It’s A Book

Do you miss the days when a book was just… a book?

© 2012 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

 

  1. That… is awesome. :) And yes, I do miss those days.

  2. That’s delightful. It reminds me of when my son came across a rotary dialed phone in an elderly person’s home. He had no idea how to use it.

  3. Beth K. Vogt says:

    Absolutely loved this.
    :)
    I’m sold.

  4. Janey Goude says:

    Classic. Shared. Thanks for the :-)

  5. Donna Pyle says:

    Bwah haa haaaa!! Priceless.

  6. I miss some parts of it. Books have that feel and smell that bring an ambiance to the reading experience. Yet, it is so convenient to take 20 books with me wherever I go. So I’m conflicted and therefore will simply say…I dunno.

  7. Iola says:

    My mother bought this for my son last year. He doesn’t really ‘get’ it, but she and I thought it was great.

  8. Heidi Leanne says:

    Ack – my sides hurt. Must share this with everyone I know. :)

  9. I do miss the days. Adorable video. Thanks for for bringing some humor to my morning.

  10. I do miss the book. And I am going to do my part to keep books around.

    I remember my sons in the early grades bring books home for us to read to them, and later to read to us.

  11. TNeal says:

    Ah, the good old days when we used to roll open our scrolls. Sigh. ;)

  12. I like it; it’s very cute!

  13. carol brill says:

    What I miss even more – the days when a bookstore was actually just a bookstore.

  14. Linda says:

    I love all books. Physical and ebooks. Just love to read. Love my ereader because I can read in the dark without the light. Love real books because I can highlight and feel the pages. Love them all.

  15. Alycia M. says:

    Delightful video! Yes, I do miss those days. I much prefer book format.

  16. Nathan says:

    Thanks for this. My daughter — 7 yo — loves books but this still feels real.

  17. Wonderful video, but “those days” are still here. I just opened a package last night to reveal a book that I’d ordered. It’s a wonderful world these days that gives us readers so many methods for appreciating great stories.

  18. Lori says:

    A book, not a platform, a marketing plan, a ready audience to buy it….

    A girl can dream….

    a book….

  19. Marielena says:

    Adorable cute! Thanks for posting this yesterday on Facebook. I already shared and it’s gone viral.

  20. angie says:

    Reminds me of that song from Casa Blanca — A Kiss is Just a Kiss. :)

  21. Ann Bracken says:

    This made me giggle. I do love books and my ereader. I’m just as excited when a new book comes in the mail as I am when I download one. Truth is, if I like the book, I buy both formats, one to carry and one to share with the family.

  22. Jil Plummer says:

    I thoroughly disliked the thought of e-books. Now my
    “Caravan to Armageddon” has just come out as one, but I
    have nothing to hold or sign. Or even give away! Many people are asking for a proper book. I see the place for both but a “real” book is more satisfying in many ways.

  23. Loved this, but I also love my Kindle. If I had more space, I would ditch the Kindle, but it is nice to carry 50 books with you and purchase another instantaneously.

  24. Nancy says:

    I like them both, but I still love my beautiful home library of hardback books. Here’s what’s been bugging me during my publishing journey Rachelle…In the ever increasing digital publishing age, what happens to the good old fashioned book signing? Publishers want you to connect to your audience, but how will this particular marketing tool work in the future? I was at a bookstore the other day, and people were lined up around the outside of the store to have their books signed. Where does the book signing go in the e-book market?

    • Maureen says:

      I have wondered this very same thing. In my wildest fantasies I see myself traveling the world for book signings and talking with my readers and connecting. How do you e-connect? Will we become faceless automatons using computers only as our human connections. YIKES.

      For me, I still love a book. curling up with a blanket and my Kindle just isn’t the same. But the convenience of the Kindle can’t be discounted. I live in a small town where we used to have a Borders. Now we have nothing — not even a library. So it’s a glass half full situation, I suppose.

      Thank you Rachel for the post and thank you Nancy for articulating my question that would not have been formed as concisely as yours!

    • Rachelle Gardner says:

      Nancy,
      What happens to the “good old fashioned book signing?” Great question, I’ll answer it on the blog next week.

  25. Jeanne T says:

    Loved this. My kids would totally “get” this, as they are both voracious readers. I enjoy my kindle and the conveniences it offers, and I don’t use the extras. I also love having a book to hold and curl up with on a rainy day (not that I do that often, but a girl can dream…). Thanks for sharing this laugh today.

  26. jeffo says:

    That’s great. And I remember when a phone was just a phone, and ….

