A Word from EarlyWord
UPDATE: Thanks for the wonderful comments and best wishes. We are thrilled and humbled.
This is our final EarlyWord post. Over the last nine years, we have enjoyed your support and enthusiasm for EarlyWord.com.
We will continue the EarlyWord GalleyChats and invite you to join us the first Thursday of each month.
We have dozens of people to thank for EarlyWord‘s existence, most importantly, our readers. You dazzle us every day with your dedication to helping people discover books and become lifelong readers.
EarlyWord could not have gotten off the ground without our co-founder and “spiritual guru,” Fred Ciporen. Thanks to you, Chris Kahn for helping our advertisers craft creative and meaningful promotions. Thanks to Robin Beerbower and all the GalleyChatters for spotting forthcoming titles we should all read. You’ve had an amazing track record in putting the “early” into EarlyWord. Also thanks to kids contributors Lisa Von Drasek and to JoAnn Jonas, who enthusiastically moderated over 40 chats with middle-grade and YA authors. Our web designer, Chris Andreola of adcSTUDIO created a site that pleases us each time we look at it, which is saying a lot, considering how many times a day we go to it.
A special thanks to the library marketers at the publishing companies that have supported us. It’s been a joy to get to know you and I hope we have served our mission as the “Publisher Librarian Connection.”
As I’ve said many times before, “Keep on Reading!”
Nora Rawlinson
Co-Founder and Editor
July 3rd, 2017 at 1:36 pm
Thank you, Nora, for all that you’ve done to produce these posts. They have been most helpful and I will truly miss them.
July 3rd, 2017 at 1:37 pm
Thank you so much, Nora, for your vision in founding & running this blog. I will miss it. The information you publish has been a great help to me! Best wishes for whatever your future holds.
July 3rd, 2017 at 1:38 pm
NOOOOOOOO! I’m very sorry to hear this – Early Word has been a vary valuable resource for me and my colleagues. Thank you for years of helping us not get caught by surprise.
July 3rd, 2017 at 1:49 pm
So sad to see this news. I should have told you long ago how much I enjoyed your newsletter. I was always the first to know about new books and movies based on books. I will miss your informative posts! Hope you’re moving on to bigger and better things (or retirement is good. I love it!).
July 3rd, 2017 at 2:11 pm
Wow. There’s nothing else like Early Word.
July 3rd, 2017 at 2:13 pm
Oh, you will be MISSED! I got so much useful information from this site, I cannot tell you. Cheers to your next adventure!
July 3rd, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Thank you Nora. I feel like I’m losing one of my best friends!
July 3rd, 2017 at 2:29 pm
Dear Nora,
All best wishes, you have had such a great influence on the reading world helping all of us be a more informed community. EarlyWord will be sorely missed!! A big thank you for the great service you provided the library world, a fan and a friend, JoAnn
July 3rd, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Nora,
I’ve enjoyed reading your newsletter for many years. Thanks so much for keeping me up to date.
July 3rd, 2017 at 3:20 pm
You’ve made collection development easier; I hate to see you go.
July 3rd, 2017 at 3:50 pm
Oh my gosh!!! I am so sorry not to have my Earlyword to check. I have come to rely on it, and really enjoy it.
Thank you so very, very much for all your hard work, Nora. It’s been a wonderful ride!
Wendy
July 3rd, 2017 at 3:51 pm
I am sad to lose such a great site but happy GalleyChat will continue.
Nora, I feel very privileged to have been part of this fantastic site so thank you for three plus years of giving me the opportunity to write columns, compile lists, and generally be a part of the publishing and library worlds since I retired from library life.
July 3rd, 2017 at 4:13 pm
Oh, you’ll be so missed. I love Early Word as a collection development tool & general ‘keep up to date on books’ source. I’d love recommendations to any similar resources.
July 3rd, 2017 at 4:16 pm
Nora, you are a giant among librarians, helping public libraries look good by having “what people want when they want it.” Fantastic site, fantastic timesaver, and fantastic founder–we’ll miss you!
July 3rd, 2017 at 4:32 pm
No! So sorry to see this go, I will miss it. Thank you for keeping me up to date with book releases!
