They're coming thick and fast! And Mary reports there are still slots open
for our own co-op display at NEBA. Contact mhfrakes@... if interested
in that one, or Betsy at the address below if you want Florida.

From: NAIP@...
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1999 13:50:00 EDT
Subject: display offer for PMA affiliates
To: PMA-LAffiliates@...

Affilates: The offer below is good even for your members who are not members
of PMA. We invite you to put this announcement in your email and/or hard-copy
newsletters, as well as on your websites and listervs. Please advise if I
should send it separately to your newsletter’s editor. (Remember to offer FPA
and other affiliates discounted display with your group when it comes time
for your state’s library and bookseller shows. It’s a great way to increase
your group’s coffers and make a grand presentation at the shows.) Does anyone
have a show offer I can include in our next newsletter? It’s going to print
next week, so let me know right away.

The Florida Publishers Association, Inc., is offering cooperative display of
publishers’ products (books, audios, videos, CD-ROMs, etc.) at the Southeast
Booksellers Association (SEBA) show, Oct. 1-3, in Greensboro, NC, and Florida
Association of Media in Education (FAME) show, Oct. 27-29, in Orlando, FL. To
receive a information sheet/registration form, contact FPA at (941) 647-5951
(phone/fax) or FPAbooks@... and leave either a fax number or mailing
address. Discounted display is available for FPA members, NAIP members, SPAN
members, PMA members, and members of PMA-affiliate organizations (even if the
individual publisher is not a member of PMA). Deadline for receipt of
materials for SEBA is Sept. 27th, so act NOW by requesting an information
sheet/registration form.

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Received these two messages from Jan Nathan, executive director of
Publishers marketing Association (the largest organization of independent
publishers in the US, with some 3000 members)

	 Shel, PMA's rep at that show will be Michele Caci. Maybe you can
include her on any of the meetings. I know she'd be happy to be included.

PMA is trying a remainders sale at this show for the first time. I'll let you
know how it works out. Hope all is going well for you. Jan



	 Whoops, nearly forgot. I may be coming to the Bost area shortly before
Thanksgiving. Would you be interested in having a PMA mini-university planned
there around that time? Jan



Having a PMA-mini-U in the Northeast could be a tremendous boon for us,
both as individual publishers and as an organization trying to grow. You've
seen reports from me, Anna, and others about some of the learning that goes
on at PMA-U; this would be the same thing on a smaller scale. Plus it's a
fantastic opportunity to do networking, co-marketing, etc.

Any volunteers to serve on a committee to work with Jan on pulling this
together? 3-4 people would be a good number. I'd be willing to speak at
such an event and would work with the publicity person to get the word out.

What do others think? Please cc Jan so she's aware: mailto:JanNathan@...

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Please reply directly to Jerry--do not reply to me
--Shel

I would like to ask the list members to comment based on their
experience.  I have been approached by an individual (not an
established publisher) who is prepared to translate our title
into Spanish and distribute it in several countries of South
America. We are talking about a niche market. The book, Phantom
of the Night, deals with snoring and sleep apnea. I am prepared
to give him exclusive rights in those several countries and
will encourage him to take on all South American countries
where he feels he can make a market.  I would negotiate for the
rights to use the translation in all other countries. What is a
reasonable royalty rate to ask and what kind of an advance
would be reasonable?


--------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Halberstadt <mailto:jerry@...>
Date: 09/01/99 Time: 09:52:06 <http://www.NewTechPub.com>
<http://www.HealthyResources.com>
*Healthy Resources * Phantom Sleep * COPD: Courage & Info
New Technology Publishing, Inc. POB 1737, Onset MA 02558 USA
*ForeSight: Strategic Communication, Visionary Business Plans


--------------------------------------------------------

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Meet local booksellers and show your wares. This will be IPNE's first
public presence. If you want to be part of it, please contact Mary (see
below).

I will volunteer to write a short factsheet on IPNE that can be distributed
at the booth (Mary--please bug me about this on or about Sept. 15).

My suggestion: those of you who are participating call an open IPNE meeting
sometime during the weekend, and perhps others who aren't exhibiting will
come.
--Shel

_________________________
URGENT To: IPNE members

How can you personally reach hundreds of New England booksellers without it
costing an arm and a leg? Display your books at the co-op booth organized by
Independent Publishers of New England and the Connecticut Authors and
Publishers Association.

For much less than you'd pay to have a booth of your own, you can have a
presence at the New England Booksellers' Association (NEBA) regional book
fair, scheduled this year for Oct. 1-3 in Providence, RI.

But you'll have to act now! Sign up by Sept. 10 to get one of only 6 slots
available!

THE BENEFITS YOU'LL GET:
--A presence at the most important book show in New England. Bookstore owners
aren't going to Book Expo America anymore. They're going to the regional
shows like this one, sponsored by the New England Booksellers Association.

