Welcome to the new and (hopefully) improved format of Ink & Paper Group’s monthly newsletter, Inside Ink. Based on your feedback from our recent survey and from other outlets, we’re going to try and keep our monthly news short but sweet. Now you’ll find brief bursts of information based on our three main areas of focus: traditional publishing, custom publishing, and classes/events. And if there are any larger articles or commentaries to share, we’ll link to them in our Misc. section. “Stet Says…” will also continue to be a regular feature.

We hope you’ll enjoy this new format, but we welcome your feedback either way. Please feel free to send your thoughts to jen.weaver-neist@inkandpapergroup.com, and thanks, as always, for your continued support of our business and its mission.

Sincerely yours,
The Ink & Paper Team

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING (a.k.a. Our Books)
We’re looking forward to the May release of three upcoming books at Ink & Paper Group, the first two being young adult fiction from Three Muses Press, and the third being a 10-year nonfiction project that’s finally come to fruition for Dame Rocket Press publisher (and editor/author), Jen Weaver-Neist. You can learn more via the following links:

• Desiderata, by Judy Ferro
  
• Morgan’s Pasture, by Wallace J. Swenson
  
• Give My Love to Everybody: Letters from a World War II Soldier, edited by Jennifer Weaver-Neist

***

CUSTOM PUBLISHING (a.k.a. Your Books)
It was our sincerest pleasure to be involved with the production of two recent projects by two local authors, one being poetry and the other fiction. Keep an eye out for these self-published writers and their lovingly created pieces, which will be available for orders soon!

• Far From the Edge, by Lynn Thompson: “Thompson has chosen poems for Far from the Edge that extend the reader’s sense of his playfulness, poems that feel like friendly conversations, words meant to be shared, spoken out loud, or considered over a cup of coffee. The subject matter tweaks the seemingly mundane: daydreaming in bed, standing in line, gardening, grocery shopping, reminiscing about childhood, reflecting on growing older—the usual subjects.”
  
• Summer Snow, by Amy Warwick: “Four women. Different lives bound in ways even they cannot imagine…. There is a storm brewing in Glendale—a storm that will chill the hearts of many, a storm that will change things forever.”

***

IMPORTANT NEWSFLASH: Starting in April 2009, Ink & Paper Group will be offering a $100 appreciation gift to anyone who refers a custom publishing client to us that later turns into a SIGNED contract. The gift can either be a $100 certificate to Powell’s or the cash equivalent, and it’s all yours as long as a custom book comes from the connection. Help us to help each other during these financially difficult times by passing on the word when:

• you have a freelance client who loved your editing and is now looking for a means of publishing,
• you come across a friend or colleague who works for a nonprofit that is looking for new ways of promoting its mission and/or fostering donations,
• you hear about a photography project or family story that deserves to be shared but may not have the mainstream appeal necessary to warrant a larger print run,
• you know about someone who’s given up on publishing and thinks there is no room for their book in the current economic climate,
• you know of anyone who wants to take publishing matters into their own hands but still wants a quality, professional product out of the deal.

You get the idea. We invite you to CLICK HERE to learn more about how this referral program works.

***

CLASSES/EVENTS Consider signing up to benefit from these upcoming classes at the Ink & Paper Group house, and please keep our unique space in mind for your own upcoming events and/or classes. Again, we’re here to be a resource to you (and vice versa) during a time when sticking together and sharing resources couldn’t be more important.

• This Wednesday, April 8, 2009, $20 (6:30-8:00 p.m.): “Manuscript Formatting: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Preparation and Clean-up” (or “What to Know Before you Submit Your Work to a Publisher”), instructed by Linda M. Meyer
• Next Saturday, April 18, 2009, $100 (1:00-5:00 p.m.): From Write to Read: A Book Marketing and Promotion Guide for Authors, instructed by Lake Boggan
• Friday, May 1, 2009: Local Creatives Networking Event (Further details TBA)
• Saturday, May 9, 2009: Duet with Hummingbird Mother’s Day Tea (Details TBA)

***

MISC. Mark your calendars for Portland’s annual Stumptown Comics Fest (April 18 & 19, 2009), where Bowler Hat Comics will have a table again this year.