July 3rd, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Oh no! It is so sad to lose such an important site for reading fans. Thank you for all the years of hard work and I wish you the best in whatever endeavor you are tackling next!
July 3rd, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Nora, your consummate knowledge of and enthusiasm for the world of reading and all things book & library related will be sorely missed. Thank You for EarlyWord – it has truly been a collection development dream come true! You will be missed! Take care and may good fortune follow where ever you go.
July 3rd, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Thanks for all your book information.
I will miss Earlyword.
July 3rd, 2017 at 6:45 pm
I’m so sad to hear this. I’ve found EarlyWord to be incredibly helpful in staying on top of collection development. But I also imagine it’s been a ton of work for you! Enjoy whatever the future holds for you :)
July 3rd, 2017 at 6:48 pm
This breaks my heart :(
July 3rd, 2017 at 7:00 pm
I am sorry to hear this! Thank you for your years of data collection and sharing. I will need to find a new go-to website to assist me in collection development now…. You will be missed!
July 3rd, 2017 at 8:23 pm
You will be missed! EarlyWord has been a daily visit for me since I entered the library world in 2011. Thank you so much for creating this wonderful resource that has been invaluable to me and so many others. And best of luck on your next adventures!
July 3rd, 2017 at 8:52 pm
I’ve been a reader of this blog for years, and it was so helpful in collection development. I’ve been retired for several years but reading EarlyWord was a habit I couldn’t and wouldn’t break. I’ll miss your newsletter very much and thank you and your staff for many years of hard work.
July 3rd, 2017 at 9:23 pm
This is the Bummest of Summer Bummers, Nora. Pretty sure nobody can replace what you’ve done here, though I sure hope someone tries: thanks so much for your care and stewardship of libraries, publishers, and readers.
July 4th, 2017 at 12:54 am
Thank you very much for this great newsletter, which I found very useful in my work as a collections librarian in a large regional public library system in Canada. All good wishes to you, wherever you write your next chapter!
July 4th, 2017 at 8:14 am
Since retiring I’ve counted on EarlyWord to keep me informed about new books. What will I do now? Sorry we didn’t get to chat at BEA. All best wishes for whatever the future holds.
July 4th, 2017 at 9:17 am
Thank you so much for all you have done for Collection Development Librarians. This is the first place I look every morning. You will be very much missed!
July 4th, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Aw man, I hate to see you go. My department has relied on EarlyWord for a long time, and I don’t know what we’ll do now! But I’m so glad that we’ve had this resource for as long as we have. Thank you for all your hard work on making EarlyWord such an excellent site. You’ll be missed!
July 4th, 2017 at 12:23 pm
You have kept me current since the start. These updates will be missed!
July 4th, 2017 at 4:24 pm
Oh no! Why?!?!?!? This is so sad. I love this blog so much and really rely on it for staying abreast of book news.
Thank you so much for this wonderful site!
July 4th, 2017 at 6:21 pm
What an invaluable resource Early Word has been and what a great pleasure to know you personally, Nora. Thank you thank you thank you. Wishing the very best always.
July 4th, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Nora,
Thank you for all you’ve done to connect libraries and publishing and create serious dialog between them in your distinguished and admirable career(s). This effort needs to continue now in the age of ebooks more than ever! You’ve informed so many of us who will miss this blog but we will also be inspired for a long time to come by your example.
July 5th, 2017 at 8:52 am
Dang. This is sad news. I’ve been pestering my colleagues to use your site for years! Nora, you provided an incredible service. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my huge to-be-read pile.
July 5th, 2017 at 10:11 am
Oh no, this is terrible news! I visit your site almost daily to keep up with library + publishing news – where will I go now?!? But best wishes in your future endeavors; we will miss you and your wonderful posts.
July 5th, 2017 at 10:21 am
Aw, man! EarlyWord must have started around the same time I got my first real librarian job; I’ve been reading since close to the beginning. I don’t do collection development anymore, but never stopped keeping up on new stuff. Thanks and good luck to you!
July 5th, 2017 at 11:00 am
I am so sorry to hear this. I have Early Word bookmarked on all the library computers. Thanks for everything, I will expect something great(er) from you in the future!
