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2018 Top 3 Best Books and Why

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Today was the opening day of Book Expo America 2018 Right after it closes on June 1, it will be followed by a simultaneous event, BookCon 

Both events is highlighted by starting with power house personalities. Today’s main keynote speaker was Len Riggio, Chairman of Barnes & Noble and on June 3, Sunday both President Clinton & James Patterson  President Bill Clinton and the world’s bestselling author James Patterson will discuss their forthcoming novel, The President is Missing, offering candid insights into their unique collaboration and research, as well as the timely and alarming issues their novel raises about our world today.

We started in this order as the 2018 Top 3 Bestselling Books connects the upcoming bestseller, The President is Missing with the top 3 list:

  1.  A Higher Loyalty
  2. Fire and Fury
  3.  A Day in The Life of Marlon Bundo

The main relevance of these books comes down to one subject, The Trump Administration. As CNN Money notes, books about the Trump administration have filled the No. 1 slot on The New York Times’ hardcover nonfiction list since mid-January. That’s in large part because of the dominance of “Fire and Fury,” which sat in the top spot for 10 straight weeks.

The books that eventually replaced it, of course, related to Trump as well. “Russian Roulette” by Michael Isikoff and David Corn — which explores Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election — was the best-seller for three weeks in April as stated by the Business Insider. Number one spot goes to A Higher Loyalty since it was release in April 17.

Former FBI Director Comey’s book join others on the New York Times list with its release last month. The book, which details two decades of Comey’s work and includes insights from his short-lived experience with President Donald Trump, has already climbed toward the top of the Amazon best-seller list for the year — just including presales. Flatiron Books, Comey’s publisher, moved the release date up several weeks as a result of the growing interest and printed 850,000 copies, according to CNN.

The President Is Missing confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyber terror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view.

For some they want to learn more about what’s going on the Russian involvement in meddling with the 2016 Presidential elections and was there indeed a “Collusion”. Some readers just wanna simply get more information on the Trump administration and President Trump.

As summer reading starts, will find out more about readers are looking forward to reading. June also starts going back to school and new 2018 textbooks and study aids. For now, what are your best books for 2018?

Affordablebookdeals

 

Why the need for Impeachment

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https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/politics/trump-biden-natsec-transition-fires/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/03/14/youd-think-dictators-would-avoid-elections-heres-why-they-dont/?outputType=amp

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/world/europe/trump-autocrats-dictators.amp.html?0p19G=2103

https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/how-do-dictators-seize-power-the-malevolent-careers-of-eight-20th-century-leaders-explained/

https://dictators-page.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Dictators

Reading through history, analysis of the events and the words and facts in prior years are evidences of the intent. The unfortunate thing is that is about “Politics”. A scenario from time and time again was the main strategic moves of the dictators from 3rd world developing countries. The fact that this strategy is now the main advantage used by Political parties in the most powerful and richest nation in the world only means that it is now a sophisticated strategy against a democracy that is great threat not just to this nation but the global world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coups_and_coup_attempts

This latest coup attempts marks historically perspective for the first time on the land of the free. the epitome of democracy, the United States of America. A country sought by immigrants for refuge and dreams of economic freedom. A country who placed children in cages, a country who has desecrated family immigration based on the color of their skin and culture, a country who named undocumented tax paying law abiding immigrants as criminals in these last 4 years. The Obama- Biden administration had the first years of their administration to fixed the US immigration system which they had failed

The coming first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration will be a test. No matter how much diversity of once cabinet is, without validating a Immigration reform will solidify the future of the Democratic Party that this is one thing they can never accomplished in their call for unity.

The New Rules of Retail For Now

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Going through the news and online updates in California, New York and some states who just opened up retail business Phase 2 e.g. Curbside Pick-up and delivery, it’s kinda interesting to note what goes on.

In smaller cities like Martinez, Ca in the old Pre-Covid days their small shops are in a street strip of cafes, boutiques, gift shops, and the like are circled around having the community walking around stopping from one store to the other while car traffic runs back and forth. Most shops who open their doors had tables in front ready to accept orders or have people pick up their orders. The small business owners who are pillars and heroes trying to start of the economy in spite of the odds knowing they won’t even sell enough to pay for the overhead cost of the day. Worst case scenario some stores had no orders, traffic or visitors at all.

