1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: tip is that when you give a book as a gift, 4 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: inscribe it. Gifts are about thoughtfulness and connection, and when 5 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 1: you inscribe a book, you explain the connection you see 6 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: between the gift recipient and the book. Through your personal note, 7 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: you connect yourself to the recipient too. Anne Fatiman's delightful 8 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: essay Marrying Libraries describes her and her husband's experience and 9 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: merging their books. After five years of marriage, she and 10 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: her husband decided that they would finally marry their libraries 11 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: and let their books mingle together on their bookshelves. They 12 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: went so far as to develop decision rules for determining 13 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,039 Speaker 1: which copy to keep if they each had the same 14 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: book hardcover over paperback with marginalia over a clean copy. 15 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: Fataman doesn't mention inscriptions in their decision rules, but I 16 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: suspect you would agree that books with inscriptions are more 17 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: valued than those without. So if you are giving a 18 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: book as a gift, inscribing it will make it even 19 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: more special. With little kid's picture books, the person reading 20 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: the book to the child, is likely to read aloud 21 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: your inscription. Most times, when they read the book to 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: the kid, through your inscription, the child will feel your 23 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: love again and again. Your adult friends too will see 24 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: your inscription anytime they open a book you've given them 25 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: and enjoy thinking about this connection. Inscribing doesn't need to 26 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: be complicated. One good approach to inscriptions is to articulate 27 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: a hope for them person that's related to the book. 28 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: So a child's copy of If I Built a Car 29 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: might read wishing you bold dreams and fun creations. You 30 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: might also say why you like the book. So for 31 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: a new niece, you might inscribe Sandra Boytan's Moo Ba 32 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 1: La La La by saying this book always made Max 33 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: laugh when he was a baby. I hope it makes 34 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: you laugh too, love Aunt Maggie. A little detail is good, 35 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: but don't sweat this, because the truth is that even 36 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: simple inscriptions can warm up and personalize a book. Happy Birthday, Heidi, 37 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: Love Susannah, October tenth, twenty twenty three. Or for a cookbook, 38 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: simply bon Appetite Jean from Beth and Marcus. Just a 39 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: little note written in your own hand makes the copy 40 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: of the book you give different from every other copy 41 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: out there. Of course, a note from the author can 42 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 1: make a book feel special as well. And if you 43 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: happen to plan to give a book I've written to someone, 44 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: I'd be happy to inscribe a book plate for you. 45 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: That's a fancy little sticker that you can put in 46 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: the copy you are giving someone. Just email me at 47 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com and let me know 48 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: the name of the person the book should be inscribed 49 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: to and any particular thoughts you'd like me to convey. 50 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: I've inscribed lots of copies of I know how she 51 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: does it for new moms with You've got this and 52 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: copies of Tranquility by Tuesday, with you work hard, Here's 53 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: to enjoying life. Give me your mailing address and I'll 54 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: mail the sticker to you, or you can send me 55 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: the address of the person you're giving the book too, 56 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: and I can send it there directly. One final tip, 57 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: if you are shipping a book you've inscribed, be sure 58 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: to tell the postal worker that it's a book and 59 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: so hopefully you can get the media rate you might 60 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: pay significantly less. Inscribing a book is one of those 61 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: tasks that take just a minute and has an outsized impact. 62 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: So the next time you give a book as a gift, 63 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: pick up a pen. A few words from you will 64 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: make the gift far more meaningful. In the meantime, this 65 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 66 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: most of our times. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. 67 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach 68 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast 69 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, 70 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 71 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.