--The chance to promote your book personally to booksellers in a
cost-effective way. To get this kind of direct exposure, you'd have to travel
throughout the region for weeks.

--The chance to make invaluable contacts that can help you sell more books as
well as foreign and subsidiary rights. Booksellers aren't the only ones who
go to NEBA. So do agents, etc.

--The chance to network with other independent publishers. In addition to
IPNE members, you'll get to meet people who have found solutions to the same
marketing, product, and distribution challenges you face every day.

--The opportunity to learn how trends in the publishing industry, including
print-on-demand, e-books, and distribution strategies, will affect your
business. It's also the place to scope out which subjects are going to be hot
and which fields are already overcrowded.

--Free admission to NEBA (which would otherwise cost $40).

--Pre-show promotion of your NEBA participation to booksellers via e-mail.
IPNE will notify booksellers in advance of the show about the IPNE booth and
its participants and encourage them to stop by the booth at the show. We also
hope to send press releases to key New England news media about the IPNE
booth.

WHAT IT WILL COST:
Only 7 slots are open for the co-op booth. We are deliberately limiting
attendance to 7 companies per booth to make sure that each participant gets
adequate display space.

--Cash: For only $70 more than what you'd pay anyway, you're able to have a
much bigger impact. Cost is $110, which includes your $40 admission to the
show. Reserve your slot now; payment in full is due by Sept. 15. Make check
payable to New England Booksellers Association.

--Time spent staffing the booth: Each participant will need to agree to
commit 2-3 hours to staff the co-op booth. We'll send around a sign-up sheet
to the companies who express interest so you can indicate which times during
the 3-day event work best for you. (No time slots are guaranteed until final
scheduling is complete, but we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.)

This is a cost-effective way to get your books out into the marketplace!
Don't delay!
Contact IPNE booth coordinator Mary Frakes ASAP (no later than Sept. 10) with
any questions and to reserve your space!

E-mail: mfrakes@...
Phone: (617) 576-2546
Fax: (617) 576-3234

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

As usual, please contact John & Judy, and not me. and does anyone have a
progress report on exhibiting at our own NEBA?
--Shel

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 17:38:45 -0500
From: John and Judy Coker <jcoker@...>
Reply-To: PMA-LAffiliates@...
Organization: Broken Heart Publishing
X-Accept-Language: en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: "PMA-LAffiliates@..." <PMA-LAffiliates@...>
Subject: Display your books at the Missouri Library Association annual meeting
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by wins0.win.org id
SAA29682

Dear Affiliates,

We need your help. The St. Louis association has invested big bucks (for
us, anyway) to purchase a display table at the annual Missouri Library
Association meeting. Please help us out by inserting an announcement in
your newsletters about the following cooperative marketing opportunity:
>>>>
The St. Louis Publishers Association will sponsor a booth at the annual
conference of the Missouri Library Association, which will meet at the
Frontenac Hilton Hotel October 13-15.
This is a great opportunity for you to display your products (books,
audios, videos, CD-ROMs, etc.) so that they will be seen by the 450
librarians expected to attend the conference. All titles in our booth
will be displayed face out.
The cost for exhibiting one title is $30 for members and $35 for
non-members. A “member” is anyone who is a member of SLPA, PMA or any of
its affiliate chapters, or SPAN or any of its partners. Additional
titles for members and non-members will be displayed at $15 each.
In addition, we will be collating flyers about the exhibited books into
catalogs that the librarians can take home with them. You may send a
flyer for each title. However, if you would prefer to describe several
titles on one flyer, that is OK.
Flyers must be 8 1/2 by 11 inches and must be flat, not folded. Flyers
of another size or flyers that are folded will not be used. You may use
one or both sides of the flyer and as many colors as you wish. The
catalog will have a vertical orientation.
So what do you need to do in order to take advantage of this
opportunity?
(1)    Request and complete a registration form for each title you will
be exhibiting. (You are welcome to photocopy the form for yourself or
your colleagues.)
(2)    Send the completed form(s), 2 copies of each title, 250 flyers
for each title, and a check or money order for the amount owed made
payable to “St. Louis Publishers Association” or “SLPA.” Send all of
these materials in one package to:
FranHamilton
8501 Antler Drive
St. Louis, MO 63117
It is important that you ship your products so that they arrive between
August 23 and September 24. If you have questions, please contact Fran
at 314-721-7131.
Optional: If you would like to donate a product for the exhibit hall
drawing or for the Bohley Scholarship Silent Auction, please send it in
the same package with a note telling how you want the product to be
used.
If you would like to volunteer some time to work in the SLPA booth on
Wednesday, October 13, or Thursday, October 14, please let Fran know
when you will be available.
Get your forms by calling 314-721-7131 or emailing Fran at
info@... or slpub@.... All she needs is your fax number
or address to send you the form.
>>>>>

Thank you all.

