I was in the Barnes & Noble on Broadway and 82nd Street in Manhattan on Sunday, and I was happy to find it bustling with activity! People of all ages were there enjoying books, either by themselves or with family members. I love it! Long live books-in-print....
While I was there, I decided to buy my very own copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook. Funny thing, though. I couldn't find it anywhere!!!! So, I asked an employee. He looked it up, and guided me to the homeschooling section. And there it was - at the very bottom of a very tall bookshelf!
Houston? We have a problem.
No wonder I never knew about it! Why the heck is this book not in the parenting section AND the children's section as well?
Didn't anyone at Barnes & Noble read it? Couldn't they have promoted it along with What to Expect When You're Expecting, which every new mom buys?
I know The Read-Aloud Handbook sold over a million copies, but God only knows what year that was. And surely, I would have bought it had I known about it. It's not like I live in a closet!
A million copies sounds like a lot, but not when you consider the world population. Something is SERIOUSLY wrong with how this book has (or has not) been marketed.
First of all, it deserves proper shelf space. Second of all, it needs a better title and cover. I mean, really. I found out about this book months ago (around the time that I wrote about The Book Whisperer), but the title didn't exactly make me want to rush out and read it. After all, I know pretty much all there is to know about reading aloud already. Come on. How are people supposed to know that this book goes WAY beyond that?
You shouldn't have to read blogs in order to find out about important books like this one. It's just not right.
So, what can we learn from this? It's all about the marketing, people.
How ironic is it that in the sixth edition of The Read Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease suggests that librarians can learn a lot from booksellers and grocery store owners? In chapter 7, he talks about the importance of presenting books with the full cover showing so they're more appealing. It makes a lot of sense, but did you know that certain publishers and food manufacturers pay to have their products prominently displayed?
It really makes you think twice about what you're buying (or not buying), doesn't it?
All I know is that The Read Aloud Handbook is a book that can change lives, and it's doing no one any good sitting on the bottom of the shelf in a section only visited by a limited number of people.
Assuming librarians are free to choose which books to recommend and display, I hope some of them will consider placing a few copies of it in the children's section. I'm sure it would not sit on the shelf too long, especially if it was mentioned during story time.
With the funding of school libraries up in the air, as evidenced by this School Library Journal article, maybe it's about time we started sending copies to our politicians as well.
Please note that this is my second post of the day, as there will be no post on Tuesday.
