Category Archives: Verso Newsletter

Binge-watch … now binge-read

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Have you “Finished Netflix?”

 
 

We are all staying home and spending more time streaming various binge-able series on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Starz, and Showtime. Now is the perfect time to read the novel(s) that inspired the series.

 

 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng • Series streaming on Hulu
 

Based on the New York Times bestseller by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere is currently streaming on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

 

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty • Series streaming on HBO
 

After you finish streaming season two of Big Little Lies on HBO, start reading all of the novels by New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty.

 

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon • Streaming on Starz
 

If you’ve binge-watched the Outlander series on Starz and you’re left craving more … you won’t be disappointed reading Diana Gabaldon’s epic series. Work your way through all eight novels, starting with Outlander and ending with Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.

 

 

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan • Streaming on Amazon Prime
 

Did you burn through season 1 and season 2 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime? There are plenty of novels by bestselling author Tom Clancy centered around his U.S. Marine character, Jack Ryan. Start with all-time fan favorites such as The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, or Patriot Games.

 

 

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons • Adaptation streaming on HBO
 

Craving more Watchmen after watching the HBO adaptation? Go back to where it all started by reading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s graphic novel — considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium.

 

 

The Tudors streaming on Showtime • Try reading the Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel
 

If you’ve finished Showtime’s series The Tudors and you’ve got an appetite for more historical drama … don’t miss the Wolf Hall Trilogy by bestselling author Hilary Mantel. Tracing stories around Thomas Cromwell, Ann Boleyn, and King Henry VIII, Mantel’s Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror & the Light will satisfy your passion for historical fiction.

 

 
 

There are hundreds of TV series based on books. We’ve got plenty of other suggestions if you’re looking for more.

You could get ahead of the curve by choosing to read the bestselling series of books by author Cixin Liu. It is rumored that Amazon has dropped $1 billion to adapt The Three-Body Problem into a TV series for Prime video.

 

 
Need more suggestions? Reach out to us! ‣

Reach Readers on TV

OTT (Over The Top) and CTV (Connected Television)

  • Guarantee impressions at any spending level.
  • Stream your video to specific ZIP codes on personal devices and major gaming consoles.
  • Target your banners to phones and computers by demo and behavior.
  • Reach viewers who are streaming content from Vudu, Hulu, Crackle, Sling TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, and more.

And don’t forget that book buyers are also tuning into cable and broadcast TV to get away from it all.

 

 
Seize the Hungry Eyeballs ‣
 

 STAY  HOME.

 STOP  THE SPREAD.

 

 BINGE-READ  BOOKS.

 

 

 

 

 

The Way We Gift Now

The Way We Gift Now

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In the 4.7.20 Shelf Awareness, Atomic Books of Baltimore, MD reported:

“People have been asking, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’ All you need to do is BUY BOOKS and GIFT CARDS! We don’t need donations or anything extra (just yet). We’re here to sell books. And if you keep buying books we should be fine.”

Let’s do it friends; start buying books now for all those events on the horizon. Sure, we could wait, but booksellers and bookstores need our help now! Let your friends and family know how easy it is to Shop Local and Now with Bookshop.org or IndieBound.org, and support their local retailer.

 

 
Rescheduled a lunch?

 

Remember DATES with friends? Since that’s not happening, send a book instead! Hilary Mantel is a captivating date with The Mirror & the Light; Don Winslow thrills with Broken; or surprise with debut author Elizabeth Wetmore’s Valentine.

 

 
The Mirror & the Light • Broken • Valentine
 

Grads love to read.

 

 
 

Think of the GRADUATES—kindergarten, elementary / middle / high school, college—who will miss their big celebrations. A gift is in order, maybe two! Buy a gift card or Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Make Your Bed by William McKraven. Find inspiration NOW from your local bookstore.

 

 
Becoming • Oh, the Places You'll Go • Make Your Bed
 

Wedding postponed?

 

 
 

Maybe your friends had to cancel their WEDDING? Ours did. How about a book to cushion the blow? A terrific cookbook perhaps? One of Mark Bittman’s or his newest How to Eat; Ottolenghi Simple, or Bakerita “for the modern baker.” We’re going to send That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life (out 5/12)—hope it’s true!

 

 
How to Eat • Ottolenghi Simple • Bakerita • That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life
 

Moms & Dads.

 

 
 

Take care of MOTHER’S DAY (May 10) and FATHER’S DAY (June 21) NOW. Lots of excellent gifts for Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa. Consider Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams, Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, Dad’s Maybe Book by Tim O’Brien, While the Music Played by Nathaniel Lande, Rick Atkinson’s The British Are Coming is new in paperback.

 

 
Her Last Flight • Dad's Maybe Book • While the Music Played • The British Are Coming
 

Christmas in April?

 

 
 

Think ahead to the HOLIDAYS! Be the person who shops early. Yes, you! There are books you can already see buying for Christmas or Hanukkah, so order NOW! Then there is plenty of time to wrap.