Judy Coker
St. Louis Publishers Association

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Submitted by Anna Olswanger <olswanger@...>--please address
comments to her and not to me

Shel



_________
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 18:37:08 -0400

With Pat Bell's blessing, I am pasting below the full "PMA Publishing
University 1999: A Roundtable Interview" article which appeared in a
shorter version in the July/August newsletter of the MidAtlantic
Publishers Association.  Some of you may find the information helpful.

Sincerely,

Anna Olswanger
http://www.olswanger.com


PMA Publishing University 1999:
A Roundtable Interview

By Anna Olswanger


     At 8:00 a.m. on April 28, the first morning of this year's PMA
Publishing University, I picked up my nametag and a hefty loose-leaf
binder of workshop outlines and headed for "Let's Critique Your Web
Site." Unwilling to miss a word, I wondered how I could run down the
hall to sit in on “Coaching Tips for Radio & TV” and “Making Special
Sales on a Shoe String Budget” and the six other seminars scheduled that
morning.  In fact, I wondered how I could sit in on all the seminars
scheduled that day and the next.  To get the information I wanted to
pass on to MPA members, I decided to conduct a roundtable interview with
eight of the (more than thirty) publishers from the MidAtlantic region
who attended this year's PMA Publishing University. Here's our run-down
on what the seminars offered the small and independent publisher.

Anna Olswanger: Now that I've been through my first PMA Publishing
University, I wonder if I should have focused on one track: marketing,
production, legal rights, or the internet?

Robin Lind (Hope Springs Press, Manakin-Sabot, VA): Here's my advice.
Get on the Pub-Forum e-mail list [pub-forum@onelist.com] six months
before and begin to get a sense of the players. When the PMA Publishing
University is announced, sign up for the dinner organized by Pat Bell so
you can meet some of the "list folks" in person. Ask the list ahead of
time what programs seem to be good, better, best. If you're truly
focused, perhaps you can maximize results for a specific goal but I'm a
generalist looking for general ideas, trying to be open to the
serendipity such a gathering fosters. I want to know who else is out
there, what they're doing, what's working, what's not.

Danielle Kelly (Godward Publishing, Bordentown, NJ): If you're a new
publisher, read as much as you can beforehand on publishing to know what
questions to ask. The people at PMA University know the business and it
pays to ask the right questions.

Anna Olswanger: I was impressed by the seminar "Making Special Sales on
a Shoe String Budget." Kim Gosselin suggested that publishers try to
pre-sell their book to a company (which would use the book as a
promotion or fundraiser). The deposit alone would pay for the print run.
She also suggested that publishers who couldn't afford an ad in a
newsletter ask for a free ad and in return, give the newsletter a
commission on any sales. Joanna Lund of Health Exchanges talked about
the huge number of books she sells through QVC, but praised back-of-room
sales. What were the marketing tips some of you picked up?

Donna Babylon (Windsor Oak Publishing, Baltimore, MD): I got my best tip
while at breakfast one morning. The person I was eating with showed me a
sample of what could be done with extra book covers: print the book's
specs, summary, and distributors on the back with your laser printer. I
wouldn't do this with every book cover, and since I sell to different
markets, I would customize the information. I might send one to
prospective buyers, and another to press and media. I might even include
the covers in press kits.
     Dan Poynter gave me another good tip, which is to write my own
introduction when I do public speaking. That's a sure way to get a good
introduction.

Robin Lind: Without a doubt, Alice Acheson's two sessions on "Creating a
Dynamic Publicity Campaign for Your Book" were the highlights for me. I
came to the first session at 8:00 and stayed for the second after the
break. I'd fly across the country to hear Alice Acheson speak any day. I
wish I could have hired her on the spot. Unfortunately I have to make do
with trying to implement her ideas on my own. No one could have missed
her mantra: "Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up."

Ann Litt (Tulip Hill Press, Bethesda, MD): Here's a theme I heard at
several seminars I attended: you can tell a book by its cover, so invest
in a cover that sells. An individual browser has 45 seconds to look at
your book and buy it, and a bookstore buyer has 20 seconds. So make the
cover work.

Susie Mantell (Relax...Intuit(TM) L.L.C., Chappaqua, NY): I liked John
Kremer's suggestion to choose your top ten marketing and media contacts
and cultivate them. We send press releases fairly regularly but to so
many media contacts that I can't be as effective as I would be if I were
building relationships with fewer of them. I'm going to try that for
awhile.

Lee Romano (American Diabetes Association, Alexandria, VA): I was
similarly taken with Alice Acheson. She was chock full of publicity tips
(great media file templates and book info sheets to work from), as were
Kim Gosselin's special sales "guru tips" on presenting a pitch basket,
which is a product-oriented, somewhat whimsical way to get a producer's
attention.

