Vincent McCaffrey visits NYC to celebrate the release of his first novel, HOUND (Small Beer Press) and to join three NYC booksellers to talk about the past, present, and future of bookselling.

The event will begin with a reading from McCaffrey’s book, a mystery starring a bookseller who gets caught up in the drama after an ex is killed, and set against the backdrop of his history with Boston and its used bookstores (including his own).

McCaffrey, who was the owner of Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop for decades and who continues to run it online, will then speak on a panel with three other booksellers in different stages of their bookselling careers about their thoughts on what has passed and what’s to come for the bookselling and book-loving communities. He’ll be joined by Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, co-owner of brand-new Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; Christine Onorati, owner of WORD, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; and Henry Zook, co-owner of BookCourt, in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The four panelists come from different generations and backgrounds of bookselling, but though their approaches and feelings about bookselling may differ in some ways, they’ve also all demonstrated a deep commitment to the craft/art/science that is bookselling.

The event will start at 4pm and will be held at The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren Street, NY, NY. Seating is limited, so RSVPs are recommended. Call 212.587.1011 or email info@mysteriousbookshop.com with the subject line “HOUND” to RSVP. Or RSVP on Facebook.

Written by ibnyc

October 7, 2009 at 9:52 pm

Posted in Events

Upcoming 25: Events Around NYC (Sept. 25-Oct. 25, 2009)

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unnameable-books-vanderbilt-0609We’re a day late — but still able to deliver a nice round-up of excellent events and programming happening at or in partnership with indie bookstores around NYC over the next month:

Start with TODAY, Sept. 26th, at HOUSINGWORKS Open Air Street Fair - going on RIGHT NOW, until 6 pm, with live music and tons of great deals on books all day long! And if you happen to be nearby there around 5 pm, try stopping by MCNALLY JACKSON where actor John Krasinski will discuss his recent adaptation of David Foster Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

Tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 27 – head on over to UNNAMEABLE BOOKS (Facebook Link) for an afternoon poetry reading with three poets in town from Seattle, Chicago, Detroit: Jeanne Heuving, Jennifer Scappettone, Chris Tysh.

And here’s a list of more great events happening soon:

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by ibnyc

September 26, 2009 at 4:50 pm

Posted in Events, Upcoming25

Upcoming 25: Events around NYC (Aug. 25 – Sept 25, 2009)

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DSC_0097 (2)Been browsing at indie bookstores to snag a break from the heat this summer? Thanks for your browsing and book buying too! Summer’s not over just yet, but anticipation for fall literary happenings is mounting. Heck, there’s great events scheduled for this week and through Labor Day too – so let’s get to it. Check out the plethora of fantastic programming planned for the next month at indie bookstores around NYC – literary readings, book launch parties, concerts, workshops, children’s storytime hours + more — like these two art exhibits that kick off our latest Upcoming 25 listing:

at SKYLINE BOOKS: a new ArtWall at the shop offers local artists in NYC a unique venue to exhibit their art. The first in a series of exhibits is now on display – Sean Hanratty shows pieces from his series Photosynthesis (like the one shown above)

at MELVILLE HOUSE BOOKSTORE: September 1 through October 9 (opening Sept. 10th 6-8 PM) – The Philosophy of Travel: New Paintings by Ayad Sinawi

TODAY! Tuesday, August 25: at IDLEWILD BOOKS – 6 PM: Launch party and fundraiser for New Orleans - celebrate the launch of Josh Neufeld’s graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge with a fundraising party & live music.

Wednesday, August 26th: at BLUESTOCKINGS – 7PM: Eileen Myles reads from The Importance of Being Iceland

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by ibnyc

August 25, 2009 at 4:19 am

Posted in Events, Upcoming25

IBNYC Summer Update

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32_26_arts_wordbasketball01_zHello indie friends! We hope summer is going swell for y’all. We’ve been busy reading (of course!) so we’ve taken a break from regular updates on the blog until the worst of the summer heat has past. We’ve put our Upcoming 25 on hold, but watch this space on August 25th for the September edition, which promises to be a jam-packed listing of events happening at indie bookstores around NYC. We’ve also taken a break from our regular news roundups, but will get back into that post-Labor Day.

However, in the meantime, do keep an eye on our Twitter feed, where we continue to link to recent mentions of NYC indie bookstores in the news. We’ll also start mentioning more events and will RT (re-tweet) the best tweets of indie bookstores around NYC. (Check out our list of which stores are on Twitter and Facebook.)

32_21_unnameablebooks01_zHere are just a few news stories about NYC indies to appear in recent weeks: Unnameable Books moved to a new home, Nancy Bass recalls MJ’s Strand shopping spree, a look at the living quarters of the BookCourt family, a mid-season update on WORD’s literary basketball league, Spoonbill & Sugartown prepare to celebrate 10 years, Housingworks is a venue to love, Idlewild is an armchair traveler paradise and Greenlight Bookstore is on it’s way to a fall opening!

bookstore-owners350One special date to to tell you about now – Please mark your calenders for a special week we’re planning for later this fall: IBNYC’s Indie Bookstore Week NYC will take place November 15-21, 2009. Stay tuned for details about special events and programming happening that week at indies throughout the city.

Don’t forget to be our Facebook fan, follow us on Twitter, and join our email list. Thanks so much for your support. Enjoy the rest of summer — and happy reading!

Written by ibnyc

July 29, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Posted in News