It's written in our DNA

Avon's new program to help readers Discover New Authors and to help new authors get discovered by readers.


Taken from an October 7th, 2011 Avon Romance Blog entry by Esi Sogah:


"Discover New Authors–Avon’s DNA
By: Esi Sogah
October 07, 2011

Avon’s fantastic authors are what’s made us such a trusted name in romance. We know you have your favorites, but with only so many hours in the day, you can’t possibly have gotten to everyone. That’s why we’re offering you a chance to Discover New (to you!) Authors. These books are Avon’s DNA (see what we did there?)–the heart and soul of Avon. Each month, you’ll have a chance to check out a great author’s early work at terrific prices. Happy reading!"

November–A Groom of One’s Own by Maya Rodale




October–Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey

Let me announce us, officially

As reported on the November 9th, 2011 entry, With you, everyday is Christmas!,  congratulations were due to Darlene Panzera because  "her novella, 'The Bet' won Avon, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers' writing contest, and will be published in July 2012, as part of Debbie Macomber's FAMILY AFFAIR!"

Well here's the official announcement by HarperCollins:

Date: 11/18/2011
Author: Pam Spengler-Jaffee
Subject: Aspiring Author Wins Writing Contest

Contact:
Pam Spengler-Jaffee
212.207.7495
Pam.Jaffee@harpercollins.com

The Bet That Really Paid Off:

Aspiring Author Wins Writing Contest, will be Published in July 2012 Novel Headlined by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber

Avon Books Will Publish “The Bet” by Darlene Panzera as part of Debbie Macomber’s “Family Affair”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK, NY, November18, 2011 – Christmas came early for aspiring author Darlene Panzera: just in time for the holidays, Panzera learned that a veritable angel, in the form of #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, has selected Darlene’s novella, “The Bet,” to be published in the July 2012 edition of Macomber’s heartwarming book, Family Affair . Darlene is one of hundreds of unpublished authors who participated in Avon Books’ “Make Your Dreams Come True” writing contest, offering all those who participated the chance to win a golden ticket – the chance to be published alongside one of the most important authors in modern literature.

Avon vice president and executive editor Lucia Macro was tasked with selecting the top three entries for Macomber to judge. The choice was difficult: all of the entries were excellent and eminently worthy of publication. Macro says, “Each time I started reading one of the submissions, I felt like I was opening a present. And, believe me, making the decision for the final three wasn’t easy. I was truly impressed by the quality of so many of the stories, and that’s a testament to the talented writers who took the chance and entered.”

The finalists included “The Bet” by Panzera; “Miss Chance” by Cheryl Johnson and “Where There’s Smoke” by Amy Mullins. The manuscripts were delivered anonymously to Macomber, who read them without knowing who the entrants were, and what stories they wrote. The bestselling author says that she selected “The Bet” because it seemed like a good companion to her own story, Family Affair . Macomber says, “I read ‘The Bet’ with delight and found myself smiling at this classic romance many times. It was a pleasure to read; light-hearted and uplifting. The author shows a great deal of promise and I expect to see many more stories come from her.”

To Panzera, entering in this contest was truly a bet that paid off. In addition to winning a $500 cash prize, the opportunity to have her story on bookshelves (and e-bookshelves), packaged with a beloved Macomber tale, is something she’d never even dreamed would happen to her. Panzera, who graduated from the Writer's Digest Advanced Novel Writing School and The Christian Writer's Guild apprentice writing program, says that she spent six years trying to get her manuscripts published. “The dream to be a published author has been there inside me for a lifetime. When I found out I won Debbie Macomber's "Make Your Dreams Come True" contest I couldn't believe it. I still can't!” Panzera will admit, like most aspiring authors, that her family has had more than their share of burnt dinners while she struggled to find the right words to put on paper. But, like Macomber, Panzera takes faith in hard work and perseverance. “If you work hard to improve your craft, connect with other writers, and believe in yourself, dreams can come true.” For more information about this fresh new voice, visit her website, www.darlenepanzera.com.