  27. Melissa says:

    It’s a book and though it has no, ‘bells and whistles’, it is wholly fantastic.

  28. Erin Ivy says:

    Reminded me of when my son saw his first typewriter at my dad’s office. “There’s this really cool type of printer that prints directly on the paper! It doesn’t have to go through a screen or anything!”

    Although it’s not quite there yet in this house, I’m sure the days portrayed in the video are not far off.

    Donna – My daughter *asked* for an old fashioned rotary phone and my parents had one of those in the attic. We plugged it in and it worked!

  29. Show that to the baby who tries to change the page of a magazine with her index finger like it was an IPad. I believe my grandchildren will be going to college armed with only IPad type devices. Books will be simply a preference for old people.

  30. hahahahahahaha!!!

    That was awesome. I’m totally sharing this. And I want that book :-)

  31. Otin says:

    There are definitely drawbacks to technology.

  32. This is terrific! I’m sharing to Facebook. Thanks!

  33. Janet says:

    I love it! I tweeted it. It’s a BOOK!!!

  34. Janet says:

    Speaking of “It’s a Book,” I’m in a reading club and we recently read Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter by Joshua Gates. The cover of the book had this texture to it that made it feel dusty like it was the actual journal that he carried with him to worldwide destinations. The journal theme carried through to the inside of the book with each page bordered in a way that made it look like a stack of pages. When I commented on this during discussion, you should have seen the disappointment expressed by readers who had bought the Kindle edition. Seems that technology can’t reproduce that dusty feel that appealse to the tactile sense.

    It’s a BOOK!

  35. Wow. Loved the clock spinning the hours away in the background. Adorable post, Rachelle. Have a great weekend!

  36. Rachel Schieffelbein says:

    Oh that is too cute! Thanks for sharing. :)

  37. Emma says:

    I borrowed this from my library last week – and I loved it. My kids didn’t understand what was so funny as we’re pretty old school in this house: no ipad, no iphone, no e-readers. It’s all about the book here :)

  38. Peter DeHaan says:

    It’s a great book trailer and well done, too. It is most effective.

    (Will there be an e-book version of it? Just kidding.)

  39. Jan Cline says:

    Might have to show this at my writer’s conference! So well said. It’s a great debate isn’t it?
    Jan

  40. Oh yes, makes me want to hug my books!

  41. Susan Bourgeois says:

    I worry about these type things. I think everything is moving too fast. Books slow things down, like fishing. We need to work towards slowing life down at times, especially when it comes to raising a family.

    Just today, I was reminded my husband that his parents, who lived to the ages of 88 and 92, were able to get by in life without caving in and purchasing a cell phone.

    They lived a glorious, productive life.

    I’m not saying many of these devices don’t have their place in our world; they do.

    I worry when I see people not being able to function without their I-phones or such devices.

    I wonder how many small children color a picture at school of their Mother with a cell phone pressed up against her ear, just a thought.

    Sure I use a cell phone but I am not glued to it throughout the day. I can drive without being on the phone. I can function without it being in my hand several hours a day.

    I don’t have to check it every 45 seconds.

    It worries me that things like a basic book may be considered boring because it isn’t electronic.

    We need to work on slowing down a bit here or there.

    There’s nothing like a great book or a fishing rod for that matter…

  42. Jane Buttery says:

    I can see it happening about books. H.G. Wells said we’d have spinning discs in future(now)but I love the feel of books and hope everyone will. I just spent 3 frustrating hours trying to get my book as ebook on Amazon. It drove me nuts and I felt the instructions were not helpful. Give me a real book any day.
    What we have to do to get known!

  43. Heather Kopp says:

    Rachelle, this is such a great post. A breath of fresh air. I have to forward it to Dave because I can tell you that from the editor’s side of things–most agents and/or clients don’t think this way. They might give lip service to thinking this way, but it so often comes down to the almighty dollar (and I agree, there’s no way to know for sure a person’s motive). But I have seen what you’re talking about happen quite often–the author gets swept up in big bucks but loses a lot of other things–like an editor who makes their book shine–in the process. Then he’s debt forever to that house and if his book isn’t a HUGE success, it’s deemed a failure. Anyway, thanks for writing this.

  44. Karen lee says:

    That sounds mighty fine to me. Clarified. Thank you.

  45. I LOVE THIS, RACHEL!!! :) :)

    Theresa, mom of 9 blessings- :)

  46. ps. hope you don’t mind- I’m reposting :)

  47. Web Design says:

    I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. Seeking forward to reading more from you later…

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