What Publishers Shouldn't Do (link)

Check out the "50 Things Publishers Shouldn't Do" at The Nervous Breakdown by four guys with tons of experience in the publishing industry.

What's on your list of what publishers shouldn't do?

Reminder: Midwest Book Awards -- Call for Entries

A reminder that the Midwest Book Awards deadline is January 29, 2010 -- that's just over two months away! Visit http://bit.ly/29gFxY for more information.

Publishers and authors are invited to enter the 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards for excellence in books published in 2009. Awards recognize creativity in content, execution, overall book quality and the book’s unique contribution to its subject area.

Deadline: January 29, 2010

Why enter awards?

When you are a finalist or a winner of a Midwest Book Award (or any book award), you can put that information on your website, on blogs, in your publicity and marketing materials, press releases, announcements, other book sites such as Amazon, and anywhere else you can think of. A book award is a good excuse to resubmit your book to venues that may not have accepted the book before. In a way, it’s like a new book again and your sales will experience a boost. You can also put the award designation on the cover of reprints.

For more information and eligibility requirements, visit http://www.mipa.org/Awards.html

MIPA Tweets About Social Media

We had a great meeting tonight with Ken Kadet of Kadet Communications. If you missed it, you're still in luck—we tweeted highlights of the meeting! Check it out on our Twitter page at http://www.twitter.com/mipa_org or follow the specific topic at http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23mipa.

November 2009 MIPA Meeting: Social Media

Have you blogged, Facebooked, LinkedIn, or tweeted today?

If you consider these time-wasters, think again; it could be good for your business. The world of social media is now one of the best tools to reach your audience, whether you want to promote your services or sell your books. The type of social media and how you use it, however, is based on your business goals. Learn how to create an optimal social media strategy with communications expert Ken Kadet.

Ken Kadet is president of Kadet Communications, a consultancy that helps clients move people through communications strategy, brand positioning and storytelling. Ken has more than 17 years experience advancing the goals for companies that range from large corporations like Kodak, Imation and Rockwell to emerging businesses and nonprofits. Before starting Kadet Communications in 2007, Ken led the technology and Internet/new media practices at the Twin Cities office of Fleishman-Hillard, an international communications agency.

Since the dawn of the web, he has helped numerous clients and colleagues better understand the opportunities and pitfalls of our fast-changing media environment. You can check out Ken's blog at http://kadetcomm.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/KadetComm.

What: Create a plan to increase publishing success through social media.

Who should come: Publishers and others in the industry who want to learn a strategic method of using social media to increase business; writers who want to use social media to expand their readership and sell more books; publicists who are not as familiar with the new rules of marketing and PR and want to adapt to this new environment.

When: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Where: Cherokee Tavern in West St. Paul

Why: The means may change, but social media is here to stay.

Book Publishing Terms and Definitions

Confused about the differences between traditional publishing, commercial publishing, POD, self-publishing, vanity publishing, subsidy publishing, and cooperative publishing?

Tired of explaining the differences to others?

Here are three great articles that nicely underscore what we at MIPA have been saying all along, by Tony Burton of the Atlanta Writing Examiner:

How are Books Published? (Part 1 of 3)

How are Books Published? (Part 2 of 3)

How are Books Published? (Part 3 of 3)

Future of Books: The Problem of Filtering (part 1)

By Dale Cozort
This article originally appeared on Bertram’s Blog. Reprinted with permission.

If you’ve been around aspiring writers much you know that a good percentage of them produce the writing equivalent of really bad karaoke. You also know that there are undiscovered gems out there. Until recently the book buying public has not had to deal with the ‘bad karaoke’ books. We’ve probably missed a few gems too. What we saw in bookstores was filtered. Sometimes that filtering kept out good books, but it mainly kept readers from wading through an awful lot of crap.

Like it or not, the filters are going away. Good books are still being published but they are hard to find among increasing amounts of drek. Readers, authors and publishers need to figure out how to deal with the glut. If we don’t the book market will continue to spiral downward, with more writers pursuing fewer and fewer readers.

The key issue for readers, authors and book publishers is going to be how to replace the traditional filters and get high quality novels together with their audiences.

In part one I’ll look at what has happened to the traditional filters. Part two will look at potential replacements.

So what have the filters been and why are they going away?

Filter One: The Expense Of Putting Together a Manuscript: Until recently putting together an acceptable manuscript was difficult and expensive. Personal computers and affordable laser printers made writing a novel and putting together a manuscript much easier. Before affordable PC and laser printers you didn’t just have to write the novel, you also had to type up the manuscript, then retype revisions, a slow and cumbersome process that kept many would-be novelists (including me) from ever sending a completed manuscript to a publisher.

Affordable computers and laser printers let more people write novels. Established writers could write faster. The result was empowering. A lot more people wrote a lot more stuff. The result was also disastrous. The publishing industry simply couldn’t deal with the increased flow of manuscripts. That brings us to filter two..

Filter Two: Publishers: Publishers used to look at the stream of manuscripts coming in from aspiring writers and rejected the ninety-nine percent or more that for one reason or another they couldn’t profitably sell. That took care of most of the ‘bad karaoke’ writing.

Writers had little choice but to accept the verdicts of the publishers. Publishing and promoting a book was expensive. An author could almost never make money publishing a book independently. Also, ’subsidy publishers’ preyed on would be authors, charging exorbitantly to print unsellable books. Most readers correctly felt that self-published books were mostly junk because if a book was any good it would have been published by a real publisher.

The system worked for the most part. Authors with enough persistence and skill could find a publisher. Readers could know that the books they saw on a booksellers shelves usually, though by no means always, met a set of minimum standards. Publishers prospered in that environment, taking most of the risks and most of the profits from publishing. Most writers didn’t prosper, though authors who made it through the filters and established a name for themselves could earn a modest living at writing, and a few very big name authors became moderately wealthy.

Smart publishers made an effort to find the few publishable manuscripts among the “slushpile” of unsolicited manuscripts they received. That made sense because if they didn’t they not only lost out on a potential profit, but they also handed that profit to their competitors. Good publishers also took pride in finding and nurturing new talent.

Several things changed that system over the past several years. First, the sheer number of manuscripts coming in made even skimming the slushpile more expensive. Second, many major US publishers were bought out by conglomerates from outside the publishing industry. They moved to the short-term “what is the bottom line this quarter” thinking that has destroyed so many US industries. Many publishers also seemed to develop a “who needs talent when we have marketing?” view of the industry.

Most major publishers stopped looking at unsolicited manuscripts a few years ago. They farmed that function out to agents. As the slushpile flood diverted to agents, those agents were also overwhelmed and most of the good ones stopped looking at unsolicited manuscripts too.

New authors found it harder to get published by traditional publishers. They also found it easier to take other routes. Print-on-demand and e-book technology makes both self-publishing and being a publisher much less expensive.

Some readers still look down on self-publishing and to some extent on being published by small POD or e-book publishers. Part of the problem is lingering attitudes left over from the old “big publisher versus vanity press junk” dichotomy. Part of the problem is that a lot of small POD and e-book publishers do publish “bad karaoke” writers.

Small POD and e-book publishers have little short-term incentive to filtering out the junk. Being selective can actually hurt a small publisher in the short-term because most novels will attract enough of the novelist’s family and friends to pay the bulk of the (very low) costs of publication. That makes it close to cost free in the short term to take a chance on a new novelist if the advance is low enough or if there is no advance. Some, but by no means all POD publishers actually charge the author for publication, which gives them incentive to publish just about anything.

At the same time, POD and e-books are in many ways a much more rational way of publishing books than the traditional publishing model with its wasteful return policies. Some newer, smaller publishers are finding and publishing gems or at least books that satisfy certain audience niches more effectively than traditional publishers. Readers who stick exclusively with traditional publishers do miss out on some good reading.

Filter Three: Bookstores: Up until the last couple of decades, bookstores acted as an additional filter, with small bookstores owned by people who were also avid readers Those bookstore had limited shelf space and did not stock books that they didn’t like or think would sell.

That changed in two waves. First, bookstore chains pushed most small independent bookstores out of the market by stocking a larger selection and charging lower prices. That cut out much of the filtering function of bookstores. More shelf space meant that bookstores didn’t have to be as careful what they stocked. Loose return policies meant that if a bookstore overestimated many books would sell it was the publisher’s problem, not the bookstore’s.

