Friday, December 7, 2012

Books Make a Difference

A new biweekly online magazine, Books Make a Difference, celebrates the written word. If you want to be "in the know" about the world of reading, writing and illustrating take a look at Books Make a Difference.
 
I had the pleasure of  interviewing the senior writer, Meagan Franks. Thanks so much for joining me on my blog.


How did books make a difference come to life?


Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito, the publisher of Books Make a Difference magazine has had the idea in her head for several years. She is a book publishing executive who was an editor of magazines for nearly 15 years.  She knows firsthand the difference books make in people’s lives, and she has been inspired to celebrate and share the stories behind the stories.

What inspired you to start the magazine?


I became involved with the magazine initially writing some of the articles about authors and illustrators who have interesting stories. What we thought would be a place to showcase the ways books have made a difference in creators’ lives has evolved into an all-encompassing book conversation.  We realized that there are some awesome non-profit groups doing great things to promote books and literacy.  We wanted to tell their stories. There are a million ways books are shared and, in the sharing of the books, lives are changed. We wanted to tell those stories too. Plus, there is a vibrant on-line community expanding every single day where writers, illustrators, cover designers, formatters, publishers, agents, publicists, and readers are engaging at a level that has never before existed.  We are thrilled to be a part of that blossoming conversation.


Where do you find your stories?


We get our stories in a number of places. We each have some pretty great connections through our own experiences, and then I do a lot of research too. We meet for our editorial calendar planning, and we map out ideas for compelling stories.  I track down people who we think would be interesting to cover. Sometimes I write the articles myself, and sometimes I assign them to a freelance writer who is a part of our team. I go to book fairs, networking meetings, and I float around in online chatrooms regularly. We are establishing a presence on both Twitter (@booksmake) and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReadTheDifference and through both of those outlets we have found some great stories.


What is something you would like your readers to know about you and your magazine?

Being a part of this magazine feels like a great celebratory adventure. We are inspired by the power of books...the stories of those who create them, read them, and share them. We know we’ll never be able to read everything...nor cover everyone, so instead of quantity we aim for quality of coverage. We want to provide a more in-depth and intimate look at the inner workings of the book world and the people who populate it.  There is a lot of chatter available to folks who are interested in books, we want to offer a slower pace to the book conversation.  Instead of the fast-food drive-through coffee...we want to sit by the fire with readers and slowly sip from a steaming mug. That’s how we want our magazine to feel. It is truly awe-inspiring to be a part of it.

What does your Readers Write email offer subscribers?


Those people who subscribe to our free Readers Write email receive content from us monthly.  The magazine is published bi-monthly, but only subscribers to the email receive the content that we publish every month.  Subscribers have a chance to engage in conversation that is a part of the Readers Write column published in the magazine.  Subscribers have access to exclusive content that is not published on the magazine and there are occasional opportunities to win prizes.


Where can readers find your magazine and how do they subscribe?

The magazine is found at http://booksmakeadifference.com/ and they can subscribe to the Readers Write email here: http://booksmakeadifference.com/subscribe/

If anyone has advertising/sponsorship questions they can contact Karen:  Karen@booksmakeadifference.com
I can be reached at Meagan@booksmakeadifference.com

Thanks so much for joining us. Books Makes a Difference will be making a wonderful difference in the literary world.

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