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.

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.

There are two ways to proceed if you have someone in mind that you’d like to recommend:

1. Connect us to this person/project with a personal introduction. That way we’ll know who to thank when a project comes from the collaboration.
2. Just recommend that the potential client contacts us directly, and then make sure to remind them to mention your name as a reference. We’ll be asking how they heard about us regardless, but this provides a foot in the door for them as well.

That’s all there is to it! Once we have a signed contract and the project is successfully underway, we will happily send along our appreciation via the gift of your choice.

Please direct any questions or contacts to any one of the following:

• Cameron Marschall, Custom Book Rep: cameron.marschall@inkandpapergroup.com
• Jen Weaver-Neist, Custom Book Rep: jen.weaver-neist@inkandpapergroup.com
• Linda M. Meyer, Editor in Chief: linda.meyer@inkandpapergroup.com

Thanks so much—as always—for your support of Ink & Paper Group and its mission. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all our friends, which makes this as much YOUR company as it is ours.

Take care and all best,
~Ink & Paper Group

By Cameron Marschall

Ink & Paper Group is proud to announce its new custom book program, Partnership Books. The program is designed to use the power and authenticity of the book to help nonprofits advance their mission. Ink & Paper Group provides the entire production package, from initial concept, editing, and cover & interior design, providing one-to-one interaction with the client, even offering to interface between client and printer. We work closely with the client, to ensure the finished book mirrors in look and feel the values and core beliefs of the nonprofit client. Ink & Paper Group takes its knowledge and experience producing commercial books and applies it to the custom book program—building a book the organization will proudly use and sell for years to come.

How can a nonprofit use their book to further their mission? A book that reflects the nonprofit’s mission serves as the organization’s ambassador 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It allows potential donors the opportunity and pleasure to read about the organization’s history, mission, and core values through thought-provoking stories, attention-grabbing statistics, and vivid color photos that bring the nonprofit and its cause to life.

With reduced levels of funding expected in 2009, donors are thinking even more carefully about which charities and nonprofits to give their time and money to. Chances are very good that the prospective donor will favor the nonprofit that better demonstrates their mission and the community outreach / services they provide.

Two facts, when taken together, point to the cost effectiveness of a custom book:

• Compared to costly organized events and commercial radio or television advertising that serve only the short term, a custom book is both affordable and effective for long-term public awareness efforts.

• Due to the recession, donations will be even harder to obtain next year. Contributors want to feel emotionally involved in the organization they give their money to.

Combine the long-term return on investment of a custom book with the beauty and personal attachment a well-made book provides, and the decision to add the custom book to a nonprofit’s toolkit becomes a wise, well-targeted move.

How can a nonprofit use a custom book to grow an organization?

• A debut book is a great way to attract and win media interviews
• Using public radio and television as a model, a well-made custom book can be positioned as an enticing fundraising tool
• When members of a nonprofit present at area conferences and seminars, “back-of-the-room sales” can garner needed revenue and attract new members
• A well-made custom book that mirrors the nonprofit’s mission and core values is a powerful giveaway gift to major donors
• If the custom book attracts widespread attention and recognition, the nonprofit can decide to repackage it as a trade book for sale to the public nationally and worldwide

Is a book a static object with gradually outdated information? Not today! Updates can be created as downloadable e-books on a nonprofit’s web site. Or, with the use of digital print technology and on-demand production, minor alterations to the text can be made as necessary—easily and inexpensively—allowing each book to be printed with up-to-the-minute information. The client’s book need never be out of date.

Please visit our web site for more information, including the 8 points below:

• Increase Donations
• Champion Your Vision
• Reward Core Donors
• Celebrate the History, People & Stories
• Differentiate Your Programs
• Attract New, Motivated Volunteers & Staff
• Be Recognized as a Leader in Your Mission Area

Copyright © 2008 Cameron Marschall