The increasing power of the chains also made the market less responsive to local preferences. A local bookstore had to know what would sell locally and order accordingly. Owners often knew and talked with customers. That was much more difficult for chains.

Second, Amazon.com rose to challenge the chains. Amazon lists books at very little cost to themselves and do almost no filtering. Best sellers from big traditional publishers are listed along with self-published “bad karaoke” POD books. Amazon reviews can give some idea of the quality of a book but they’re fairly easy to game.

So the traditional filters are disappearing. Readers can’t find new authors they like among the glut of “bad karaoke” books. New authors often can’t find a publisher, and often can’t find an audience even if they find a publisher. Traditional publishers no longer reliably find fresh talent and increasingly rely on marketing rather than talented writers. That shrinks the market by making books less attractive to younger readers.

So how can all of that be reversed? I have some ideas. They’ll be in part two.

Dale Cozort is author of American Indian Victories. Visit his website at http://www.DaleCozort.com

Interior Designing

By Dick Margulis, editor and book designer, New Haven, CT

The lowly paragraph indent. Most of the time, you don't even think about it, do you? If you're old enough to remember manual typewriters, maybe you hit the space bar five times or set a tab at that point and just tabbed to it. If you're too young to remember that ritual, perhaps you just accept the default half-inch indent in Microsoft Word. You may never have thought about why it is there or what it is good for. You just know that somehow every paragraph seems to have one. In book design, the paragraph indent is important enough that you should know a little bit about it.

Semantically, the indent marks the break in thought we call a paragraph. In medieval manuscripts, the capitulum (an ornate letter C that developed into our modern pilcrow-¶) was inserted into the middle of long, unbroken text to indicate the start of a new thought. This technique is still used on occasion. Today, though, we have two methods in common use to mark paragraphs-the indent and the paragraph space. What we try to avoid is double marking-using both methods together.

It is a convention in certain kinds of technical books, such as computer software manuals, to use paragraph spaces. The reasoning is that the reader is unlikely to be reading the book for pleasure or in long, continuous sessions. The reader is more likely to be looking for a specific fact, and the paragraph space, together with frequent subheadings, helps the reader do that. This block style is used in a lot of business communication (letters, marketing materials) too.

In most books intended for continuous reading, though, the paragraph indent is used, and there is no extra space between paragraphs. Where there is a space, such as at the beginning of a chapter, below a heading, or after a list, the indent is superfluous and should not be used. The standard indent is one em (the same number of points wide as the type size). A significantly wider indent (two or three ems) can add a little visual interest to an otherwise conventional page. Or it can be an annoying affectation that distracts the reader from the text. You get to decide that one for yourself.

This article appeared in Brian Jud’s Book Marketing Matters. To subscribe or for copies of all the previous issues visit http://www.bookmarketingworks.com/mktgmatters.asp

POD People: a thought on semantics

Originally published in the August 2009 MIPA newsletter.
By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

“We don’t review POD books.”
“Bookstores won’t carry POD books.”
“POD books are of the lowest quality.”
“If you have a POD book, you might as well say goodbye to your writing career now.”

Have you ever heard any of these? I have. Sometimes these warnings come from literary snobs who believe that anything not published by the Big Six isn’t really published. Sometimes they’re meant with the best of intentions, but a lack of definition. Just what exactly is a POD book?

The problem, at its core, is that POD can stand for Print on Demand, a printing technology that allows for cost-effective (in contrast to offset printing) digital printing of a small number of books that can be as many as a thousand or as few as a single book. POD can also stand for Publish on Demand, a term used to describe online vanity publishers that use digital printing in their production, but offer precious little in the way of editing, design, or distribution in exchange for substantial investment from their authors. The stigma is attached to the Publish on Demand meaning of POD, but so few understand the difference in how the acronym is used, the method by which a book is printed is called into question when the real question should be the quality of the book before it ever gets to print.

W. Paul Coates wrote a 2004 article in the IBPA Independent called “Kill POD” that is still oh-so-true, in which he states, “The technology that made it possible to print books on demand is stronger than ever, and, from all indications, it has not even reached its growth midpoint. But using the term as we currently do hurts all book publishers.” The benefits of digital short run printing are not lost on successful publishers, including the Big Six. It’s more eco-friendly than thousands of unsold books sitting in a warehouse. It’s cost-effective for testing new authors or keeping backlist books in print. And it allows high-quality, well-prepared books to make it to the marketplace even when their publishers don’t have tens of thousands of dollars for printing alone. But for years attempts to more accurately describe the printing process as digital, or short run, or even just-in-time printing are often met with the confused, “Is that POD?”

Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised to turn to the July 2009 issue of the IBPA Independent and an article by Margie Dana called “Sixteen Ways to Save Money on Printing.” In it, number seven said, “Print only what you need. Reduce waste.” And number eight said, “Go digital. Digital printing lets you print exactly what you need—even one copy!” But wait a sec. Is that POD?

What Does the Google Book Settlement Mean for You?

Originally published in the August 2009 MIPA newsletter.
by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

If you haven’t yet heard about the Google Book Settlement, make an appointment with yourself in the next month to sit down for some intense reading. Author Victoria Strauss has a blog article with a number of useful links. In a nutshell, the Google Library Project had made arrangements with some libraries to digitize books in those libraries, including books that were under copyright. The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, among others, sued Google in 2004, claiming that this digitization infringed on their copyrights. After lengthy negotiations, they settled rather than go to trial.

The resulting Google Book Settlement is 141 pages (without attachments) of Legalese that is only fun for law students who earned an A in Contracts. Lest you think this has nothing to do with you, if you are a publisher or author and hold the rights to a book or insert (text or graphic portion of a book), you are included in the settlement.

You have the option to opt out of the Settlement, but you have to register that decision on the Google Book Settlement website or send a hard copy letter by September 4, 2009. Opting out means that you reserve all legal rights against Google in the future, and you are not entitled to any payments, revenue, or benefits as a result of the settlement.

You can do nothing and remain in the settlement. You can object to one or more parts of the settlement (but you have to be in the settlement to object to it). You can request that one or more of your books not be digitized, and you can request that one or more of your books or inserts be included or excluded from a variety of display uses, from which revenue may be earned.

These display uses will allow Google to sell online access to digitized books for a fee, and vary from allowing paid subscribers to view and annotate the entire digitized book, as well as copy and paste portions of it (Access Uses), to being only able to view select or small portions of the book (less than 20%).

If you’re okay with having your book digitized, and small portions of it displayed, and if you want any revenue due to you as per the terms of the settlement, you need to claim your books using the Claim Form found on the settlement website. Rights holders who claim their books via the website’s claim form are entitled to 63% of any revenues Google earns through these display uses.

Additionally, rights holders whose books were digitized on or before May 5, 2009 are eligible for a cash payment of up to $60 per principal work as compensation for copyright infringement. You must claim your books to receive this payment. The deadline for this claim is January 5, 2010.

If your book was copyrighted prior to May 5, 2009, but was not digitized by Google, you are not eligible for a cash payment. You are, however, still eligible for revenues earned through the display uses if you claim your books.

There is no right or wrong response to the settlement. For some, staying in the settlement and taking advantage of one or more of the display uses could be an additional marketing opportunity and create more visibility for your books. For others, it could take away some of the control over and revenue from who has access to the content of your books. Become as informed as possible before you make your decision. There are answers to FAQs on the settlement website.

One last interesting note: My 2003 book, Destined to Choose, had not been digitized on or before May 5, 2009, a fact I found out when I submitted a claim form for it. The day after I submitted the claim form, Google digitized it.

Feedback on the MIPA/IBPA "Publishing Matters" Conference

The results are in on our Publishing Matters conference from last month. If you were able to come, you know what great information was shared. If you weren't, it was fabulous, and maybe you can come to a future event.

• Thank you! Thank you! I am so delighted and grateful that I came. I have learned so much and take with me renewed optimism that I can get my books published and be successful at marketing my writing. I’ll come to the next conference for sure.

• I feel I’ve had my first college course in publishing. Thank you for the invaluable experience. Next step. Publishing University and MIPA membership (as well as IBPA) Good job planning committee!

