“Markets of New York City” on a Pedestal at Barnes & Noble, May 10, 2010
Dear Friends:
Happy New Year!!!!
It is 2015, and it is time for a new edition of Markets of New York City. It is also time for me to take a deep breath and ask all of you to help me make it happen this year.
On New Year’s Day this week, I was munching on a waffle and watching “You’ve Got Mail” for the 10,000th time. The whole bookstore theme reminded me of May 10, 2010, the day my book, Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food and Flea Markets, was released to the world.
James and I woke up that day and went straight to the Barnes & Noble flagship store on 5th Avenue. As casually as we could feign, we walked up to the Information Desk and said, “We are looking for a book called Markets of New York City.” The person behind the counter looked at his monitor and said, “Hmm. Looks like it is being released today. Would you like me to see if we have a box in the back room?”
At that point, I no longer hide my excitement. I blurted out, “Yes, please! You see, I wrote it, and we just wanted to see what it looks like in an actual book store.”
He brought out the books and put them on the on the New York City shelf, in the fine company of Zagat, Frommer’s and Broke Ass Stuart. What’s more, he asked me if I would like him to put it in their front window. “Yes, please,” I gushed.
And that’s exactly what he did. My book stayed in their front window on 5th Avenue for weeks. They even put it on a pedestal among their “Noteworthy Selections.”
Ultimately, 20,000 copies sold around the world.
It seems that the world wants to know about the modern markets that are thriving here in New York. The interest only continues to grow.
I re-read my book again recently, and I realized just how much the market landscape has evolved in the last five years, not to mention the technology advances in the publishing world. So I am seeking a new publisher to partner with me on the new edition. I would like to work with an organization that plans for multiple editions, supports e-books and has its printing done in the United States. We can also discuss many other offshoot ideas that have come to me over the past five years.
To be clear, I had a wonderful experience with my first publisher, The Little Bookroom, an imprint of the New York Review of Books with distribution by Random House. We parted ways amicably for perfectly good reasons, a story which I am happy to share over a cup of tea.
So whom do you know in publishing who might be interested in seeing my book proposal or having a preliminary talk? I think the title would be a good fit for Random House, Rizzoli, Taschen, W.W. Norton or powerHouse Books. There are so many great publishing companies out there putting out beautiful guide books, and I am open to all of them. I am very grateful for your recommendations and introductions.
Please send me an email at Karen@MarketsOfNewYork.com.
Thank you very much!
P.S. That Barnes & Noble store closed this summer, sadly. It had been in that spot since 1932 (thank you, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York). However, Books of Wonder, the inspiration for the Shop Around the Corner in “You’ve Got Mail,” continues to thrive, literally just around the corner.
Also, did you know that Beth’s Farm Kitchen is in the market scene towards the end of the movie?
~Karen Seiger, Author, Blogger, Market Enthusiast
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