It is with great pleasure that I write the first entry in the MonkeyReader Blog. I would like to take this opportunity to explain who is responsible for MonkeyReader.com, and what we hope to accomplish.
Firstly, MonkeyReader is the creation of four partners from Philadelphia: Jim Bolno, Skip Scholl, Dave Rivoire, and Dave Lenett. The four of us have set out to create a profitable and socially conscious web business selling books, cd’s, and dvd’s. MonkeyReader hopes to differentiate itself from other online sellers like Amazon and Borders by creating the sense of community that one might experience in their neighborhood book shop, online. We hope to create a following of customers who see us as an alternative to the huge conglomerates, who like what we are trying to do, and appreciate our committment to children’s literacy. We would like MonkeyReader to become a focal point for individuals who have a strong interest in children’s literature and children’s literacy.
We are especially trying to appeal to kids, parents, and teachers by offering fun, content, and a great shopping experience. When you first enter MonkeyReader.com you are greeted by Captain Monkey Reader, our loveable mascot. The Captain, as we like to refer to him, is our creation: an attempt to create a fun warm character that kids will like, who will act as a guide, showing you through the different sections of the site. The Captain is a character we hope to build on in the future, as we think he has a lot of potential. He is our emissary, traveling around the world promoting the joy of children’s literature, he is the face of MonkeyReader. The site also provides a wealth of valuable content. Many people do not know what their children should be reading, so we offer our assistance in a number of different ways, similar to getting advice from an associate in your local book shop. We offer our recommendations, broken down by different age groups spanning from toddler to adult. We also offer books that were winners of prestigious children’s literature awards such as the Caldecott Award, the Newberry Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award, spanning back to the beginning of these awards some 50 years ago. The company has also developed a program for special needs children. An in-house reading specialist is available to answer questions and respond within 24 hours.
MonkeyReader.com is committed to public service in addition to customer service and the firm will be working with MetroKids Magazine to promote a book report contest. We are inviting kids to submit their own book reports, and we will post them on MonkeyReader. Each month we will pick the winning book report and reward the author with a $25 MonkeyReader shopping spree. We will continue to add to our library of children’s book reviews so kids can see what other kids liked about a book. This is an example of how the site will evolve down the road. We are a new member of the online community and we are open to suggestions on how we can improve.
Ultimately, price, selection, and availability are areas where MonkeyReader excels. The firm has affiliated itself with one of the largest wholesale book distributors in the world and a true veteran in the industry, Baker and Taylor, to handle customer service. The website is scaled so massive orders can be met instantaneously. In terms of price, we are now offering 30% off retail on virtually all of our products. While the big box stores may beat our price on a few of their loss leaders, when you look across the board at our prices and low shipping costs, we are the best in quality, and the least in cost. In terms of selection, we have over a million products. If we do not have what you’re looking for, you will probably not be able to find it anywhere.
Another area of importance to MonkeyReader is the desire to be socially responsible. Not only to provide good content, and value, but to actually give something back to the greater community. For MonkeyReader this desire has translated into a corporate commitment to share five percent of the firm’s annual profit with non-profit children’s literacy organizations.
We are hoping that our 5% commitment turns out to be a substantial contribution, because that will mean not only that we are doing good business, but also that we are making a considerable difference in the fight against illiteracy. We know that there are many worthy non-profit children’s literacy organizations that are having a hard time making it, and in this financial environment, corporate contributions are way down. We hope to become a new sustainable model for corporate philanthropy.
If you have an interest in literature, music, or film and would like to share your interests by blogging for MonkeyReader, please contact us through our website at www.monkeyreader.com. Thanks !!
Tags: children's literacy, discount books, reading
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that I have really enjoyed browsing your posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon!
Thank you, i’m glad you liked the post and the site !!