Better World Books Blog

"We're Not Used to Author Huggings..."

2008-07-04T16:36:23.1390000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're live at Rothbury Music Festival! Our hi-jinx will be (roughly) recounted and hopefully you'll get a (clean) image of what's going on here.

Author signings. First things first Hunter Lovins, author of landmark Energy Unbound and most recently Natural Capitalism (we have signed copies and gave us a Top 10 Reading List!) came by followed by Winona LaDuke, author of Recovering the Sacred. But the storm was building, and it wasn't for our first two ultra-respected authors...

A large black man, lanky but confident moving slides into the bookstore, not around the back to the signing table but straight to the front and asks for a Sharpie. A line of 75 has formed and more are being snagged by the antics of one Aaron King. He is
Used to it or not, it would go on for an hour followed by the man himself laying some knowledge on us to the tune of a top 5 book list and signing Ryan's (real) guitar (I say real because earlier I won a Guitar Hero contest on stage, because I am that big of a nerd. I also just got in a discussion with an author about the merits of double dash vs. semicolon). Not too bad, I'd say.

The night will be punctuated with a movie in the tent, re-sorting the books (gotta make it look like we have more after we've pushed so much stock!), and rocking out to Diplo to the wee hours. Then tomorrow, more signings and more sales!

"We Made It... but We Might Not Make it Home"

2008-07-04T16:00:14.0140000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're live at *We're awoken at 6 AM to the sounds of the "yeah dude!" type guys next to us. They've pulled in at 5 and are trying to navigate a gigantic RV*
"YOU CAN'T MOVE IT WITH THE THINGS ON! THE THINGS, BRO! TH... **** IT NOW, THE THING'S BROKEN!"
*One of us leaves their tent*: Guys, it's 6 AM, come on with the yelling.
(White hat brigade): WHATEVER DUDE, WE'RE GONNA BE PARTYING ALL WEEK! COLLEGE, WOOOO! [end not actually said, just implied]

So 6 AM it is. We stagger over to our area and setup our supersweet bookselling area. We're 8 strong (Me, Geoff, David, Kelly, Jaime, Aaron, Jesse, Ryan) and we're ready to move some books and engage in the nebulously metric'd activity that is "brand awareness and customer outreach." We're not exactly sure how that's going to work, but dammit we've got a lot of shirts, buttons and stickers and a case of Diet Coke and I'm pretty sure the mixture is going to work.

On the other hand, our nutritional sustenance was hand selected by an architect from Chile and the head of Customer Service and they've decided that we need (actual numbers, keep in mind this is 8 people for 5 days):
48 Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns
16 Cans of Baked Beans (no can opener)
60 Red Bulls
Two boxes of Cheerios
60 packets of Instant Oatmeal

Seriously.

The first day we come out strong, books are being sold, shirts are being worn, hula hoops are being... hula hooped(?)... and necks are being sunburned while hippies and college lads and lasses of all shapes, sizes and ages mill around the store taking our awesome selection of books (thanks Shannon and Kelly!) while we run around handing out discounts and put in 9 hours of in yo face marketing. The workday ends at 8 PM, Disco Biscuits begin and the rest is left for another blog but I'll tell you that many more stickers were given out and many a friendly discussion continued.

"We're Not Gonna Make It..."

2008-07-04T15:38:34.1710000-07:00
Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

We're live at Our hi-jinx will be (roughly) recounted and hopefully you'll get a (clean) image of what's going on here.

We begin our journey by driving due north from the Green House in South Bend. We're driving for a ways when Jesse and Aaron decide it's time for some food, so we GPS the nearest place and in our attempt to wade through the McDonalds and Burger Kings of the world we see "Sidetrack Bar and Grill." Now you would think that the "Sidetrack" might not be the most convenient place to go eat, per se, but at this point collective hunger reigns and after the previous night of Taco Bell owning my stomach, Sidetrack it is.

We're 10 miles off the highway and we still haven't reached our destination but we're definitely the residential area of the farmland boonies. At this point I believe we're in a suburb of Muskegon, Michigan, so yeah, it's a little Deliverance-esque. We roll up to the "restaurant" (actually a gutted house with a "patio" that's the backyard) and go in. The only three people in the restaurant laugh aloud and say "You're not from here, are you?" and we take a seat. There's Poison on the jukebox, Jean Claude Van Damme (and not even Bloodsport, some other random one that starts with a semi-pornographic introduction and I think ultimately had to do with child slavery?) and when Jesse asks "Do many people come here from the highway?" the waitress looks at him like he's crazy. He might be, but that's not going to help us here.

