Tacoma Small Press Event

T.A.L.E. (Tacoma Area Literary Enthusiasts) are hosting their first annual celebration of Puget Sound literary artists on November 3rd, 2007. Tacoma Word! Northwest Perspectives in Literary Art will be a one day festival that will include workshops, performances, open mic readings, and plenty of other exciting activities. The event will be free and open to the public. We are searching for authors, playwrights, poets, songwriters, small presses, and other literary artists who would like to promote, display and sell their work at our Literary Open House, which will be held from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. Tables are free, but space is limited and first come, first serve. We are also looking for a a small press willing to put on a paper making demonstration and a children's storyteller.

Emaill at JessieMcGuffey@gmail.com before September 30th if you would like to participate.

PNBA Trade Show, Sept 20-21

Approximately 400 booksellers from 140 Northwest bookstores attended the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Trade Show in Bellevue, Washington. Among the many displays that the booksellers browsed were six tables of books from PMA, BPNW, and NWABP members. Many publishers also visited the display to learn how they could join PMA or the organization's Northwest affiliates.

Fifteen volunteers from Book Publishers Northwest (Seattle, WA) and Northwest Association of Book Publishers (Portland, OR) staffed the booth. It was a chance to meet old friends and make new ones. New BPNW member Michael Lalumiere (right) of Staggerlee Books came to the PNBA show to help at the PMA table and promote a new novel set at Crater Lake.

BPNW also worked with PNBA to help local members to set their exhibits near the PMA tables. Just behind the PMA exhibit, publisher Tom Blaschko discusses Idyll Arbor's latest titles.

At the end of the show, the display books were donated to PNBA's Rural Library Drive, a charity that collects books for small rural libraries with little or no book-buying budget. The grateful librarians were impressed with the incredible variety of the titles that they received from the independent publishers.

Book Publishers Northwest at PNBA

Book Publishers Northwest will be displaying our members' books at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's Fall Trade Show, Sept. 20 and 21. Our display will be located at tables 108-113 at the PNBA Fall Trade Show. We are sharing this space with PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Northwest Association of Book Publishers (NWABP).

The Fall Trade Show is the largest industry event for booksellers and publishers located in the Northwest. This year, it takes place at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA.

The Trade Show begins with educational session on Wednesday, Sept. 19, including a presentation at 3 p.m. by BPNW Board President Tom Masters. For full schedule of PNBA events, see www.pnba.org.

Funding for our display was generously provided by PMA, the largest trade association for indepedent publishers in the United States. This organization provides a full complement of services to small presses AND members of BPNW receive a $26 discount off PMA memberships.

Dish Up Literacy Night

Numerous Seattle restaurants are donating a portion of their sales on Sept. 26 to Page Ahead, a non-profit literacy program dedicated to fostering a love of reading in at-risk children. Every year Page Ahead distributes approximately 150,000 new books to nearly 50,000 children from low-income families in Washington. They also offer workshops and resources for parents and other community programs.

For more information: www.dishupliteracy.org

Carlson in USA Today and on CNBC

Linda Carlson consults to Northwest publishers, including the 28-year-old Parenting Press, where she has handled marketing since 2000. She is the author of 11 books, a contributor to the Publishers Marketing Association newsletter, a member of the Humanities Washington speakers' bureau, and a former board member of Book Publishers Northwest. She recently spoke on PR and marketing at the Business of Books. Linda just sent us the following update on her activities

It was fun to see my Company Towns of the Pacific Northwest (UW Press) mentioned in a page 3 story in USA Today on Tuesday in conjunction with my comments regarding company towns in general and Scotia, Calif., in particular. And today I was called by CNBC and scheduled for an appearance on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 19...at about 5 a.m. Pacific time.

The producer who scheduled me is being sent a copy of the book and she said the cover of it will be shown on air.

Linda Carlson
www.lindacarlson.com
info@lindacarlson.com
Seattle WA 98199

Member Review of New Business of Books

First let me say how much I enjoyed the BPNW publishing seminar last Saturday. I learned a lot and I am already incorporating some of the suggestions into my publishing/promotional/marketing plans.

PARA Publishing (Dan Poynter) offers newsletter space to authors who are seeking other authors to write reviews of their books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble sites. Would that be something BPNW might offer their authors? It would just be giving space for authors to list their desire for reviewers, with contact info and genre. Then interested reviewers would contact them to get a copy of the book. That way your BPNW members are getting much desired reviews on those sites, thereby improving their rankings. Is this something you might be able to do?

Thanks for listening.

(Ms.)Chris Salditt
Mother Love Publishing

Chris has a great idea. As an old PR pro, I'm a little uncomfortable with Poynter's restriction that this must be a four-star review. I think reviews should be honest--as a publisher or writer, I would want to know why a book doesn't connect with the reader. Might not agree with the review, but I would want to see it.

However, if BPNW members want to make offers to reviewers, I'm happy to post them on this website. Are there other marketing ideas that you think we should pursue as an organization? Feel free to comment below.

