We know word-of-mouth is the #1 one way readers find their way to their next book. If you're on Twitter or Facebook, you've at one time asked for a recommendation, whether for yourself or as a gift. Your local bookseller can certainly help you come to a conclusion, as well as one of your library's reading advisers. You can even go direct to a host of social media savvy publishers who have people available to help you make a choice from their own list. But we also know that in many cases that decision is influenced by a person close to each reader, often someone with whom the reader keeps intimate company. To that end, we'd like to introduce you to a veritable book brothel of advisers lead by Canadian Bookshelf Host, Julie Wilson, a.k.a. @BookMadam, and her rotating cast of booksellers, librarians, authors, publishers and bloggers. (Those who have been following Julie for some time will know this is how she got the moniker "Book Madam," after a series of online contests with Indigo and McNally Robinson booksellers.)
How does it work?
Think, what if you could submit a few "choice words" to a personal book shopper—#mybookshopper—someone who wanders off into the bookish wild armed with only those words, to return sweatier and disheveled, hoisting a book over her head picked fresh just for you? Julie is just that Personal Book Shopper!
Every month, Canadian Bookshelf readers will have a chance to enter to win three books picked by The Madam and her associates. (Three lucky winners each month!)
Enter in one of three ways:
1) Twitter: Follow @CdnBookshelf on Twitter so you'll never miss all our news and announcements of contests such as this one. When each contest is announced, using the hashtag #mybookshopper, reply to @CdnBookshelf with a minimum of five choice words to describe yourself. (Yes, you can enter on someone else's behalf if you're hoping to win the books as a gift.)
2) Facebook: Each contest will be created as a separate event. Like Canadian Bookshelf on Facebook and leave your choice words for Book Madam under the most current event listing.
3) Create a Canadian Bookshelf profile and leave your "choice words" in the comment field of each Personal Shopper Contest announcement.
Details:
The first Personal Book Shopper contest will begin 10:00 a.m. ET, Tuesday, June 21 and will close 12:00 p.m. ET, Friday, June 24 with three winners announced the following Monday.
The chosen books will be announced a week from the day each contest closes in a video address from Book Madam herself.
How to participate in other ways:
Publishers, if you'd like to show your support by donating prize copies to Canadian Bookshelf's Personal Book Shopper contest, please contact Julie Wilson at host@canadianbookshelf.com to indicate your interest.
Booksellers, if you'd like to show your support by matching each prize with an in-store or online gift certificate, again, please be in touch with Julie Wilson at host@canadianbookshelf.com.
Booksellers, librarians, readers, publishers, authors and book bloggers, if you'd like to be considered for our rotating panel of experts, you too can send an email to Julie at host@canadianbookshelf.com.
Stay tuned!