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Before we started Bookreporter in 1996, our plan was to make videos of author interviews on VHS, which was the format norm in those days, and have them air in Barnes & Noble bookstores. We went to Barnes & Noble with a demo tape of interviews and a plan to supply them with new interviews monthly. We thought that hearing an author talk about their work would spur sales --- and it would be perfect since people already would be in their superstores. Think of this in the cafés. The concept did not fly as the entire conversation was about who would load the video, what if it broke and what color the televisions would be. In other words, it wasn't about the content. Yes, we were ahead of our time.

I love listening to memoirs. There is something about hearing an author share his or her story that makes it so much more personal. Recently I finished Ina Garten's BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS, along with Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough's FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN (more on the latter later in this newsletter), which is narrated by tapes of Lisa Marie, plus Riley and Julia Roberts.