What this shows is that consumers are somehow spiritually divided. As a community, everyone wants to support their local city shops, wants them to stay in the business yet on the other side, people are afraid to really be outside that long thinking of this contagious disease called, Corona virus doesn’t have a vaccine yet. This is the mere reality except it’s been observed that some states or cities that did not really have a high incidence rate of infection in the past 2 months who may even be already on Phase 3 opening might have a different scenario.

It is fact then and now that even though a lot of these small business shops have some form of online presence or website which somehow helped bridge their existence the past 2 months, these small businesses insist it’s still not as profitable if their brick and mortar storefront were open as in the old days. As a old time bookseller, a lot of  booksellers have the sense of community having the physical store and the more these are the hardliners of the importance of having a physical store.

Twelve years ago while really selling the idea of getting our websites up instead of just being on third party book-selling sites while having our store, my own staff had resistance.  I cherish their reasons, acknowledge the fact but I sort of still started in my own ways. It took all these years far more expensive, more blood torn sweats and headaches and losses until we sort of at least established a branding presence.

Today there’s a new retail concept coming up by way of having all the procrastinators on online selling to accept online businesses is the new future of small business retail. I have to say those just starting now are very, very lucky as they do not need the 12 years of trial and error.  Just today, Facebook announced a new online platform created specific to this need for small businesses called Facebook shops. So what’s next is the question to the new norm of retail until we get the full confidence back.

There will be a lot of discussions, we can start of reading

The New Rules of Retail: Competing in the World’s Toughest Marketplace

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In The New Rules of Retail , industry gurus Robin Lewis and Michael Dart explained how unprecedented consumer power, enabled by technology and globalization, is revolutionizing retail. They warned that survival in these dynamic times called for a business model based on three distinct competencies: preemptive, perpetual distribution; a neurological customer connection; and total control of the value chain. In the years since that book published, many of their predictions have come true. Now, they revisit timeless case studies like Ralph Lauren and Sears, as well as new additions like Trader Joe’s, Lululemon, and Warby Parker, to assess how retailers must continue to evolve in the era of e-commerce, data mining, and tiered distribution. They also identify the five current trends that are currently driving consumer demand, including technology integration and channel consolidation, as exemplified by Jeff Bezos at Amazon. This is a fully revised and updated guide from two proven retail prognosticators.

So what’s your thoughts on this new norm?

 

The State of Independent Bookselling on Covid-19

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4G9A2825 Sell Online Like A Creative Genius   

The American Booksellers Association has about 2,500 member stores mostly independent brick and mortar stores. Although a big chunk of the membership has not really spent much work on their online storefront, as booksellers adapt to online business models in a fraught global economic moment, the coming months of transition could determine whether independent bookstores survive. The Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has not just put a hold on bookstores storefronts but it will forever change the community events and operations of bookstores.

As of this writing 2 or 3 states in the 50 US States has started a phase re-opening on non-essential stores. A bookshop is always a place for community, belonging and refuge. I remember in 1998 when we started selling used and antiquarian books, customers who were die hard book lovers would be excited in flipping each book from the dust jacket to the different pages of a book in excitement. This pandemic experience will changed certainly some habits on how we browse or maybe how long we have to even decide going through all those pages meanwhile in the absence of a vaccine.

I also remember in very early 2000 when i was conversing with friends that we have started experimenting on the online book marketplaces while at the same opening up our own web store maintained by a former bookseller. At that time the mighty “A” was the talked of the book selling industry’s advocacy on how everyone can compete selling used books for a penny. We went through a lot in these marketplaces being made to adhere to exuberant marketplace selling fees and commissions not to forget the un-equal  and un-bias adhering to rules and regulations being implemented by the operators of these marketplaces.

Sometime 2007, I met with my small staff to announced we will spend a good time of our resources to slowly build our own website, brand and presence. I didn’t really have a very good response as then our online exposure was mostly bleeding us with expenses instead of profits. This also was a time that if you don’t have the financial means to heavily spend on CPC, SEO, Adwords and Social Advertising your not gonna even show up in the internet search. Sad to say even today this end expenditure game still persist.

For us, the one good thing we got  is maybe because we have been online for all these years, were kinda old in that manner that we actually have regular customers and visitors or our sites nowadays and we also show up on organic internet searches.

In the years since Amazon opened its online bookstore in 1995, the books market has evolved. Major chains, like Borders and Book World, have disappeared. Amazon now accounts for more than half of all book sales, and three quarters of all books or e-books bought online, according to Codex, a book audience research firm. Over the last five years, Amazon’s market share of all books has jumped 16%.

