IBPA News

IBPA Report from the 2016 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 19:23:03 GMT

By Angela Bole, IBPA CEO – Despite appearing to be one of the lesser attended annual conferences in recent years (at press time official ALA attendance figures were not available) the 2016 ALA Annual Conference has brought a large measure of positivity to the city of Orlando, still reeling from the tragic events of June 12. ALA attendees participated in a memorial service and blood drive among other events organized in honor of the victims. This year also marks the 140th anniversary of the first ALA Annual Conference. Much has changed since 103 librarians gathered for the first "Convention of Librarians" in Philadelphia, in 1876. But without question, the pace of change has accelerated in recent decades—so much so that this year’s program will look vastly different from even the previous ALA conference in Orlando, in 2004. For the first time in 12 years, BookExpo (BEA) and BookCon took root in Chicago, Illinois May 11-13, 2016 (BEA) and May 14, 2016 (BookCon) and, as always, IBPA was there to support our growing membership of independent publishers. This was the 33rd year IBPA staffed a large cooperative booth on the BookExpo show floor. For kicks, here's a photo of IBPA's excellent Chief Operations Officer, Terry Nathan (left) with his mother, and IBPA founder, Jan Nathan (right) supporting Jamie Farr, the actor from M*A*S*H, at the 1994 convention.

From left to right: Terry Nathan, Jamie Farr, Jan Nathan.; IBPA's cooperative booth (1994). But I digress....

Helping Each Other Achieve & Succeed

Over the years, IBPA has learned a lot about trade show participation. For me, the most important lesson continues to be how the strength of collaboration can so often outbalance the pitfalls of competition. IBPA distributed 180 convention badges to members displaying in the 2016 show. Several hundred additional members secured badges on their own or through their distributor. With this much support onsite, independent publishing looked and felt alive and well in IBPA's cooperative booth. It was a hive of activity and created a soft place to land for many of those new to the convention.

IBPA Members - Front and Center...

As many of you know, IBPA's vision is a world where every independent publisher has the tools and knowledge needed to professionally engage in all aspects of the publishing industry. When it comes to BEA, this means an impressive, professionally staffed booth on the BEA/BookCon show floor where IBPA members can be seen and heard in equal measure to the "Big 5." Through careful location selection, we make sure IBPA's cooperative booth is strategically placed year after year. In 2016, IBPA's booth neighbors included Sourcebooks, Ingram, Penguin Random House, and Harlequin, to name a few. This placement - as opposed to placement on the fringes of the show floor - ensures strong foot traffic from interested buyers, librarians, and bloggers.

...and Busy as Always

Spanning 50 feet and featuring 333 unique titles, IBPA's cooperative booth was a beacon of inclusivity and activity for members and non-members alike. In addition to displaying our members' books, IBPA staff facilitated thirty-eight in-booth author signings, hosted a networking cocktail hour, and recorded eight author interviews. We’re excited about these interactive elements because of how they help level the playing field for independent publishers by providing cost effective (in the case of the cocktail reception: free!) on-site marketing and networking opportunities.The full catalog of member titles displayed during BookExpo/BookCon 2016 is available here. The full photo album is here.

Day 1: IBPA's cooperative booth at BookExpo/BookCon 2016 all set up and ready to go!

From left to right: Kathryn Kemp Guylay hangs out in IBPA's cooperative booth with fellow members Jackie and Todd Courtney

This was the first year of BEA attendance for IBPA member Don Stevens of Merge Publishing. Here Don writes about his experience as a first-time attendee and why he thinks publishers need BEA. On the flip side, IBPA member Elizabeth Turnbull of Light Messages Publishing has been attending BEA since 2012. Here Elizabeth writes about growing into BEA over five years of participation. Many BEA activities require pre-planning. Because of being on the ball, IBPA member Kathryn Kemp Guylay earned an opportunity to pitch her book on the main BEA Selects Author Stage after applying and being accepted to the program in advance. Kathryn passed out book vouchers during her talk and dozens of happy professionals walked away with a copy of her book, Give It a Go: Eat a Rainbow. In addition, several members of IBPA's Board of Directors were invited to present educational programming from the uPublishU stage on the show floor and eight IBPA members recorded personal interviews from the show floor to use in promotional materials after the convention.