In talking about the results of the “Make Your Dream Come True” writing contest, an unparalleled opportunity generously afforded by Debbie Macomber to aspiring authors looking to break into publishing, Macro concludes, “This has been such a delightful experience for us here at Avon Books. Congratulations to the finalists and thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter. And a special personal thank you to Debbie Macomber. I truly appreciate her gracious and always-generous support for ‘unknown’ talent.”

The paperback and e-book edition of Family Affair (ISBN 9780061997136: $6.99; on-sale 6/26/12), which includes “The Bet,” will be available everywhere books are sold July 2012 from Avon Books.

About HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world's foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.

# # #

One gown is not going to be enough for the season!

Exciting News! More awards for Avon! This time from industrial review giant Library Journal!

And the winners are, for Best Books 2011: Romance:



Silk is For Seduction by Loretta Chase




When Beauty Tamed the Beast by  Eloisa James




Call Me Irresistible by  Susan Elizabeth Phillips


 CONGRATS LADIES & AVON!

So, here is how The Lunch Break Protest went...

Emily Witt, of The New York Observer, follow up on the HarperCollins Union Rally:


HarperCollins Union Rally: Rain, Speeches and Pizza at Bookish Protest

They won't be relegated to the margins!

The scene at a union rally today in front of book publisher HarperCollins was sodden but cheerful, as HarperCollins employees donned blue ponchos with the gold UAW logo and gathered to protest stalled contract negotiations with their employer. Carrying signs that read “Thousands of Children’s Books Can’t Be Wrong: Learn to Share” and “What Stinks Worse, Dirty Diapers or Reducing Maternity Leave?” HarperCollins employees expressed love for their jobs but dismay at the prospect of no more guaranteed raises, reduced seniority protections, restrictions on vacation time, higher health care costs and shortened maternity leave. These concerns have resulted in a standoff between HarperCollins’s management and UAW Local 2110 that is now almost a year old.

HarperCollins is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation (“one of the largest media corporations on Earth” was a frequent qualifier) and Rupe served as a useful villain for the assembled employees and their allies. “If HarperCollins were not a profitable business, News Corp. would not have purchased them 20 years ago and they would not continue as our parent company to this day,” said Dale Rohrbaugh, a production editor who has worked on books such as the mega-bestselling Pinheads and Patriots by conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly. As she addressed the crowd, a passing delivery truck honked in solidarity.

“They seem to think that because we’re in an industry staffed by passionate people who are invested in our work that we can eke a living off of our emotional satisfaction and not share in the profits that we workers help create and that so benefit the executives and stockholders invested in our company,” she said.

Such was the frustration of employees that they even brought up the competition. “We’re smaller than Random House and we have more bestsellers,” said Jessica Berg, who works as a senior production editor in the children’s division. “But our starting salaries trail thousands of dollars behind salaries at Random House.” HarperCollins employees also do not receive the week off between Christmas and New Year’s, a traditional industry holiday when printers go dark.

“I’m going to come right out and say it: I love HarperCollins,” said Doug Johnson, an assistant production editor in the adult trade editorial department. “I want to see HarperCollins succeed,” he said, “but I don’t want that success to come at the expense of all of us.”

The employees were joined by state senator Liz Kreuger, state assembly member Dick Gottfried, UAW regional director Julie Kushner and representatives from the offices of City Comptroller John C. Liu and Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Erin Crum, a spokesperson with HarperCollins, had no comment on the rally. Last week she said, “We are committed to bargaining in good faith, and trying to reach a fair agreement with the union.”

The rally concluded with a pizza lunch.

You can find romance anywhere, even in politics.

This just in from Emily Witt of The New York Observer:


Occupy Book Publishing! HarperCollins, This Means You

There’s a flier going around at Occupy Wall Street events in recent days. “UNION RALLY,” it reads. “HARPERCOLLINS BOOK PUBLISHERS.” Yep, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, employees of HarperCollins and their supporters will rally during the lunch hour to protest the elimination of guaranteed wage increases, the rising cost of health benefits and other issues.

“HarperCollins is a highly profitable commercial publisher and is owned by RUPERT MURDOCH, poster child for the 1%’s greed,” the flier explains.