Anna Olswanger: I was knocked out by a business card that I discovered
in the Exhibit Hall. It had a matchbook structure and gave me the
solution to a children's book I had been struggling with. Did any of you
get good production or design tips?

Susie Mantell: I did at a previous year's cover critique session with
Jan Nathan and Jerry Marino (the guy whose business card you were so
impressed by). I learned the necessity of a clearly legible spine. It
had never occurred to me at the start that my gorgeous, meticulously
planned cover would seldom see the light of day on bookshelves. It's the
spine they see more often, and our spine was barely legible! We ended up
modifying our cover art the second year, which made a big difference.

Anna Olswanger: I tried to sit in on all the internet seminars. Did
everyone see the "Rocket eBook" that Martin Eberhard held up at the
Thursday luncheon? It glowed!   And something Mary Westheimer said
stayed with me: "Before you do anything else, write a mission statement
for your web site. What's the primary purpose? What information do you
want to give? Do you want to sell books, promote your house, promote
your authors as speakers? Who is the audience for the web site?"
     And David Gordon in the "Web Site Strategies" seminar told how he
had subscribed to listservs and discussion groups and found
professionals to review his manuscripts on-line so he could meet his
production deadline. What were some internet and electronic publishing
tips you got?

Susan Baggette (The Brookfield Reader, Sterling, VA): The most
intriguing information I got was from Steve O'Keefe on how to use e-mail
to get reviewers to pay attention to new titles. He said that you have
to start your e-mail letter with the "same boring opening": offer a free
review copy of a book the reviewer is highly likely to be interested in.
Steve's company e-mails to potential reviewers just as its books come
out. He said to TARGET! TARGET! TARGET! and added that it was crucial to
e-mail (or fax) the right person, but that you might have to contact up
to twenty people at the same publication in order to "hit" the right
one.
     Here's his method for finding a source of e-mail addresses for
potential reviewers:
1. Buy an on-line directory. (I'm adding: do this carefully because
there are a lot of vendors out there. Be sure to choose one who has
current lists. For example, Paul Krupin charges $100 for 7,000
addresses. This is a great deal because you're BUYING the list, not
renting it.)
2. See the Write Markets Report.
3. When you're watching a television show that lists the credits at the
end (e.g., 20/20 or Dateline), check who is producing the segments.
These are the people you want to contact if your title fits their
subject matter.
     Sending out e-mail letters can be cost-effective, especially when a
publisher is sending out expensive review packages and complimentary
books. And, small press publishers can establish a relationship with
someone who responds via e-mail which is often difficult to do by phone.

     Another topic Steve discussed was live on-line chats which he said
have great promotional value. An example he gave was AOL Live and its
"Read Across America Day" which reached 25,000 students in classrooms
across the country. Publishers who want to take advantage of a live chat
like that would pitch it to the forum that directs the chat. Once the
forum approves, your comments could stay up for weeks, even months.

Robin Lind: This is not a tip, but a keen insight on e-books I heard
>from Paul Knight of PublishingOnline.com: "The models are all going to
shift and we don't know where it's going to end up. If you get involved
now you have a chance to shape the future."

Susie Mantell: We are currently redesigning our site
<www.relaxintuit.com>, and Susan McCaull's sessions gave me the
information I needed about fonts and colors for use with diverse
browsers. Also, I'd submitted my site for review to "Let's Critique Your
Web Site," and an audience member gave me several solid ideas for
improvement. I had made mistakes in my original web design, largely
because I created a website before I really knew how to use the web:
what's fun, annoying, effective, overdone. Our initial keywords,
phrases, metatags, and overall search engine submissions were not done
well, so we didn't get "found" enough in searches. That's the number one
vehicle for bringing traffic in, and our original webmaster blew it, so
we've since hired a new company.
        I'm certain that by adding order-taking on our site and
eliminating the need to call our toll-free number, impulse buying will
increase. And we'll be adding several features that are more interactive
and that invite people to come back for new information. For example,
we're introducing "Ask Susie" in which visitors may ask stress-related
questions. I'll answer some of these on the site. Visitors will also be
able to subscribe to my "Stress Less" e-mail newsletter and obtain
updated information on stress-management programs.

Anna Olswanger: One of the things I liked about the PMA Publishing
University was the geographic diversity of the attendees. I met small
and independent publishers from every part of the country, not just from
California. Do you think the University addressed everyone's needs,
particularly yours as MidAtlantic publishers?

Dean Barrett (Village East Books, New York, NY): The head of the L.A.
County libraries was one of the main speakers at the session on how to
get books into libraries. But almost all of what she said was relevant,
no matter where the publisher is.