July 5th, 2017 at 11:53 am
Wow, I’m speechless and sad. Can you recommend another site like this? (although I already fear the answer will be ‘there IS no other site like this) :(
July 5th, 2017 at 11:56 am
Nora, I’ve followed your career through the library world since we were roommates at U of M. O, how things have changed! I was so excited when EarlyWord began. It was a brilliant idea and fun too. Can’t wait to hear about your next endeavor.
July 5th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
I’m so devastated! Thank you for helping me start my day with a dose of bookish goodness. Wishing the EarlyWord crew the best of luck!
July 5th, 2017 at 2:11 pm
What the heck!! Thank you so much for the wonderful content your site has provided, you and your site will be missed. What will we all do now? I wish you good luck with your next chapter, even though you probably won’t need it.
July 5th, 2017 at 2:38 pm
I am so sad to read this news today! Early Word has been vital to my collection development and reference/RA duties since I came across it. I have urged dozens of coworkers at various trainings over the years to make use of the valuable information you have published here.
Thank you so much for your efforts — your enthusiasm, knowledge, and dedication to keep us all in the loop. I hope someone lovingly copies your model to help fill the void. All the best to you!
July 5th, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Thank you for all you have done! I became a new librarian in 2010, and came to rely heavily on the information on this site.
(While reading this post, I was also wishing the date was April 1st, so I could know that it wasn’t really happening…)
Here’s to the road ahead! Thank you again for the wonderful information over the years.
July 5th, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Thank you, Nora, for all the work you put into this blog. It has helped me tremendously in my job as a teen librarian by providing reviews, links to videos and movies, tie-ins, etc. I will miss Early Word!
July 5th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
How sad ! You’ve turned me and my patrons on to some great reads. I hope somebody can step up and take the reins of this great service. We’ll miss you!
July 5th, 2017 at 3:19 pm
GASP! Say it ain’t so! I love earlyword and have been taking advantage of your hard work for many years. You will be missed!
July 5th, 2017 at 4:51 pm
Oh no!!! Why is this happening? There is no other website where so many resources on books and reading are all grouped together. Thank you so much for all your hard work over the years. Miss you already!!
July 5th, 2017 at 6:33 pm
I feel like I came late to the party and it took a couple of times hearing about this site to get me to subscribe, but I have found it to be invaluable and know it helped me not to miss out on important titles that I may have otherwise missed. So sad to hear it is ending. I’m wondering what could possibly fill the hole left behind. As Garrison Keillor says “Be well, do good work and stay in touch”!
July 5th, 2017 at 6:52 pm
What a shocker! This has been a daily destination for me and countless colleagues. What will we do now?? Thank you for all your important work on this site and best wishes for the next chapter.
July 5th, 2017 at 7:35 pm
Everyone here in the Collection Development dept. at the Phoenix Public Library is really sad to see you go! I personally looked at Early Word almost every day. You will be SO missed!
July 6th, 2017 at 9:21 am
So sorry to hear that. Thank you for what you’ve done. It has been enormously helpful for Collection Development. All the best!
July 6th, 2017 at 9:27 am
So sorry to hear this news! I wish the date on this post was April 1. This site has been such an important tool for me as a librarian. Thanks for all you’ve done. I will sorely miss EarlyWord. :(
July 6th, 2017 at 10:32 am
I’m joining the chorus to express sadness at our loss–and many thanks for your years of wonderful service. Farewell Earlyword! You will be missed.
July 6th, 2017 at 11:40 am
I am truly sorry to hear this. I rely on your information and I usually figure if it’s mentioned in Early Word, I need to order it. This is a serious loss.
July 6th, 2017 at 11:52 am
Many thanks for providing an invaluable service for librarians. Best wishes to you.
July 6th, 2017 at 12:06 pm
I am very sad to hear this. You were a new discovery for me.
Would greatly appreciate if you could recommend a similar source. I know it will not be the same. Good luck to you in your new endeavors.
July 6th, 2017 at 2:39 pm
I am so sorry to hear this. You have been so helpful to our collection development. Thank you for all of your hard work.