Dummy text, dummy text, dummy text

***

STET SAYS… This month features a quote from Morgan’s Pasture, the young adult novel due for release from Three Muses Press next month.

“What sets this title apart is that it works from a level “one up” from the bulk of its contemporaries..” – EN/SANE World

Read the full review here.

“The humor and interactions drew me through.” – Comics Worth Reading

Read the full review here.

A big thank you is issued on behalf of Kid Beowulf, Bowler Hat Comics, and Ink & Paper Group to all who attended this past weekend’s festivities surrounding the launch of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath. For those of you that missed the events, recaps are provided by Bowler Hat Comics and the Kid Beowulf Production Blog.

A lively blend of humor and soap-opera plot twists.

~ Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Full review appears in the September 2008 issue of School Library Journal.

Bowler Hat Comics invites you to the Kid Beowulf book launch!

Celebrate the arrival of intrepid twins Beowulf and Grendel

When: Saturday, September 20, 5–8 pm
Where: Ink & Paper Group mead hall—just west of Daneland!

~ ~ ~

Alexis E. Fajardo, creator of the Kid Beowulf series, will be on hand for autographs, sketches, and general feel-good chumminess. The reception will feature a presentation at 6:30 pm. A bounty of food and mead will be provided; door prizes will be awarded.

This event is Free and open to all with a desire to participate in general good-time revelry. Bring the whole clan! (Those who do not desire good-time revelry will be charged at the door.)

Come and dig the book that School Library Journal called, “A lively blend of humor and soap-opera plot twists.”

For more information, contact Bo Johnson.

Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath is the adventure of a childhood gone heroic! The heroes’ destiny is tied to the past, as a prince named Hrothgar begins a quest for power—one that leads him to a fiery dragon, an enchanted sword, and an oath sworn in blood. But when Hrothgar breaks his oath he breaks his kingdom, and the only thing that will save it is a family he’s forgotten and heroes not yet born… Inspired by the epic poem Beowulf, the Kid Beowulf series follows the adventures of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein!

Alexis E. Fajardo is a student of the classics—whether Daffy Duck or Damocles—and has created a unique blend of the two in Kid Beowulf. Alexis has taught cartooning throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and currently resides in Santa Rosa, where, when not penning Kid Beowulf, he “works for Peanuts_®” at the Charles M. Schulz Studio.

Bowler Hat Comics is fascinated with the sophisticated whimsy and playful intelligence of visual storytelling. Challenge your perceptions: Read words. Read pictures. Read smart.

by guest writer, Amanda Taylor

As a Young Adult Editor, I spend a sizeable amount of time watching market reports and trying to figure out industry trends. Some projections come to fruition, some don’t. According to last year’s ICv2 conference on the Graphic Novel, there was a notable shift underway in the young adult graphic novel industry. Industry leaders reported that the 13–18-year-old market was saturated, and that buyers and customers were interested in seeing more graphic novels for readers aged 10 and under.

Milton Griepp, President of ICv2, the news magazine and website that is recognized as a pop-culture authority, stated that those watching the graphic novel industry would notice the “generational transfer” that was underway. Griepp predicted more graphic novels being published for a younger audience. The success of graphic novels for the younger audience, such as the Captain Underpants books, showed publishers the demand did indeed exist, and the shift is definitely in progress.

This year has already produced some notable graphic novels for younger readers, and leaves this YA editor wondering what’s next?

If you’re interested in reading a new graphic novel for ages 9+, I recommend Bowler Hat Comics’ Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath by Alexis E. Fajardo.

Ink & Paper Group imprint Bowler Hat Comics is proud to launch their first graphic novel, Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath. Although Kid Beowulf is already available for purchase, it will be making its debut to the public at this year’s Comi-Con in San Diego. Follow me for more information.

Ink & Paper Group imprint Bowler Hat Comics celebrates the launch of Visibility. Read all about it here!