The Covid-19 pandemic with the shelter in place on major states the last 2 months had affected the entire US economy. Booksellers must take this as an online opportunity to start or strengthen their presence. Although we have some good ideas on curbside pick-up or delivery, the cost of doing business would be lesser if you could generate more online sales while establishing your brand. Amazon Prime, Fresh and Pantry has slowed down on their delivery as they focus on essential items for Covid-19.

Now is the best time for booksellers to use this to take orders online, pack, fulfill and ship as fast as one can using this as leverage. Although we know it also slows down even own fulfillment in our closed stores or houses due to safety precautions on social distancing and the like, the good news is that were also educating now the online book buyers that it’s about time they give their business and loyalty to the independent online booksellers.

Despite that grim statistic, Book Scan’s most recent weekly report shows the book industry managing relatively well. According to Book Scan, year-to-date sales are down 1.3 percent by unit and 3.2 percent by MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price). Though unit sales fell 6.6 percent overall in the five weeks spanning the COVID-19 disruption (March 1–April 4), they recouped by 6.9 percent during the week of March 29–April 4. The New York metropolitan area, which plunged 15.7 percent overall March 1–April 4, surged ten percent March 29–April 4, and the Chicago/IN area had a 20.5 percent increase that week. Among Book Scan’s top 99 demographic areas, nearly a third reported flat or positive sales—not ideal but perhaps better than expected.

So if you haven’t really spent much time in your online storefront as bookstore owner, now is the time to do so. I’m optimistic as well that finally brick and mortar stores will  finally have a change on one’s gradual thinking that “”online bookstores are indeed essential to the survival of the independent book selling industry””.

Alex Esguerra

Founder

ADLE International

Saving on the Rainy Pandemic Days Ahead

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51MQqw2ffHL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_50 Tips on Saving Money,

From books publishers, “I want to reassure you that spending your hard earned money isn’t a wrong activity, however, there is something that should be taken more seriously than spending and that is saving for your future.

As you spend, you’ve also got to realize that you need to save for a rainy day. If all your material possessions were to be taken away from you, would you still be alright?

If you have been spending a lot and not saving, it may take a while for you to make the necessary adjustments with your finances, but if you are resilient and proactive, the steps you will find in this book will be of great help”.

We focus on spending in lieu of present financial hardships and pandemic predicaments due to COVID-19, The Cornovirus. With the hope of the expected legislative actions being awaited on Paid Sick leave and unemployment insurance for the workforce, as well as other financial reliefs for those living on paycheck to paycheck.  The bottom line is that if one is an hourly employee with no work, no PTO, even laid off’s, no emergency cash it will be a challenge ahead. Not to mentioned for the thousands of people  work on gigs and events which cannot even access any of these paid sick or vacation time now totally disenfranchise without work.

These are the times either if we have $5,000 to $5.00 on hand, we have to live by our means and the only way is to tip every cent and penny until we get back to normal and working again.

This book Table of Contents:

Introduction

Chapter One: The concept of saving and spending

Chapter Two: The importance of saving

Chapter Three: Top 50 tips on how to save money

Chapter Four: Sustaining the culture of saving

Conclusion:

If you have been spending a lot and not saving, it may take a while for you to make the necessary adjustments with your finances, but if you are resilient and proactive, the steps you will find in this book will be of great help.

If you don’t have a comfortable emergency fund, now could be a great time to start building yours up. You don’t need tens of thousands of dollars — but some cushion is certainly better than none. If you’re among the fortunate people whose income and work schedule haven’t been disrupted yet, consider saving more aggressively in your emergency account. And if you haven’t yet received or allocated your tax refund, bulking up your emergency fund could be an excellent way to use it.

If you don’t have an emergency fund, or are simply worried about your general level of cash flow during the outbreak, it’s smart to look for ways to cut expenses. Some of the usual suspects might not be practical — for example, I can’t in good conscience suggest that you get rid of your Netflix subscription when you might be stuck at home indefinitely.

A final thought: The most important thing to do now is take a deep breath and resist the urge to panic. Panic leads to irrational thinking, which leads to poor financial decisions. This will pass, let’s keep our hopes and continue to gather information.

