Firehouse.com Joins Book Sense in Community Campaign

Book Sense recently announced that Firehouse.com, the leading fire and emergency services portal, which covers daily news and information for the emergency services sector, will be joining with Book Sense and The History Channel in supporting "The Fire on the Mountain, Campaign for Communities: Firefighter Fundraiser" promotion. The fundraiser will run from September 9 through October 25 and will coincide with a documentary based on the book Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire (Washington Square Press) by John N. Maclean. The documentary will air on The History Channel on October 28.

The Firefighter Fundraiser offers independent bookstores nationwide the chance to help their communities in a meaningful way -- by raising funds for their local firefighters. "It's a different kind of promotion for us and gives stores a way to work in their communities that we haven't explored before," said Meg Smith, BookSense.com business development and marketing manager.

The heavily trafficked Firehouse.com, which receives approximately 500,000 unique visitors per month, is an important addition to the campaign, Smith continued. "They will be listing the event [on the Web site] until the end of October," said Smith. "They will be doing a news story about the documentary and independent booksellers, will keep a series of banners in rotation on the Web site, and will publicize the event in their e-mail newsletter. It's a great connection for us -- it completes the circle."

For bookstores wishing to participate, Book Sense will send special in-store materials: Fire on the Mountain show and promotion bookmarks, a poster, and a campaign counter-easel. Stores will be asked to provide a firefighter's boot -- the traditional firehouse method for collecting money -- from a local firehouse to hold customer contributions (though stores may utilize another container). In addition to the funds collected in the store, one community will be chosen to receive an additional $2,500 award for their local firefighters, courtesy of The History Channel, with participation from Washington Square Press.

The deadline for participation in the Firefighter Fundraiser is July 31, since Book Sense is hoping to send the promotional materials to booksellers in the August White Box, which is mailed the first week of August.

"I think it's very exciting," Suzanne Staubach, of UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut, said of the Firefighter Fundraiser. "Tying Book Sense in with a major and intellectual television channel and doing some good for your own community -- we're reaching new heights here!"

For more information -- or to sign up for this special promotion -- click here, or call BookSense.com customer service at (800) 637-0037, ext. 1234.