Do You Know About These Contests?

Recently, several of our members have received invitations for various competitions. We're wondering if anyone has actual experience with these organizations and what that experience was. Feel free to comment on the following:


Eric Hoffer Awards
www.HofferAward.com or www.WritersNotes.com

Books and Authors Awards
www.Books-And-Authors.net

SPGA Brown Bag Event

Viewing of "Macworld and Photoshop World 2007 - You Are There!"
Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 12-2pm
Location:
Greenwood Branch, Seattle Public Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle WA

The SPGA Seattle Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild presents a brown-bag lunch event, "Macworld and Photoshop World 2007-You Are There!", at the Greenwood branch of the Seattle Public Library on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 12 to 1:30.

Lots of free parking available. Bring your lunch and be ready to take notes as we show a double feature DVD from Peachpit filmed at their booth at Photoshop World Conference Las Vegas and Macworld Conference and Expo San Francisco 2007 showing their top Mac and Photoshop authors sharing their digital savvy, great tips and inside info on the hottest applications and technology trends. And best of all, it's FREE!

Questions? Email info@seattleguild.org

Mailing to Washington Bookstores in December

Book Publishers Northwest will be mailing our remaining copies of the Spring and Fall catalogs as well as holiday best wishes from all of our members to the Washington state bookstore members of Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association.

If you are currently a member of Book Publishers Northwest (see below), you may add one (1) title recommendation to this mailing. Please e-mail the following information to bpnwnews@aol.com by December 1.
Title:
Author:
Publisher/Website:
ISBN:
Price (US$):
One sentence description: (not to exceed 15 words)

This information will be added to a very simple flyer inserted with the full-color catalogs. We will be working with the Northwest Association of Book Publishers to create a new full-color catalog for 2008. More details about that project will be announced early next year.


We currently show the 2007 and 2008 members of BPNW to be:
74th Street Productions, Adoxography Books, Ananse Press, Bascho Press, Bennett-Hastings Publishing Services, Janey Bennett (Proofreader), Book Publishers Network, Bright Ring Publishing, Inc, bytewrite LLC, Sherrill Carlson (Editor), Cedar Creek Publisher, Counterbalance Books, Crabman Press, Denim Books, Detour Farm, Dog Hollow Press, Dogwise Publishing, Dunamis House, Empress Publishing, Epicenter Press Inc., Ericson Dorow Inc, Eye-Scapes, Globe Trekker Press, Graphic Artists Guild, Green Elms, Hands On Books, Healing Pages, Idyll Arbor, Illumination Arts, Impassio Press, Inside Out Publishing, Isaiah 11:6 Publishing Co, Island Publishing, Mary Kabrich (Author), Kearney Street Books, Legacy Consultants, Living Free Press, Malloy Inc, Marquette Books, Jennifer McCord Associates LLC, Clare Meeker (Author), Metacreative Press, Mindcastle, Mother Love Publishing, Muddy Puddle Press, October Mist, One Sock Press, Orion/Wellspring Publishing, Pangean Sun, Parenting Press Inc., Patina Productions, Pentode Press, Ray Pfortner & Company, Pickle Point Publishing, Port Gamble Publishing, Pun & Oink Graphics, Raconteurs Press LLC, Raston Publishing, Raven Publishing, Rivendell Publishing Nw, Rodnik Publishing Co, Rose Alley Press, Rosebriar Publishing, Seattle Book/Rosetta Solution, Slave To Her Pets, Sojourner Publishers Inc., South Slope Productions, Stagger Lee Books, Stoneleigh Press, Sundial Press, TCN Inc, Them Potatoes, Thistle Press, Thomson-Shore, Timebridges Publishers LLC, Van Patten Publishing, Dorothy Van Soest (Author/Publisher), Vital Self Inc, Wilder Productions, and Wimer Publishing Co.

If you are a member of Book Publishers Northwest and your name does not appear on this list, please contact bpnwnews@aol.com.

Guild Social December 5

Graphic Artists Guild Festive Holiday Party & Portfolio Extravaganza!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm at
Rock Salt Steaks and Seafood Lake Union, 1232 Westlake Ave N., Seattle WA

Come one, come all, to the Annual Graphic Artists Guild Festive Holiday Party and Portfolio Extravaganza! The Guild is pulling out all the stops this year and having an event to remember, and celebrating the National Guild's 40th Anniversary, too!

Bring your portfolio (sorry, no internet access) for folks to look at and admire if you'd like, grab your reindeer sweater and light-up earrings and prepare to party. It'll be the meet and greet event of the season. This year, to make the holiday spirit more real, we are accepting cash or check donations for Northwest Harvest. Do not bring food, please, just cash or checks. Let's share our blessings.

The Guild will offeran assortment of yummy finger foods, a no-host bar, and you can participate in the Ornament Exchange (optional). If you'd like to join the game, bring a creative or gorgeous WRAPPED ornament, costing under $10, for a very enjoyable holiday amusement. You're sure to go home with something wonderful if you play, according to the organizers.