• “The presentation was wonderful.” Kira Henchel, Goblin Fern Press

• “I think your choice of topics was excellent. The beginning session was really important.”

• “I’ve been to a lot of conferences and I’m learning a lot.”

• “I’m glad I came! I’ve taken a few bids already.” vendor Greg Harren, Sentinal Printing

• “It’s good to be able to speak directly with people to see what the needs are, and be able to describe services in a face-to-face manner. I’ve seen people here with whom I’ve worked but never met in person. I joined IBPA in 1990 and their site drives business to our website, and that is where we get the majority of our business.” vendor Sherry Roberts, The Roberts Group

• “Excellent conference. Shows the hard work of the board, especially compared to other conferences of this type.” IBPA board member Cevin Bryerman

• “The sheer numbers here are impressive. I’ve been to gift shows with fewer attendees.” Sam Spiegel, Partners Book Distributing

• “The general level of experience of the panel members is impressive. Jeanne and Nancy are on top of the info.”

• “Great experts, great sessions, great information. People from each niche were very knowledgeable.” Linda White, Wonder Communications

• “Interesting and I learned a lot. Very complete.” Ellen Shriner, Ellen M. Shriner Communications

• “This was an incredible event.” Jill Beaudette

• “I didn’t come with high expectations. I’m leaving with many.”

• “I do a lot of these events, nationally, regionally, and locally. This is well organized; the information is of good quality, and the attendees are motivated to learn.” Danny O. Snow, Unlimited Publishing, IBPA board member

• “I really enjoyed myself.” Stephen Mettee, Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, IBPA board member

• Thank you. I can't believe the amount of information available to us this weekend. It was a very worthwhile conference. It was great to meet and exchange information with other fledgling publishers and to soak up wisdom from veterans. I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to have my book critiqued. I came away with valuable marketing strategies. Just what I was looking for. And after reading two issues of the IBPA Independent publication, I will now join IBPA too.

• We really learned a lot! Thank YOU!

• I felt so comfortable and welcomed by all. What a great group of people!

• I had a great time and now have a lot of valuable information, and I made some good contacts.

• I loved it all! What a welcoming, collaborative, and inspiring group on all levels. I feel blessed to have attended the day. I am so pleased and happy to feel so full after attending Publishing Matters. I look forward to the next event.

• It was an inspiring time. I learned a great deal and thank you for your efforts at assembling such a fine group of presenters for the conference. Each aspect in the publishing business was represented, except for the poor agent (of root canal fame). Excellent meals and snacks—first class, all the way. Thank you.

• There's a lot that goes into conferences behind the scenes and I appreciate what you did for us. I got a lot of ideas and info. Now to put some of what I know into practice.

• Dear MIPA Board, Brava to each of you. The seminar was well done. I took away some new insights and resolved about social marketing. And, had some excellent conversations to forward the action here.

September 2009 MIPA Meeting: Amazon.com

Just a reminder that tomorrow night’s MIPA meeting is on all things Amazon. We will have a roundtable discussion to share the Amazonian experience, talk about which programs are worthwhile and which to skip, the value of Amazon reviews, the importance of the sales ranking, and anything else people want to talk about. Bring your questions and your experiences.

What: MIPA roundtable on Amazon

Who should come: New writers and publishers who want to learn about Amazon, and experienced writers and publishers who want to make sure they’re optimizing their listings and can share insights they’ve learned with others.

When: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Wednesday, September 9

Where: Lower level of the St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Avenue, St. Paul

Directions to the library:
From the east or west, take I-94 to Highway 280. Proceed north on 280 to the Como Avenue exit. Proceed north on the frontage road to Como Avenue. Turn right on Como Avenue and proceed to Carter Avenue (2nd traffic light). The library is on the southeast corner of Como and Carter Avenues.

From the north, take I-35W or Highway 36 to the Highway 280 exit. Go south on Highway 280 to the Como Avenue exit. Go east on Como Avenue to Carter Avenue. The library is on the southeast corner of Como and Carter Avenues.

Alternately, from the north, take Snelling Avenue south to Como Avenue. Turn west (right) on Como Avenue and follow Como to Carter Avenue. The library is on the southeast corner of Como and Carter Avenues.

Why: Love it or hate it, Amazon cannot be ignored.

Enter the Midwest Book Awards -- Open Now!

20th Annual Midwest Book Awards ~ CALL for ENTRIES

Presented by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA)

Publishers and authors are invited to enter the 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards competition for excellence in books published in 2009. The awards recognize creativity in content and execution, overall book quality, and the book’s unique contribution to its subject area.


ELIGIBILITY

All entries MUST carry a 2009 copyright and an ISBN.

New editions of previously published books are eligible. Reprints do not qualify.

Entries must be PUBLISHED within the 12-state region: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, & WI.

Deadline for receipt of books and entry fees is January 29, 2010. Absolutely no exceptions. Judges’ decisions are final.


AWARDS and BENEFITS

Three (3) finalists are selected in each category. From those, one (1) winner is chosen. Finalists and award-winning authors and publishers receive certificates and may purchase foil seals for use in their marketing efforts. Winners will also receive a bronze medallion and be featured in the MIPA catalog and MIPA News, on the MIPA website, and at MIPA displays throughout the year, including the Midwest Booksellers Association (MBA) trade show. Judges’ individual book evaluation sheets will be provided to the entrants after the awards are announced.


ENTRY FORMS can be downloaded from the MIPA website http://www.mipa.org/Awards.html


SUBJECT CATEGORIES – Publisher or author selects one or more categories in which to enter each book:

Arts (art, design, architecture, photography, coffee table books)

Biography/Memoir

Business (commerce, career, technology)

Child/Young Adult Fiction

Child/Young Adult Non-fiction

Children’s Picture Books

Commercial Fiction (genre-specific, e.g., mystery, sci fi, romance)

Cookbooks

Crafts/Hobbies/How-to

Culture (diversity, gender issues, aging)

General Fiction (non-genre specific, e.g., literary, story collections)

Health

Humor

Midwest Regional Interest

Nature

Poetry

History/Current Events

Recreation/Travel/Sports

Reference

Religion/Philosophy/Inspiration

Social Science (psychology, family, self-help)


DESIGN CATEGORIES

Illustration

Interior Layout

Cover: 1 or 2 Color

Cover: 3 or more Color

Visit www.mipa.org for up to date news, programming, and book award announcements.

Books for Rent

We all know about renting books from the local library (if you don't, run--don't walk--to the nearest public library and ask how you can support them). Here's a new take: renting ebooks. MIT Press now offers time-limited subscriptions for their ebooks without the subscribers having to purchase the entire book. Read the full article at Books on Rent!

Meet and Network with These Experts!

Check out some of the awesome speakers we have coming to the Publishing Matters conference on August 14-15. You can meet and network with them, too. Read full speaker bios at the MIPA web site and register today!

Cevin Bryerman, Publishers Weekly

Kassahun Checole, Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press, Inc., New Jersey

Marly Cornell, Artist, Writer, and Editor, Minnesota

Tamara Dever, TLC Graphics, Texas

Kathi Dunn, Dunn+Associates Design, Wisconsin

Corinne Dwyer, North Star Press of St. Cloud, Minnesota

Seal Dwyer, North Star Press of St. Cloud, Minnesota

Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing, Minnesota

Norman Goldfind, Basic Health Publications, Inc., California

Robert Goodman, Silvercat Publications, California

Greg Harren, Sentinel Printing, Minnesota

Ron (Hobie) Hobart, Dunn+Associates Design, Wisconsin

Florrie Binford Kichler, Patria Press, Indiana

Jeanne Kramer, National Book Network, New York

Maggie Lichtenberg, Open Heart Publishing, New Mexico

Dave Marx, PassPorter Travel Press, Michigan

Dorie McClelland, Spring Book Design, Minnesota

Steven Blake Mettee, Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, California

Dorothy Molstad, Book Architects, Minnesota

Pat Morris, President, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, Minnesota

Mitchell Muncy, Institute for American Values, New York

Debbie Orenstein, Literary Property Attorney, Minnesota

Patti Phillips, PhD, ROI Institute, Inc., Alabama

Joe Riley, Liturgical Press, Minnesota

Galen Schroeder, Dakota Indexing, North Dakota

Carlene Sippola, Whole Person Associates, Minnesota

Sybil Smith, Smith House Press, Minnesota

Dan Snow, Unlimited Publishing, LLC, California

Sam Speigel, Partners Book Distributing, Partners Publishing Group, Thunder Bay Press, Michigan

Erin Stark, TLC Graphics, Texas

Nancy Stewart, Ingram Book Company, Tennessee

Stephanie Stewart, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, Publishers, Ontario

Patricia A. Zurlo, Attorney, Zurlo Law Office, Minnesota

Early-bird registration deadline extended through July 31!

Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA, formerly PMA) invite you to participate in a unique and important professional conference.

PUBLISHING MATTERS

Friday and Saturday, August 14-15, 2009
Embassy Suites (airport location)
7901 34th Avenue South, Bloomington, Minnesota 55425
(Hotel rates and more conference details at www.mipa.org)

Publishing professionals and authors from all over the country are coming to the Twin Cities. We all want to make sense of the changes that technology and the economy have created in publishing, and to speculate on the future.

The conference begins on Friday afternoon with two 3-hour workshop tracks. The first, “Publishing Basics” is an overview of the publishing process and the options available. Track Two is aimed at the experienced publisher, with workshops on the psychology of design and legal issues facing writers and publishers.

Saturday starts with “Breakfast with the Experts” to provide one-on-one time with the conference faculty (experts on marketing, distribution, design, publishing economics and more). Daytime panels include: “Book Promotion in a Digital World—Social Media and Beyond,” “How to Partner Effectively with Distributors and Wholesalers,” “Tips for Tough (and all) Times,” and “The Future of Publishing: It’s Crystal Ball Time.” At the end of the day, are more opportunities for continued discussion, and to brainstorm solutions for marketing your book, business management issues, the feasibility of a new project, and cover design critique.

Extended Early-bird registration before August 1.

Please come—learn and share your ideas with other publishing professionals. To read more about the conference faculty, presenters and topics, or to register go to www.mipa.org or call MIPA at 651-917-0021.

Publishing Matters: Regional Pubishing University Aug 14-15 Minneapolis MN

MIPA will host this year’s Regional Publishing University, co-sponsored by IBPA, Independent Book Publishers Association, formerly PMA. Please join us on Friday, August 14, and Saturday, August 15, at Embassy Suites (airport location) for presentations, discussions, good food and camaraderie. IBPA board members, publishing professionals from all over the country, will be flying into the Twin Cities to join us in trying to make sense of all of the changes that technology and the economy have created in publishing, and speculate on the future (how popular will e-books get? What does Google Book Search mean to authors and publishers?). There’s no shortage of subjects to talk about!

The conference will begin on Friday afternoon with two tracks. The first, “Publishing Basics” will be an overview of the publishing process and the options available. Whether you’re hoping to be published by Simon and Schuster, or you’re planning to publish on your own, you should be as knowledgeable as possible about the publishing process. This 3-hour workshop is for you. Track Two is aimed at the experienced publisher, with workshops on the psychology of design and legal issues facing writers and publishers.

Saturday starts with Breakfast with the Experts, one-on-one time with the speakers, who can answer your questions on marketing, distribution, design, publishing economics and more. The rest of the day will include panels on Book Promotion in a Digital World—Social Media and Beyond, How to Partner Effectively with Distributors and Wholesalers, Tips for Tough (and all) Times; and The Future of Publishing: It’s Crystal Ball Time. At the end of the day, there will more opportunity for continued discussion, but also to brainstorm solutions for marketing your book, business management issues, the feasibility of a new project, and critique cover designs.

All conference attendees are invited to a reception Friday afternoon sponsored by IBPA.

We’ve kept the cost of this conference as low as possible: if you’re a MIPA member, an IBPA member or a member of another IBPA affiliate, the early-bird (by July 15) registration is only $50 to attend Friday afternoon ($60 for non-members); if you plan to attend only Saturday, the early-bird cost is $125 for members; $150 for non-members. To attend both Friday and Saturday, $150 for members; $175 for non-members. After July 15, add $25. Registration fees include Friday’s reception, Saturday’s lunch, snacks, “goody” bag, a chance at great door prizes, and the opportunity to meet many other publishing professionals, including our wonderful vendors.

WHO: YOU and publishing professionals from around the country (speaker bios are on our website)
WHAT: IBPA/MIPA Regional Publishing University
WHEN: August 14 – 15, 2009
WHERE: Embassy Suites, airport location
WHY: To learn, to ask, to discuss, to eat, to enjoy

For much more information, and to register, visit our website, or call Marly Cornell at 651-917-0021.

Publishing Matters: Regional Pubishing University Aug 14-15 Minneapolis MN

Everywhere we turn there are articles, stories, and presentations on the changing world of publishing. The Kindle, the digital revolution, people reading on their iPhones, Google Book Search — what does it all mean for publishers and writers? Despite all the new technology, print books are still what many people want to read. How can we produce the best books at the lowest cost? What's the best way to market those books using traditional techniques as well as today's technology?

Join experts at this year's Regional Publishing University, co-sponsored by IBPA, the Independent Book Publishing Association (formerly PMA), and Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA). Lively discussions and presentations will include IBPA board members from Publishers Weekly, Ingram, National Book Network (NBN) and others, as well as Midwest publishing industry leaders and entrepreneurs. There will also be plenty of opportunities for one-on-one discussions and brainstorming ideas for the future.

Be a part of this dialogue on publishing matters because, well, publishing matters!

Who should attend: publishers of all sizes, authors, writers who want to publish or be published, others in fields related to publishing

Where: Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, 7901 34th Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55425
MAP

When: August 14–15, 2009

Costs: Early registration deadline: July 6, $25 discount
Only Friday: $85, $75 (IBPA/MIPA/Other IBPA Affiliate)
Only Saturday: $175, $150; Friday and Saturday: $225, $175

SAVE THE DATE! Regional Publishing University

August 14-15, 2009 • Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota has been chosen to host this year’s Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA, formerly PMA) Regional Publishing University! The planning is underway for this event, which will be held at the Embassy Suites near the airport.

Check here or at http://www.mipa.org for the latest information.

Congratulations Midwest Book Award Winners

Winners are listed at MIPA.org from the 149 titles from 66 publishers in the 12 eligible states that were entered in the MIPA 19th Annual Midwest Book Awards competition for excellence in independent, academic, and non-profit publishing. More than 667 books were reviewed in 25 categories.

Winners were announced May 13, 2009, at the Minnesota Humanities Center with the help of special guests from Publishers Weekly, Matthew Hurley and Associate Publisher Cevin Bryerman, who is a board member of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).

Our special thanks to Publishers Weekly and IBPA for helping to sponsor the 19th Annual Midwest Book Awards again this year!

Entries for the 20th Annual Midwest Book Awards (for books published in 2009) will be accepted starting September 2009. A new form will be available at our website: http://www.mipa.org.

Bloomington Writers' Festival and Book Fair

sponsored by MIPA

Share information, techniques, skills and resources with budding and established writers with published authors and other experts in the field. Pre-registration required; space limited.

For registration and more information, visit:
http://www.bloomingtonartcenter.com/Pages/Writer's Festival.htm

E-books: is it time? MIPA Meeting notice for March 11, 2009

For immediate release
For additional information contact Dorothy Molstad
Dorothy@bookarchitects.net

E-books: is it time? Midwest Independent Publishing Association Meeting notice for March 11

E-books…they are in the news, from B&N buying Fictionwise; Amazon adding iPhone function; rumors that Hearst is building an e-reader for newspapers and magazines; to the audio rights concern expressed by the Author’s Guild and Amazon backing off…it in the now topic for independent publishers.

Join us for our March Meeting, 7 pm, Wednesday, March 11, for a presentation by Don Leeper, the President of Bookmobile. He will discuss the evolution of e-books, give an overview of the making of an e-book, and talk about selling e-books, including the advantages and disadvantage to publishers.

Non-members of Midwest Independent Publishing Association (MIPA) are welcome to attend.

Meetings are held at
St. Anthony Park Library MAP
2245 Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108

www.mipa.org

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November 2008 MIPA Meeting Announcement

REMINDER: Wednesday night's MIPA meeting (November 12) will feature Sam Richter, former president of the James J. Hill Library, who will be talking about "Do you have what it takes to write and sell a book?"

