August 1, 2012

PR by the Book’s “Escape to Austin” Contest

To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, PR by the Book will award one literary lover a trip to the home of storytellers like O. Henry and Willie Nelson: Austin, Texas

 

AUSTIN – Now in its 10th year of operation, with a growing pool of star literary talent and media personalities, PR by the Book has become a go-to firm in the book publishing industry for innovative publicity campaigns and top-tier media placement.

 

Founded in 2002 by Marika Flatt, PR by the Book has grown from a one-woman operation to a team of 10, representing everyone from The Berenstain Bears series to Rex Pickett, author of the beloved book-turned-movie, Sideways.

 

Now, PR by the Book has decided it’s time to share the love. And what better way to do that than to award a trip to the town where it all got started: Austin, Texas?

 

“Austin has burgeoned into a bustling literary community. When I started in book publicity here in 1997, I’d meet people who would be surprised I wasn’t from New York or Los Angeles,” says Flatt. “Now, when I travel for work and people ask where I’m from and I tell them Austin, the response is something similar to: I adore Austin and what a literary town that is!”

 

The contest is called “Escape to Austin” and will be a truly one-of-a-kind trip for the lucky winner. The prize package includes round-trip airfare for the winner and a guest, a two-night stay at The Hilton Garden Inn downtown Austin, dinner for two at TRIO in the Four Seasons, a $50 gift certificate to historic Hyde Park Bar & Grill and a couple of bookish perks.

 

Drawing the likes of Susan Orlean and Chuck Palahniuk, the Texas Book Festival is one of the premiere literary fests in the country. Last year, the festival featured 243 authors and attracted 40,000 attendees. The winner of the “Escape to Austin” contest will be granted two VIP passes to the weekend-long festival October 26-28, as well as a pass to one of TBF’s invitation-only author parties.

 

“We are very excited to partner with PR by the Book for this contest package,” says Lidia Agraz, TBF’s Executive Director. “We’re still early in the talent line-up process, but I can say that this year’s festival will offer attendees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commune with true literary icons.”

 

To enter “Escape to Austin,” contest hopefuls must simply “like” PR by the Book on Facebook and fill out the entry formThe contest runs August 1 – August 31, 2012, and a winner will be selected by September 7 (open to U.S. residents only.)

 

PR BY THE BOOK is a boutique publicity firm specializing in literary media relations campaigns, publishing consultation, small business publicity, and publicity tours for authors and experts. Our team of seasoned publicists has worked on books in nearly every genre, and with dozens of major publishing houses and small presses. Visit prbythebook.com to learn more.

 

Book Review: Katie Woo Rules the School

Katie Woo Rules the School is definitely a book for kids, but how could I resist checking out a book where the main character is Katie W?  I am Katie W too!

There are a few different stories about Katie in the book.

In Katie and the Class Pet – Katie gets to take home the class Guinea Pig for the weekend and you get to find out all the fun that they had and some trouble too!

In No More Teasing Katie is getting picked on by one of her classmates, Roddy.  She isn’t sure how to get him to stop and neither are her friends.  Then she gets and idea and decides to try it out to see if it works and gets Roddy to leave her alone!

In The Big Lie, Jake’s airplane goes missing after recess.  No one knows where it is, or do they?  Katie snagged the plane to play with it herself.  Does she continue the lie or give the plane back to her classmate?

In The Star of the Show – Katie doesn’t get the part in the play that she wants, she doesn’t get to be the princess instead she gets to be the worm. With some encouragement from her parents, she tries to be the most clever and crafty worm there is.  She ends up becoming the star of the show!

The book is 98 pages and every page has great illustrations. At the end of the book there are some crafts, which I thought was a nice touch. You can make a Guinea Pig of your own! And there is instructions for making finger puppets as well.

I think this book is great for younger kids, and definitely teaches some great lessons about school and how to treat and act around your classmates.  They would also be easy readers if your child is just learning to read and wants to read it on their own.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in order to write this review.

About the Book

Katie Woo is a spunky, sassy, and stylish schoolgirl that readers will fall in love with. These early chapter books are perfect for explaining life changes, family celebrations and growing up. Award-winning author Fran Manushkin outdoes herself with these fun, lighthearted stories.

  • Focused around school activities
  • 4 stories in 1 book
  • Katie Woo is an Asian American girl in first grade
  • Katie Woo has 24 individual titles published in this series

From the Katie Woo series. For ages 5-7.

Also from Katie Woo, publishing August 2012: Katie Woo and Friends (978-1-4048-7909-6).

Also available: Look At You, Katie Woo (978-1-4048-6596-9), and 24 individual titles published in the series.

 

About the Author

Fran Manushkin is the author of many popular picture books, including How Mama Brought the SpringBaby, Come Out!Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story; and The Tushy Book. There is a real Katie Woo – she’s Fran’s great-niece – but she never gets in half the trouble of the Katie Woo in the books.  Fran writes on her beloved Mac computer in New York City, without the help of her two naughty cats, Miss Chippie and Goldy.

About the Illustrator

Tammie Lyon began her love for drawing at a young age while sitting at the kitchen table with her dad. She continued her love of art and eventually attended the Columbus College of Art and Design, where she earned a bachelors degree in fine art. After a brief career as a professional ballet dancer, she decided to devote herself full time to illustration. Today she lives with her husband, Lee, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her dogs, Gus and Dudley, keep her company as she works in her studio.

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