By Anna Patrick, Associate Digital Publicist
The web has been rife with April Fools’ pranks today – it’s hard to know what news information you can trust! While viral social media pranks have been the talk of the day, we decided to find our April Fools’ inspiration offline, in some of our favorite books!
Read on for six unforgettable literary pranksters, each of whom have a thing or two to teach us about mischief.
By Anna Patrick, Associate Digital Publicist
Sure, you’ve Tweeted, put up a Facebook status, updated your Instagram and LinkedIn. In a 2012 poll 58 percent of people surveyed said that they used social media, and that was two years ago. As of January first of this year, 1.4 billion people have Facebook profiles. It was estimated that in the 18-24 age range 98 percent use social media. Needless to say, regardless of the social media platform, you’ve either updated it or heard about it. [source]
But what social media site fits you best, based on your personality? Out of the hundreds out there – and growing – which is the one that speaks to you?
Find out by taking our social media personality test: all you have to do is go through the groups below, and choose the letter in the group with the statement that applies the most to you. If you are torn between two, record that as well. Be honest!
Then you can find out your match after the jump.
Group 1
A. You can speak quickly and to the point.
B. You are visual – you think more in pictures than in words.
C. When you speak your words are organized and thought out.
D. You believe your speech represents you, so you prefer professional dialogue over colloquial.
E. You love to speak informally, and you like to initiate conversations.
Group 2
A. You like to read breaking news.
B. You like to read travel stories, or anything with a lot of photographs.
C. You like to read stories about events – weddings, social gatherings, etc.
D. You like reading about what your peers are doing, or corporate events.
E. You like reading about past events, or reading your old journals.
Group 3
A. If you could talk to anyone, it would be a celebrity.
B. You would rather see photos of celebrities than engage.
C. You would rather read quotes by celebrities.
D. You would rather have the contacts in a celebrity’s phonebook.
E. You would rather learn how the celebrity got where they are today and find out what their experiences are.
Group 4
A. Your interests relate mostly to 20-30 year olds.
B. Your interests relate mostly to the teenage market.
C. Your interests relate mostly to women.
D. Your interests relate mostly to mid-senior level professionals.
E. Your interests relate to the status quo, or to whatever your friends’ interests are.
Group 5
A. You’re both work and play, but alternating on the hour.
B. You’re play, but you work when you have to.
C. You’re a balance of both work and play.
D. You’re all work and no play.
E. You’re all play.
See your results after the jump…
By Kristin Clifford, Partner, and Director of MC Satellite
September used to mark the premiere for that year’s television season – and that was really it! There was no such thing as a mid-season launch or summer series. Book publishing also holds to “seasons,” although as with TV, this has become less of a hard and fast business model and more of a general guideline for those in the industry. Readers still look out for their beach reads come late May, and the November/December season will always deliver weighty glossy tomes perfect for gift giving. Now with Amazon – a heavy hitter in the marketplace – book buyers may be more apt to visit the site already intent on a particular title rather than being swayed by the new release gauntlet that was historically a series of tables set up around the entrance at your local book store.
By Brian Feinblum, Senior Vice President and Marketing Officer
Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers launched its fifth edition, and any small publisher looking to survive or grow will find the guidance and resources useful. The Associated Press has called it “the bible of the industry.”
Publishing for Profit (Chicago Review Press, April 2014) is written by Thomas Woll, the president of Cross River Publishing Consultants. He has held a variety of executive positions in publishing, among them vice president and general manager of the professional and trade division of John Wiley & Sons, publisher of Stoney Communications/Garden Way, and vice president and publisher of Rodale Press’book division.
By Nicole Martineau, Associate Publicist
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? First introduced by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is a time when the entire literary community comes together to celebrate the history and art of poetry through workshops, readings, festivals and other exciting activities.
This year, the Academy of American Poets came up with “30 Ways to Celebrate” National Poetry Month, one being to “read a poetry book.” Here are five new and upcoming releases worth checking out this spring (library pun intended).
By Dee Donavanik, Publicity Director of MEDIA CONNECT DC
Recently there has been a lot of discussion about Streak, a new Gmail extension which, according to mediabistro, “allows you to be even more OCD over pitches.” Like a super version of a read-receipt, the extension allows users to not only see when an email was read, but where and how as well.
For publicists who are frequently pitching the media, I suppose this could definitely come in handy. It’s always frustrating when you think you are sending a really on-point story idea to someone, only to never hear back. Your wishful thinking could come true and you would see that perhaps the journalist opened it on their iPhone while they were at the train station and just hasn’t gotten back to you yet. Or maybe the producer was sitting on their PC at their office desk and just deleted the email without even opening it. In this case, is knowledge power? Or is it more like stalking?
In a time when people seem to be growing more concerned about internet privacy, it will be interesting to see how this develops. If people do start using it, there is definitely potential for backlash especially since it seems that the only way to opt out is to block all images from any incoming messages (which most people would seem unlikely to do).
So, is knowing when and where your email was read worth it? Would it really strengthen your case to remind an editor you know that they read your pitch while they were standing in line at a Starbucks? Or will the information just end up consuming you and make you obsess about work at another level?
While I’m sure it has some benefits, I personally think knowing too much would make me more stressed, so I’ll hold off on Streak for now.
Related: Meet Our MC Team: Dee Donavanik
By Cori Cagide, Associate Publicist
I recently read an article in The Guardian that discussed the impact changes in the publishing industry is having on both large and small publishing houses. For those working within the publishing industry, “’The Big 6” always comes to mind as the leaders in the publishing world and seem to reign supreme in the industry. However, while this is still the case, and will most likely be the case for some time, with the advent of digital publishing and the industry’s transition to ebook production, it’s the smaller houses that are reaping the benefits.
This doesn’t necessarily mean these smaller houses are ready to play ball with the larger publishers, but it does give them the opportunity to be on the same playing field for now. A lot of the smaller houses were responsible for spearheading digital movements, with larger houses clutching onto the role of traditional publishing in the industry. These smaller/mid-sized houses, also known as indie or niche publishers, are now being given the competitive advantage. While many of the smaller houses already have the same capabilities as larger houses when it comes to publishing, digital downloading has led to the elimination of many of the costs that come with traditional book publishing and distribution.
By Johanna Dickson, Digital Publicist
This piece is a sequel to 15 of the Most Memorable First Sentences in Literature.
If other voracious readers are anything like me, the end of a book is often
bittersweet. For hundreds of pages you bond with the characters, get captured in the narrative and get lost in another world. You are so engrossed in the story that you don’t want it to end. Last lines tie up the story and give you the satisfying ending you need.
Here are fifteen memorable last lines in literature:
By Brian Feinblum, Senior Vice President and Marketing Officer
As a writer or someone working in book publishing you likely feel tired, overwhelmed, and underpaid – on a good day! Have no fear: I have the secret four-step formula to save yourself time in your busy life, shaving up to several hours a day!
By Steve Matteo, Publicity Manager
Since February 7th of this year, fans of 60s music have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles invasion of America, which included their first American concerts and their historic debut on U.S. television on the Ed Sullivan Show. There has been a spate of recent books on the fab four. Some have been specifically about the anniversary, and others have been more general in nature.
TESTIMONIALS
I tell everyone I know that PTA is the best in the business.
— BRIAN TRACY, AUTHOR, Maximum Achievement