July 6th, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Words cannot express how dismayed I am by this! I have relied on this website as a “one stop shop” for many years–and in an era of dwindling staff resources, this has been an incredible resource. I guess it’s a true example of “don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.”
Is there any way at all for us to talk you around to continuing this website on, but passing the reins onto a team of folks to do the work?
July 6th, 2017 at 5:05 pm
I am crushed – this is my secret website to keep up-to-date on the book world! I will greatly miss your guidance and news. Thank you for all the years you gave us!
July 6th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Oh No! I still haven’t recovered from the loss of People Magazine Book Titles being deleted from the Earlyword Website and the loss of BooksontheNightStand site. How will I deal with this?
Please, please keep the comments coming and someone will step forward and take the reins.
July 6th, 2017 at 5:41 pm
When I switched to libraries last fall, I realized my new coworkers had never heard of EarlyWord and I was SHOCKED. I could not imagine how they purchased without it. Guess now I’ll find out… :(
July 6th, 2017 at 6:09 pm
I’m so very sad. Checking in on Early Word has been one of the best parts of my working days. Best wishes in your new endeavors.
July 6th, 2017 at 7:55 pm
So sad to hear this! I started my library career around the same time Early Word started, and it has been a consistently great resource. My best to all your future endeavors!
July 6th, 2017 at 11:13 pm
Best to you in all you do. Early Word has been such a great resource. You’ll be missed by all your followers.
July 7th, 2017 at 8:52 am
The BEST readers advisory resource available. You will be greatly missed. Thank you for everything you put in to Early Word, loved every post. Best wishes with future endeavors! Know that you created a wildly successful, unique and valuable resource that benefited many professionals and avid readers over the years. Thank you for your hard work!
July 9th, 2017 at 3:26 pm
Oh no! I’ll really miss this site, you bring so much knowledge and perspective to your coverage. Your loss will leave a big hole.
July 11th, 2017 at 12:29 pm
So sad about this news! I really appreciated all of the book news, especially the book to movie updates. Thanks for all you’ve done over the years.
July 11th, 2017 at 1:24 pm
It’s been 8 days since this announcement and I still keep clicking on EarlyWord at the beginning of every work day, because I’m so used to it. This was the perfect site I needed when I first started purchasing adult fiction 5 years ago. Thank you for everything you’ve done in making this an invaluable resource Nora – this site will be missed!
July 11th, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Oh no, I was so sorry to hear that the site will be closing. EarlyWord has been such a great resource and I always looked forward to reading it. Thank you for such good coverage over the years!
July 11th, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Thank you for Early Word, Nora! It has opened up a whole new world to me and I can’t thank you enough. I will miss your site, but best of luck down the road.
July 12th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
I came back from vacation to this announcement and was saddened to read the news. I read Early Word regularly, never missing a post, and strongly encouraged staff to read it as well. There were countless times when I made purchasing decisions based on EW posts, whether purchasing a trending book or deciding a book was so popular that I needed to have it in large print and/or audio as well. This blog was so informative and helpful to me – thank you, Nora, for that. I wish there was a way for it to continue on in some form – I’d be happy to assist if anyone is attempting a similar effort.
July 14th, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Thank you Early Word for all that you’ve done over the years! I will miss reading everything here, but I wish you the best of luck!
July 15th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
NOOOOO! Is there a reason you are ending Earlyword? You will be sorely missed! I’ve come to rely on so much information provided by Earlyword – I truly don’t know what I’ll do without you! You’ve provided so much hard sought data – for example, I know of no other site to get “Movies and TV based on books”. I feel like I’ll be starting over and hate to lose Earlyword. Gods speed in all of your endeavors Nora Rawlinson!
July 17th, 2017 at 12:54 pm
You will be sorely missed, EarlyWord! You’ve been a very valuable piece of my weekly selection routine every week since I became a selector 4+ years ago. For others seeking out other EarlyWord-like sites, I find Shelf Awareness to be a helpful guide (I subscribe to the daily Pro version). If anyone else has suggestions, I would love to know about them!
July 25th, 2017 at 11:23 am
Thank you for all your hard work putting this site together… As a fiction selector, I can’t think of any other site that has so much useful information. I will miss your site….