MIPA members and friends,
Too many books are written without adequate research on the topic (or for fiction, details) and, often more important, without adequate research on how to reach your target audience (aka: marketing — please do not mention Oprah). In this digital age, there is a whole new world of marketing opportunities...but you still need to know who and how.

Sam Richter, author of Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling, Web Search Secrets for the Inside Info on Companies, Industries, and People, has over 20 years’ experience in advertising, public relation and ecommerce, and has helped many others in their technology, sales and marketing programs.

Join us at 7pm Wednesday night at the St. Anthony Park Library.

WHO: Sam Richter: "Do you have what it takes to write and sell a book?"
WHERE: St. Anthony Park Library When: 7:00pm, Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Where: Lower level of St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Avenue in St Paul

July Field Trip for MIPA

Michael Bushilla, owner of MGB Printing Services, respects the past while investing in the future. His 158-year-old barn now houses his printing business, including the latest Konica Minolta Biz Hub Pro, which can print and perfect bind a book in minutes. On July 17 at 7 pm, he will demonstrate the speed and quality of digital printing.

RSVPs are required.

News From Our Members, July 2008

Lutheran University Press (an imprint of Kirkhouse Publishers) won two bronze IPPY awards for And Grace Will Lead Me Home: Images of the Prodigal Son from the Jerry Evenrud Collection by Robert M. Brusic. One award is in the Fine Art category, the other is in Outstanding Books of the Year / Most Original Concept.

Saint Mary’s Press began operations of an internal POD (Print-on-Demand) center this past fall after months of study. According to John Vitek, president of Saint Mary’s Press, “We are putting in place a whole new way of thinking about and approaching inventory management.” He adds, “The technology has gotten to a point, both in terms of capabilities and economics, that it is a smart decision for a publisher of our size and with our product mix.”

The 2008 Bloomington Writers Festival was co-sponsored by MIPA and included a workshop called “Getting Published: What are My Options?” led by MIPA board members Corrine and Seal Dwyer (North Star Press), Sheyna Galyan (Yaldah Publishing), and Sybil Smith (Fins Publications/Smith House Press). The workshop was sold out and earned high marks in the evaluations. It was one of several that were taped to be shown throughout the year on Bloomington Cable.

FTL Publications, a multiple award-wining science fiction, fantasy, and mystery publishing house founded in 1993, obtained the only license ever issued in the U.S., and the only current license in the world, to create original novels based on the “Thunderbirds” TV series (1965-66). Joan Marie Verba, FTL's publisher, announced that the first book, which she will write herself, will cover the origins of International Rescue, and will feature “plenty of action and adventure, as well as rescues, rescues, and more rescues.” Publication is slated for June 2008, with a cover by one of the classic Thunderbirds artists.

February 2008 MIPA Meeting: The Pre-Press Process

By Connie Anderson, Words and Deeds, Inc.

At the February 2008 MIPA meeting, Phil Freshman, freelance editor since 1999, talked about timing when a manuscript should be to an editor: 9-12 months in advance of deadline. He works primarily with art-related institutions on their books and art catalogs. He likes to see almost everything is done before he receives the content so he can check accuracy of all elements.

Dorie McClelland, Spring Book Design, has designed over 150 books. She spoke on book design and the importance of the overall concept to the design as well as the typography and formatting. She said no book should be designed in Word but in InDesign or Quark. She suggested that many designers have book publishers they work with and can recommend as the relationship between designer and printer is an important one.

Linda Strommer, StrommerGroup, spoke on providing the “buzz” for books. She said ideally the planning of marketing and publicity for a book should start a year in advance of publication. Start thinking about your market and where you can sell it. “Buzz” about a book is word of mouth—hand-selling.

Her handout listed the top ten things to do for your book:

1. Website
2. Media kit
3. Press release
4. Reviews
5. Newsletters/ezines
6. Articles
7. Be an expert/resource
8. Book awards
9. Start your next book

Dan Breyak of Catalyst Graphics talked about what printers want, need and expect. His handout of ten points covered both the technical and quality of what you send. Printers today want to see a PDF—and only the final version. The author needs to hire “experts” before so it is correct and approved before getting to the printer. If all is “perfect,” from PDF arrival to printed book could be 2-3 weeks delivery time.

A Q&A session followed that included:

1. Picking paper quality (price is based on weight)
2. What do different kinds of editing mean: developmental editors will rewrite, reshape; copy/line editing is finding simple mistakes.
3. Indexing—attendee Sue Nelson spoke on indexing and timing.
4. Cover design—Dorie said it pays to have a professional cover designer and that the cover design should be part of the whole design of the book.
5. What does it mean to take your book national? Trying to get reviews in NY Times, Kirkus, etc. They are not interested in self-published books. You have to develop your own theme and market.
6. How to pick the typeface(s) for your book. Dorie showed samples and says she thinks about it a lot so the type matches the book’s content/feel.
7. Setting the price for a book with a lot of 4-color photographs

March 2008 MIPA Meeting: It's Easy Bein' Green

By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

The March MIPA meeting focused on green publishing and ways we can turn an otherwise tree-hostile industry into one that can help save the planet.

“Green is the topic of the day. Green is gold. It is the new black,” said Kristin, one of the stars of Blueprint for Green, a weekly television show following her and her husband as they build an upscale, contemporary, green home.

Right now books about green technology are all the rage, from new building to remodeling using sustainable materials and methods. More than a topic for books that sell, going green is something publishers can do with just a little effort.

Want to go green? Try these ideas:

• Recycle ink cartridges
• Recycle paper and cardboard
• Print only what you'll sell (books)
• Use email over snail mail letters
• Use PDF instead of hard copies
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient ones
• Turn computer monitor/lights off at night; use power strips for appliances and equipment that are “instant on”
• Plant trees
• Work from home (use less gas, decrease oil consumption)

Green businesses are also showing up to help publishers. The Green Press Initiative (http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/) aims “to help those in the book and newspaper industries better understand their impacts on endangered forests, indigenous communities, and the Earth's climate.”

An estimated 20-30 million trees are cut down annually for book production. With the help of the GPI, “Over 160 publishers, representing about 40% of the book industry’s market share, have either developed strong environmental policies or signed the industry-generated treatise on responsible paper use. The treatise has also been endorsed by more than a dozen book printers and paper mills.”

You can let your readers know that you’re going green, too, and Eco-Libris is happy to help. Their program (http://www.ecolibris.net/) allows you to plant a tree for every book you print (you pay $1 per tree; they take care of the tree-planting). In addition, you get a book cover sticker for each paid tree, announcing “One tree planted for this book.”

By using paper or a printer certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (http://www.fscus.org/), you can apply to use the FSC logo on your printed products without having to pay by the book.

If all this talk about going green has you seeing red, you can blame Harry Potter. “[J.K.] Rowling is credited with encouraging 16 of her publishers to print her books on environmental papers, spawning a trend that has seen an additional 300 publishers, including HarperCollins UK and Random House US, adopt green paper policies.” (Source: Markets Initiative)

For more on green publishing, please visit:http://www.pma-online.org/articles/shownews.aspx?id=2586

Marketing a Book from Birth and Beyond

By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

When does a publisher start marketing a book? “The moment I say yes to a book,” answers Brett Waldman of TRISTAN Publishing at the April MIPA meeting. “It has to fit our mission and our vision,” he says, “I have to adore the book, I have to believe I can sell it, and I have to believe it will touch others.”

He asks of each book, what makes it special and stand out? What can we do that is unusual?

One method is called stacking, where a book is seen multiple times by potential buyers. Getting a book out there through postcards, catalogs, email, Advance Access programs through Midwest Booksellers Association and American Booksellers Association, bookstore events, and contact before and during major events such as Book Expo America (BEA).

“What we all have to realize is that booksellers are being inundated with this stuff,” adds Ian Leask of Scarletta Press. “You have to find something fresh, something new.”

Before acquisition, Leask looks at a book and asks who is the audience? “It needs to fire you up in the beginning. Your consciousness, your instincts really need to be lined up.”

Smaller publishers understandably have smaller marketing budgets while larger publishers have larger budgets. Catalogs are better to leave out at book fairs than actual books and bookstores are not reading galleys unless they request them.