Robin Lind: Here's what I discovered: Information Technology, now
referred to as "IT," ain't local. It ain't regional. It's global. Think
global. Sell local. (And make every bookseller your friend.)

Susie Mantell: These days, geography matters less and less. In fact, I
just hired a webmaster in Spokane and I'm in New York. With e-mail,
FEDEX, fax and phone, I do business worldwide as though we were next
door. Most issues for small publishers are universal: marketing and
promotion on a small budget, reaching independent booksellers,
distribution, returns, getting reviewed, office management, getting into
the chains, design, isolation, internet marketing.

Anna Olswanger: I only attended the PMA Publishing University, and not
BEA. Although I gleaned marketing tips that I'm sure I couldn't have
gotten at BEA, I wish I could have stayed on. Do the rest of you think
it’s worthwhile to attend the Publishing University even if you don’t
attend BEA?

Susan Baggette: I can't imagine attending the PMA seminars without
visiting BEA. You have to do both to see how what you've learned during
the seminars is applied in the book publishing industry.

Susie Mantell: The travel is expensive and, personally, I doubt I'd make
a cross-country trip for the two days of seminars, but I see the PMA
Publishing University and BEA as different events that happen to occur
in the same place. Each is an intense experience, requiring energy and
focus but with different goals. With PMA, which is like mini-graduate
school, I'm there to listen and to learn. But I need to be at BEA to
meet with the distributors, wholesalers, vendors, and customers that I
see just once a year. I look for new sales channels, packaging options
and what's "out there." I listen to what people think of us.

Anna Olswanger: In the "Found Money!" seminar, Peggy Glenn said that her
catalog buyers pay for shipping, buy at a 50% discount without returns,
and usually pay in thirty days. I intend to look more closely at selling
to catalogs. What will the rest of you do differently now that you’ve
attended the PMA University?

Susan Baggette: The biggest change we're making is in our marketing
program where we're putting more emphasis on non-traditional markets.
Distributors and wholesalers are wonderful, but there are lots of
opportunities out there for "specialty sales" in many markets. Some of
them that we're currently considering are book clubs, non-profit
organizations, and the senior market.

Dean Barrett: I'll pay more attention to selling foreign rights.

Robin Lind: Next time, I'll e-mail PMA-listies to ask their advice on
particular program speakers. I'll concentrate on getting deep with a few
rather than broad with many. I'll go with a goal. This is after going to
the past two PMA Universities with a blank slate and a broad outlook to
get the widest possible exposure. Now that I have a sense of what's
available, I can develop some strategies for getting what will be the
most useful to me. I intend to produce our books well in advance of
publication dates. I intend to reduce expenses and increase profits. I
intend to lose 50 lbs ...

Susie Mantell: I am reviewing staffing issues and currently
restructuring, based on conversations with other small companies about
using interns and dividing tasks.

Anna Olswanger: Even though I'm a long way off from implementing many of
the tips I picked up, I intend to go back to the PMA University next
year. Do you recommend the seminars to other beginning publishers?

Susie Mantell: Go to PMA before you publish! Though we've been fortunate
to have been favorably reviewed, I totally missed out on pre-pub reviews
because I didn't know about the necessity for submission to Publishers
Weekly and Library Journal three months prior to publication. It's a
little embarrassing to admit, but I literally had no clue until after I
had written, recorded and printed my first run of Your Present: A
Half-Hour of Peace that I was a publisher. I think PMA University is the
most cost-effective, one-stop-shopping way to learn a great deal about a
complicated industry...and in two days. It's just not necessary for each
publisher to reinvent the wheel: "A smart man learns from his mistakes.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others."

Anna Olswanger: I was able to attend the University because of the $500
grant PMA awarded me as the MidAtlantic Publishers Association's
Affiliate. Here's how I stayed within my budget. I could only afford two
nights in the hotel, which meant I wouldn’t be staying over a Saturday
night. My airline ticket would have cost over $1000, but by using the
internet, I found a consolidator in Chicago who found a round-trip
Tuesday-Friday flight between Baltimore and LAX for $220. Next, I made
my hotel reservation for three days (Tuesday-Thursday nights), even
though I knew I would be leaving on the 11:00 p.m. “red-eye” on Thursday
to get back to Baltimore by Friday morning. That meant I could stay in
my room all afternoon on Thursday, and when I checked out at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday evening, the hotel was so grateful to have another (for them,
unexpected) room available for a BEA attendee, it didn’t charge me for
the half day. What's your advice to next year’s attendees on how to
finance the trip?

Donna Babylon: I travel a lot with my work, so saving for a specific
trip is not how I work. I just do it. But for those who don't
incorporate travel into your business as a regular expense, start to
save now. If you are serious about making your publishing company
successful, or more professional, you can't afford NOT to attend.
Airfares to Chicago, the site of next year's PMA University and BEA, are
cheap (less than $200). Make arrangements to share a room. The food
budget is up to you. You can always eat cheap. Besides, lunch is
included in the PMA tuition and a pretty elaborate food set-up is at the
Ben Franklin Awards ceremony.

