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Dear Members,

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Spring! Each day I wonder Is it really here? Are we really past the last freeze of the year? Are the buds on the trees and flowers going to make it, and is the weather soon going to be nice enough so that we can spend time outside soaking up the sunshine?

As the earth emerges from its winter sleep, we can all do our own awakening, and see this as a time for new growth and opportunity in our lives. Each Spring sees us all a year older (hopefully a year wiser!), with one more year enjoyed with family and friends behind us, another unfolding. This season is about renewal, about accepting change while also cherishing the familiar and beloved.

My wish for you and your loved ones this season is that you celebrate the moment! Let go of the stress that consumes too much of all of our lives and pause to appreciate what is right in front of you. Listen to some music. Read a book. Look for a four-leaf clover. Make a daisy chain. Make a silly face. Fly a kite, do a somersault, skip rope. Teach a child to fly a kite, do a somersault or skip rope. Take a walk, and welcome Spring with a song in your heart. Carpe diem!
All the best to all of you for a joyful Spring,

Richard Pickering and
the PaperBackSwap Team

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Dear Members,

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Something ominous about March, isn’t there? It isn’t anything new: Beware the Ides of March was the warning given to Julius Caesar before his assassination.  This year, everyone is worried – about saving money and how best to cope with the economic downturn.  Everyone is looking for a way to ease their budgets.

We know that PaperBackSwap helps with this. Members tell us all the time with messages like this one:

“This book club is the best! I can read to my heart’s content and not spend a fortune — and I read a lot! Thank You!”

and this one

“I enjoy this site TREMENDOUSLY… in this economy, buying new books is almost laughable for my family. I appreciate that I can save money, especially by not paying “club fees”, and can help reduce waste by finding my books a new home.  THANK YOU!!”

Those are real feedback messages from members, and we get many similar messages from members all the time.  It’s clear that swapping here (and at SwapaDVD and SwapaCD) is helping many people cope.   Everywhere I go I try to spread the news about PBS – I wear my PaperBackSwap sweatshirt, and I pass out business cards (printable and personalizable from the Spread the Word page on the site).

We were so excited when SwapaDVD was on The Today Show!  And then PBS was in O (Oprah) Magazine and People Magazine last month!  We have had a lot of new members sign up from these mentions, and we got to thinking.   There must be a lot of people out there who would love membership, but who just don’t know about us.   It seems that every day I meet someone (or more than one person) who is so excited to hear about the swapping concept!  But I am just one guy – I can’t tell everyone.   But the TV news and magazine items get to a lot of people.   So I thought it would be a great idea to ask all of you to send us the name of a reporter in your town or city who might be interested in doing a story on our clubs.  Then we can help all kinds of people across the country to find out about this way to save money and get great entertainment for nothing more than the cost of postage.

You can send an email to us at RichardPickering@paperbackswap.com.  Tell us your town/city and state, and the TV/radio channel/newspaper and the reporter’s name, and we’ll take it from there!   You are also welcome to submit the story idea yourself directly to the reporter, of course.  Often times when I have spoken to reporters, they will ask me if I can find a local member for an interview.   Who knows, you could end up being quoted or broadcast on the local news (if you agreed to that).  And the great thing is – the more members we have, the more books for everyone to share.

Remember, bad times don’t last forever!   We will get through this together.

Best from

Richard Pickering and
the PaperBackSwap Team

Posted in Dear Members, Press & Media | No Comments »

Dear Members, Newsletter – February 2009

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

It’s February…cold outside, wind howling…time to hibernate with a good book. Why not a little romance, for this Valentine’s month?
Now, I know that a bunch of you out there just made a face.  “I don’t read romance,” you are saying. But hey!  you might be surprised.
I speak from experience: A few months ago, I noticed my significant other reading a book.  She had a faraway look in her eyes and a Kleenex at the ready.  She was sniffly but happy, and she closed the book with a sigh.  “What was so good about it?” I asked her.  “You wouldn’t understand,” she said.
Well, damn! I like a challenge.  I decided to try some of her books. Some were (gulp) chick-lit, some were (double-gulp) Romance.   I stuck to my guns though, and went ahead and read them.
And… I actually enjoyed them!  Yes, I am man enough to admit it. They were funny, they were sad…I got caught up in the stories and the characters.  Definitely different.  Engaging to a point. And I think I may have learned a thing or two about why this genre is so popular.
No matter what your gender, if you are someone who steers away from sentiment,  you should nonetheless try one of my Romance for Everyone! picks (below), and see what the fuss is about.
Now excuse me while I go do some very manly push-ups.
Have a wonderful month, everyone!

Richard and
the PaperBackSwap Team

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Dear Members, Newsletter – January 2009

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

2009, are you kidding?   When did that happen!
You know, oftentimes we start out a new year with firm plans to change something in our lives that we are really serious about wanting to change.  Then as the days turn into months, those commitments can slip out of our minds….  When I think back, I can hardly remember any of the resolutions that I have made over the years.

I thought that it would be interesting for us to make a place for members to list your New Year’s Resolutions on the site.  Then next year (2010!) we can all look back and see how we did.
Simply click here and add your Resolutions.  Maybe you have one thing you really want to do this year.  Or two.  Or three!  State them boldly there for everyone to see!   And don’t forget to check out the new Forums (see NEWS, below) for help with getting greener, getting fitter, and saving money.

