Wednesday, August 13, 2014

A Paperback Birthday means Prizes for you!



BREAKING NEWS!
THE WRONG GIRL HC SPTHE WRONG GIRL wins the DAPHNE for Best Mystery/Suspense!
           (You know what I mean..)
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you still read paperbacks?
If the answer is yes, keep reading—I have an irresistible offer for you.
If the answer is no, keep reading. I will try to convince you. And then I will have an irresistible offer for you!
Paperbacks. Their demise is a topic of discussion throughout the publishing world—will people give up the cheaper sometimes-flimsy paper-intensive mass market paperbacks in favor of ecologically-sound, lighter and paper-saving ebooks?
Well, interesting, huh? I have at least three rooms in my house-- well, actually four. Ah, five. Yeah, five--that have bookshelves in them,and I can tell you the paperback shelves are sometimes double-shelved. You know, a row in the back and a row in the front.
Do you do that? I mean, it’s kind of more storage than display, right? If someone asks—do you have, say, LORD OF THE FLIES? THE FIRM? THE HOBBIT? SILAS MARNER? WITNESS FOR THE PROSCECUTION? You’d say, oh sure. I have those! Well, great, but where? Can you find them?
Paperback-books-published-010I fear I could not find them. But I cannot give them up.
And yes, and yes, I continue to buy mass market paperbacks. They are perfect for the beach, right? If they get sand between the pages, or a few blotches of sunscreen smudge the especially smudgeable print, well, you don’t really care, right? And in a pinch, you MIGHT dog-ear a page, right? Come on, you MIGHT.
They are great on planes, and in hotel rooms, and when you are finished, you can leave them behind as a special gift to a housekeeper or the next guest. Or tuck them into the seatback pocket for the flight attendant—they love to read!
PaperbacksThey are a staple in beach and vacation homes, of course. I love to walk into a summer home or a bed and breakfast, or a lovely inn, and amidst the fragrance of salt air and mildewy curtains and coconoutty sunscreen, and come upon an overflowing shelf of paperbacks so happily readthat the bindings are sprung and the pages are thick with the damp air.
You know what I mean? They don’t even close anymore? And you know someone had a wonderful time. They are full of good energy.
This weekend, we were in Tanglewood, and in the inn where we stayed, we found a book just like that—it was Ken Follett’s KEY TO REBECCA, and I bet Jonathan is about the millionth person to read that particular copy. Some other happy vacationer finished it, and left it behind for the next happy group. I love that.
(I left behind the paperback of THE OTHER WOMAN. You never know who might read it, right? What if Steven Spielberg is the room’s next occupant? Ah HA.)
So I think summertime is the perfect paperback time. And that is why I am so thrilled that today is the paperback birth-month for THE WRONG GIRL.
 
THE WRONG GIRL had the extraordinary honor of winning both this year’s Agatha for Best Contemporary Novel, and the Daphne for Best Mystery/Suspense! It’s also an Anthony nominee.
So to celebrate this paperback birthday: two irresistible offers.
First: if you send me your proof of purchase of the paperback of THE WRONG GIRL, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win A Kindle Paperwhite, a Nook Glowlight or a $120 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice!
Just email me through my website at http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com or at hryan@comcast.net
(See beTOW coverlow for the fine print.)
Second! Tell us in the comments how you feel about paperbacks…and one lucky commenter will win the paperback of the Mary Higgins Clark award-winning THE OTHER WOMAN!
Happy Paperback Birthday to THE WRONG GIRL!  (You know what I mean....) 
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Contest rules: enter as often as you like—one receipt per entry. Three winners will be drawn at random, and winners can choose their prize. Contest ends August 15, 2014, and winners will be notified on August 16. US and Canada only, please.

23 comments:

  1. Hank did you happen to send anonymously of course a free stay at a certain Tanglewood Inn to a certain starmaker, filmaker :) What a great post
    I LOVE paperbacks, but then I love hardbacks, and ebooks too :) the only format I just can't get into is audio
    love you
    xo
    deb

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    1. I love this post. I love paperbacks. I too have five rooms filled with double-shelved books of all kinds. Paperbacks rule; I always have one with me. Haven't purchased an e-reader yet. I may be the last person to do so.

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    2. Kim! SO great to hear from you! Would love ot hear your thoughts about ereaders..xoo

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  2. Paperbacks rule! They're much easier to carry around than hardcover (although I buy the really special books that way), and eBooks are just not doing it for me unless I'm travelling and want to take along LOTS.

    And Hank, I have lots of those double-row shelves, too!

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  3. Oh, so happy to hear this! Yes, I love paperbacks.. But the ereaders are So convenient. Except for that pesky cord thing.

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  4. Yes, Paperbacks are everywhere I am!! Never leave home without one. You never know when there will be an exceptionally long traffic light or any other reason to take a reading break!!

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    1. Oh HO! Very practical of you,, kj! And I rely on it. Do you read one book at a time?

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  5. I love all books! Actually, I love anything written. My e-books are very convenient and don't take up much space, and I used to devour audio books when I had a long commute (retired now, yippee). But paperbacks, my favorites. there is always room for one more, they have the best covers, they pop into my bag or purse and hardly take up space when I have one I am currently reading stashed in every room in the house. Hardbacks, because of the cost, used to be reserved for very special purchases for me. I have more of them now, but still treasure some of my old, old, old paperbacks and can't get rid of them. And somehow my paperback collection just keeps growing.

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  6. I LOVE paperbacks! And, yes, some of my bookcases have double rows on them. But I usually know pretty well where to find a particular one without too much searching. (Unless someone else has been messing around with them!) I always have one in my purse, and they are so much less trouble to me. If you set a paperback down (say on a restaurant chair) and forget to pick it up when you leave, and it's not there if you go back or call to check on it, you're out $7 or $8 or some such amount. If you do that with an e-reader, well, that's one of the big reasons why I don't have one--fear that I would do exactly that. And I also love being able to share paperbacks with other potential readers by intentionally leaving them behind when I finish them somewhere away from home!

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    1. Isn't that fun, Carol B? To leave a book, without having any idea who might pick it up-- It's like a little gift you're alllowing the universe to distribute. xoxo

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  7. Yes, I still read paperbacks and will never give them up. I love my Nook, especially when I travel but I still bring a couple of paperbacks along. I also listen to audiobooks and buy hardcovers. I love the convenience of the Nook or ipad but nothing beats the feel of a real book. Diana in STL

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    1. Agreed, Diana! You need a paperback or two...I don't know. You just..do. xoxo

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  8. Of course I still love paperbacks, and hardbacks, my own or the library's. I have many ebooks, and find it useful to have them when waiting at various places . . . but most often I'm reading from paper, not a screen. It's an intrenched preference . . . and thanks be for good writers!

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  10. I only read paperbacks. Not only do I like the book in my hands, I feel as if the book reads differently when reading it from a screen. Plus, as an indie bookseller, physical books are the majority of our bread and butter. Sadly it's been a struggle to stay open these past few years.

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    1. Ah, Connie P--that is SO interesting. I would love to hear more about that--because I agree it's a different experience. And your connection with is so exceptional. Thank you..xoo What can we do to help?

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  11. So wonderful to read all these..thank you! Just back from a crazy day..and so enchanting to hear from you all. xoxo

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  12. And the winner of THE OTHER WOMAN is kjminspace!

    Hurray! Email me at h ryan at whdh dot com and tell me where to send your prize!

    and love love love to you all..

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