IBPA Board of Directors member, Brooke Warner, of She Writes Press talks about her book, GREEN-LIGHT YOUR BOOK, from the uPublishU stage

IBPA member Michael C. Higgins, PhD (right) is interviewed on camera by IBPA CEO Angela Bole (right) about his book, EXPLORING WINE REGIONS: ARGENTINA

The Move to Chicago

Regardless of whether they attended as a newbie or a veteran, IBPA members at BEA/BookCon in Chicago, Illinois experienced a departure from the normal Javits Center experience in New York City. Expectedly, the show was smaller. Press estimates say the exhibition space on the 2016 show floor was down nearly 20% from last year at the Javits Center. It did, indeed, feel like a smaller show which translated to some as "more manageable" and to others as "slow" depending on their point of view. In a Publishers Weekly article, for example, Heather Doss, national accounts manager at HarperCollins, said she appreciated the roomier feel McCormick Place offered, as compared to the Javits Center. "I don’t feel like the aisles are as crammed," she said. "It could be that there's less traffic or fewer publishers [here], but it's easier to get around. And all the bloggers and accounts I've talked to seem to be happy." And, in the same article, Michael Tucker, president and CEO of the bookstore San Francisco’s Books Inc., said he thought having the show repeatedly in New York was getting tiresome. It was becoming, he said, “a little too much like the horse coming back to the barn.” He then added: “I hope we see more booksellers from other parts of the country.” Read: BEA 2016: For Booksellers, Change of Venue Welcome. For the Big Houses, Not So Much

The Buzz about BookCon

2016 marked the third year of ReedPOP's BEA add-on program, BookCon. In layman's terms, BEA is the professional trade show and BookCon is the consumer show. General readers are not allowed to attend BEA. This keeps BEA more "business." BookCon, alternatively, was built for readers, thus keeping it more "marketing." According to the BookCon website: "BookCon is the event where storytelling and pop culture collide. Consumers and brands will experience the origin of the story in all its forms by interacting with the authors, publishers, celebrities, and creators of content that influence everything we read, hear and see." Over 7,000 consumers attended BookCon in Chicago. This was down from 18,000 in 2015 and 10,000 in 2014. This was too be expected in a smaller city like Chicago. One of my favorite articles about BookCon remains the one published by Vulture just before the program launched in 2014. Read: Can a Comic Con Approach Work for the Book Industry? Following a general analysis of BookCon's pros and cons, the author concludes "there’s still a lot to figure out, and a fire or two to extinguish." Two years later, things are a little more clear, but there's still a lot to figure out about how publishers can best participate. As of now, consumers attend to hear celebrities talk about their upcoming books. When taking a break from this, they walk the show floor looking for free stuff. The environment doesn't contain much for a self-published author or small press to grab onto. As of today, it is IBPA's intention to skip BookCon in 2017.

In Appreciation

IBPA Member Benefits Liaison, Joanne Kenny, (left) with IBPA Project Coordinator, Mimi Le (right)

IBPA is a service organization and when we find good people committed to helping others achieve and succeed, we snatch them up! This year, we were joined at BEA/BookCon by our new Member Benefits Liaison, Joanne Kenny. Joanne joined the IBPA team in February 2016 to help guide and develop our member benefits program. You can reach her directly at joanne@ibpa-online.org. Please don't hesitate to reach out. I know she's happy to help! In addition, our Project Coordinator, Mimi Le, joined us for her second BEA. With a year of experience under her belt, she was able to provide an even higher level of service than before - if that's possible! She managed the thirty-eight in-booth author signings with professionalism and kind regard. She also captured over 500 leads to share will all exhibiting members. Thank you, Mimi! Of course, special thanks to the members of IBPA's board of directors who helped spread the word about member titles on display and IBPA in general during educational sessions held throughout the convention. These board members were: Robin Cutler (IngramSpark), Brooke Warner (She Writes Press), Joshua Tallent (Firebrand Technologies), Karla Olson (Patagonia Books), and Elizabeth Turnbull (Light Messages Publishing). And, I'm sincerely grateful for those members who purchased a private booth through IBPA. These members were: — American Academy of Pediatrics — Bookpress Publishing — Boys Town Press — Buddha’s Light Publishing — Total Printing Systems — Solution Tree Finally, it’s no exaggeration to say this program would not be possible without the incredible dedication and overall good cheer of Terry Nathan, IBPA Chief Operations Officer. Thank you, Terry...again!

