by guest writer Ken Arnold

Two weeks ago I was a presenter at the Idaho Writers League conference in Idaho Falls (along with Ink & Paper’s Linda Meyer and freelance editor Laura Meehan). As a Manhattan transplant, I was excited to see more of the Northwest and especially Idaho. The three of us shared the driving, which allowed some time to watch the hills, the Snake and Columbia Rivers, the empty spaces.

Here’s what struck me most forcefully about the conference. The writers who gathered to learn more about writing and publishing were focused almost exclusively on publishing and marketing themselves. One group of writers has formed Bitterroot Mountain, LLC, a company (not, the leaders insisted, a cooperative) to help them publish and market their own books. Is Bitterroot a publishing company? No. The explosion of self-publishing options and tools has created a growing alternative to the traditional publishing model. Last year, 132,000 books were self-published. Few of them sold very many copies. But the point—it was clear from the discussions I heard at IWL—is not to build sales. It is simply to publish.

And modern technology is a huge help in this. Computer programs make it easier to self-publish from your home office, and print-on-demand makes it affordable because authors do not have to purchase quantities beyond what they can sell. Amazon.com and electronic bookstores make it possible to distribute without going through bookstores. The writers at IWL know how to publish and work together to improve their skills, and I suspect that the same thing is happening around the country.

Publishers are using the same tools these writers are using, of course, but what it means, I think, is that technology is facilitating a two-tier publishing system: at the “upper” level mainstream authors and publishers make a lot of money through normal distribution channels; at the “lower” level, authors are not making money but they are able to publish and sell their books without having to deal with publishers who, for the most part, do not care about them.

I do not think that this situation will change; in fact, it is probably the first sign of the publishing future: not the end of the book but a dramatic change in the way books are published and distributed. Regional systems may become more important as authors reclaim the rights to their own work, and it’s our job as publishers to both pay attention and to acknowledge this growing trend among us.

Ken Arnold is the publisher of Portland’s KenArnoldBooks, which, in addition to its “Provacative, Profound, Hilarious” books, offers its own regular newsletter. Go to the website to learn more about signing up for the newsletter AND winning your free toaster…

by Linda Meyer

A warm welcome, a full house for my workshop, and the chance to review good stories from some of the friendliest writers around—key ingredients for a successful writers’ conference, at least from this presenter’s point of view. For these reasons, the recent Idaho Writers’ League (IWL) state conference in Idaho Falls was a rewarding experience for me as a presenter, editor, and publisher. From the long but lovely twelve-hour drive, to the well-organized-and-attended events and productive critique sessions with individual writers, the entire weekend was a joy.

So, now that I’ve said all kinds of nice things, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Like writers the world over, the good folks in Idaho need to move beyond their comfort zones. In my workshop, “What’s Inside the Publisher’s Job,” I blazed through a fifty-minute overview of what’s going on inside a publishing house from the time a manuscript is submitted for review, to the long tail of marketing the title once it has progressed to the publisher’s backlist. To accompany my presentation (and to distract the attendees from my long, tall self pacing across the front of the room), I distributed piles of super-secret inside info in the form of Ink & Paper Group handouts: submission review forms, manuscript formatting tips, sample production schedules, marketing plans, and more. There were lots of smiles, nodding heads, note-taking, and questions throughout, but a few looks of apprehension too, particularly when I reached the part about how a modern author’s work is not done when “The End” is reached, nor even when the manuscript has found a home with a publisher and has made it through editing, design, and production. And I saw a few shudders in the room as I suggested that post-production is when the hard work begins—actually marketing the book.

More than ever, an author must work in tandem with his or her publisher to support his or her book in the marketplace. (Enough political correctness; I’m calling my author he from here on out.) Given today’s difficult economy and the proliferation of competing titles, he, the author, must put forth extra effort to promote his book and himself as a writer. Since writing is usually a solitary activity, more than a few authors have been known to be introverted, ill at ease in crowds, and maybe even a bit media shy. Add to this the “technology intimidation factor,” and you have all the makings of an author reluctant to try his hand at marketing his work to today’s media-savvy consumers.

Here’s where things get interesting. A publisher will be well served by grilling…er…politely asking her (yes, her) author about his comfort zone and how they might work together to stretch the boundaries of that happy place. So the author would rather be trampled in a bull ring than speak in public? How about creating a simple audio or video podcast for syndicated download to iPods and other such mobile devices? Or maybe the author has a healthy fear of bucking broncos and live broadcasting. Try prerecording a cable TV or radio interview so bloopers can be edited before the segment is aired. And speaking of radio, a call-in radio tour can be a great option for an author who is unable to travel but enjoys being on-air (for longer than an eight-second ride, of course). Community radio stations such as KBOO in Portland can be wonderful resources for an author able to position himself as an expert on a theme relevant to his book. Oh yes, and does Mr. Fun-loving Children’s Author freeze up at the thought of reading aloud in public? There just might be a spotlight-loving drama student eager to present Rex the Rodeo Clown to an audience of little people and their book-buying parents, with the smiling author on hand for autographs.

“Help me help you,” (thank you, Jerry Maguire) is a good tagline for mutually beneficial book marketing. A publisher should try to work with an author’s strengths while building his marketing know-how. After all, today’s author will likely continue to market his books long after their publishing release season has passed, which is good for everyone concerned. Once the book is on the backlist, his publisher will continue her marketing efforts as time, energy, and money allow.

I’ll send you off with one of the super-secret files shared with the IWL members: our own Allison Collins’ Marketing Plan Template. This is the place to record ideas—everything from back-cover blurbs to book launch events to what I like to call “Oprah-dreams.” This brainstorm document can form the basis of a kick-a…I mean, wonderful, marketing plan.

In keeping with Ink & Paper Group’s deep interest in literacy and YA readers, I found today’s YPulse Daily Update enlightening. Check out "Reaching Young Adult Readers" for early feedback on a National Endowment for the Arts brainstorm session to encourage reading among our nation’s youth.

The article also references a consumer study by The Codex Group, including, among others, these two important points:

- “Younger Adult book readers live in Two Media Worlds. They share many core book reading values with older readers – but are digitally-trained to expect ‘what I want!’ now.”

- “Printed Books Rule. Both younger book shoppers aged 18-24 and older shoppers aged 55-64
purchased 93% of their books in traditional printed format.”