We pay our bill, take a photo and it's time to roll out. We wade through crazy storms and a system of registration that's running like a well-baked [sic] machine and finally pull up to our campsite. Tuckered out from the excitement of unloading books and setting up tents in the rain we crash like a plane out of fuel. Rothbury has officially begun.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T09:04:37.9670000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Hey all, writing to you from the Rothbury Festival, a phenomenal collection of artists in Rothbury Michigan with a dash of eco think-tanking and camping. I already have numerous stories to tell, from book buying to grooving to some poor choices on a place to stop for food, but those are to come.

In the meantime, Happy 4th of July, folks. Take this time to appreciate all the people making sacrifices so that you can live the way that you do. My shout out goes to 2nd Lt. Thomas P. Cahill, currently in Fallujah. Besides being a literary and book smart monster (fitting in with our crowd), he's been stationed in Iraq for several months in the Marines and we can't wait for him to come home.

Happy 4th to you and yours! Go watch some fireworks!

Book Review: Blood Colony

2008-06-30T11:06:27.7430000-07:00

Posted by Ayanna Grady, Campus Account Rep

Blood Colony, the third in a fiction series of books by Tananarive Due, focuses on a mysterious sect of people who are immortal, and live in a secluded colony in the Pacific Northwest. Blood Colony in particular tells the story of Fana, a young woman who holds the power to cure nearly all mortal diseases with a few drops of her blood.

Fana is an integral part of the new Underground Railroad – a distribution network to heal people with "Glow," the street name for her blood. Because of the nature of her talents (reading minds, regeneration, etc...), Fana has been shielded from the outside world. However, as a teenager’s rite of passage, Fana decides to run away from the confines of home to try and share the gift of her blood with the world. Her parents, Jessica and Dawit, set out on a desperate mission to find their once sheltered daughter, but little do they know that there is anot her group of immortals seeking to locate Fana - religious fanatics that wish to fulfill a prophecy to cleanse the world with "the Blood."

This book will take you to every end of the emotional spectrum – pain, agony, gut-wrenching laughter, horror and hope. Due is an excellent writer that uses beautiful imagery to keep the reader’s attention but this book has more: filled with sharp social commentary, cynical remarks and moments of terror that will have you gripping the pages. I finished in 5 days (reading slowly because I’ve been waiting for nearly 7 years for this book and I was not disappointed!). I highly recommend this book for anyone that may enjoy a thrilling series that spans over 500 years. However, you should read the two novels preceding this one, namely: My Soul to Keep and The Living Blood, before you attempt to read this book. It’s the only way you can fully appreciate the storyline.

San Francisco, Get Ready!

2008-06-27T14:39:35.3990000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Many people will be coming to San Francisco this weekend, on the small scale for the uber-fun (or uber-hated depending on how you feel about bikes vs. cars respectively) Critical Mass and of course, Pride 2008 (which should be particularly colorful considering the recent victory for gay marriage in the state of California).

If you plan on navigating the streets, as they will be full of bikers and floats, I suggest you peer through some literature first, so you don't try to cross Market St. too many times...

You could start here but to get deeper in, may I suggest:

You're going to want to take notes and file your pictures away. If you want to access the city and do that the Moleskine Notebook series is amazing (the notebook of Hemingway and Picasso, notably). They have one for most major US cities.

SF, what is it known for more than restaurants? The food here is awesome, but you'll need help figuring out where on earth to go. Zagat's is still the standard on this front. I would definitely Yelp when you get a little more clear on what you're looking for, but the long thing maroon book is still the starting point, no question.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, Lonely Planet is amazing. Get the SF one here.

Oh, and if you wanna stop by, the ultracool betterworld.com team is here in the Bay, leave a comment with your email, maybe we can go get a drink.

Looking for a Suggestion

2008-06-27T13:21:25.7740000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Hey readers, I want to get into podcasting and would love a suggestion on what book to get. There are tons of great books on the topic but it's hard to figure out what the best place to start is. Email suggestion to jack (at) betterworld (dot) com or leave a comment below!