We’ll See You Next Year!

The large community of IBPA members (over 3,100 in total) truly embody our association motto: "Helping Each Other Achieve & Succeed." It was a privilege to work along side so many of you at BEA/BookCon 2016. We’re already planning for next year. We want to make the experience even bigger and better for IBPA members. Please send me your suggestions or leave them in the comments below. I’m happy to have them and hope to see you on the road sometime soon! BookExpo 2017: June 1-2, 2017 BookCon 2017: June 3-4, 2017 Location: Javits Center, New York City

About the Author

Just before Angela Bole became IBPA’s CEO, she was Deputy Executive Director of the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG), which fosters conversation and consensus across all sectors of the book business. Before that, Angela served for two years as BISG’s Associate Director and two years as its Marketing and Communications Manager. Angela also serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of IDPF, the International Digital Publishing Forum.

25th Foreign Rights Sale for Indie Publisher's Book on Helping Men Save Their Marriage

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 19:08:43 GMT

Elliott Katz has been a member of IBPA since 2005. His title, Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants: Timeless Wisdom on Being a Man, was displayed in IBPA's Cooperative Booth at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. For more information on IBPA's Trade Show Exhibit Program, please e-mail Terry Nathan at terry@ibpa-online.org.

by Elliott Katz IBPA Member Elliott Katz has reached the 25th foreign rights sale for his book Being the Strong Man a Woman Wants: Timeless Wisdom on Being a Man which helps men improve their relationship and save their marriage. After selling rights to publishers in Europe, Latin America, Arica and other countries in Asia, the 25th foreign rights deal is for a Marathi language edition to be published by Mehta Publishing House of India. Katz notes that although many people may not have heard of Marathi, it’s a big market. Marathi is spoken by 73 million people in India. “Selling foreign rights is part of my goal to help men around the world save their relationships and marriages. The book shares timeless wisdom about being a man that many men today were not taught -- such as on the importance of a man showing his share of leadership and taking responsibility in his marriage and family. These are traits that women love and respect in a man,” says Katz who publishes under Award Press. “At first I thought men in other cultures were more familiar with these insights but when I received interest from foreign publishers, I realized men in other countries could also benefit from the book. It’s rewarding to receive emails from men who used the book to bring peace to their home and save their marriage and from women who encouraged their husbands to read it.” Here are his suggestions for other indie publishers who want to sell foreign rights:

Prepare an exciting email about the book Include a summary, reviews, endorsements, and links to the book’s web site and media coverage.

Research foreign markets. In many countries are foreign rights agents who specialize in selling books from other countries to publishers in their own country. Google “foreign rights agents.” Results include publishers and literary agents’ web pages with names and contact information of their foreign rights agents.

Email the agents

When an agent asks to see your book, include copies of reviews and other media coverage. Update agents on new rights sales and media coverage.

Offers

Foreign rights contracts grant the publisher only the right to publish the book in their language. All other rights are retained by the author. If you have questions, you can contact Elliott at ElliottRKatz@aol.com.

25 Tips for Book Cover Images and Layout

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 18:42:03 GMT

Below, IBPA member David Horowitz from Rose Alley Press shares tips on making book cover images and layouts stand out and attract readers. Look for more tips from fellow IBPA members in an upcoming issue of IBPA Independent magazine.

As always, IBPA welcomes your feedback in the comments section of this post. Let us know if you found these tips helpful, or if you have any of your own!