 

Top Picks for Gifting (and Getting) Christmas 2019

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What starts the holiday season for you? Detangling those twinkly lights once again? Christmas drinks in that coffee place you love? Here at Affordable Books, it’s deciding what to curl up with, share and to delight that someone who’s a little tough to buy for. Here’s five staff picks for almost any gift giver and recipient this year:

For the Foodie:

Simply Real Eating

Delicious eats for the holidays and beyond, Simply Real Eating by Sarah Adler ($27.95) features Instagrammable, drool-worthy ideas for your table and that of the gourmet in your life.

For the Film Buff:

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews, ($27.99). Essential reading for any film fan, Julie Andrews’ memoirs relate a remarkable life, with Andrews’ customary warmth.

For the Amateur Historian:

Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life

From Royal Curator Lucy Worsely, an intimate history of the young Queen Victoria. In Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life ($27.99), Worsely brings her gift for enlivening human stories behind the crown.

For the Girl Who Can:

Women Who Dared: 52 Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers and Rebels

Women Who Dared: 52 Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers and Rebels by Linda Skeers, ($12.99). A charming, aspirational read for little (and big) girls, with quirky artwork by Livi Gosling.

For the Crafter:

1,2,3 Sew: Build Your Skills With 33 Simple Sewing Projects

A calming antidote to the frantic consumption of the season, 1, 2, 3 Sew: Build Your Skills With 33 Simple Sewing Projects by Ellen Lucket Baker ($20.25), contains enough beautiful, easy-to-follow projects to occupy novices and experienced crafters.



All part of ADLE International’s mission: to offer rare to new bestselling books even to limited income earners



Our Top Recommend: The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump

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51wCdKxOJhL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_On March 16, 2018, just twenty-six hours before his scheduled retirement from the organization he had served with distinction for more than two decades, Andrew G. McCabe was fired from his position as deputy director of the FBI. President Donald Trump celebrated on Twitter: “Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI – A great day for Democracy.”

A New York Times #1 Bestseller, Author and Former Deputy FBI Director, Andrew G. McCabe writes “In The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, Andrew G. McCabe offers a dramatic and candid account of his career, and an impassioned defense of the FBI’s agents, and of the institution’s integrity and independence in protecting America and upholding our Constitution”.

The Threat recounts in compelling detail the time between Donald Trump’s November 2016 election and McCabe’s firing, set against a page-turning narrative spanning two decades when the FBI’s mission shifted to a new goal: preventing terrorist attacks on Americans. But as McCabe shows, right now the greatest threat to the United States comes from within, as President Trump and his administration ignore the law, attack democratic institutions, degrade human rights, and undermine the U.S. Constitution that protects every citizen.

Some of the compelling reviews on this book talks on:

In this new book, the author defines how the FBI tries it’s best to protect America on terrorism  and the credibility of the Intelligence service while facing it’s own threats in maintaining it’s very embodied purpose in the age of the Trump presidency.

We give this book five stars for 2019.

Our Holiday Choice, “Amber Brown Is on the Move”

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51k8Y4gio4L._SX309_BO1,204,203,200_  Amber Brown is On The Move 

Can’t believe the season is almost here just about when the talked about US Mid Term Elections concluded yesterday, Nov. 6, 2018.

Now it’s back to the wish and shopping list in time for the Holidays of 2018.  As we celebrate the diversity and the huge turn out of the youth in the recent concluded elections, it’s time to prepare our kids for the festivities and educate them of the historic process. After all, our kids are our future leaders in the next generation.

We love reading the Amber Brown series with kids when they visit our bookstore! It is a perfect series to discuss real life situations and it way that simplifies intense subjects for young children. We are down to the last few books in the series and I have to admit I will be sad to let Amber go. Through books and he Amer Series as an example, we empower our children of understanding life realities in an easier manner for them to understand.   Great for discussion and for inspiring children to reach within themselves for personal essays.

Bruce Coville author of this book as a young reader  loved Mary Poppins and Dr. Dolittle, and had fond memories of rising ahead of the rest of his family so he could huddle in a chair and read THE VOYAGES OF DR. DOLITTLE. He also read lots of things that people consider junk (Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and zillions of comic books). His only real regret is the time he spent watching television, when he could have been reading instead. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste!) Just like today’s television counterpart our our tech toys and smart devices, it still important that we educate our kids through reading interesting books.

