February 2008 Southwest Signature

In this edition:

President’s Column / Bill Fessler, Primer Publishers
February Program: Internet Marketing: Red Hot Web 2.0 Tricks to Sell More Books!
Arizona Book Awards deadline is February 29, 2008 / Jessica Tribble
2008 Publishing University: ABPA Members Can Register at a Discount
Karen Gray wins Scholarship to Publishing University
Marketing Committee presents “Solid Strategies for Parents and Teachers of Smart Kids”
Long-time ABPA friend Penny Callmeyer returns to the Valley (see special note)
ABPA New Members
Member News
Conferences for Writers and Publishers

President’s Column

Bill Fessler, Primer Publishers

Who is Bill Fessler and how exactly did I become president of the Arizona Book Publishing Association?

To begin with, I operate Primer Publishers, and I publish awesome books about Arizona, as well as California, Colorado, and the entire Southwest. Primer has approximately 100 titles, many of which belong in one of two successful series. The books come in saddle stitch, perfect binding, and hardcover; I even use print on demand for some of my titles. I have attempted eBooks, but feel like I’m not really a player in that arena (yet).

My books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor, along with thousands of other stores and outlets. I’ve handled bulk sales, sales to the gift market, catalogs sales, and sales to college bookstores. I have fought against bigger discounts, over who pays for shipping, and tried to prevent returns. I have a vague understanding of the terms printers use, but have to ask them lots of “simple” questions over and over again. I rely on my designer for ideas. Some of my books sell year in and year out, while others had that one hot season and then were done. I have been involved in the publishing business for almost 25 years, and have probably held every job title conceivable in the industry. I am awful at meeting deadlines. Publishing is my primary source of income, although I have worked other jobs along the way to produce extra cash. In other words, I think I can relate to the rest of ABPA’s membership in one way or another.

Our immediate past president, Sam Henrie, approached me a few months ago about taking over as president. He was already serving an extended second term, and the success of his business (Wheatmark, bookpublishing.com) was growing so fast that his commitment to ABPA couldn’t be sustained for a third year. We experienced some challenges during his tenure – you and I cannot thank him enough for his leadership and guidance. Now it’s my turn to try and grow this organization. Are you ready to join me on the journey?

We have a commitment from key people, including committee chair Jessica Tribble, to run the Arizona Book Awards this spring. They are the same team who ran it last year, so we have some institutional knowledge of what works (and what doesn’t). I have a specific person in mind to run the annual conference, and, assuming she does, we’ll have another very-capable person in charge of an important feature of our organization. Our monthly meetings will come together nicely, but that has never been a problem. And I hope to bring in an out-of-town/big-name speaker for a meeting this year-–to attract a large audience and create momentum.

I want the organization to be better organized and even stronger than it’s been in the last few years. That means finding committee chairpeople who will commit to their position for a decent amount of time.

Financially, we’ll look more to the vendors and urge them to partake in more sponsorship opportunities. I’m hoping to get new publishers involved in the organization, while my main focus will be on retaining the experienced members.

I also hope to increase our organization’s exposure. If we don’t get someone from within the organization to step forward and perform PR on a monthly basis, I’m going to hire an intern to do it. It is ridiculous that we do a lot of great things and have a lot of great meeting topics, and yet everyone who joins us seems to find out about ABPA by accident. No more.

The last thing I’m doing is posting my resignation date (May 1, 2010) on the website/in the newsletter/announce it at the monthly meetings. I want everyone to know that they are going to get two solid years from me as president, and I hope they feel inspired to give two solid years to the organization as well. After that, someone else will lead the group and be in charge of inspiring the troops. I want to be known as someone who tried to make a difference.

That’s who I am and why I became president of ABPA.

Bill “827 days and counting” Fessler
Primer Publishers

Internet Marketing: Red Hot Web 2.0 Tricks to Sell More Books!

February 28, 2008

Featured Guest Speaker: Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Please note our NEW meeting location! Marie Callender’s Restaurant and Bakery
4573 E. Cactus Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Phone: (602) 996-0622
For the the exact location, visit http://www.Mapquest.com

Program (includes dinner) 5:30 p.m.— 8:00 p.m.
Early Registration (by Feb. 22): $25 members $35 non-members
Late Registration: $35 members $45 non-members
Advance payment is required for registration; no refunds after the early registration deadline.

Internet Marketing: Red Hot Web 2.0 Tricks to Sell More Books!