Rosemary Jones
BPNW Blogmaster

A Full Day at New Business of Books

The New Business of Books conference began with a welcome from Tom Masters, board president of Book Publishers Northwest and author of Blogging Quick And Easy. It was a terrific start to a full day of education for publishers.

Over the next few weeks, we will be posting information from the speakers who led the panels at the New Business of Books on September 8. If you have a question for them or any member of Book Publishers Northwest, simply post a comment or e-mail bpnwnews@aol.com.

Freelance Editing September 10

A Panel Discussion about the Seattle Editing Marketplace
When: Monday, September 10, 2007, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Location: Richard Hugo House on Capitol Hill in Seattle, 1634 11th Avenue (near Pine), Alice Room (second floor)
Cost: FREE! and open to anyone interested in the topic.

For more info: e-mail info@edsguild.org.

Are you a new editor starting a freelance career in Seattle? Or an experienced editor interested in expanding your clientele? Come find out about the diversity of the Seattle editing marketplace—our panel discussion will explore what type of freelance editorial work is available and what different industries look for in a freelance editor. We’ve invited people from local industries that regularly hire freelance editors to discuss how they work.

Panel will include representatives from the following sectors:
•Magazine publishing (Seattle Magazine)
•University (University of Washington’s Creative Consultants Network*)
•Advertising (Worktank Seattle)
•Nonprofit (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
*The CCN is a network of freelance writers, editors, and designers who are screened and approved to do contract work for the university.

A member of the steering committee will moderate the discussion, asking questions and eliciting responses from each panel member. So come learn more about these areas of the Seattle editing marketplace, including what they look for in editors, what tasks editors perform, how often freelancers are hired, and what demands or challenges an editor might face.

Directions to Business of Books Conference

New Business of Books: 2007 And Beyond
Saturday, September 8, 2007
9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Discover U in Belltown (less than 1 mile north of downtown Seattle)
2901 3rd Avenue, Suite 150, Seattle, WA
To register, call Discover U at 206-365-0400.

Discover U's new Belltown campus is located in the black building stretching between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue and bordered by Denny and Broad. Although the street address is 2901 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA, you should enter the first floor Suite 150 from the 2nd Avenue side or through the garage elevators.

If you are driving, the building garage will be $5 for the entire day.

This site is also within one block of several Metro routes traveling along Broad, Third, or Second Avenue.

Updated Schedule for Business of Books

New Business of Books: 2007 And Beyond
September 8, 2007
Discover U Downtown Campus, 2901 3rd Avenue, Seattle, WA
9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To register, use the link right to enter Discover U's secure page for Web registrations or call Discover U at 206-365-0400.

9:00 am - 9:50 am
Welcome from Book Publishers Northwest
Coffee and light refreshments, meet the publishers and other conference attendees

10:00 am - 10:50 am
Defining Your Genre: Publishers Talk About Their Niche

Children's books juvenile/young adult

General fiction/non-fiction

Travel books

Memoir/biography

Self help/how-to
Speakers include Tom Blaschko, Idyll Arbor; Margaret Doyle, Port Gamble Press; Sheryn Hara, Book Network; John Thompson, Illumination Arts; and Beth Whitman, Globe Trekker Press.

11:00 am - 11:50 am
Session 1: Marketing Your Title, Money Ideas
Panel A: Marketing Your Book

Traditional PR

Non-traditional marketing

Online PR
Speakers include: Erin Eaves, Amazon Advantage; Linda Carlson, Parenting Press; and Al Sampson, Seattle University

Panel B: Turning a Profit

Making your book make money

Subsidiary rights

Selling lots of books outside of the bookstore
Speakers include: Michael Duckworth, UW Press, Kent Sturgis, Epicenter Press, and Bette Filley, Dunamis House

12:00 pm - 1:20 pm
Lunch with the Experts (optional)

1:30 pm - 2:20 pm
Session 2: Legal issues, Distribution Via Web and Bookstores, More Marketing Ideas

Contracts and legal issues
Presented by Gary Marshall, lawyer

Organizing Events: book signings, author talks, and more
Speakers include Kim Ricketts, events organizer, and Al Sampson, Seattle University

Working with wholesalers and distributors
Speakers include Phil Garrett, Partners West, and Sheryn Hara, The Book Network

Design Part I: Cover and interior illustration
Two-hour design session with Shary Flenniken; Morten Nilsen, Z-N Enterprises; and Ray Pfortner, Pfortner & Assocs.

2:30 pm - 3:20 pm
Session 3: Marketing, Distribution, More on Production

Editorial: Proofreading and Indexing with Freelancers
Presented by Nancy Burkhalter

Printing Tips
With Sheryn Hara, The Book Network; Justin Smith, Bang Printing; Victor Judd, Houston Datum; and Bob Smith, BookPrinters Network.

Design Part II: Working with photographers and illustrators
Two-hour design session continues with: Shary Flenniken; Morten Nilsen, Z-N Enterprises; and Ray Pfortner, Pfortner & Assocs.

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Closing & Wrap-up: Meet Experts for Last Q&A (3:30 to 4:30)

Sessions may be broken into more than one room. Times and speakers subject to change without notice.