First of all, check out this chart from Language Log.  You know that phrase “It’s all Greek to me”?  Well, English speakers aren’t the only ones who find Greek impenetrable: so do the Norwegians, Swedes, Persians, and Spanish.  But click through to the chart to find out who the Czech, Italians, and Romanians, among many others, couldn’t understand to save their lives!

And once you’ve investigated the inscrutable, learn a little something on your Friday afternoon, like how books are made!  Okay, learn how books were made, back in 1947, in this Encyclopedia Brittanica film, sent to me by my client Wayne Gladstone.  Though please ignore that the process goes straight from the author’s typewriter to the printer because “he thinks many people will like to read it,” which seems like it’s missing some key steps, even for 1947.

And then sit back and relax, confident that you’ve learned enough to close out the week and enjoy your weekend.

When I get into a book

Now, what does this have to do with books? Well, I found this awesome video on The Huffington Post this morning from 1947 that shows how books were made nearly 65 years ago. True, the narration is a little hokey, and it’s groan-inducing to see which roles are assigned to men and which go to the “girls.” But check out all the moving parts! Sheets of molten copper! In particular, I love the trimming device that shaves the edges off the pages—so ingenious. I just wish they told us what the finished book was!

On a more practical level, I hope that in this age of ebooks this video provides just a little more ammunition/inspiration for print lovers not to give up the fight just yet. During my editorial career, I was lucky to visit the printer/binder a few times, and each trip was a great reminder of how much work, care, and physical manipulation goes into making each and every book you hold in your hands. True, there are far fewer print-shop workers today than in 1947, and the typesetting is mostly done by computers. But the printers still have the big rollers, the sewing machines, the glue bindery, and lots of other heavy equipment, all housed in cavernous, noisy factory spaces like they were way back when.

So check out the video, or if you can, take a tour of a printer near you—better yet, take along your kids. Not only will it reaffirm the wonder and value of the printed page, but it’s a great opportunity to see some really cool machines in action!

I’ve never really had a favorite YouTube channel before (except maybe if the Planet Unicorn folks had their own channel), but I have one now.  Thank you Merriam-Webster Online for your Ask the Editor series.  I particularly enjoy “Octopus.” 

Any other super nerdy series (YouTube or otherwise) I should be checking out?

We think a lot about book trailers here. How effective are they? Does anyone watch them that isn’t the author’s husband, cousin, editor, or Facebook friend? And how do some trailers begin to get tons of hits while others wouldn’t stand a chance of going viral even if they ran on the back end of a Susan Boyle video?

We’re still in the beginning stages, even if the book trailer has been around for a few years. Do you think they’ll last? Do you watch them? Are they the best advertising for books?

To help you make a decision, I present a book trailer that offers something I know the internet loves: pretty animals! From DGLM’s own, Thomas French:

We’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about how important internet promotion is and how social media is changing the face of book marketing. Lots of folks are ready to embrace the shift. Others are more reticent. But in this delightful YouTube clip, author Parnell Hall shows just how flawed some of the more traditional means of publicity are and why some folks should be thankful they aren’t sent on book tours.

When I was growing up, I played with Masters of The Universe action figures. My sister and I would play with these action figures for hours until a fight broke out over who would play with He-Man and who would be stuck with Skeletor – because seriously, nobody wants to play with Skeletor when you can be playing with He-Man.

I’ve always been a bit of a fan of action figures, and especially now that you can get action figures of literary heroes. I’m not ashamed to admit I have a plastic Virginia Woolf action hero, or a Chekhov finger puppet in my apartment. My love of good writing knows no end, I suppose.

So, I just loved this video I found on Huffington Post!

Bronte power dolls! I’ve got to get some, though if I do, I’m calling dibs on Emily Bronte—because seriously, again, why play with the other Bronte sisters when you can play with the writer of Wuthering Heights?

I’d like to see literary characters as action figures, too. Maybe Gregor Samsa from The Metamorphosis. He looks like a regular plastic figurine, but with the switch of a button he easily transforms into a monstrous insect.

Got any literary characters you’d like to see made into action heroes?

Poetry doesn’t often find itself a subject of our blog entries around here, since it’s not within the purview of this agency or most others professionally speaking. And unless we’re talking the poetry of pop music, it’s not necessarily of interest to the majority of us personally. I’m something of an exception to the rule: I’ve only recently learned to identify Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift by voice, much to the dismay of Jim and our interns, but do happen to know a bit about poetry.  I’ve studied it and even used to memorize it for fun, because that’s just the kind of nerd I am.

So I was delighted to finally learn who this Ke$ha girl is through the Princeton Tiger‘s video interview with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon, the subject of my grad school dissertation.  If you love pop songs, allusive poets, or college students in very brightly colored ties, check it out.

We at DGLM talk about covers from time to time. When one comes in that is noteworthy we pass it around amongst ourselves to garner thoughts and feedback. Having seen so many in their finished stages, I was fascinated by this great video that I first saw on Galleycat, which offers a glimpse into the work that goes into creating a book cover. For anyone who missed it in the past few days, check it out. It pulls double duty here as a clever promotional video, too! Kudos to Orbit, the creators of this clever clip! This is a great example of a publisher getting creative with their online marketing. Super cool!