You’ve heard the term “Web 2.0” but can it really help you sell more books? You bet it can, and this class will show you how. Packed with tons of information and super simple things anyone can to do get themselves into the Web 2.0 marketing world, you’ll walk away with fun ideas, simple tricks, and tons of helpful advice.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Creating “feeder” sites that feed traffic into your web site!
Using book videos to sell more books
Using Wikipedia to market yourself
Why linking to other web sites is a bad idea
How to get more web site traffic right away!
Got blog? The one thing you should NEVER do with your blog!

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller, which has been called the “road map to publishing success.” AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, ezines, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book’s topic, positioning the author in his or her market. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: subscribe@amarketingexpert.com Copyright 2007 Penny C. Sansevieri

Voice of Experience: Jeff Duntemann, “Ebooks: War on Four Fronts”

At 5:45, Jeff Duntemann will focus on the challenges of current ebook technology and discuss where electronic book publishing is headed.

If you’re not sure what to do about ebooks, you’re not alone. There are four highly contentious issues that are keeping ebook publishing from hitting the mainstream, and even enthusiasts are having trouble keeping it all straight. The four issues are:

The hardware reader devices;
The file formats supported by those readers;
Digital rights management (DRM) systems; and
Distribution mechanisms for the ebook files themselves.

As good as it is, Amazon’s new Kindle is not necessarily the last word in ebook retailing. What we may eventually have is not one ebook publishing industry but several, split along the fault lines represented by the four issues listed above.

Jeff will show the device on which he reads ebooks as well as other examples.

Jeff Duntemann is a writer, editor, lecturer, and publishing industry analyst. In his thirty-plus years in the technology industry he has been a computer programmer and systems analyst for Xerox Corporation, a technical journal editor for Ziff-Davis Publications, and Editorial Director for Coriolis Group Books. He is currently co-founder and Editor at Large of Paraglyph Press, and owner of Copperwood Press, a POD imprint hosted on lulu.com. Jeff is a past president of ABPA, and now lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Carol.

Join us for this powerful program!

Prepayment is required for registration.
Please register http://azbookpub.com/events/february-28-program/

Arizona Book Awards deadline is February 29, 2008

By Jessica Tribble, Glyph Committee Chair

The Arizona Book Awards were a great success last year, and the committee is excited to be back at work. Don’t forget, all awards submissions must be postmarked no later than February 29, 2008. The submissions form and other information can be found at http://azbookpub.com/onews/2008-azba/. The Glyph Awards will be presented at a festive banquet held at the Phoenix Country Club on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Invitations will be on their way soon. We have made a couple of changes to the committee. A retired professional, who is a voracious reader, has graciously agreed to act as our judging coordinator. She’ll ensure that the judging process maintains its credibility. And our own Lisa Liddy, The Printed Page, has agreed to organize the silent auction.

Moreover, we have found someone very special to act as our Master of Ceremonies for the evening: well-known author and Arizona State University Professor Jewell Parker Rhodes. Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the Artistic Director and Piper Endowed Chair of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, and former director of the Master of Fine Arts Program at ASU. Her work has been published in Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom and reproduced in audio and for NPR’s “Selected Shorts.” Her literary awards include: a Yaddo Creative Writing Felloswhip, the American Book Award, the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing, and a finalist citation for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. She has been a featured speaker at the Runnymeade International Literary Festival (University of London-Royal Holloway), Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference, and Warwick University, among others. She is the author of four novels and numerous short stories.

We’re excited about the new image of the Arizona Book Awards, and I’m sure you are, too. Keep watching Southwest Signature and your email inbox for more updates.

2008 Publishing University

It’s the Best Publishing Educational Investment You Can Make and ABPA Members Can Register at a Discount!

PMA, the Independent Publishers Association, produces Publishing University May 27-29, 2008, at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, Los Angeles, immediately preceding Book Expo America, which is also in Los Angeles.

Do you know that Publishing University?

Is the largest educational event for independent book publishers?
Offers more than 80 class offerings in nine tracks over three days and half are new this year?
Offers an advanced track and advanced classes for previous attendees and experienced publishers?
Is attended by more than 600 publishers from around the world?
Classes are taught by the best practicing professionals in book publishing?
Teaches you to work the numbers before making decisions; analyze P&L and ROI; plan, budget and create a fiscally-sound company?
Gives you insights and ideas you can use immediately?
Helps you turn your dreams and passions into reality and put some hard-earned money in your pocket?

Attend the brand new Publishing University. It’s the only event of its kind–designed for independent publishers by independent publishers with no commercials or “come get me” pitches. This year’s theme, Creative Strategies for Growth, Profit and Success will be the consistent thread in every session you attend, whether it’s marketing, editorial, internet or business and financial.