“I have a budget for galleys,” says Waldman. “Nothing sells the book like the book. It’s about being hungry, creative and tenacious. The goal of the hunger is to get publicity. It’s not free. But it’s much less than the cost of advertising, and is usually in the form of an endorsement.”

Booksellers live fast-paced, busy lives. Too busy to remember your book, so don’t expect them to do so. It’s important to contact and remind them about your book, especially if it sold well.
Waldman adds, “Being in Barnes & Noble is not ‘making it.’ You only want to be in the big box bookstores if you have a lot of momentum, because otherwise you’ll get [the books] back in returns in 90 days.”

Internet promotion is certainly a factor. Says Leask, “We have one full-time employee who, all he does is get bloggers to review our books.”

Dorothy Molstad of Molstad Marketing suggested Midwest Connections, a program through the Midwest Booksellers Association. Books must have some Midwest connection, be it setting, author, or publisher. Distribution is required and publishers must have at least 50 advance reading copies (ARCs) or published books to send to member stores. In return, the book can get high visibility in member bookstores.

Remember the independent seller, Molstad encourages. What can the author do for them? Don’t just come in with a book; come in with a program. Everyone comes in with a book. What can you do to make their job easier?

In response to a question about marketing fiction differently from non-fiction, Leask smiles. “I start thinking about marketing before acquisition. Who is going to buy it? Fiction is very difficult in this economy. You can’t be romantic about the novel; you have to be hardnosed.

“That said, the novel is the highest form of art. There is nothing like a novel; it’s the best thing in the world. Publish a novel and you’re doing something wonderful for the world.”

Provided you can sell it.

Book Marketing for Introverts

Are you organized, professional, creative, patient, disciplined, open-minded, experimental (vs. efficient), focused on customer service, invested in building a foundation, and do you look for win-win solutions? Great! You’re a natural for electronic marketing.

Your electronic marketing starts before your book is published. Write down what you want to do and how you can best do it, similar to a larger, more inclusive marketing plan. Use timelines and tickle files, share with your authors, and always be willing to tweak it as needed.

Start with email. While less personal than a telephone call, it has its advantages, especially for those of us who get tongue-tied when under pressure. Take advantage of auto-responders and signatures to promote your newest book, and be aware that plain text is ultimately the best format for email marketing.

You have a website, yes? Of course you do. That’s another pillar of e-marketing. Always remember that search engines and surfers alike want fresh, new content, easy navigation, and something of value. Remember who your audience is: readers? Resellers? Media? Have a place for each and make sure it’s clearly marked.

Key elements of a website include:

• News / Buzz
• About / contact info / feedback
• Products
• Online store (if appropriate)
• Terms (if you sell directly)
• Media kit (all PDF/JPEG)
• Link to blog

Remember that less is more when it comes to websites, and don’t do what is hurtful unto others. If bright blinking graphics hurt your eyes, don’t make your visitors endure them too.

Get a blog. Under most circumstances, you need a blog for every book. Every. Book. Allow comments and responses. This is how your readership will interact with you, the human element. Update it at least once a week. Use and read your statistics. Do not let it go stale or you will lose readers. I speak from experience, thus birthing the mantra, “Feed the blog!”

Market your blog through aggregators, feeds, and by commenting on other, related blogs. Write real comments, which does mean you have to read the other blogs. SPAM comments are noticeable and detested. Network with like-minded bloggers. Maybe they’ll host your next virtual book tour.

Experiment with newer technology such as podcasting, videocasting, book trailers on YouTube. Embrace the whimsical and unusual—that’s what will get you and your book noticed.

The Internet is a tool you can harness and use. Make it work for you with Google alerts, social networking sites, discussion groups, chat rooms, online news releases, online book reviews, e-zines, book clubs, Internet radio, and a source for culling potential contacts.

Remember tactile marketing pieces, too, such as business cards, note pads, post cards, t-shirts, stickers and giveaways. Let your voicemail work for you, screening calls while you work. You can take your time to think of a response instead of feeling pressured.

Finally, remember that in this new era of publishing, sales are not the only bottom line. What are your goals and what can you do to meet them?

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This is the third in the "What I Learned at PMA-U/BEA" series by Sheyna Galyan of Yaldah Publishing.

Amazon Adventures: From Policy to Politics

By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

With the digital printing revolution, it was only a matter of time before someone declared war. This time the first move goes to Amazon.com and their subsidiary POD printer/publisher, BookSurge.

Amazon set new policy requiring that all publishers who have their books printed digitally must now use BookSurge to print their books or risk losing their “Buy” button on Amazon.com. Anyone not wishing to print through BookSurge could still use Amazon Marketplace or a third-party vendor, but would no longer be stocked by Amazon.

“Over the last year, BookSurge has been trying to cut into the market share of POD leader Lightning Source and is using the selling clout of Amazon to generate more business,” claimed Publishers Weekly on March 28, 2008.

Three days later, PW reported a response from Ingram, parent of BookSurge rival Lightning Source. “We all live in a world where decisions are made about insourcing and outsourcing, and free choice is important,” stated John Ingram, opposing Amazon’s policy that reduces POD choices to one.

IBPA—the Independent Book Publishers Association released a statement that read, in part:

“‘This policy imposes a significant financial burden on tens of thousands of small and independent publishers who can least afford it,’ points out Executive Director Terry Nathan. ‘Without the opportunity to benefit from competitive pricing, small publishers risk, at best, an expensive and needless overhaul of their manufacturing process, and at worst, the loss of their livelihood.

“On behalf of all the small and independent publishers whose businesses are in jeopardy, we urge Amazon to reconsider its position,” continues Nathan. “Over the years, Jeff Bezos and his company have given small and independent publishers a level playing field to compete with the largest of companies. Suddenly, this magnificent playing field has been converted into a ‘members only’ club, to the detriment of those very publishers who have contributed to Amazon’s success.’”

SPAN, the Small Publishers Association of North America, also spoke out in a three-page letter. You can read the full text at: www.spannet.org/Amazon-POD.htm.

Information, including links to news reports and original sources can be found at Writers Weekly. Visit http://www.writersweekly.com/amazon.php for more.

2007 Midwest Book Award Winners

The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) 18th Annual Midwest Book Awards attracted an unprecedented 167 nominations from 78 publishers from the twelve Midwestern states in our region.

The winners in each of the 25 categories were announced May 14 at the Midwest Book Awards Ceremony at the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the help of our special guests, Matthew Hurley, from Publishers Weekly and Florrie Binford Kichler, president of IBPA The Independent Book Publishers Association (formerly PMA).

A full list of the winners is available on the MIPA website at www.mipa.org.

I Really Am A Publisher!

The most important thing I learned from last summer’s PMA University wasn’t listed in the program, taught in a seminar, or available in the handouts. At the same time, it was priceless.

What I learned is that I know more than I thought I knew. I learned that, despite my fears and reservations, I’m going about this whole publishing thing the right way. Or at least the way that’s right for me and my goals. I learned that I’m not alone in my doubts or mistakes. I learned that I really am a publisher.

Like many publishers starting out (I learned), I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was doing it all wrong, that every other publisher would take one look at my work and see me as a neophyte, or worse, a fraud. I thought that when I showed up at PMA-U, everyone else would know so much more than I did.

Imagine my shock when I learned that not only was I doing what many other small publishers are doing, I had a few things I could teach as well.

Since I’ve been back from PMA-U, I’ve met a number of other publishers who feel the same way I did when I arrived in New York, and as a result of my change in perspective, I hope you will find the following Top Thirteen Ways to Know You Really Are A Publisher helpful.

13. You’ve done your homework on setting up your company, from ISBNs to distribution.

12. You have short-term and long-term goals for your company and you work toward meeting them.

11. You care passionately about your books, your authors, your reputation, your image, and your relationships with readers, booksellers, and other industry professionals.

10. You understand the difference between amateurs and professionals, such as the difference between a professional editor and a friend who can proofread.

9. You understand that all the marketing expertise in the world boils down to one thing: convince a potential reader to buy your book.

8. You know deep down in the core of your being that #9 is the hardest part of publishing, and as a result, you learn to become a marketing expert for your titles.

