We are launching (09-15-14) a two-phase fundraising campaign for the move of our weekly literary TV series, Books du Jour, to PBS in early 2015. The program is co-produced with NYC Media and broadcasts Fridays at 11:30 pm only on LIFE 25.
We
count on you to get involved in the first phase, which will be via
Kickstarter and will help to pay for our broadcasting fees. To donate
click HERE. We have tons of perks and original experience such as meeting your favorite author in private.
The
second phase is about sponsor partners (companies, organizations) who
feel that books, reading, and the discovery of new authors and ideas,
enrich everyone's life and is worth supporting.
The Campaign and the Target.
For our first phase, we are seeking $30,000 to take our weekly literary TV program, “Books du Jour,” nationwide on PBS.
What is our program?
“Books du Jour”
is a weekly literary TV series about books and the people who write
them, currently broadcasting in the North-East on NYC LIFE 25, Fridays
at 11:30 pm. It is a co-production between NYC Media and Altered Ego
Ent.
“Books du Jour”
has a simple premise: each week, the host, Frederic Colier, invites
three authors to lunch in one of New York’s finest restaurants to talk
about books, the world, and of course life at large.
“Books du Jour” covers all genres of books and types of writers, even self-published ones.
We have grown tremendously since our modest beginning and want to keep on growing.
Want to see what we have been able to produce? Click on picture below.
How does PBS work?
As
the result of the strong interest in our program its growing ratings
and high production value, we have been accepted for syndication by
American Public Television (APT), one of the three national distributors
of programs for PBS affiliates, for a 12-episode season starting early
2015. Because our program falls under the life-style category, it is not
eligible to receive licensing fees. In other words, we have to raise
money to pay for our broadcasting fees, closed-captions, various
delivery formats, and data storage units.
Our History:
When
we started our weekly literary TV program two-and-half years ago, we
felt baffled by the fact that in a country of 310 million people no
weekly TV series about books, encompassing all types and genres of
books, fiction and non-fiction, actually existed. We set out to correct
this enormous chasm, giving our audience the opportunity to discover new
and exciting books and authors.
Our “Books du Jour” did not start as the large production that it has become. The series is the outcome of an older program called Book Case TV,
which started with two people in a cluttered NY studio apartment,
producing short one-on-one author interviews, which were then posted on
YouTube. The segments were shot with a single camera, Iphones and still
cameras.
Just
six weeks after starting our venture, NYC LIFE offered us a TV deal. We
ended up doing 34 x 30’ episodes. Suddenly we had access to 20 million
people in the NY Metro area. It did not take long to build word of
mouth and get the attention of the publishing industry. The demand for
interviews grew so big that we had to rethink our strategy with just our
too limiting one-on-one interviews.
“Books du Jour”
was born from this successful program. Our first season is comprised of
12 episodes shot with five cameras and high production value. Our
partner, NYC Media, has been instrumental in the growth of the program
by providing the entire logistic: from crew to post support and a
successful marketing campaign in subway, buses, and taxis, while LIFE 25
contributed to our growing momentum by broadcasting and rerunning the
episodes throughout the week.
Why should you support us?
If
you love learning and are an avid reader, and like romance, sci-fi,
thrillers, sciences, literary fiction, sociology, history, memoirs, and
so on, the chances of seeing your favorite authors on TV, unless he or
she is someone already famous, are dismal. If you love books, ebooks,
and want to the chance to get to know your favorite authors, who have
not yet made it to the Bestsellers list, here is your shot to meet them
into your own living room and personal device.
What’s In It for You?
As
first mentioned, starting early 2015, we have the opportunity to go
national with a 2nd season of “Books du Jour.” To get there however we
need your support. We have lots of new expenses to cover,
closed-captioned, data storage, hefty broadcasting fees. For you
support, we are offering a wide range of perks, including most recent
book releases, tickets to the tapings of our program, unique
opportunities to lunch or have coffee with your favorite authors. We
offer book trailers to promote your book online, and complete package
assessments of your manuscript, if you are looking for to get published.
Our Participating Authors
As
of 09-15-14, here are some of the authors you can have coffee with,
Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin, Chris Pavone, Amy Sohn, Rick Moody,
Sheri Fink, Jeanine Cummings, Joan Silber, Alice Cohen, Lodro Rinzler,
Allan Topol, Jackson Kaguri, Scott Turow, M. J. Rose, T. Jefferson
Parker, Boris Fishman, George Prochnik, Kerry Zukus, Edie Meidav,
Caroline Leavitt, Heather Terrell, Anne Korkeakivi, Raymond Khoury, Gwen
Edelman, and the list may just get longer . . .
THANK YOUs
Finally,
we are deeply grateful to the publishers who generously donated books
for this campaign: Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette book
Group, Da Capo Press, Verso, Atria, a division of Simon and Schuster,
Gallic, Penguin, and Archipelago. Our roll of drums goes to Jean Hanff
Korelitz, to whom we are particularly indebted.
This program is good for everyone: authors, publishers, retailers, and of of course readers.
Books du Jour