And there's more! There will be a prize (rumor has it that it's a box of fine chocolates) for best holiday garb, so deck yourself in something festive and and party with the artists on Wednesday, December 5, 5:30 at the Rock Salt Grill.

Cost:
$15 Members and their spouses/ sig others,
$20 nonmembers,
$15 full-time students with ID, with online RSVP by Friday, November 30.

Cost at the door:
$20 Members and their spouses/ sig others,
$25 nonmembers,
$20 full-time students with ID.

Credit cards OK at the door.

RESERVATIONS: RSVP via PayPal before NOON on November 28.


Questions: president@seattleguild.org

Jud Looking for Sales Stories

Brian Jud is updating his book, Beyond the Bookstore, on how to sell books to non-bookstore markets, needs updating. The second edition will be published in mid 2008.

If you have a special-sales success story, or know of someone who has sold books in large quantities to non-bookstore markets, Jud would like to hear from you as he is seeking such examples for his next edition.

Contact Brian Jud at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (860) 675-1344; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or go to http://www.bookmarketing.com

Blogger Seeks Books to Review

Hi, I have a blog where I write about self-published and small press books. I have not worked on it for about a year because of work pressures but I am gathering up stuff to read and write about.

http://smallpressures.blogspot.com
akritenbrink@gmail.com

A person who wishes to have a book reviewed can email me for further information. One caveat -- I can't promise that if someone sends me a book, it will appear on the blog.

Angie Kritenbrink

Are you a reviewer or a member of the media? Would you like to be added to BPNW's media list to get announcements from Book Publishers Northwest or our members? Just send an e-mail to bpnwnews@aol.com

Chocolate for Haiku

In honor of the fifth book in the Basho Press Haiku series, Haiku for Chocolate Lovers, Jack Bateman and the Rose Hill Chocolate Company of Mukilteo has designed a special Haiku Truffle.

"Our family absolutely loves it! It’s a dark chocolate truffle with a light creamy ginger flavor and a small piece of dried ginger to decorate the top," reported Basho founder David Ash.

Bennett Wins Best Book Award

I wanted to let you know that Pale Surface of Things received the BEST BOOK 2007 reward in the Multicultural Fiction category.

The award is presented by USA Book News.

Yippee!
Janey


Pale Surface of Things by BPNW member Janey Bennett is a "fast-moving novel in a Cretan village — kidnaps and killings, prayers and healing, ethics and ritual, and a darned good tale..." The book is currently available through bookstores or through Bennett's website.

Salditt's Book Finalist in National Best Books

I just got word that my book, 50 Ways to Leave Your Mother was an award-winning finalist in the humor category of the National Best Books 2007 Awards.

I'm excited to add this to my finalist award for the 2007 PMA Benjamin Franklin Book Awards for the same book.

Regards,
Ms. Chris Salditt
http://www.fiftywaysbooks.com/

Sheryn Hara and Tom Masters on Radio

Sheryn Hara and Tom Masters will be interviewed on Evergreen Radio's live call-in show from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24. Hara is the president and owner of Book Publishers Network and has been publishing books for 23 years. Masters founded Orion/Wellspring and recently published his first title on blogging. He also teaches classes on blogging and marketing and serves as a consultant for websites. Both Hara and Masters are members of the BPNW Board: Masters is the current president and Hara is vice-president.

Evergreen Radio Reading Service is part of Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, and broadcasts live talk shows, radio dramas, and news stories read aloud for the blind and visually impaired throughout Washington State. Listeners tune in through special receivers checked out from the library or the library's new webstreaming service.

Craig Johnson, Lead Broadcaster for Evergreen, said that the station has two long running literary programs. "Literary News is an author interview program and Publications Northwest focuses on regional works. Obviously our listeners are very interested in all things about publishing and bookselling," he said in a recent e-mail.

Cheap Wine and Poetry, November 8

With $1 glasses of wine and an open microphone, "Cheap Wine and Poetry" attracts standing room only crowds of poets, writers, artists, art lovers, literati, students, hipsters, cheap wine lovers, furious knitters, and the occasional dog, according to our friends at Richard Hugo House. The series features local and national artists and writers, many published in the print publication when it rains from the ground up.

Series curator Brian McGuigan will read at the next "Cheap Wine and Poetry" on Thursday, November 8, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Richard Hugo House. Also expected that night are poet and performer Rajnii Eddins, fiction writer Chris Leasure, and Ryan Boudinot, author of “The Littlest Hitler.”

Although admission is free, donations are welcome. Open mic sign-up is at the door. Hugo House is located at 1634 11th Ave., Seattle, WA.

Wordstock Still Has Exhibitor Space

Wordstock, the annual festival of books, writers, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon, is expecting up to 25,000 people to participate in the book fair on November 10-11, 2007.

Organizers recently sent out a letter saying that exhibitor booths are available at very reasonable rates. For more information about how you can participate Wordstock, contact Katherine Pfeiffer at Katherine@wordstockfestival.com or Greg Netzer at greg@wordstockfestival.com, or call 503-546-1012.

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.