And because the flyer wasn't enough, Witt further reported:


Occupy HarperCollins Seeking Support from HarperCollins Authors

A tipster has forwarded us an e-mail that HarperCollins’s union, Local 2110 of the UAW, has been sending to writers who have published books with the company, asking the writers to sign an open letter of support. As we reported earlier, a protest at HarperCollins has been announced for next Wednesday. The e-mail, which we publish below the jump, requests support from authors in ongoing contract negotiations. Our tipster called the experience “slightly awkward.”
The contract dispute at the company predates Occupy Wall Street, but appears to be benefiting from its energy. “Essentially we have been in negotiations with them for over a year,” Eden Schulz, recording secretary at the union, told The Observer. She added that HarperCollins has been unwilling to cooperate with the union despite healthy profits. “They’re really lowballing us on wages, asking for increases in healthcare costs and trying to gut our seniority protection for our employees.”
She said that Local 2110 represents “everyone from editorial assistants to designers” at the publishing house. It also represents workers at the nearby Museum of Modern Art, which has also seen protests recently. Ms. Schulz said she hopes workers from MoMA will join HarperCollins picketers next week.
A request for comment from HarperCollins was not immediately returned. Update: Erin Crum, a spokesperson for HarperCollins, e-mailed us the following comment:

HarperCollins is currently negotiating its labor contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW), Local 2110. We are offering a very fair and competitive package, one that will continue to make HarperCollins a great place to work for all our employees. We are committed to bargaining in good faith, and trying to reach a fair agreement with the union. Because HarperCollins believes it should only bargain with the union at the negotiating table, and not in the press, we are not able to provide additional details at this time.

Here is the full text of the e-mail the union has been sending to HarperCollins authors.

Dear HarperCollins Author:
As you are no doubt aware, the publishing process involves a great
number of people with unique areas of specialization, each of whom
plays a vital role in ensuring that your book is given the best
possible treatment and chance for success. At HarperCollins, many of
those people are covered under a collective bargaining agreement and
represented as part of union Local 2110, UAW. Employees of
HarperCollins have been represented by this union since the 1940s, and
its members may be found in every department, from editorial,
marketing, and design to production and publicity. Every book
published by HarperCollins benefits immensely from our talent and
professionalism.
However, our union is currently facing the greatest threat in its history.
HarperCollins and its parent company, News Corporation, are insisting
that we accept a devastating array of concessions. Under management’s
proposed revisions to the contract:

· Yearly guaranteed raises would be eliminated, leaving all
wage increases wholly at management’s discretion. Furthermore, the
obligation that HarperCollins spend a certain percentage of the
payroll on raises would be eliminated. With salaries starting at
just $30,000 and a median salary of just $41,000, we depend on
receiving regular increases just to survive from paycheck to paycheck.

· HarperCollins increased the cost of employee contributions
to our health care premiums by half this year. This hurts all
HarperCollins employees, but because of the regressive formula the
Company uses to determine each employee’s monthly contribution,
employees on the lower end of the salary scale pay a far greater
proportion of our income for health benefits then the best-compensated
HarperCollins employees in management.

· All seniority protections would be drastically reduced, as
well as all obligations to notify employees of layoffs, leaving
HarperCollins with wide leeway to eliminate any employee at any time,
with no notice, for any reason—even if that person had spent their
entire working life with the company.

· Union members would be required to accept a whole host of
changes to their working conditions, including reduced maternity
leave, lower raises upon promotions, and restrictions on the use of
vacation time.

HarperCollins, by its own admission, continues to make a substantial
profit. Sadly, publishing professionals do not make much money, but
HarperCollins’s employees receive some of the lowest salaries in the
entire industry. Taken as a whole, the above contract proposals
represent an attack on working people by one of the world’s most
profitable media companies. We love the work that we do for the
company but ask simply for fair and reasonable conditions. As an
esteemed author, we urge you to sign our open letter of support. For
more information, or to find out additional ways to show your support,
please contact Eden Schulz at our union office at 212-387-0220 oredenschulz@2110uaw.org.

Sincerely,
The Unionized Employees of HarperCollins Publishers, Local 2110, UAW

Tomorrow is the big day! So, we'll see what happens next.

Breakfast in bed with Expresso

Can't find your favorite Avon titles? Refuse to buy them on e-readers or just need to have a physical copy to complete your collection?


