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DK Makes News at Comic-Con
DK made waves at Comic-Con when it announced this week the identity of the exclusive minifigure featured in their upcoming book, LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary (October 2009). The minifigure, an exclusive Luke Skywalker design, will only be available for purchase as part of the book. DK also began to publicize their 70+ simultaneous launch events planned for 10-10-09 to celebrate the launch of the book at stores nationwide. Check here for more details in the coming weeks! Until then, visit the DK website.
Daniel Silva Embarks on National Tour and Draws Record-Breaking Crowds
Daniel Silva's national media and bookstore tour for The Defector (Putnam) kicked off this week with major national TV and radio interviews and with record attendance and record sales at his first three events. On the on-sale date, Silva was interviewed live on NBC's "Today Show" and on FOX News-TV's "Glenn Beck Show".
At his B&N Lincoln Triangle event in New York on Tuesday night, it was a standing room only where over 225 people attended. Before he left New York Wednesday morning, he did two segments on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC-TV and they plugged the books throughout the interview. You can watch the interview here.
On Wednesday night in Phoenix at Poisoned Pen, it was another record turnout. The temperature was 107 degrees, but the crowd was still upwards of 200 people. Store owner, Barbara Peters said she "lost count when people started spilling out into the street." She also noted, "Some people came considerable distance: Flagstaff, Tucson, Yuma, Prescott."
Daniel Silva still has 18 more days of touring and 20 more bookstore events, and plenty of national, regional, and local press interviews to fill all these days and some. Over the next three weeks, interviews will air coast to coast in major media outlets and throughout the tour markets.
Two Portfolio Authors Fill the "Gapingvoid" with Purple Cows (to top)
Hugh MacLeod became famous by drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. Along the way, he gained valuable insights into marketing and creativity which he recently turned into his first book, Ignore Everybody.
One of MacLeod's friends (and inspirations) happens to be another Portfolio author, Seth Godin (Tribes and The Dip). When Godin recently blogged about the importance of conversational "totem poles" in the workplace, MacLeod was inspired to draw a large scale print of Godin's 2003 bestseller Purple Cow (pictured).
"To me the book, as a totem, as an icon, represents a huge shift in thinking that came along, almost uninvited, back in the early 2000's," MacLeod emailed Godin shortly after. "The drawing represents [to me] my own ability to internalize it."
Both authors met up last week in New York to sign the limited edition prints, which are being sold through Macleod's blog, www.gapingvoid.com. Part of the proceeds is going to www/roomtoread.org (a charity which promotes literacy in developing countries).
And kudos to Portfolio's art director, Joseph Perez, for the original Purple Cow jacket design.
Listen to an audio excerpt from Seth Godin's Purple Cow.
Listen to a Penguin Business Thought Leaders interview with Hugh MacLeod here.
Be sure to catch Jill Bolte Taylor, author of My Stroke of Insight (Plume, on sale now), when she appears on PBS's "The Charlie Rose Show" the week of August 3rd.
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