Random House Still Making Acquisitions

Random House announced today that they are acquiring quirky California publisher Ten Speed Press. Since its start in 1971, the publisher has grown to be a leader in the vegetarian, spiritual, and self-help categories with approximately 100 new titles issued every year and a backlist of 1,000 books.

Bestsellers for Ten Speed include Richard Bolles' What Color Is Your Parachute; Mollie Katzen's The Moosewood Cookbook; and The New Detox Diet by Elson Haas and Daniella Chase.

According to initial announcements from Random House and Ten Speed, the company's editorial offices will remain in Berkeley, California.

Small Press Story #2: Idyll Arbor Mails Book Weekly To President Obama and Gary Trudeau

To highlight the plight of American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Idyll Arbor is mailing a copy of their new book, Faces of Combat: PTSD & TBI, each week to President Obama and cartoonist Gary Trudeau. Each package contains letters and other material from veterans.

"It's a race to see who will be the first to recommend the book to the American public," explains publisher Tom Blaschko on the website www.FacesOfCombat.us.

Both men are concerned with the issues raised by Faces of Combat. During his campaign, President Obama met with veterans and discussed how better care could be given to the men and women returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder and TBI.

Blaschko points out that Trudeau's characters Melissa and B.D., two veterans in the Doonesbury comic strip, demonstrate the cartoonist's commitment to helping our veterans.

"We are asking both of these men to recommend Faces of Combat so all Americans can understand why our returning veterans need and deserve our help when they come home," Blaschko added.

Small Press Story #1: BPNW Members Distribute BPNW's Own Small Press Poster

March is Small Press Month: every day we'll be telling a new story about what our members are doing, why they are publishing, what new events or books are coming, or just any of the other 31 other stories (or more) that come to us during Small Press Month.

For Story #1, we'd like to share our beautiful BPNW poster, created especially for us by Lionfish Creative. BPNW member Galyn Gardner got this project started and with help from her colleagues at Lionfish, including designer Michael Wildeman, created a lovely reminder that big things happen even at the smallest press.

The following BPNW members are distributing this poster to their local libraries and bookstores in Washington. If you picked up posters at the Feb. 19 meeting and are not listed below, be sure to send us your name and where you will be distributing your posters. Want to help? Posters still available for pick-up at Lionfish Creative, 11010 Northup Way, Bellevue, WA 98004, 425-285-1500. Galyn will have posters available at the front desk, along with the national Small Press Month poster featuring Sherman Alexie.

Tom Masters, Orion Wellspring
Queen Anne Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Queen Anne Library, Seattle, WA

Beth Whitman, Dispatch Travels
Wide World Books, Seattle, WA
Square One Books, Seattle, WA
Third Place Books, Seattle, WA

Galyn Gardner, Lionfish
Snohomish County libraries:
Arlington
Granite Falls
Lake Stevens
Marysville
Monroe
Stanwood
…and
Bellevue Regional
Crossroads – The Library Connection
Village Books, Bellingham, WA
Stonehouse Books, Kirkland, WA
Book Worm, Marysville, WA
East West Books – University District, Seattle, WA

Margaret Doyle, Port Gamble Publishing
Darvill’s Bookstore, Eastsound, WA
Griffin Bay Bookstore, Friday Harbor, WA
Pyramidion, Eastsound, WA
Serendipity, Friday Harbor, WA
Island Studios, Friday Harbor, WA
Artsmith, Eastsound, WA

Ellen Martorelli, Eye-Scapes
Half Price Books - University District
Twice Sold Tales, 45th St., Seattle, WA
Magus Books, Seattle, WA

Rebecca Brown, Big River Press
Odyssey Books, Port Angeles, WA
Port Book and News, Port Angeles, WA

Chris Salditt, Mother Love Publishing
Mukilteo

Tell Us Your Story: We'll Feature Your Press In March, Let's Tell a New Story Every Day!

We'd like to post a new story about a Northwest publisher member each day during March, Small Press Month. Let's celebrate by telling our stories. Let us know what inspired you to begin your business, what keeps you publishing, what's new in your world!

Doing an event during March? Be sure to send a listing to Book Publishers Northwest. We will be featuring a "Small Press Month Events" calendar on the website.

For ideas on how to celebrate Small Press Month, check "31 Ways to Prepare for Small Press Month (March)" in our articles by BPNW members archive.

Send your news and event listings to bpnwnews at aol.com.

NWABP February Meeting And Other Oregon Events

The Northwest Association of Book Publishers (Oregon) will hold their February meeting, Thursday, Feb. 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn, 6100 Meadows Rd., Lake Oswego.

Linda Kuhlmann, author of Koenig's Wonder, will speak on her efforts to market her first novel.