Susan Baggette: Financing the trip should be just like any other major
purchase—you put it in your budget, give it priority status, and
allocate the funds a little at a time so that there isn't such a big
bite at one time. Remember that it's a tax deductible expense.

Dean Barrett: Try to combine it with other activities such as a
bookstore or library reading.

Robin Lind: Save, scrape, scrimp, and scrounge. If you can't afford to
go, you probably ought to rethink your commitment to be in this
business. Instead of looking only at the debit side of the ledger,
imagine the money you will save from not making the mistakes your
colleagues in the seminars will alert you to. (I reckon I save hundreds
of thousands of dollars annually discovering that my most brilliant
original ideas have already been thought of, attempted, and bombed. )

Susie Mantell: I use a credit card that accrues miles for all business
expenses, including manufacturing costs so I seldom pay for flights
anymore. I also started a "travel" savings account—like a Christmas
Club. I arranged for a weekly auto-transfer from my checking to my
savings, so that when spring comes, which is my heaviest travel period,
I'm all set.

     If you would like to read the list of the speakers and topics at the
1999 PMA Publishing University, go to
<http://www.pma-online.org/pma_university.html>. You can also purchase
audio cassettes recorded live at the University for $20 per session from
800-373-2952 or 303-292-2952 (National Audio Video, Inc. 465 Washington
Street, Denver, CO 80216, e-mail <orders@...>). If you purchase
12 or more cassettes, you receive a 10% discount.
        And if you would like to contact any of the speakers, e-mail me
<olswanger@...> and I will send you their address (e-mail or
snail mail).
     The 2000 PMA Publishing University will be May 31 and June 1 in
Chicago. As a volunteer for MPA, you could win next summer's tuition and
travel scholarship. Here's a partial list of our volunteer openings:
Cooperative Exhibits Committee, Cooperative Mailings Committee,
Membership Committee, Meeting Coordinators, and MPA Board Members. For
more information, contact the MPA President Eileen Haavik at Summit
Crossroads Press, 126 Camp Harmison Drive, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411,
304-258-8653, e-mail <SumCross@...>.

The publishers:

Donna Babylon writes and publishes how-to home decorating books. She has
licensed part of the name of her most recent book, More Splash Than Cash
Decorating Ideas, to the McCall Pattern Company for an ongoing line of
sewing patterns. Donna has appeared on several cable television shows,
including HGTV, Lifetime, Discovery, and PBS. <donna@...>

Susan Baggette's The Brookfield Reader is a children's press which
received the 1999 Small Press Publisher of the Year Award. Susan has
published seven titles in a series called "The Jonathan Adventures,"
board books for preschoolers about a very young child's explorations
into his community with friends and "big people" in his life. The
Brookfield Reader and Southern Financial Bank sponsor BOOKSHELF, a
community project which donates crates of used books in good condition
to restaurants and other paces where children, their parents and
caregivers wait for service. They hope to take the project nationwide.
<hbaggett@...>

Dean Barrett founded Village East Books in 1997 to publish "Fine Fiction
on Asia." The name of his company has two meanings: a village in the Far
East where Dean lived for twenty years (he was managing director of Hong
Kong Publishing Company, Ltd.), and  Manhattan's East Village where Dean
lives now. <village-east@...>

Danielle Kelly is the president of Godward Publishing, Inc., an
inspirational and New Age publisher which has just come out with its
first book, Meandering with the Muse: Poems and Observations Along the
Walk of Life. <kelly05@...>

Robin Lind of Hope Springs Press publishes the WebPointers Essential
Website Series. Not for dummies or idiots, these books focus on specific
themes and explore multiple Websites. Robin publishers his titles
simultaneously in print and E-Book editions with active hyperlinks. Hope
Springs Press also distributes the WebPointers syndicated newspaper
column available online at <www.webpointers.com>.
<robin@...>

Ann Litt of Tulip Hill Press is new at the publishing business and has
not yet published a book. She is a nutritionist and will start
publishing this summer. <litt1007@...>

Susie Mantell of Relax...Intuit(TM) L.L.C. is a national mind/body
stress-management expert and an award-winning publisher of stress-relief
audios. Her Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace was a Publishers Weekly
"Best Audio" and an Audie Awards Finalist for "Best Original Work."
Susie has presented her stress-management seminars to Fortune 500
companies, world-class spas, national conferences and distinguished
medical centers. <relaxintuit@...>