Decide on your title before you select cover art. You do not want to waste time or money on art you will not need because it no longer fits a changed title.

When first looking for a suitable front cover image, type your title into the Google "Image" search field. You're likely to find some images you could use -- or that at least stimulate creative thinking.

Always contact the artist, gallery, and/or company responsible for renting use of an image you want. Pay all required fees and sign all required contracts. Don't cheat anyone out of money and honor legitimate contractual terms. Significant cropping or overlaying another image onto the original can prove particularly thorny. Read the contract terms carefully, and negotiate, if necessary.

If your book is or is close to being 8.5" by 5.5"--and the text is printed in a standard vertical manner -- you're likely to want a front cover image that emphasizes vertically. This will give you a fuller, more vivid image.

A good front cover image should be immediately and profoundly engaging, while also accurately reflecting core elements of your book's text.

Select a typeface that suits the cover art. Then, consider using a sample swatch of color(s) from your image as the basis for the color(s) of your cover text. For example, if your front cover image features dark green leaves, (some of) your text might be the dark green of the image.

Cover text should complement, not compete with, your cover image.

Two to three back cover blurbs of five to ten lines each are usually sufficient. If you want to feature more, then limit each comment to one or two sentences. Don't cram and jam paragraph after paragraph of verbose blurbs onto a back cover. This is a common mistake and often diminishes interest in your book's contents.

Select blurb writers with potentially broad appeal to your buying audience, which should include librarians and book store owners.

Send the writer a preview of the blurb and be sure he or she approves of any changes you make to their text.

Always list the book's genre in the upper left-hand corner of the back cover, and typically list the US, Canadian, and UK prices in the lower left-hand corner. Insert the bar code scanning symbol in the lower right-hand corner. If your book's back cover is dark, be sure to insert the bar code scanning symbol into a small white rectangular "knock-out," or else scanners will not be able to read the symbol.

For paperbacks, be sure to have your printer protect the cover with a special plastic laminate. You don't want scuffed covers.

Always select acid-free paper to help avoid yellowing and fraying.

Print your company's logo near the bottom of the spine and on the back cover.

Print the author's name and book title on the spine. And don't be shy! Generally, bright colors and at least some large text help attract a potential reader's glance.

Make sure the dollar signs and decimal points of the US, Canadian, and UK prices line up exactly.

Include the book's title on the back cover as well as the front cover.

Consider bordering your front cover image with a thin colored line to separate it from a white background.

Hire a typesetter if you are unfamiliar with InDesign or a similar page layout program. Work line by line to avoid generic right-justified lines of text that feature bunched-together text while the next line features two or three words stretched out over an entire line. Nothing looks more amateurish than this, yet it is a common flaw.

Keep the text comfortable to read yet sufficiently compact to fit your page dimensions. This is especially important for poetry with long lines. Try testing a variety of : Cheltenham, Sabon, Minion, Janson, Tahoma, and Garamond, and several others are worth a look. Page layout programs often offer a "narrow" version of a typeface, too, so test and see what works best for you. Remember also that serif typefaces tend to be more aesthetically pleasing than sans serif typefaces, so Arial might work for announcements and flyers, but your actual book text might work best in, say, Garamond Narrow or Minion or a similar typeface.

As a test, print the same page of text using ten or twelve different typefaces with diverse font sizes. And don't hesitate to work with fractional sizes. Minion in 11.7 might work for your book, whereas Minion 11.3 might be a tad small. Test, test, test by printing pages of text.

For the main text of your book, consider using a slightly smaller text size for page numbers than for text. Overly large page numbers might distract attention from the text.

Make especially sure you proofread your "Contents" page(s). During the long editing process, content might be moved and titles might change, so be careful and proofread repeatedly!

Avoid "see-through" pages. Print text on 70-pound and possibly 80-pound paper. Recycled paper these days is typically just as strong and attractive as never-before-used paper. Try at least using a 30%-recycled grade of paper for the sake of environmental sustainability.

Consider having your paperback's spine "Smythe-Sewn," not merely perfect bound. This makes your book sturdier.