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Paul Gerhards to speak at Looking Glass Bookstore

NWABP president Paul Gerhards talks about "One Thing Every Author Needs to Know about Book Publishing" at 7:00 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at the Looking Glass Bookstore, 7983 SE 13th Ave., Sellwood.

For more NWABP news, visit their website www.nwabp.org.

February Meeting: What Happens After You Hit the Bestseller Lists

It's every publisher's dream: have a bestselling book flying out the door at bookstores and online sites. But what happens after your initial print run is sold out, the orders keep flying in, and suddenly everyone wants you to have the work done immediately?

Last summer, Epicenter Press had the only biography in print of Alaska's governor Sarah Palin. Literally thousands of orders came pouring in after Palin was announced as the vice-presidential candidate.

Join Epicenter's president and founder Kent Sturgis as he talks about how his company handled the rocketing demand, the need to reprint quickly, the closing window of opportunity as the election approached, and kept on track with the other books in their catalog. The February meeting of Book Publishers Northwest takes place at the Good Shepherd Center, Feb. 19, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This meeting is free for BPNW members. $5 for others. Please click on the link to the right for directions to the Good Shepherd Center in Seattle.

David Ash's Article in IBPA

BPNW member David Ash has an article, "Will It Play in Peoria? Every Publisher Can Take a Pulse," on page 19 of this month's (February) IBPA Independent!

Ash's company is Basho Press, publisher of Haiku for Life series of gift books. Basho Press, LLC, was formed in 2007.

BEA Stays in New York Until 2011

The organizers of BookExpo America have announced that the show will continue in New York City on an annual basis at least through 2011. Previous plans for returning to Washington DC in 2010 and Las Vegas in 2011 have been canceled in favor of staying close to mainstream publishing business and the media located in New York.

Starting in 2010, the convention floor will open for two days only instead of three. A day of conferences, special events and a show preview the day before the show floor opens will continue to be held. The new dates for BEA are May 25 to 27 for 2010, May 24 to 26 for 2011, and May 30 to June 1 for 2012.

Bay Area Publishing Institute

The Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA) welcomes writers, authors, editors and publishers to Marin County’s SF Theological Seminary for the 2009 Independent Publishing Institute Get Published!, an intensive one-day workshop on independent publishing and book marketing with a great opportunity to network. The event will be held Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 8 am to 5 pm with lunch and all-day refreshments provided.

Key presenters include Jim Horan, author of the Amazon best-seller series The One Page Business Plan®, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, popular author and producer of “West Coast Live” radio, and David Battino, author of The Art of Digital Music. Topics include: Your Book as Your Business Partner; Publishing Demystified; Getting Pre- and Post Book Reviews; Book Design & Production; Book Marketing & Publicity; Children’s Books; Fiction Marketing, and an Ask a Publishing Pro interactive session.

Full program information, breakout sessions, speakers and registration available at: http://www.baipa.net/Workshop/index.htm.

Costs: $95 BAIPA member advanced registration ($125 after March 7) and $125 non-member advanced registration (non-member registration includes a 6-month BAIPA membership) and $150 at the door. Attendees may also sign up the day of the Institute. Send checks to: Bay Area Independent Publishers Association, P.O. Box E, Corte Madera, CA 94976. Phone: 415.975.0950. Email: valpub@yahoo.com. Marin County’s SF Theological Seminary is located at 40 Kensington Road in San Anselmo.

WLA Brown Bag Session on Taxes

911 Media ArtsCenter, 402 9th Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109 Wednesday,
February 18, 2009, 7:00pm - 10:00 pm

Depreciation, capital gains, deductions, W-2's, 1099's! Having trouble keeping track of it all? Neil Sussman's popular tax workshop is back to guide creative individuals and their attorneys through yet another season of gains, losses, formulas and forms. Learn all the basics you need, plus special tips and what's new for your 2008 tax return.

Designed specifically to address the arts and entertainment issues, topics to be covered will include:
What deductions can be claimed
What tax forms to use and how tofill them out
How to keep business and tax records in an organized manner
How to minimize the chances of getting audited

Space is limited for what is sure to be a popular event, so early registration is encouraged!

DATE AND TIME:
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
7:00pm to 10:00 pm
(registration begins at 6:30 pm. Program begins at 7:00 with a 15 minute break.)

LOCATION:
911 Media Arts Center
402 9th Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98109


FEE:
In advance: $40 attorneys and paralegals; $15 artists and students
At the door: $45 attorneys and paralegals; $20 artists and students

REGISTRATION:
To register, click here to visit Brown Paper Tickets or call 800.838.3006. To pay at the door, RSVP to Washington Lawyers for the Arts at 206.328.7053. Please note that the event is subject to cancellation; visit thewla.org or call 206.328.7053 for more information.

Canada's BookExpo in Trouble

Quill & Quire reported yesterday that a number of large publishers have pulled out of BookExpo Canada (the Northern equivalent of BEA). The magazine speculates that BookExpo Canada cannot continue without major exhibitors.