Well... Worry no more! This just in from coporate:

Date: 09/22/2011
Author: Erin Crum
Subject: HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ANNOUNCES “COMPREHENSIVE BACKLIST” PROMOTION FOR PHYSICAL BOOKSTORES USING THE ESPRESSO BOOK MACHINEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ANNOUNCES

“Comprehensive Backlist” PROMOTION FOR PHYSICAL booksTORES using the Espresso Book MachinE

First Major Publisher to Offer In-Store Production and Promotion

New York, NY, (September 22, 2011) – In a first from a major trade publisher, HarperCollins Publishers today announced "Comprehensive Backlist." This program will allow all physical bookstores, from the largest to the smallest, to promote and sell the HarperCollins backlist through in-store “Digital-to-Print at Retail” (DPR) using the Espresso Book Machine^® (EBM). The program will enable bookstores to offer thousands of trade paperback books from the HarperCollins catalog through a mix of traditionally printed books and DPR, as space and cash flow restrictions will no longer be a factor. DPR editions will be sold on an agency model. It is expected that the independent bookstores that already have the Espresso Book Machine in place will join the program.

At launch, HarperCollins will work with On Demand Books, LLC, the maker of the Espresso Book Machine, to enable instant distribution of books that are not currently stocked in stores. With the push of a button, books can be printed, bound, and trimmed to a bookstore-quality, perfect-bound paperback book, with a full-color cover, in minutes.

"Even as digital book sales grow, bookstores continue to be an important place for customers to shop for physical books. The goal of this initiative is to give the local bookseller the capability to provide customers with a greater selection of HarperCollins titles in a physical environment,” said Brian Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers. "For authors this is a win; titles will be more broadly available, which increases sales with full print royalties. Depending on the size of the store, 25%-80% of our backlist titles are not stocked due to physical space limitations. DPR technology means the books will be there for the consumer at small and large bookshops."

"We are delighted to add HarperCollins to the Espresso Book Machine network," says Dane Neller, Chief Executive Officer of On Demand Books. "By committing thousands of titles to the program, HarperCollins is showing its clear support for bookstores and authors, and reaching more readers. Digital-to-Print at Retail is a powerful new sales channel for publishers. It eliminates lost sales due to out-of-stock inventory and provides a new marketing platform in partnership with bricks and mortar booksellers."

"The ability to have available any book that our customers could possibly ask for is key to our vision of how to thrive in this challenging environment," said Jeffrey Mayersohn, Owner of Harvard Bookstore. "The HarperCollins partnership with On Demand Books brings us much closer to realizing that vision. This is great news for independent bookstores everywhere."

"With HarperCollins making their titles available for the Espresso BookMachine, the original vision and full potential of the machine will begin to be realized. Thousands more titles will be directly available to my customers, and we will capture many, many sales which are currently lost," said Chris Morrow, Owner of Northshire Bookstore. "I hope other publishers see the potential of this sales channel and get on board. This can be a key element in the development of the bookstore of the future."

HarperCollins trade paperback books, including adult and children's titles, will be available on Espresso Book Machines starting in November. Titles from Zondervan and HarperCollins Canada will be available early next year. Booksellers who are interested in exploring HarperCollins "Comprehensive Backlist" offer should contact their HarperCollins sales representative to determine the optimal level of core print books that stores should carry, relevant incentives, and merchandise opportunities. The program will be available to any bricks-and-mortar book retailers. Book retailers can work directly with On Demand Books, or the vendor of their choosing, to install the machine in stores. Booksellers can contact their HarperCollins sales rep for more information.

For more information about the Espresso Book Machine visit www.ondemandbooks.com. Retailers interested in installing the technology can contact On Demand Books at 212-966-2222 or by email at sales@ondemandbooks.com

Details on the The Comprehensive Backlist Program can be found at HarperCollins.com.

About HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world's foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.

And because HaperCollins values its authors so much, this one's for you, directly from him:

Date: 09/23/2011
Author: Brian Murray
Subject: OPEN LETTER TO AUTHORS: Partnership with On Demand Books
September 23, 2011


Open Letter to Authors,

Today we are announcing a partnership with On Demand Books, the company behind the Espresso Book Machine® that is in dozens of bookstores in the US and abroad. The goal of this partnership is to dramatically increase the number of HarperCollins titles available for sale through our retailers.