As an incentive for PMA Affiliates (which ABPA is) and members, PMA has assigned a discount code to affiliates. Members can request this discount code by email from Gwen@AZBookPub.com. Enter this discount code on your registration form to receive $50 off the early bird registration price. The early bird deadline is March 31, 2008.

Keynote speakers:

Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks – The Joys and Challenges of Being an Independent Publisher (Tuesday)
Sara Nelson, Publishers Weekly – The Power of Positive Publishing (Wednesday – Advance Track)
Michael Healy, BISG and Dawn Bruno, US Dept of Commerce – Increasing Sales at Home and Abroad (Wednesday)
David Steinberger, Perseus Books and Johnny Temple, Akashic Books – New Vistas in Independent Publishing (Thursday)

For more information and to register visit http://www.pma-online.org and click on 2008 Publishing University.

Karen Gray wins Scholarship to Publishing University

PMA, the Independent Publishers Association, awards a PMA University scholarship to one member of each PMA Affiliate group, such as ABPA. The scholarship is awarded to a publisher who needs assistance in growing his/her publishing company. The scholarship includes free registration to attend the Publishing University in Los Angeles, plus a $500 stipend to help pay for travel expenses. Karen Gray, Acacia Publishing, was selected as the recipient from ABPA. Congratulations, Karen!

“By attending the 2008 PMA Publishing University, I hope to gain extensive knowledge about better ways to market books, more efficient ways of publishing books, new distribution channels and information on newer technologies such as blogging and other social media,” Karen said.

In addition, Karen plans to share the information she gains at Publishing University with other members of ABPA through programs and by writing articles for Southwest Signature.

Marketing Committee presents “Solid Strategies for Parents and Teachers of Smart Kids”

ABPA presents Linda Levitt discussing, “Solid Strategies for Parents and Teachers of Smart Kids,” on March 6, 2008, at Barnes & Noble, Shea and 90th St.

Please join us to support the ABPA Marketing Committee’s promotional partnership with this Barnes & Noble bookstore. Our program values your support, which helps to ensure its success. Invite your friends and plan to join us for an entertaining and enlightening evening.

Linda Levitt, author of What To Do When Your Kid Is Smarter Than You (AppleStar Publishing) describes these strategies, as presented in her new book.

What To Do When Your Kid is Smarter Than You is a humorous and informative guidebook for those among us who are raising and educating challengingly smart children. Author Linda Levitt draws on 30 years of classroom teaching and 20 years of what she calls hair-raising parenting to provide heartfelt support, useful information and helpful resources in her new book. Its subtitle, A Practical Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Teachers and Friends on Taming and Surviving the Gifted, Talented or just Terrific Kid, says it all. In joyful style, readers learn how to advocate successfully for their child at school, strategies to modify behavior and how to ruin their children in twelve easy steps.

Linda Levitt has both her B.A. and M.A. in Special Education from Arizona State University with an interest and emphasis in Behavior Management. A veteran of thirty years of classroom teaching, specializing in gifted education, she now consults with families and school districts through her newest venture, Educating Exceptional Learners. She supervises teachers for Arizona State University, is President of the Scottsdale Supporters of the Gifted, and manages the nonprofit organization, Environmental Connections. Linda is a writing member of Sisters on the Fly, Baby Boomer Women, and the National Association of Women Writers. Her personal stories can be found in LifeLines: Stories of Life, Love, Loss, Family and Hope (AppleStar Publishing). She is married with two sons and two step-daughters in Paradise Valley.

Long-time ABPA friend Penny Callmeyer returns to the Valley

Penny Callmeyer was one of the earliest representatives from a Book Manufacturer to start hanging out at ABPA. Based in California, she religiously visited every October, January and April, supporting ABPA by printing directories and exhibiting at conferences every year.

The old expression reminds us, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Arizona has “saved” Penny Callmeyer from neighboring California and earned her residency right here in the Valley of the Sun. She moved to North Phoenix in 2007.

“Over the last 17 years, I’ve worked with so many ABPA members I’ve lost count,” Penny laughs. She fondly remembers at the 1st Annual Glyph Awards that one of our talented members wrote a song that mentioned Penny and gave us all a good laugh!

Penny says, “I lost a few years dealing with family healthcare, still working with my loyal clients, but I wasn’t able to do the traveling or meetings. I am a member of the ABPA, and the ABPA is a part of who I am. I am thrilled to not only be back, but to be a local resident and able to be much more a part of the publishing community in Phoenix. So, to all of those familiar faces, ‘I’m Back’ And to the new faces, if I haven’t met you, I look forward to doing so! My twenty plus years of experience in book manufacturing, publishing, and marketing are here to serve you.” Penny’s new number in Phoenix is 623-465-8760.

