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

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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.”

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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.

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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)

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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.

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

The Self-employed Creative Professionals (SECP) seminar, “Pricing and Marketing Secrets for Creative Consultants” by national speaker Ilise Benun, is one week away. We invite creative professionals of all kinds to participate in this unique event!

I’m headed back out to Portland, Oregon next Saturday to give a half-day workshop for the Self Employed Creative Professionals. The topic is, “Pricing and Marketing Secrets for Creative Consultants” and you can count on it being very interactive.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 AM – 1 PM at the Ink and Paper Group, (1825 SE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR) and I am very grateful to this publisher for their hospitality and their support of the event.

This one will be a bit special also because after the event, attendees are invited to join us for lunch at a yummy local Italian restaurant to keep the conversation going. (When we did this at our Proposal Workshop in New York earlier this year, it was a big hit, just what people needed to really absorb the information and get more ideas from their colleagues.)

If you’re in the Northwest, I hope you’ll join us. Get more details (and sign up) here.

The Marketing Mix

Are you spending too many hours hunched over your computer? Posture not the best? You may be cheating your brain of necessary blood flow, limiting the oxygen it carries, thus unconsciously contributing to a somewhat sleepy, muzzy-headed feeling. Proper body alignment and diaphragmatic breathing can help you feel mentally sharp, physically energetic, and more in control of your emotional state-all of which translate to increased creativity, a more relaxed frame of mind, and greater productivity in your work.

As Ink & Paper Group’s fearless editor in chief (well, maybe more curious than fearless…), I recently accepted an invitation to do a breath and alignment analysis with registered yoga teacher and meditation expert, Rose St. John. The experience was deeply rewarding. Rose explained the close connection between breath and heart, and how the diaphragm muscle communicates the heart’s electrical energy to our breathing system. “A haphazard, unconscious, choppy breath pattern increases unease. It also creates choppy and haphazard electrical impulses generated by the heart…. Over the course of a lifetime, the direct impact of breath pattern on the pattern of electrical energy generated by the heart is enormous, and may affect heart as well as overall health.”

Oxygen is critical to sustaining life, and as Rose says, “Breath is the prime mover.” Learning to check in on my breathing patterns will help me manage the long hours and high-stress level inherent with partnership in a young, independent publishing company. Heck, increased mental clarity and productivity may even help me reduce the number of hours spent at my computer!

For more information on breath analysis, contact Rose St. John at 503.282.1606 or rosestjohn@comcast.net. For writers and other interested folks, Rose will be teaching a November 8 class at Ink & Paper Group: “Use The Wisdom of Breath to Revolutionize Your Writing Process.” Her book Fathers at Birth: Your Role in Bringing Your Child Into the World will be released in winter 2008.

For our August 16 classes, Ink & Paper Group is now offerning a package discount for the Business of Editing and the Grey Area of Grammar. Sign up for both, and receive a 20% discount on each class. Visit the class postings for more information.

PLUS: You can invite a friend for FREE! This applies whether you attend both classes in the package discount or if you take just one of the classes!

Is that all? No! All our fee classes come with a money back guarantee! We offer the best possible publishing classes or your money back! No strings, just tell us why the class didn’t meet your expectations!

THE GREY AREA OF GRAMMAR: Refresher Course for Writers and Editors
Instructed by Vinnie Kinsella
Date: Aug. 16
Saturday, 10 to noon

THE BUSINESS OF EDITING: Making a Career of Freelancing
Instructor: Charity Heller Hogge
Date: Aug. 16
Saturday, 1 to 5 pm

Ink & Paper Group welcomes Charity Heller Hogge to the family as we announce Charity as the new course instructor for THE BUSINESS OF EDITING.

Charity Heller Hogge, owner and lead editor of the Mighty Pen, LLC, has been a freelance editor for ten years. She began as an English major with an eye for grammar, and gradually built her hobby into a successful business. Her clients include publishers, authors, and international non-industry professionals.

THE BUSINESS OF EDITING is Ink & Paper’s premier course, offering tips, insights, and tested techniques that will take your editing work to the next level. Courses are currently scheduled for August 16 & November 15.

Ink & Paper Group is excited to announce our role as cohost with Self-employed Creative Professionals (SECP) for the September 13 seminar “Pricing and Marketing Secrets for Creative Consultants” by national speaker Ilise Benun. Ilise Benun is the founder of Marketing Mentor and co-author of several books, including The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing and The Art of Self Promotion. Register for this seminar today!