Watch out our Amber Series as well as selected juvenile fiction and non-fiction bestsellers at ADLE International

We have most of these books on the lowest price deals, free shipping and surprised discount deals this holiday shopping 2018.  And most of all checked out the great rare classics which you may not even think still exist out there.

Happy Shopping this 2018 Holidays.

Our Team at your service.

Google “Rigged”@Trump, let’s read Silicon States

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51hP-wNbcqL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media,” @realdonaldtrump. Google responds with a the shebang of algorithms and search results rankings and not political endeavors.

This was perfect timing on the new release book, Silicon States: The Power and Politics of Big Tech.  This new release book talks about  on “While the promise of technology is seductive, it is important to understand these corporations’ possible impacts on our political and socioeconomic institutions. Greene emphasizes that before we hand our future over to a rarefied group of companies, we should examine the world they might build and confront its benefits, prejudices, and inherent flaws. Silicon States pushes us to ask if, ultimately, this is the future we really want”.

As Silicon Valley faces increased scrutiny over its mistreatment of women, cultural shortcomings, and its role in widespread Russian election interference, we are learning where its interests truly lie, and about the great power these companies wield over an unsuspecting citizenry. Then came another bombshell intrigue today from President Trump. Trump appeared to be referencing a story published in recent days by conservative outlet PJ Media, which claimed that Google was “deprioritizing” content from conservative websites. The story was picked up by other conservative outlets including Breitbart.

All while Twitter, Facebook and Google executives are soon to appear on the Congress of the United States about election interference and censorship.

Back to the business of book selling, indeed for years search results was very much influence by content and users searching. However, agreeably it became a business on CPC and clicks for conversions. And wallah, if you are are small independent bookstore in  town which is usually known by the locals, guess what unless you search yourself with a specific name or locality and simply make a general bookstore search, do you think you will ever see your store? Of course, “NO” Pay to be on top of the first page and top of that page and then yes you will be able to search yourself.

Even making simple google searches on buy books, best online bookstores, it’s the same pages for years and years with the same companies and results on the first page will forever be the same as if they never get updated. The big answer is “$” as the biggest spenders to pay who also gets the monopoly of the clicks and traffic.  Thank God in the recent earlier years for the evolution of social media as another advertising way to promote. Then the same $ started with social media and hence today with have such issues as censorship and election interference.

We’ll end this short discussion considering is it really time to “Regulate” so there is some control instead of the business of money talks?

 

 

Ci6 Keynote Speaker Chelsea Clinton on Teaching Kids the Value of Persistence

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Source: Ci6 Keynote Speaker Chelsea Clinton on Teaching Kids the Value of Persistence

The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential contender Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton is the author of the number-one New York Times bestselling picture book She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History (both Philomel). Clinton is also the author of the New York Times bestselling It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going! (Puffin Books) and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? (Oxford University Press).

On October 2, Clinton, who serves as the vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, where her initiatives include helping to empower the next generation of leaders, will publish Start Now! You Can Make a Difference (Philomel), a middle-grade title for young activists.

Muscatine is the owner of Politics and Prose with her husband, ABA Board member Bradley Graham. A former Washington Post reporter and White House speech writer during the Clinton administration, Muscatine is currently writing Hillaryland, her story about working with Hillary Clinton, to be published by Penguin Press.

At the Thursday, June 21, breakfast, following Muscatine’s introduction, Clinton thanked booksellers in the audience, some of whom she recognized from her previous book tours. “I’m so grateful to all of you because without your support and partnership, I wouldn’t be able to have the reach that I hope to have with the work that I feel called to do and the obligation that I feel to children in our country,” she said.

The first time the two met was when Muscatine worked for Hillary Clinton; Chelsea Clinton was just 13 years old and living in the White House. At the time, Muscatine received some impassioned advice from Hillary on raising her kids to be readers: “Your mother was fierce, relentless, incessantly reminding me to read to my children — constantly. She badgered us and others who had children along with me in the White House; she would constantly be sending us books and CDs…Not that I wouldn’t have [read to my kids], but it was so important for me to hear it from her. So I was wondering, when you had Charlotte, did she do the same thing to you?”

Chelsea Clinton’s daughter, Charlotte, is now three years old, and her son, Aidan, is two. She said her mother inculcated her with the same message about the importance of reading to kids and making sure they grow up in a language-rich environment.

“I do think that the stories we tell our children are profoundly important for how we help them either expand or limit their world and how they think about their own possibilities within our world and our shared future,” Clinton said.