Helping Others Out

Occasionally, I get emails from people who want me to promote or advertise for them. I'd say that 99% of these emails are spam, and they regularly get deleted. However, when I received an email from the gentleman in the picture to the left, I actually took the time to read it. That man is Howard Shapiro, and Mr. Shapiro is a writer and independent publisher. Mr. Shapiro contacted me to help him generate some buzz for his new book, Hockey Player For Life. As you know, Teebz's Book Club is a huge supporter of all reading, especially in children, and I'm happy to help Mr. Shapiro out with this article.

Mr. Shapiro sent me the press release for the upcoming release of the book. Rather than explaining what's going on in the book, here is the press release in its entirety.

In anticipation of the October 7th release date of Howard Shapiro's new book, 'Hockey Player For Life', Supersonic Storybook Productions (SSP) is very pleased to announce that the Foreword for the book is being written by former NHL great Keith Primeau and that a promo video utilizing the cutting edge 'speed painting' technique has been posted on Youtube. '

'Hockey Player For Life', an 88 page book, is the continuation or follow-up to last year's 'Hockey Days' and is aimed at 11 - 15 year olds. The story features the main character from 'Hockey Days', Tom Leonard who is now 13 years old, as he becomes his AA hockey team's 'can't miss kid.' Along the way to the NHL, Tom hits a few road bumps and it takes his best friend Terry Adamson, who is the team's worst player, and Tom's mom and dad to teach him what it means to be a hockey player for life.

'I'm really happy with the story,' said Howard Shapiro. 'It's done in flashback and it was a lot of fun to write it from the perspective of a 13 year old. To tap into those emotions and feelings wasn't too difficult since I remember those days vividly, as I think most people do. A friend who has read the book told me that even though he didn't play any sports in school, he could still relate to what Tom and Terry go through in the story. That meant a lot to me because even though it is a hockey-themed book, I think teens and adults will be able to relate and identify with the struggles that both Tom and Terry go through on and off the rink.'

'I am very honored to have the great Keith Primeau do the Foreword for the book. Having him do that means a tremendous amount to me and I cannot thank him enough. It was wonderful to work with Nico Di Mattia from Cordoba, Argentina who did the video. I gave him a storyboard and he ran with it and did a tremendous job. I highly encourage everyone to please check the video out. It's very cool!'

As you can see, Mr. Shapiro's books are geared more towards the younger readers, and I commend his efforts in making reading a major part of any child's life. Of course, being that he writes about hockey, I am excited to get my hands on this book later this year for a possible review.

I also logged onto the website that Mr. Shapiro provided about him and his work, and I encourage you to check it as well by clicking here. The Pittsburgh-based writer has lots of hockey-related links on his site, as well as some templates that children can colour.

If you'd like to contact Mr. Shapiro in order to order one of his books, or pre-order this one, he also gave me some contact info. He can be reached by telephone at 866-520-4286 or by email at howard-dot-shapiro-at-hotmail-dot-com.

In terms of getting some views of the book, Mr. Shapiro sent me the Youtube link to a speed painting that his friend did of the book. The video is neat, and the illustrations are extremely well done. Here is the video for it:

Personally, I am looking forward to this book. A lot of hockey literature is geared towards a more mature crowd, and Mr. Shapiro has written a book with the young fan in mind. Having Keith Primeau, a bonafide NHL star, write the foreword for the book will only lend credence to his work.

Congratulations on the release of your new book, Mr. Shapiro! Teebz's Book Club, and Hockey Blog In Canada, anticipates its release in October of this year, and looks forward to keeping in contact with a talent such as yourself. Good luck!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!