Edible Book Fair Returns to Seattle

Seattle once again hosts an event tied to The International Edible Book Festival -- a world-wide event "for bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment."

The 2009 Seattle Edible Book Festival will help raise money for Seattle Center for Book Arts.

Information and registration for your edible book art can be found at: http://frybooks.blogspot.com/

This year's Seattle Edible Book Festival will take place at the Good Shepherd Center between noon and 1 p.m. on April 4, 2009.

Epicenter Announces Changes in Distribution

Epicenter Press recently announced changes in distribution. The press will service accounts directly through its business office in Kenmore, WA and warehouse in Kent, WA. Customers also may order from Partners West in Renton, WA or through rep Jim Harris, who will cover the Northwest, California and Hawaii. In Alaska, Epicenter titles are in stock at Todd Communications and the News Group. Epicenter titles will be available through Ingram and Baker & Taylor by early February.

Epicenter founder and president Kent Sturgis will be Book Publishers Northwest's featured speaker in February.

Bennett Wins Prize

Janey Bennett has been named winner of the Joanna Catherine Scott Novel Excerpt Prize in the National League of American Pen Women, Nob Hill branch Soul-Making Literary Competition. Bennett's latest novel, with the working title of Jia Li, is the story of the failing adoption of a Chinese daughter.

Bennett will read from her novel at the Soul-Making Awards event in San Francisco in March.

Bennett's first novel, The Pale Surface of Things, which has won seven book-industry awards since its publication, received second place in the PEN Nob Hill Soul-Making Awards in 2004.

The Soul-Making Literary Competition is a national award that looks for original, freshly creative and finely crafted works that embrace all creative interpretations of English poet, John Keats' statement: "Some say the world is a vale of tears, I say it is a place of soul-making"

January 15 Meeting: The Elevator Pitch

How do you answer the question "What is your book about?"

Every author/publisher/illustrator needs a clear, concise and memorable answer to that question. If you are struggling with creating an engaging elevator speech, or if you have one that needs refreshing, you won't want to miss this session. Lorraine Howell, author of Give Your Elevator Pitch A Lift!, will take you through her step-by-step proven process for crafting your own 30-second commercial. In this tough economy, how you talk about your writing is the least expensive way to build buzz for your work. Her method helps you eliminate the verbal clutter, build confidence, and keep your networking conversations alive!

In this session you will learn tips, tools, and strategies for:
-Identifying your target audience/constituencies
-Developing key phrases and language that resonates with your audiences
-Keeping your "elevator speech" fresh and relevant

The Elevator Pitch meeting runs 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on January 15 at the Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside N., Room 221, Seattle, Washington. The meeting is free for Book Publishers Northwest members; $5 for others.

More Information on Lead Testing for Children's Books

Scott Flora of SPAN has published the following information on the impact of "lead testing" on children's book publishers:

CPSIA and Publishers

As most of you know, CPSIA requires items sold for children, manufactured after February 10, be tested and certified for lead levels by an independent lab.

A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) letter, dated December 23, 2008, affirmed children's books are included in category of products that need to be tested for lead.

Products in inventory (in storage and on bookstore shelves) do not need to be tested, but retailers can be fined if the products are found to have excessive levels of lead.

Testing and certification takes place at the book printer level. Publishers of children's books need to check with their printer if they have books in the printing process.

SPAN is providing more information on this issue at:
http://www.spannet.org/cpsia-info-2009.htm

Apple Apps Censor Books

As recently reported by CNET, people adding books to the iPhone App store may be blocked if Apple's word filters determine that the content is not appropriate for a general audience.

While the iPhone is a much less popular eReader than products like Kindle, some authors and publishers have expressed concern that their audiences will be diminished by Apple's censorship policies.

You Book Tube: New Video Site for Publishers

A new video hosting site, Your Book Tube, encourages authors and publishers to publish their book videos on their site.

Lead Laws Impact Amazon Advantage Clients

Amazon Advantage has asked publishers of children's books to complete a form that verifies that your products meet the new child safety laws regarding lead in books. If Amazon has not received the form by January 15, products will be returned to publishers. Further information can be found on the home page of the Advantage site.

Scallops & Science: You Are Invited to a Party!

Recently received this invitation from Sally James, vice-president of NW Science Writers:

We are a nonprofit in Seattle dedicated to science writing and our members are writers, editors, bloggers, authors and public relations folks.

Our big annual party is Jan. 22 at the Seattle Aquarium. We have a big venue, so we can invite everybody and want to include your members.

http://www.nwscience.org

All the details on buying tickets are there. We encourage buying and not waiting in line at the door. Just imagine eating scallops while the live creatures eye you from their tank. Or not.

Got an event that you think local publishers would enjoy? Just e-mail the details to bpnwnews at aol.com.