Lee Romano is the book promotions manager for the American Diabetes
Association, which publishes 22 titles a year for patients and
professionals. The patient titles range from nutrition, exercise,
parenting, women's issues (pregnancy), and men's guides to award-winning
cookbooks. The ADA medical management series packages medical data for
professionals, including dietitians and diabetes educators.
<LROMANO@...>

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

From: "Betsy Oppenneer" <breadworks@...>
To: <IPNE-announce-owner@onelist.com>
Cc: "Ekus, Lou " <airtymeco@...>
Subject: Re: [IPNE-announce] Re: Media Coach--Melisse
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 11:47:13 -0400
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300

I've worked with Lou Ekus as a media coach when HarperCollins scheduled me
to appear on CBS This Morning. He's the absolute best. He does a training
seminar almost every year for the IACP conferences and they're always a sell
out. He can be reached at: airtymeco@.... Believe me, Shel's correct,
you really need to know what's going on. I'd been on TV numerous times and I
thought I was doing a good job until my training. Now I feel as if I can go
anywhere and perform at the drop of a hat and give an outstanding
performance.

NOTE: You are referring to the post from Melisse Rose. I am the only one
who can post to the list, so all posts appear to originate with me

--Shel

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

From: Mad4Books@...
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 21:23:19 EDT
Subject: Re: [IPNE-announce] Preparing for Media Interviews--Brian Jud
To: IPNE-announce-owner@onelist.com
MIME-Version: 1.0

I just used an unbelievable media coach for my upcoming Today Show
appearance, if anyone wants her name, she's expensive but worth it and she's
in the Westport Conn area but she travels in the tri state area.
Melisse
MJ Rose

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Practice Makes Permanent
Brian Jud

	 Have you wondered why celebrities being interviewed on television
can look
so calm when
millions of people are watching them? And have you ever wondered if you
could do that?

	 You can appear on national television and radio, and you can appear
calm
and collected, just
like the actors you see every day. But like actors, you can not just show
up for performances. Actors
learn their lines and rehearse them until they create a believable,
entertaining performance. You can
be successful, too, if you approach your media events the same way.

	 The key to any good performance is preparation. Just as actors do,
media
guests need to
know what they are going to say during all their performances and practice
their delivery of each
word beforehand. Adequate preparation will make you more confident in your
ability to perform and
help you relax while you are on the air.

	 You have heard it said that practice makes perfect. However, that
is not
necessarily true.
Practice makes permanent, so you have to make sure you are rehearsing the
right things. Before you
appear on any media event, engage the services of a professional media
trainer so the techniques
you make permanent are the right ones.

	 Hiring a media trainer to coach you in performing successfully may
be the
best single
investment you can make to conduct an effective appearance. Therefore,
search carefully and retain
the services of a seasoned media trainer. It is best to employ one early to
discover where you need
the most assistance and help you make corrections. Without the benefit of
an experienced instructor,
you can not be sure you are practicing the correct techniques.

	 Professional media trainers can provide one-on-one or group
sessions. Some
will even serve
as your publicist once your training is completed, helping you negotiate
appearances on national
television shows. A good media trainer will instruct you on conducting
preshow preparation, applying
makeup, wearing the right clothes, creating your presentation, using your
voice well, gesturing
convincingly and answering questions in a poised manner. Ask your coach to
videotape your session
for a complete record of what was said.

Take two classes and call me in the morning
	 Practice on a regular basis and you will conduct  professional and
successful interviews. Your
practice sessions can be as formal or informal as you want them to be. They
run the gamut from
talking into a cassette recorder to hiring a professional media trainer as
a coach. One technique is to
have someone who knows nothing about your subject ask you questions. This
simulates most
interviews, and it will help you practice responding to unexpected
questions. The important point is to
do something every day to improve your media skills.

Good, better, guest
	 Practice can be as easy and fun as listening to or watching talk
shows. On
television, watch
how successful guests interact with the host and audience. Try watching the
show on which you are
scheduled to appear, with the sound off to focus your attention on the
guests. How do they sit? What
do they wear? What are the seating arrangements and backgrounds? What are
the predominant
camera angles? Incorporate what you see into your own performance.

	 Turn the sound back on and listen to the host. How are questions asked?
How does he or she
stimulate audience participation? What is the pace of the show? On radio,
listen to the interaction
between guests and host and between guests and callers. What makes one show
better than
others? How are stories woven into the authorís answers? Does the guest
answer the hostís
questions directly or follow his or her own agenda?

Where to find a media coach
	 Consult the Yellow Pages to locate a local media trainer. Or you could
reach a talk-show host
or news anchorperson at a nearby station and contract for his or her
services. Seek the local
chapters of Toastmasters International and the National Speakers
Association, or take a Dale
Carnegie course.

