Chapter Research

Each of my chapters requires a lot more social and scholarly research, though I'm leaning more towards the scholarly research I've found because it seems to anchor my topics more steadily than bloggers' opinions, though I do find them valuable. Here is some research I conducted for each of my chapters:

Long Tail/ Equal Access Building Literacy 

On the Kindle/Amazon digital platform, more books are available. More people have more access to books that truly interest them, not just the most popular books. This phenomenon is increasing literacy. 

1. Social Graph
1. I want to talk to people who consume books from the niche markets offered on Amazon. People with obscure hobbies, etc. 
2. My roommate N, who buys books on graphic design because they aren’t available in Utah. They’re books from different countries, etc. She says her favorite art books are not sold anywhere in Utah, and she buys them on Amazon. 
3. My friend K just started to learn how to whittle wood, and is buying books from Amazon to do it. 
2. New Media
1. This blog is for authors and talks about how to market your niche market books.
1. http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/buzz-your-book-niche-marketing-techniques-for-every-author
2. This is an interesting article in Forbes about how niche marketing is helping authors. 
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/booked/2010/07/29/the-magic-of-niche-marketing-for-authors/
3. This is a YouTube video about how to find an Amazon niche market. It’s almost two hours long! 
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VjeMFx3zdA
3. Social Networks
1. Erica Bauermeister is an author of niche-market novels who I found out about through Forbes. I am going to try to contact her through email.  
2. “Dave C.” started a group on LinkedIn called “Flea Circus Books,” which is described as “A new royalties-based professional media interchange which allows authors to link up with Content Callaborators, editors, etc.” I joined the group and became the second member, but I am going to message Dave and see what got him so interested in book niche markets and ask about his opinion. 
3. LinkedIn Group called “Ebooks, Ebook Readers, Digital Books and Digital Content Publishing.” 
4. There are TONS of people connected to this LinkedIn Group whom I will be messaging. 
4. Traditional Scholarly Sources 
1. Amazon Top Seller Secrets: Inside Tips from Amazon's Most Successful Sellers by Schepp, Brad, Schepp, Debra, and Richardson, Gary
2. Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Anderson, Chris

Isolated Reading (this one has been more difficult, especially because I'm not sure how Nathan's chapter and my chapter fit together... I've tweeked my tweethis but remember that we discussed changing my responsibilities in class, so that might be best. But here is some research.) 

1. Social Graph 
1. I really want to talk to people who are avid readers. I want to talk to people who use goodreads regularly, and others who don’t. I want to interview them about their experiences. 
2. My roommate M, who was a literary criticism major and an avid goodreads user.
3. My friend H, who was a philosophy major and is an avid goodreads user as well as fan fiction reader. She has a lot of online friends who she’s ended up meeting at different conventions, etc, but not through goodreads... 
4. A girl in my ENG 295 who runs an active twitter account where she talks about eBooks, etc. 
5. Mrs. D, my AP Literature teacher, has a lot of opinions about the way students should read and share with one another. I would love to get her opinions 
2. New Media
1. This is a blog entry called “Women Who Travel Alone: A Reading List” 
1. http://blog.longreads.com/2014/10/12/women-who-travel-alone-a-reading-list/
2. This is a blog called “Reader’s Connections,” and I think I can connect with the author to find out her opinion on how Goodreads is affecting literacy or attitude toward reading, etc. 
1. http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnection/
3. Social Networks
1. The authors of the blog “Reader’s Connections” is a group of librarians. I am going to email them and ask their opinion on isolated reading, etc. 
2. There are lots of blogs about how authors can better connect to their readers, like this one: http://bookmarketingtools.com/blog/four-keys-to-connecting-with-your-readers/, but this might be better for another chapter. 
4. Traditional Scholarly Sources
1. This book talks about fluency in the classroom. Very interesting. It would provide wide context. 
1. Essential Readings on Fluency by Rasinski, Timothy V. 
2. This book also discusses literacy on a general level. 
1. Secret of Literacy: Making the Implicit Explicit by Didau, David
3. This book has a chapter on how technology encourages adult literacy. SO interesting. 
1. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction : Options for Practice and Research by Committee on Learning Sciences: Foundations and Applications to Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Lesgold, Alan M., Welch-Ross, Melissa

Publishing E-Books For Dummies by Luke, Ali

(I just add this because I think I need to read it. Ha!)