 

 
Christmas in April

“So call your local bookstore and see if they’re still shipping. It turns out the community of readers and books is the community we needed in the good old days, and it’s the community we need in hard times, and it’s the community we’ll want to be there when this whole thing is over.”
—Ann Patchett, co-owner of Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN

 

 
 

Our industry is so thoughtful and generous, and there are many ways to support bookstores and booksellers, artists and writers. Many of you already have. But if you have time to think about the books you want to share, to give, to press upon your friends and family, please do. The key word is NOW!

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

Or connect with your local bookseller.

 

 
 

 STAY   HOME.

 

 STOP   THE SPREAD.

 

 BUY   BOOKS.

 

 
Need More Gift Ideas? Reach Out to Us! ‣

 

 

 

The Way We Read Now

The Way We Read Now

Verso Newsletter, , , , , , , , ,
 

We know what is essential. Yes, liquor stores are classified as essential services under the Tri-State Workforce Reductions Order. But we also know that books are essential.

With the closure of libraries and bookstores, and Amazon de-prioritizing books for shipment, avid readers are hungrier than ever for suggestions as they make the most out of the new normal.

Which kind of reader are you?

Take Verso’s quiz to find out which reader archetype you resemble.

 

 
 

 QUIZ 

Books We Love in the Time of Coronavirus

 

 
 

1) When I return home with arms full of toilet paper, sanitary wipes and hard liquor, I like to curl up with something like: 

  1. STATION ELEVEN (Imaginative fiction depicting an Earth ravished by plague.)
  2. THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT (Historical fiction with strong characters struggling to survive in the face of irrationality and betrayal.)
  3. TOUGH TALKING COWBOY (Can romance blossom on Wild Rose Ranch?)

 

 
 

2) When I reflect that even the best television hammers and lengthens my brain waves into a state of placid inertia, I crack open a copy of: 

  1. THE FIFTH RISK (It turns out that the “Deep State” is actually just experienced public servants trying to get their jobs done.)
  2. JOHN ADAMS UNDER FIRE (The lawyer who would become our second President faces crises of patriotism and ethics.)
  3. PRISONER OF NIGHT (The author reveals that, sometimes, being a vampire can make you feel bad.)

 

 
 

3) As soon as I realize that my home is as clean as it is damn well going to get right now, I gratefully rest my eyes upon:

  1. CAPITAL AND IDEOLOGY (A renowned economist writes more than 1,000 pages about why life is so horribly unfair.)
  2. THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS (Anecdotal evidence suggests that it may be possible to be less enraged.)
  3. PETE THE CAT: THE GREAT LEPRECHAUN CHASE (Pete the Cat embarks on a great chase that concerns leprechauns.)

 

 
 

4) If social media has sucked away time, and I am no longer certain whether I wake or sleep, then I attempt to restore an iota of sanity with:

  1. EDUCATED (Evidence to support a theory that education could still have meaning.)
  2. THE MAMBA MENTALITY (Techniques and practices for becoming less of a clumsy dolt.)
  3. THE OUTSIDER (Terrible things happen that are merely fictional.)

 

 
 

5) Death is flapping musty, bat-like wings over all I cherish. Luckily, I’ve been awaiting this opportunity to read: 

  1. BECOMING (A kind, intelligent person works hard at doing good things.)
  2. THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ (A few people strive to remain human in harrowing circumstances.)
  3. THE MAGA DOCTRINE (A competent president with excellent ideas manages the greatest country in the world with aplomb.)

 

 
 

NOW give yourself 30 points for every A answer, 20 points for every B answer, and 10 points for every C answer.

130 – 150 points: You are the ENGAGED READER who reads books to improve your connection with reality. I am sorry.

100 – 129 points: You are the IMAGINATIVE READER who seeks out-of-the-box solutions to persistent problems. How’s it going?

50 – 99  points: You are the HAPPY READER. Godspeed.

0 – 49 points: You are the NON-READER. You have done something wrong and you are probably why we’re here in the first place.

Thank you for participating!

Please mail your results to:
VERSO ADVERTISING QUIZ
79 Madison Ave, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016.

(No reason, we just like mail.)

 

 
 

 STAY   HOME.

 

 STOP   THE SPREAD.

 

 READ   BOOKS.

 

This crisis makes us think about what we value and why we’re here. Be good to yourself and to others.

Here are a few advertising suggestions:

Print outlets — including those with strong book coverage like The New York Times and NYTBR, The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, Harper’s, The Atlantic, New York Review of Books and The Week — are 85-95% subscription-based. So they are landing weekly or monthly in the homes of people seeking entertainment, information, and recommendations!

News! Radio! News radio! NPR, Apple News, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM. The audience for news has never been greater than right now and when you need to get away from the news, cooking, fitness, parenting, tech, and culture are all targetable, for example through Spotify.

Podcasts. Of course.

Cancelled tours. Changing pub dates. Books launching right now. We’re here to help with geo-targeting, targeted newsletters, trade advertising, regional ads, digital and display ads; campaigns small, medium or large.

Because, as we all know, books are essential.

Get in touch with any questions or requests. We’re here for you.

 
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