What We're Reading: ATL

2008-06-26T11:04:43.5090000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Over in the ATL office, home of book collections, and the Braves and unofficial capital of the Souf [sic], here's what they're reading (when they're not on the phone or emailing you updates):

Roselle - Smart Women Finish Rich (by David Bach, video interview with DB coming soon!)
Erin - Hell to Pay & Soul Circus & American Gods & Good Omens
Lora - Manner of Death & 11 on Top & Thr3e & The Good Guy & The Taking (overachiever!)
Jozi - Emotional Intelligence & Christine & The Enchantress of Florence & She Got Up Off the Couch
Courtney - The Five Love Languages
Angela - The Last Juror
Will - Black Voices
Ayanna - Shattered Trust & Rich Dad, Poor Dad & Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
[Library Team member] - Think and Grow Rich & No Plot, No Problem

The Green House has a New Boy!

2008-06-25T12:09:42.3990000-07:00

Posted by David Hoffman, Freight Coordinator

BWB gave birth today to a new baby boy!! Roy the bookmobile was born at 9:35 am on June 25th. He was born at a 12 foot 1 Inches high and 9 foot 8 inches wide. He is a beautiful baby boy!! We are not wasting anytime with Roy’s first steps because we are putting Roy on the road for the first time on Friday.

Let me be the first to say congrats to BWB and may Roy the Bookmobile live a long and healthy life!

Roy and his new family

What We're Reading: SF

2008-06-24T13:35:36.2590000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Here at the SF office we have 5 employees, all of whom work in some way or another on www.betterworld.com. Here's what we've been reading lately between the hours of meeting and phone calls and "networking" at the local watering hole:

Xavier: The Landmark Herodotus (seriously it's like 980 pages of history)
Geoff: Let My People Go Surfing & Crossing the Line
Justin: The World is Flat & The World Without Us
Elina: Chinese Takeout: a Novel
Jack: Made to Stick & Jitterbug Perfume

Show Us Some Love, Facebook Edition

2008-06-24T13:01:15.7590000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Here are some highlights from the posts on our Facebook Fan Page:

Belkis in Venezuela: I have (been) buying books from them for more than three years and i love them, not only because i benefit from the prices and variety of books, also i am helping along with the environment and the most important i am supporting the causes they support, especially books for my brothers and sisters in Africa. I am so happy to find everything that makes me happy in one place.

Angela at IUPUI: I just got some books I ordered from Better World Books; they arrived in a timely fashion, were in good shape, were very reasonably priced, and best of all, they were shipped in an eco-friendly way without all that extra packaging and some of the funds went towards good literacy-promoting causes. Considering I'm a librarian (a librarian in training, actually), I couldn't ask for a better place from which to buy books!

Madzia in Poland: I love, love, love BetterWorld. I can buy cheap books that are hard to find elsewhere- most of the sources for my master's thesis came from Better World. And I am very glad to know that I don't have to worry about the carbon footprint, that my money helps charity, and that I save books from becoming landfill. Long live Better World!

Dor in Israel: Better World books made it possible for me to order books online and not have to pay double just for shipping, you people rock!

Patti at Harding: Amazing selection and great service! I ordered 17 books and received them exactly as ordered just a week later.

Gerry in New Zealand: Def some good prices. Seems like an all around good choice :)

but perhaps Scott in L.A. says it best:

Reading is golden.

I love your website.

University of British Columbia Book Drive

2008-06-23T10:52:57.0260000-07:00

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain/Canada Regional Director

Hi all! My UBC Golden Key contact sent along this shot today. He’s basically coordinated and collected all of the books himself – already has 48 boxes packed and more to go!

Woot woot!!

All Things Must Pass

2008-06-23T10:41:11.9320000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

Mr. LaGrou showing how we solve disputes concerning process decisions at Better World Books

Before the climactic scene in "Almost Famous" (in which they sing "Tiny Dancer" on the bus, legendary scene) they carry the guitarist, Russell, onto the bus. The manager says, in his almost British lilt "Ladies and gentlemen, the evening is over. We hope you've enjoyed yourselves, and we'll See you again in 1974!! Good evening!!" The bus doors close and the rest is a come down from the insanity of the previous days, which is an apt comparison after the non-stop action of Better World Books week. Our shirts say "I survived BWB Week 2008" but some people made the adjustment "I almost survived..." and that was probably more accurate. Hitting the books and then unwinding is quite a task...

So it was on Friday, as people slowly filed out after a spectacular presentation and a group photo that is sure to have some fine lookin' individuals in it with our new Better World Books shirts. One by one cars filtered off to Midway (gotta love Southwest Airlines! Also, loving Midway, the expert traveler line was fantastic and the sandwich shop hits the spot) and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say sleep was had and relief was enjoyed.

As usual, these events can't come soon enough and there are so many updates I'm scouring my notebook trying to keep you posted, that's going to have to come in another email, blowing up with awesome.

