About LitMinds

LitMinds is a community of people who are enthusiastic about reading, sharing their book endeavors with others, connecting with authors and independent booksellers, and participating in literary events and activities. Through our website, blog, and community-based events and activities, LitMinds is constantly discovering new ways to celebrate reading and enrich the reading experience.


Our Vision

Why are we doing this?

In the last few years there has been enormous publicity about two separate but related trends - the demise of the independent bookstores and the apparent decline of reading in the U.S. Some critics accuse the temptations of the Internet, television, and video games. At the same time, the number of independent local booksellers in the U.S. has declined from over 5,000 in 1991 to only about 1,800 today. Unable to compete with the convenience of Amazon.com and the sales and distribution efficiencies of Borders and Barnes and Noble, the local independent bookstores have been going out of business.

We see a different world. Where others see an industry facing gloom and doom, we see an industry ripe for re-invention. Where others see a downward spiral for reading, we see reading leaping forward in innovative directions with a new generation of internet savvy readers and writers; new reading formats like e-books and audio books; and new opportunities for self-publishing.


Where is reading headed in our society?

Here are some trends and observations that give us our optimism:

- A new breed of social entrepreneurs like John Wood and Greg Mortensen spreading the magic of reading to children in developing countries;

- Sixty million people writing their blogs on the internet and developing their reader base with a do-it-yourself approach;

- Authors like John Shors running a national book club program via speakerphone conference calls to connect with their readers;

- Local booksellers like Book Passage in Corte Madera, Powell's in Portland, Booksmith in San Francisco, and Books and Books in Florida expanding the bookstore experience to be a gathering place in the community;

- People like Larry Portzline developing innovative concepts like bookstore tourism;

- Authors like J.K. Rowling and Lemony Snicket introducing millions of new readers to the world of books.


What about the decline of independent booksellers?

Yes, we believe that is a genuine problem. We are concerned about this trend because it ends up concentrating bookselling within a few companies that are driven more by profits than with important values, like freedom of speech and diversity of ideas. Not that there is anything wrong with pursuing profit. We are all for financially sustainable enterprises that don't need charity to survive. But in the end, we think more independent booksellers are good for this country because they serve an important function.

Unfortunately, the independent bookselling model hasn't evolved a lot in the last 30 years. So, even though the business environment has changed dramatically with the rise of bookstore chains and internet-based retailers, most local booksellers continue to operate the way they did 10-20 years ago. Working with the communities they serve, independent booksellers can build on their strengths of personalized customer experience and neighborhood-oriented programs.


How is LitMinds going to help?

It is our hope that LitMinds will become a gathering place where readers, authors, and independent booksellers can come together to discuss the issues we touch upon here. We hope LitMinds can be a virtual dinner table or gathering place where new ideas will emerge, best practices get shared, and innovative ideas are born for celebrating readership and enriching reading experiences.


Our Founders

After feeling great frustration and trepidation about the struggles of independent booksellers and the decline of reading as a celebrated activity, our team joined forces to start LitMinds. With our shared enthusiasm for reading, we seek to inspire vibrant, democratic conversations and interactions around books through the Internet and in our everyday lives. Our eclectic and feisty team includes a Chief Reader (Carrie), Chief Grok (Praveen), and Chief Provocateur (Christin).


Carrie's Story

When she was six years old, Carrie was caught reading Beverly Cleary's Ellen Tibbits with a flashlight under her bed covers. Her mother said this would be the last time. Carrie had worn down her mother following several nights of illicitly reading "after hours." Mom finally relented, turned on the lights so Carrie wouldn't ruin her eyes and let her continue reading. 24 years later, Carrie has the same nighttime do-si-do with her husband, Paul, reading intently while he declares that they need a new lights-out policy.

Carrie has always embraced her inner reading dork with spunk. Between 2nd and 3rd grade, she spent a good portion of her summer on her grandparents' Oregon farm. Along with her grandmother and sister, Carrie created a home library for other kids in the area, by assiduously writing "Evans libary" in hundreds of books. She is a much better reader than writer and decided early on that a writing career would only impede the amount of books she read.

Carrie packs a book with her everyday to work, can't go on a trip with fewer than three items to read, and accosts strangers in public places to ask how they are enjoying the book in their hands. Because Carrie can't bear to part with most things she has read, she has moved her heavy book collection between San Francisco apartments five times in the last eight years. She has taught English to middle school and high school students and lets them know that if they think reading is "boring," it probably means they haven't yet found those books that will capture their imagination.

Carrie co-founded LitMinds with the dream of making reading as hip as listening to mp3's on an iPod. She constantly sleuths for ways to inspire readers and make the book world a fun party to attend. Carrie also dreams of making the best chocolate chip cookies in the world and someday finding a giant squid deep in the Pacific Ocean.

Speaking of dreams, as of May 2007, Carrie will be pursuing a couple more of those. For the next several months, she will be traveling around Southeast Asia and taking courses in science and pre-medicine. With all of this going on, Carrie continues to be an avid reader and an involved part of the LitMinds community.

Check out Carrie's reading profile by clicking here.

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