So you've been longlisted ...

The stream of traffic to our website just got a whole lot busier.

Because of yesterday's exciting news that one of our Spring titles, The Heart Specialist by Claire Holden Rothman, has been longlisted for the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize, we've been in a rush trying to get the word out to people who don't know and fielding inquiries from people who do know. It's been eventful, to say the least.

Full disclosure: This is my first time working with a book that has a shot at one of the two biggest Canadian book awards. Last year we were shut out, but that was okay because M is for Moose was (and is) selling like bonkers and the two eventual winners, Joseph Boyden (2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize) and Nino Ricci (2008 Governor General's Literary Award) just happened to have their early works (Born With a Tooth and Lives of the Saints, respectively) re-issued by us that very season.

So I was kept plenty busy while spared the possible heartbreak of watching one of our books lose. And if I missed the chance to experience the sheer jubilation of victory, to have my heart leap like a demented stag at the prospect of good publicity and better book sales, well, so it goes.

But thanks to Claire's genius and the toil put in by our team, we have a shot at the Giller. Huzzah!

So what does this longlisting mean for us, the folks on the front lines? Well, there's a press release to write and release ASAP. There's a few tweaks to the website that need to get done - nothing major, though that could change should The Heart Specialist make the cut for the shortlist. There's fielding inquiries from foreign publishers looking to see if they'd want to add The Heart Specialist to their lists. There's blogging and tweeting and facebooking to be done.

Oh, and there's the waiting. The tortuous waiting. Let's see how much candy is eaten before October 6th.

Mis for Moose shortlisted for a Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award

We've been mentioning Charles Pachter in the same breath as Melanie Watt and Robert Munsch for months.

Now we can do so in an official capacity, with the announcement that M is for Moose has been shortlisted for a Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award in the children's picture book category.

The winners will be announced on May 20.

Our New Home, some news

The new Cormorant website is up. Check it out - and let us know what you think.

***

And in case you missed it, here's the trailer for Underground, by June Hutton, due out in March:



***

A big hand and plenty of kudos to the good people at the Slaight Foundation, who will be donating copies of Charles Pachter's M is for Moose to more than 4000 schools in Ontario this month.

***

Last, but not least, our own Jeffrey Round (author of the upcoming murder-mystery Death in Key West), has had six of his poems published at the Maple Tree Literary Supplement website. Have a read, why don't you?

Charles Pachter recites 'Further Arrivals'

And here it is, the long-awaited premiere video from Cormorant Films*!

Charles Pachter, celebrated Canadian artist and author of M is for Moose, recites Further Arrivals, a poem from the classic collection The Journals of Susanna Moodie, written by his old friend Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Charles himself:



Enjoy!

*There is no such thing as Cormorant Films. Yet.

M is for Moose at Torontoist.com

Check out this a neat little article at Torontoist.com about Charles Pachter and his hit alphabet book, M is for Moose.

A lot of people showing this book some love, is all I can say ...

Charles Pachter Profile on Open Book Toronto

Our good friends at Open Book Toronto have put up a profile of Charles Pachter (author of M is for Moose) as well as a few select pieces of his work.

Open Book Toronto, by the way, is a great resource for all book lovers in and around the city. They keep up to date with events, releases, as well as provide excellent articles by and about authors and their books. Go on, give them some love!

M is for Moose reviewed in The Toronto Star

Martin Knelman wrote a glowing review of Charles Pachter's M is for Moose for the October 8 edition of The Toronto Star.

The review was advertised on the very front page of the newspaper and took up most of the front page of the Entertainment section as well. In an article brimming over with praise, Mr. Knelman saved the very best line for last:

"I predict that not only will this book be a best-seller this season but that it is destined to endure as one of this country's all-time classics."

We think time will prove him right.

Photos (M Is For Moose Pre-Launch, Eden Mills Writers Festival)

Some more images here for you.

First up, the Quill and Quire has posted some terrific pictures from the M Is For Moose TINARS event down at the Gladstone in Toronto on Tuesday. Hop on over to the Quillblog and have a look!

... And in case you were wondering, the young lady in the second photo with Charles is not, in fact, Grace Kelly.

***

We've also got a couple more photos from the Eden Mills Writers' Festival for you, this time from friend of the blog Rob McLennan. Thanks Rob!

... Did we mention it was wet?

Jenny's Cottage, where all the authors stayed until their readings.
Just imagine the conversations that took place there ...


Karen Houle, Patricia Claxton, and Edeet Ravel.

For more photos from Eden Mills, check out this post and that post.

The M is for Moose Event: Great Success!

On Tuesday, September 17th, we celebrated Charles Pachter's fabulous new alphabet book M is for Moose at The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto.

The turnout for the pre-launch was outstanding. The room booked for the event was filled to capacity, and many of us had to wait outside before we had a chance to get books signed by the man of the hour.

Speaking of Charles, his performance during the on-stage interview with Betty Ann Jordan was a thing to see. He was at once charming, insightful, passionate, funny, and always earnest about his love for Canada. This is the Charles Pachter who created M is for Moose, and that was the Charles Pachter who was up on stage for everyone to see.

And now a brief mention of numbers: We're proud to announce that we sold well over 200 copies at the pre-launch, which is a record for all TINARS (This Is Not A Reading Series) events thus far. But the most important thing is that so many people came out last night, and are genuinely excited for the book.

Thanks to: Pages Books & Magazines, EYE Weekly, The Gladstone Hotel, Betty Ann Jordan, and every single person who came out to celebrate with us.

Pages 'M is for Moose' Window Display

The official M is for Moose ad.

If you recall, last week we posted about the window display at Pages Books & Magazines for our new children's book, M is for Moose by Charles Pachter. The photo of the display that we had provided in that post was, apparently, fraudulent.

Would've been cool though.

Pages has been kind enough to send us photos of the actual window display. So if you missed it the first time around, here's how it looked:

Don't forget about the launch/This Is Not A Reading Series event 7:30 pm tonight at The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. We're counting on everyone to come out and have a great time as we celebrate the release of M is for Moose. The doors are open to everyone!

The Moose is Loose!

Charles Pachter's fantastic new children's book M is for Moose is all set to be released in stores in a couple of weeks. It's a uniquely Canadian take on the alphabet book, from one of the country's most celebrated visual artists, and one that is already looking like a hit for us.

Want a copy early? Visit our friends at Pages Books & Magazines at 256 Queen Street West (right on the corner of Queen and John). There are only a few copies available for now, so get 'em while they're hot!

Or you can come down to the launch/TINARS event down at the Gladstone Hotel on Tuesday the 16th at 7:30 PM. If you attend the TINARS event, you'll not only be treated to good company, fine drinks, and an on-stage interview with Charles Pachter - signed copies of the books will be sold there! So why not come down? You never know who you might run into.

Pages is currently featuring 'M Is For Moose' in its window display.
This is not what that display looks like. Not in the least.

Coming Soon: Jeffrey Round visits Turkey Point, a Q & A with Kathlyn Bradshaw