7. Even a promotional tabletop sign at a restaurant inspires marketing ideas.

6. When in a bookstore, you look at the publisher information and copyright page of a book before you read what it’s about.

5. When a friend recommends a book, you wonder what went into that book’s marketing plan and distribution.

4. While the rest of the world complains about rising book retail prices, you’re thinking about unit costs, discount schedules, and cost-effective print runs.

3. Friends are either excited or nervous about telling you that they’re writing a book.

2. You know the best way to pack and secure a 23 lb. box of books.

1. At the end of the day, beyond sales figures and expense projections, publishing makes you happy.

Disclaimer: being a happy publisher and being a successful publisher are not necessarily the same thing. But you knew that too.

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This is the second in the "What I Learned at PMA-U/BEA" series by Sheyna Galyan of Yaldah Publishing. Stay tuned for future entries in this series, which will run through spring 2008.

MIPA Upcoming Events

February 1: DEADLINE for submitting books in the 18th Annual Midwest Book Awards. Entry forms are available on MIPA's website, www.mipa.org.

February 2: RED HOT INTERNET MARKETING On Saturday, February 2, marketing pro Penny Sansevieri will lead two workshops at the Bloomington Art Center (98th St. and Logan Avenue). The morning workshop will be "Using the Internet to Your Advantage," while the afternoon workshop, "Working with the Media" will explain why traditional marketing no longer works. Each session is $90, or you can register for both for $150, which includes lunch. All sessions include a copy of Penny's latest book, Red Hot Internet Marketing.

Penny will also be available for 15-minute personal consultations to help with ideas on marketing your specific book or to evaluate your website. More details and registration will be available next week at www.BloomingtonArtCenter.com.

Penny, who is based in California and New York, owns Author Marketing Experts (www.amarketingexpert.com). Check out her website, sign up for her newsletter, then come hear this dynamic speaker on February 2.

April 5: Bloomington Writers' Festival The Bloomington Art Center will again be the venue for the 5th Annual Bloomington Writers' Festival and Book Fair, sponsored by the Bloomington Literary Council and MIPA. The keynote speaker is novelist Faith Sullivan.

You can register now for the many workshops. For more details and to register, go to www.BloomingtonArtCenter.com.

Join us for any or all of these events. If you have any questions email me at parmorris [at] comcast [dot] net.

Pat Morris, President
Midwest Independent Publishers Association

January 2008 MIPA Meeting: Moving Your Books Out The Door

Happy New Year!

Someone on BookTV once said that the only people getting rich in publishing are FedEx and UPS. It is true that packaging and shipping costs can take a major bite out of your bottom line.
Sybil Smith, a publisher for 27 years, will lead a panel discussion about the best and most cost-effective ways to get your books out the door, including:

• Cost comparisons of shipping rates for FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL and others you've probably never heard of;
• International shipping options;
• Internet postage vs. postage meters;
• Sources of shipping bags, boxes, and stuffing materials;
• Easy address labels ‹ forget the label machine;
• Merchant card options ‹ what's best for you? Bank merchant cards, PayPal, ProPay?
• Federal Trade Commission laws governing cash-with-order mail order operations.

If you're new to publishing, consider this Shipping and Handling 101 ‹ it may not sound too interesting but you'll find it's very important; if you're an experienced publisher, see if you're using the most cost-effective methods and share your ideas.

What: "Moving your books out the door"
When: Wednesday, January 9, 7:00 PM
Where: St. Anthony Park Library (lower level)
2245 Como Avenue, Saint Paul

Twin Cities Now 2/3 of Top Three American Literate Cities

Minneapolis bumped Seattle out of its #1 position in 2007 in the study recently released about America's most literate cities. And in a surprising but not unexpected move, St. Paul has taken the #3 spot, putting both of the Twin Cities in the top three "Most Literate Cities in America" according to a Connecticut university study.

To read more about how this happened and what it means for the book industry, please read the entire article "Minneapolis out-reads Seattle; St. Paul hot on their heels."

More information can be found at the "America's Most Literate Cities" site.

November 2007 MIPA Meeting: Marketing for Introverts

Marketing for Introverts (aka The Future of Book Marketing).

Some people are born marketers, but what about those of us who aren't born to sell, who hate cold-calling, and are even uncomfortable making phone calls?

Luckily for us, the Internet holds the future of book marketing and is one of the greatest tools small publishers and authors can use to compete with big publishers and their much bigger marketing budgets.

Sheyna Galyan of Yaldah Publishing (and MIPA's newsletter/blog editor) attended PMA (Publishers Marketing Association) University last summer and spent the better part of a week intensely learning about online marketing. Come to our November meeting and she will show you how the Internet has changed publishing forever and is the author's and publisher's best friend.

There will also be a demonstration of what to look for when your book gets to the printing stage. Seal and Corinne Dwyer (North Star Press) will "show and tell" what to look for at the printer.

What: MIPA meeting

When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007; 6:30 pm social time; 7:00 pm meeting.

Where: We meet in the lower level of the St. Anthony Park Library in St. Paul.

MIPA Welcomes Your Comments

All of the MIPA blog posts to date now have comments enabled on them, and future posts will also allow you to leave your questions, comments, thoughts, experiences, etc.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to dialog with us on the book publishing industry and ask only that comments are professional and respectful.

If you'd prefer to contact us privately without leaving a comment, you can also email us at mipa.blog@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Printing Solutions: What's Right for Your Book?

by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

Publishers will tell you that the most expensive part of publishing a book is printing it. Reducing costs, maximizing profits and royalties, even determining retail price and how much (or how little) a wholesale discount to offer all depends on the cost of printing.

There are, however, a mind-numbing plethora of printing options available, and at the October MIPA meeting, we attempted to clear up the confusion just a bit.

At its most basic level, there are two types of printing: offset and digital (sometimes referred to as on-demand printing). Offset printing involves creating plates and using the plates to press ink to paper. Digital printing involves something like a high-end laser printer. For black and white book interiors and to the average reader, there is no discernible difference between the two.

For publishers there is a big difference. Offset printing requires that you print a large(ish) number of copies for your first print run, which can run several thousand dollars up front. Digital printing can print much smaller quantities, requiring less cost up front but a higher unit cost, which can undermine your profits if the book sells well.

According to Davis Scott of McNaughton & Gunn, a Michigan-based book printer, the break even point between digital and offset is around 500 copies or so. In other words, if you're not sure you'll sell more than 500 copies, digital will eliminate a lot of the risk. If you know you'll sell more, especially if you know you'll sell much more (based on more than just a gut feeling or new-author optimism), it's worth looking into offset printing.

Within the offset world, you can print domestically or offshore. Domestic printing is almost always more cost-effective for black and white interiors, but full-color interiors can cost 30-40% less overseas.

Leonard Flachman of Kirkhouse Publishing has been satisfied with Regal Printing in Hong Kong, stating that the process was relatively easy and painless. He added that before you submit your book, they will ship a sample to your specs so you can see how it will look and feel. Economically, however, he recommends printing no fewer than 1500 copies.

All good book printers, offset or digital, are happy to send you a sample of their work upon request. It's a good idea to request a sample of the size and binding for your book so you can compare like products. Similarly, you can request quotes for several different quantities so that you can see what sort of investment and savings are involved at different levels.

Many very small publishers (also sometimes referred to as micropresses), new publishers and self-publishers aren't prepared to invest several thousand dollars into a print run for a single title, knowing that it could be months to years - if ever - before the investment turns into profit. For these folks, as well as for market testing, unproven authors and similar low-risk needs, digital printing may be the answer. Even here, the choices are staggering.

Several samples of digitally printed books were distributed and examined during the meeting, including books from Lightning Source Inc. (LSI), G&H Soho Inc., BookMasters, Lulu, and the printed-while-we-watched books produced by the Konica Minolta printer (shown below).



There were some key points to note when comparing book construction and quality, and author/publisher Sheyna Galyan had Lulu print one copy of her book to compare to a copy of the same book from LSI. Of note were the following:

• The LSI copy cost about $5.50 to print and ship; the Lulu copy cost over $15. For a book that retails at $15.95, Lulu would make any sort of profit unrealistic and wholesale discounts impossible.


• The Lulu cover was significantly more washed-out and dull compared to the LSI cover.


• The Lulu cover was not cut exactly to the book block, creating a small margin where the pages were visible under the closed cover.