Special note from Penny: I received confirmation from the West Coast, Midwest & East Coast Printers that there will be a 7% increase in the price of paper on March 1st. I encourage any of you that have upcoming projects to get those signatures in so that paper can be purchased/ordered “before” March 1st. Please let me know if you have any questions.

ABPA New Members

Publisher Members

Welcome to these new ABPA members!

A Sense of Nature
Brian Lane
928-282-9525
http://www.asenseofnature.com
hikernut@commspeed.net

Blinking Light Publishing
Virginia Novak
520-326-0269
http://www.blinkinglightpublishing.com
novakjohn28@aol.com

Nice Creative
Robin Reynolds
480-731-9626
http://nicecreative.com
rreynolds@nicecreative.com

Nathan Quiring
520-466-5705
nmqbeav@aol.com

Associate Members

Hercules Freight Company
Dick Hampton
800-701-7998, 931-456-1811
dickhampton@frontiernet.net

Member News

Five Star Publications author to serve as National Scoliosis Foundation spokesperson

Yale University student Elizabeth Golden, who survived scoliosis surgery to become a nationally ranked squash player, will serve as a spokesperson for the National Scoliosis Foundation. Elizabeth Golden, 18, author of When Life Throws You a Curve: One Girl’s Triumph Over Scoliosis (Five Star Publications, June, 2008), will speak to audiences about her experience at age 13 with scoliosis through diagnosis, spinal surgery, and recovery.

Catalog tip from Bloomfield Press

Our new full color catalog, due out in March, grows to 32 pages, from 16. By printing a 32-page signature (16 pages on top and bottom of a sheet) this was less expensive than a 24-pager. Allows us to spread things out, use bigger book images and type, more white space and especially, add new products our customers might want–a great chance to test the waters. We have become the largest publisher and distributor of gun-law books in the country, a narrow but active and socially important niche. In the new catalog, we add a section on threats to free speech, a growing problem when a mere joke can get you arrested, suspended, fired or sued.

Great Potential Press book earns award from USA Book News

A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children, published by Great Potential Press, won a National Best Books 2007 Award in the Parenting/Family category (awarded by USA Book News). One of the authors of that book, Arlene DeVries, M.S.E., appeared in a lengthy feature on ABC News in Des Moines, Iowa.

ABPA is recognized in Ranking Arizona

ABPA is one of only 40 Professional Trade Associations listed in the newly published Ranking Arizona, The Best of Arizona Business. ABPA appears in the Who’s Who section, on page 548.

Conferences for Writers and Publishers

Arizona Authors Association, March 17, 2008 – 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Chandler Public Library, Sunset Branch, 4930 West Ray Road, Chandler – 480-782-2842. “Co-Authorship With a Celebrity” Mary-Rose Hayes is the best-selling author of seven novels, most recently A Time to Run, a political thriller co-authored with Senator Barbara Boxer. Her second novel with Senator Boxer is planned for publication in 2008.

Desert Rose Chapter, Romance Writers Assn., 2008 Desert Dreams Conference, April 4-6, 2008, Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort, Chandler, AZ, Keynote Speaker: Sherrilyn Kenyon, http://www.desertroserwa.org/conference.htm

Arizona Humanities Council, Reading the Best: Arizona Celebrates Books and Writers, April 12, 2008, 7 p.m., Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Arizona, “Welcome to Our House” Annual Conference, May 17, 2008, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Chaparral Suites Resort and Conference Center, Scottsdale, Arizona, Featuring Alexandra Penfold, Assistant Editor at Simon and Schuster and others. http://www.scbwi-az.org/

PMA, the Independent Publishers Association, 2008 Publishing University, May 27-29, at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, Los Angeles, http://www.pma-online.org

Society of Southwest Authors, September 27-28, 2008, Wrangling with Writing, http://www.ssa-az.org/conference.htm

Advertise in the ABPA Newsletter and Website

Advertising rates are published for placing ads in both Southwest Signature and on the ABPA website. Associate members, this is a powerful way to reach publishers with advertising about your services for publishers and writers. Publishers, please invite your vendors to visit http://azbookpub.com/advertising-opportunities/ and click on Advertising Opportunities. They’ll appreciate hearing about this opportunity.

About Southwest Signature

Southwest Signature is the monthly e-newsletter of the Arizona Book Publishing Association, a non-profit professional association. Entire contents copyright 2008 Arizona Book Publishing Association unless otherwise noted. Permission is granted to forward this e-newsletter but only in its entirety. For information, email info@azbookpub.com or call (602) 274-6264.

We welcome submissions and reserve editing rights. Email your Southwest Signature submissions to gwen@azbookpub.com.

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