2009 should be an interesting year.  The country is facing a lot of challenges, but we’ve withstood worse in the past and come through stronger and better.  We believe that better times are ahead, and we’re happy to say that bookswapping is not languishing at all.  We hit two new records in this new year already – most books posted in one day hit a new high on January 3rd, and the next day a record number of books were requested!   Thanks so much as always for making our club the best book swap site on the Internet; we plan great things for this year and we’re glad you’ll be part of it.
We do wish each and every one of you the very best for 2009,

Richard and
the PaperBackSwap Team

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Dear Members, Newsletter – December 2008

Saturday, December 6th, 2008

For a lot of us, this is a very special time of year.  My family celebrates Christmas; others celebrate different holidays this month that are equally meaningful to them – Eid al-adha on December 8th, Chanukah starting the 21st, the Winter Solstice on the 22nd, Kwanzaa on the 26th…
The holidays can be as stressful as they are wonderful, and this year is going to be particularly tough, what with the recession and trying to celebrate on a budget.  And for the families who have loved ones far away, the festivities will be bittersweet.
Lately, I find myself thinking a lot about one Christmas in particular: the one when I was 16 years old.  Sixteen: not quite a grown-up but not a boy anymore.   I had just bought my own first car and I was responsible for all the expenses – gas, insurance, repairs – but I was still kid enough to want “fun stuff” at Christmas.   The country was going through a recession then, just as it is now, and money was very tight; my siblings and I didn’t expect too much in terms of presents.  But still…
I remember my initial reaction when I saw that the only present under the tree for me was 2 new car tires!   After the initial disappointment, I realized what that gift actually meant.  My tires were bald; my dad didn’t want me to have an accident; my safety was more important to him than anything.    Now that I am a lot older and (I hope) a little wiser, I appreciate the thoughtfulness of that gift more than ever.  Looking back on those Christmas tires just provides more proof that the memories that matter don’t have to do with material things.  We devote a lot of time to shopping at this time of year, but long after the “stuff” is gone, the intangible things are what stay with us through the years and make us smile.
I bet many of you have similar stories, of a “lean” holiday that nonetheless gave you some of the most special memories of all.   We would love it if you would share them.   Please take a few minutes out of your day and think back to previous holidays… then click here to share one of your stories with the PBS family!

Happy holidays, and best wishes in the New Year!
from Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

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Dear Members, Newsletter – November 2008

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

This is being written before the election returns come in; when you read this, we should have a new President-elect!  Which is great news, because…well…Now that the fuss is over, we can all get down to REALLY IMPORTANT matters…
Like, should we roast the turkey or deep-fry?  What about the mini-marshmallows-on-the-yams dilemma?  And are they called yams or sweet potatoes?  Oysters in the stuffing–yummy or gross?  Chestnuts in the stuffing–luscious or revolting?  Stuffing at all –mandatory or potential salmonella deathtrap?  Green beans, creamed onions, Jell-O?  Whole-berry or jellied cranberry sauce?  Turkey, Tofurkey, Turducken, Goose?  People can argue ferociously over questions such as these; each person has his or her own strong convictions about what makes a traditional holiday meal.
Thanksgiving is such a deeply American holiday.  It’s a celebration of diversity–there are as many different “traditional Thanksgiving meals” as there are Americans–and of hospitality.  It’s a day for welcoming strangers and extending kindness; it’s about opening your doors and opening your hearts (and opening your mouth to wedge in that last bite of pie!).  Thanksgiving is about inclusiveness and generosity.  What could be more American?
Whatever makes up your holiday meal three weeks from Thursday, we hope it is also nourishment for your soul.  For those who have loved ones far away, we send our hopes that you are reunited soon.  For those who will be traveling during the holiday, we wish you safe journeys.  For those who are cooking, we wish you enthusiastic clean-up crews.  To those who are on cleanup detail, we wish you the ability to fit all the leftovers into the fridge.  To Black Friday shoppers (you intrepid souls!), we wish you quick reflexes and triumphant checkouts.
And to ALL of our members we wish a healthy and happy month, and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
from Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

Posted in Dear Members, New Features & Improvements | No Comments »

Dear Members, Newsletter – September 2008

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Ah, September.  Summer’s over…back to school…the weather will be mild for a while longer.  What could be better?
September is a lot of things: National Library Card Sign-up Month, National Pediculosis Prevention Month (you don’t want to know!),  National Read-a-New-Book Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Better Breakfast Month.  It contains the holidays National Newspaper Carriers’ Day,  National Grandparents’ Day (this Sunday!), International Literacy Day, POW/MIA Recognition Day (the third Friday of the month) and Patriot Day (the eleventh, of course).  Past Septembers saw these new inventions appear: the safety pin, Scooby-Doo, the department store, the first edition of the New York Times….September is a month of beginnings and remembrances, of starting new and also looking back.
We are looking back at 4 years of PaperBackSwap! Yes, we launched in September 2004.  Since then the club has grown beyond anything we could have expected.  Nearly 4 million books have been swapped between members; innumerable features have been added; sister swapping sites for CDs and DVDs were launched; we’ve been mentioned in more media outlets than we can name–major magazines, innumerable blogs, television news spots, even the Wall Street Journal!  During all this, we have “met” a ton of people whom we think of fondly as family.  Our members have been so patient as we work to improve the site.  Members who started out with us will recall that in the beginning we didn’t even have Personal Messaging!  We’ve come a long way.  And everything we do starts with the members–you tell us how you use the site, what’s not working for you, what you’d like to see–and we listen, and look at the issue from all angles, and try hard to find a way to solve the problems and implement the suggestions.  Sometimes it takes a while to get to something (our To Do list is huge!) but rest assured that if we can do something, and it will benefit the membership, we’ll find a way to do it.
We think of every feature we add, every improvement, as a kind of “present” to our members.  We really try to make this site better wherever we can.  See “NEWS” below for the new features this month–sorry we didn’t have time to wrap!
Happy Birthday to all of us!
Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

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