Dear friends,
In 2019, I launched booksbyjohnnies.com as an expression of my combined love of books, websites, my classmates, my alma mater, and the arts of writing and publishing. It was my gift to the community that has given me so much over the past (nearly) 35 years, ever since I matriculated in 1990.
Booksbyjohnnies.com was met with great excitement by some early adopters in the community. It was a good idea at the right time. However, it has a few flaws. The site has not seen the wide adoption I was hoping for. Also, since users are expected to add their own content, and because not everyone is comfortable doing that, I think the technical side of it can appear daunting to some people.
While I did intend to someday develop the site into something more polished and user-friendly, the College has let me know they’ve begun a new initiative that will do what BBJ has been doing, and more attractively and efficiently as well! This is great news for you, so let me share with you the upgrades you will find.
The college has built a database that is visually robust, offering each book a spotlight to shine. They also have the resources to promote the project widely, and more staff to better maintain the platform. By being a part of SJC BBJ, you will be discoverable by a larger network of Johnny authors, as well as the general public. This means greater exposure for your work.
I’ve been impressed by the respectfulness and open communication I have received from the College throughout this process. They understood the importance of care for each of you, and are happy to provide added support to make sure your books can be included in the initial launch.
What do you need to do? For now, nothing. Once the new SJC Books By Johnnies is ready to receive entries, you will be contacted by our alma mater with a secret link to add your book.
Our current BBJ will remain active until SJC BBJ launches early next year. If you are still sharing your personal profile page URL from the current BBJ site, fear not! The College and I will work together to make sure that in transition that link remains active and connects to your work on SJC BBJ site.
All in all, I am extremely pleased to see how my passion project has inspired this next becoming of BBJ, and I’m happy to know that your books will have a great home to reside in. Thank you all for participating in this great project. We are such a strong, unique, capable body of people… it is an honour to be one of you! I wish you all the best in your authorial careers.
Bill Kowalski
SJC SF ’94
Founder, BooksByJohnnies.com