As a publisher, it is our vision to make every HarperCollins book available to consumers in stores for immediate purchase – either from stock or through the Espresso Book Machine. We are initiating this program with nearly 5,000 black and white trade paperback books that comprise our active backlist. Hardcovers, mass-markets and illustrated books will not be available in this initial phase.

We see this as an opportunity to eliminate situations where our backlist titles are “temporarily out of stock.” The Espresso Book Machine, combined with high quality HarperCollins backlist titles, allows independent bookstore to sell HarperCollins books that they were previously unable to carry in their store due to space limitations. Now, it just takes the push of a button. The price and royalty paid on sales of books manufactured on the Espresso Book Machine are the same as books that are printed traditionally.

The early feedback and support for this program has been overwhelmingly positive. We hope this partnership extends to all bookstores – small and large – as we continue to adapt to meet the demands of an increasingly digital environment. We understand this will generate some questions from our authors and we ask that you contact your editor if you have questions.

Sincerely,
Brian Murray
President and CEO, HarperCollins Publishers

Release HarperCollins Publishers Announces “Comprehensive Backlist” Promotion for Physical Bookstores Using the Espresso Book Machine

If you love me, Prove it!

Businesses and celebrities often profess how much they adore and appreciate their fans, but, rather than just giving lip service, Avon has actually consistently shown their love and appreciation by giving fans deals, steals, giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes every week. However, Avon has definitely one-upped themselves this time around because on November 12, 2011, this Saturday, Avon will be giving fans FREE access to Fresh Fiction's "Readers & 'ritas" conference on Saturday, November 12, 6 pm Central, in Dallas, TX, and it will be hosted by Fresh Fiction. Because the event is being broad casted through the Livestream website, fans will be able to watch the event while simultaneously being able to chat in the Livestream chat room, Facebook, and Tweet about the event in real time because all these social medias will be conveniently located the right of the streaming event. Consequently, you never have to miss a word, facial expression, or moment!

Sounds like a good time

With you, everyday is Christmas!

There is so much stuff to choose from: Like a girl in a Louboutin Store!

Avon is really trendsetting in the romance publishing industry with it's dedication to affording fans giveaways, specials, and deals. All accessible on Facebook, of course.

 Beginning November 3, 2011: Introducing Avon's Book-a-Day Giveaway!

Posted, five days a week, on Avon's Facebook wall, fans are given

a link to a standard Google Docs survey form, which requires

the standard giveaway information: name, address,

subscription to the news letter, and

submit.

Announced on November 9, 2011: Veterans' Day Giveway!

"Mark your calendars: at 11 am on 11.11.11,

Avon will do elevenhourly giveaways --

eleven lucky readers will win

eleven books apiece!

That will be open

to US and

 Canada."

Writing Contest Announcement: November 9,2011!
"CONGRATULATIONS TO DARLENE PANZERA! Her novella, 'The Bet' won Avon, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers' writing contest, and will be published in July 2012, as part of Debbie Macomber's FAMILY AFFAIR!

A special message from our executive editor, Lucia, who worked with team Debbie on the contest: "Each time I started reading one of the submissions, I felt like I was opening a present...I w...as truly impressed by the quality of so many of the stories, and that’s a testament to the talented writers who took the chance and entered. This has been such a delightful experience for us here at Avon Books. Congratulations to the finalists and thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter. And a special personal thank you to Debbie Macomber. I truly appreciate her gracious and always-generous support for 'unknown' talent." "

E-Books Specials!

Available all day every day!

Makes me almost want

a E-Reader

Dead Girls Are Easy	A Groom of One's Own	Pearl Cove
$7.99 $.99 Until 11/7 Only!	$7.99 $2.99	$7.99 $2.99
Pie Town	I Love the Earl	A Visit From Sir Nicholas
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Desire Untamed	Diaries of an Urban Panther	Second Chance at the Sugar Shack
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Head Over Heels	Dark Future	Lord of Scoundrels
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Live to Tell
$11.99 $.99
You can also buy them directly from your favorite Indie store by clicking here!