It's Business Time

2008-06-19T17:52:11.1970000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

"It's business, it's business tiiiime." OK, so we didn't have Flight of the Conchords, but what we did have was some ideas that are going to blow your doors off, no question. We've got great new moves happening with new ways to get books and new ways to get money for our partners. Further we'll be working on more ways to maximize your savings, getting you better books, cheaper. More updates on those things as we roll them out (OK, I'll tell you before anyone else, but sssshhhhh)

Yesterday we spent tons of time in department meetings and then had updates between departments and to suggest that people are excited really doesn't scratch the surface. However, fatigue after a week of meetings was setting in, so last night we had to unwind. After checking out a new surprise (can't tell you yet, I want to so bad but I can't!) we rocked karaoke including a rousing "Under the Bridge" from founder Xavier, a dominant (and prize winning) performance from Brad, and most notably instead of "The Online Bookstore with a Soul" the Atlanta office made sure we were "The Online Bookstore with Soul." Perfect. After I rocked a Jay-Z track (I've got 99 problems but a blog ain't one...) we were off.

Today we had a day of service that was simply awesome. I'll let Rudy write about it and show you his photo taking prowess later in the week...

Sore Back-Back Home-Home Runs

2008-06-17T07:57:58.6880000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

Sorry about the title, I think I've been watching too much "Wheel of Fortune" so the "Before and After" thing was in my head... In any event, let me explain:

When I was hired, eons ago Abby Rae LaCombe (current Rocky Mountain + Canada RD) and I cruised to the Green House and were instructed in the ways of the force, errrr book acquisitions and company policies. But also, to make sure we understood the challenges of working in the warehouse we spent a day scanning books (a monumental task, each person here scans 110-160 per hour!) and sorting heavy boxes, and let me tell you, I was sore afterwards. Coming back and seeing "job sharing" on the schedule I was slightly concerned for how I'd feel like an old man tomorrow trying to get myself out of bed.

After getting out we were ready for fresh air and rolled over to the local park with refreshments and a grill, but most importantly, large red balls for KICKBALL! The showdowns were fierce, the refreshments were cold and seeing everyone was fantastic. After I was assaulted by a young assassin with a water gun and schooled on the kickball field (notice the picture below, who hurts their shoulder playing kickball??? I seriously must suck), I decided it was time to stick to the grill area and engage in Better World Books #1 out-of-work pastime, ultimate frisbee.

It feels good to be back "home," if only for a week. Burning the candle at both ends... commence!

(The Acquisitions Team (Atlanta, represent!) fresh off drinking the company kool-aid in the veritable "War Room," emails and calls their contacts, furiously trying to get books in)

A Well Oiled Machine

2008-06-17T07:33:10.9420000-07:00

Posted by Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

This week will be reports and pictures from the Better World Books Warehouse (or "Green House" as we know it) in South Bend as we conduct our yearly meeting week.

To see a well-oiled machine do its job is truly a marvel. It sounds cliche, perhaps it sounds like a vacuous statement when were so inundated with machinery and technology in our own lives from iPhones to disposals to a little hot water in the shower, but the fact remains that there's something about a fine tuned apparatus that catches the eye and the imagination.

The Green House presented two great versions of this to me today. On one hand, I saw the packaging machine, which is pretty mesmerizing. It takes thousands of orders each day and cranks them out under the careful supervision of a number of finely trained employees. It's definitely a unique sight (that I've included below for your enjoyment).

But more amazing is how we've created a system incorporating ideas from Toyota's and Motorola's plants referred to in the business world as "Six Sigma." I won't get into the specifics but I have to say watching the whole warehouse work is amazing. Hundreds of people working as the proverbial bees in the hive--and let me tell you the Green House buzzes--each with individual tasks all working together to get you your books, as fas as possible, as cheap as we can and in the best condition that we can offer.

West Coast Director, Natasha Harris, looking regal as per usual

Better World Books Week!

2008-06-16T10:13:22.6910000-07:00

Jack Hanlon, CBO & Evangelist

Hey all, reporting here from BWB week in the lovely (and warm) South Bend, IN. Today we outsiders will be getting tours of the revamped warehouse and doing some warehouse related work. Pictures and stories coming throughout the week, it's sure to be good. Already, having played a bit of billiards last night with my amigos in acquisitions and a subsequent delicious breakfast at the pancake house, it's good to be back and sure to only get better (especially at company kickball tonight when Team Gold owns Team Green!)