• There was extra glue that seeped past the spine on the Lulu copy, creating a ridge.


• Part of the spine edge was gouged during the cover folding process on the Lulu copy.


• The book text was off-center on the Lulu copy, despite the Lulu and LSI copies being produced from the exact same PDF.

Other things we talked about regarding book construction included whether or not you could open a book completely without breaking the spine, if the cover sits flat when the book is laying face-up, too much/not enough glue, paper quality, pixelation of text (though this can be due to a problem with the uploaded file - more on that in a future article), and how much emphasis the printer places on customer service should you not be satisfied with your book.

Several local book printers were in attendance at the meeting, including Sentinel Printing and Sunray Printing, both of St. Cloud, MN.

If you have a favorite book printer for offset (domestic or overseas) or digital printing, please send the company name and website URL, along with a sentence or two about your experience with them, to us at mipa.blog@gmail.com. We are working on a recommended printer list for our members.

Not a member yet? Visit http://www.mipa.org/ to find out more!

MIPA Field Trip: Konica Minolta Book Printing

by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

MIPA's October meeting involved a field trip to the Konica Minolta office in Edina, where the packed room was able to watch as several books were printed and bound on the BizHub Pro 1050. Below is a video of the binding process for one book printed that evening. (Covers were printed and trimmed separately and prior to interior printing and book binding.)

How to Write a Book... and Get It Published

by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

On September 25, 2007, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Minnesota Historical Society Press co-sponsored a panel discussion called How to Write a Book... and Get It Published.

Naturally, MIPA was present, though we weren't presenting. (We may be holding a Publishing 101 panel on different ways to get published early next year. Stay tuned for details.)

The four panelists represented four different ways of getting published. Peg Meier self-published her books, including Bring Warm Clothes, published 25 years ago and still selling well. "Publishing is a risky business," Meier says. "I do it for the satisfaction."

Larry Millett writes both fiction and non-fiction. His fiction is a series of mysteries about what it would have been like if Sherlock Holmes had been in Minnesota. He was published "traditionally" by Viking/Penguin.

William Swanson, senior editor at Mpls St. Paul Magazine, had a true crime book published by Borealis Books, an imprint of the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Greg Britton is director of the Minnesota Historical Society Press and created the Borealis Books imprint to publish books that were outside the scope of the Historical Society Press.

The most important information that came out of the panel was that different methods of getting published fit different types of books and authors. No author pursued publication for the money; as Swanson stated, "Satisfaction comes in other areas, if at all." Britton added that on a $20 hardcover, authors might see a $1 per book royalty at most. And the vast majority of books sell fewer than 50,000 copies over their lives in print.

The entire panel agreed that self-published books can be successful if you do it right, which includes having your book professionally edited, designed, and making sure you get it into distribution channels. Good subsidy presses were also considered acceptable, though going with the large vanity presses was discouraged due to the lack of professional editing and design.

One question from the audience asked about reviewers not being willing to review self-published or subsidy-published books. The panel agreed that while reviewers may eschew books by large vanity presses such as iUniverse, Author House, and the like, they will review self-published books that look professional.

The bad news, however, is that "reviews don't sell books anymore," according to Britton. Due to cutbacks, reviews sections are a fraction of what they used to be.

What does sell books? Feature articles in local presses on how the author wrote the book. And word of mouth. Always word of mouth.

October 2007 MIPA Meeting: Field Trip!

MIPA's October meeting will be a field trip to learn up close how new technology can produce a book, maybe your book, in minutes. We will meet in Konica Minolta's Edina showroom to see the Bizhub PRO 1050e produce several books while we learn about the machine's capabilities and discuss the technological future of publishing.

The Bizhub PRO 1050e prints up to 105 pages per minute, can handle custom paper and registration adjustments, then will perfect bind up to 600 pages.

What about quality? What about cost? When is offset printing the better choice? What about offshore printing? What else is on the publishing horizon?

We will discuss the wide range of printing options surrounding publishers today and will have representatives of large and small printing companies available to answer questions, including Davis Scott from McNaughton and Gunn, a Michigan book manufacturer that produces over 6,000 titles a year and smaller local companies where "everybody knows your name."

Visitors are always welcome at MIPA monthly meetings.

Ready, Set, Pitch!

by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing

Has the following ever happened to you?

Perfect Stranger: So what do you do?
You: I'm an author and publisher.
PS: You've written a book? Cool! What's it about?
You: Uh...

Maybe I'm the only one who's had a brain fade in this sort of situation, but with some tips on how to deal with this situation using the so-called "elevator pitch" this can be a thing of the past.

Nick Pease, a speech writer and writing teacher at the U of MN, gave MIPA the following tips at the September MIPA meeting.

The origin of the "elevator pitch" came from Hollywood. It used to be that the only chance script writers often had to catch the attention of Hollywood producers was to jump on the elevator with a producer and pitch their script in the time it took for the elevator to go from the ground floor to the penthouse, or about 30-40 seconds. That became the "elevator pitch" (EP) and is one of the most useful tools you have as an author or publisher.

The EP is a 30-second summary (about 50 words or less) of your book designed to capture the listener's interest and invite them to ask for more, or even better, how to buy it. It can be an introduction to a longer piece, such as part of your bio on TV, radio, or other speaking engagements. It can be used for reporters, reviewers, bookstores, book fairs, cold calls to publishers, networking, even email signature lines.

Creating an Elevator Pitch

Now that you know why it's important, the real question is how do you create one? According to Pease, there are four steps:

1. Write it down
2. Recite and rehearse it
3. Memorize it
4. Be ready with follow-up material

Okay. But write what down? What are the parts of an EP? Is it just a summary of the book? No, says Pease. There's more to it than just a summary. There are five required parts to an EP:

1. Who you are
2. Your credentials (why you're qualified to write this book)
3. What's the product? (book, script, article, etc.)
4. How is it unique? / Why did you write it?
5. What is the readership / market?

Pease gave an example: "My name is [...]. I am a [your job or credentials]. My book is [title]. It presents [topic] and unlike others it [unique point]. This book is for [specific audience].

Other tips Pease gave included:

• Name-dropping is potent but too long for an EP
• Don't use hype; it will stick out (no "heartbreaking tales of staggering originality")
• Focus on informing and motivating your listener
• Break it down to the bare bones; time your EP to keep it under 30 seconds

Pitching Fiction

Non-fiction lends itself well to an EP because it's information on a particular topic. But what about fiction?

A 50-word maximum summary of a novel is often required for catalogs, news releases, and other marketing materials. Describe the essential features and maybe one major detail. Use active verbs. Make it intriguing. Look at short summaries that entice you and try to emulate them. Don't be afraid to rewrite it.

What Credentials?

Many authors have resisted the credentials part of the EP because they believe they don't have any. Nonsense, says Pease. Look at your background, he says. You've written a book. You did research (even for fiction). Perhaps you're already a published author. Nothing says credibility, according to Pease, more than having a published book. What's in your employment history? Your life history? You couldn't have written your book without having or developing some credentials, so take advantage of that, build your confidence, and the next time someone asks what you do or what your book is about, you'll be ready.

September 2007 MIPA Meeting

Can you explain what your book is about in 30 seconds?

That’s often all the time you have to interest an agent, a publisher, a bookseller, your cousin or a potential customer in what has taken you months, if not years, to create. The “elevator” speech, as it’s called, is probably the single most important marketing tool you have, and certainly the one you will use the most.

Learn how to create an effective elevator speech and other speaking techniques to promote your book. Nick Pease of Pease Prose Services, a writing/editing firm that produces textbooks, business documents and, of course, speeches, also teaches writing and humanities at the University of Minnesota and other area colleges.

Nick has written over 500 speeches for elected officials and university administrators, CEOs and many others, including speeches for Mario Cuomo, David Dinkins, Sharon Sayles Belton, Mark Yudof… and Nick Pease.

Whether you’re a publisher who wants to promote your company or your latest book, a published author who wants to create a buzz for your book, or a writer still in the middle of research, learn how to answer the questions, “What do you do?” or “What is your book about?”

Come to our September MIPA meeting on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at St. Anthony Park Library, social networking at 6:30pm, speaker at 7:00pm. We'd love to see you there!