_______________
Increase your sales by learning how to market a best-seller from the
Master -- Mark Victor Hansen. He is the key speaker at a two-day seminar on
Oct 16 - 17 at the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands, Secaucus, NJ. Other speakers
include Jerry Jenkins, Rick Frishman, Steve Hall and Brian Jud. For more
information visit http://www.publishingdirections.com or call (800) 562-4357.

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

You can find out more about the Book Promotion Boot Camp I have put together
at my web site
http://www.JanYager.com/writing/bookpromotionseminar.htm

Guest speakers include a GOOD MORNING AMERICA producer and the publicist who
masterminded the campaign that launched the mega-bestseller COLD MOUNTAIN.

Sincerely,
Jan
Jan Yager, Ph.D.
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Hannacroix Creek Books
(Author of 13 books including titles published by Wiley, Scribner's,
Doubleday, and Prentice Hall)
http://www.Hannacroix.com
http://www.JanYager.com

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

From: SumCross@...
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 16:37:09 EDT
Subject: Cooperative Exhibit Opportunity
To: PMA-LAffiliates@...
MIME-Version: 1.0
Reply-To: PMA-LAffiliates@...

Hi, folks -
Please alert your members to our cooperative exhibits coming up in September.

The first is the Baltimore Book Fest, Sept. 24-26 in downtown Baltimore. This
is a weekend full of readings, activities, etc. that draws a crowd of 60,000+
.
	 We'll display your titles face out along with up to 100 flyers or
catalogs (one kind per title) for $20/title.

The second is the trade show of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers
Assn, in the Philadelphia Marriott, also held Sept. 24-26.
	 We'll display your titles face out along with up to 100 flyers or
catalogs (one kind per title) for $30/title.

Send payment, 2 books per title to be displayed, catalogs/flyers by Sept. 10
to:
	 MidAtlantic Publishers Assn
	 126 Camp Harmison Drive
	 Berkeley Springs, WV 25411

Any questions, call 304-258-8653.

Hope everyone is having a gorgeous summer!
Eileen Haavik
President, MPA

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

I finally received the minutes of our May meeting. Our minute taker was
Mary Frakes, Mhfrakes@....

Because they were late in coming, and because Mary's going on vacation and
then I'm going on vacation the day she gets back, I'm sending them out even
with some blanks to fill (Mary has marked them TKTK--journalist shorthand
for "to come")

Obviously, our action steps include moving forward on the NEBA idea and
setting a date for a November meeting. Also, Lisa, our new program chair,
has not yet gotten back to me about any programming fo rthe fall. There was
a consensus to look both inside our own ranks and for people not too far
away who would speak for free.

Outside the minutes, Mary reported on her research about exhibiting at NEBA:

>a booth is
>about $335, but I still haven't gotten any information about registration
>deadlines. I'll follow up late next week. Once I have some of that
>information, I can get a little more serious about working on a coop booth.

So, in short, we're moving forward, slowly. As people step forward to
volunteer and then carry out their commitments, I'm confiddent that we will
have a strong group of publishers in New England

--Shel

IPNE minutes - May 15 meeting

The second meeting of IPNE, held at the Central Square Library in
Cambridge, MA, had eight attendees. They included established and
prospective publishers, a literary agent, and a newspaper publisher.

Shel Horowitz announced that he is now one of four people who have
volunteered to manage the pub-forum listserv. He said he will be sending
members of the IPNE-announce listserv periodic bulletins based on the
seminars he attended at BEA He also mentioned the online bookstore
Booksense being established by the independent booksellers association to
help independent bookstores compete with Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com;
he said there was great interest in the project demonstrated at BEA.

There was discussion of the benefits of attending NEBA, to be held in
Providence Oct. 1-3. People with experience exhibiting at both BEA and NEBA
indicated that most booksellers now attend regional events such as NEBA for
buying. Ilene Horowitz of Font and Center said it also is a good
opportunity to spot publishing trends. Buyers are buying for the holiday
season.

There was also discussion of how IPNE might sponsor a cooperative booth for
members. The deadline for reserving a booth is believed to be in TKTK, but
for a coop booth to work, IPNE members who wanted to participate would need
to send their checks a couple of weeks prior to the deadline to ensure
enough funds for someone to reserve a booth in IPNE's name. Some issues
that were identified as needing to be considered:

--How many badges does registration cover?
--What is the cost of a booth, and how much would each participant have to pay?
--does registration include a parking pass?
--How would a staffing schedule be set up?
--Should there be a catalog of participating member books available for
distribution at the booth?

Mary Frakes volunteered to contact IPNE members with experience exhibiting
at NEBA to find out additional details about deadlines, what the
registration fee covers (how many badges, parking passes, booth equipment,
etc). Once that information is determined, she will work with Shel to
suggest coop fees and guidelines for participation in an IPNE booth and
determine the feasibility of and level of interest in the project.

The group indicated that a tutorial about making the most of attendance at
NEBA might be a good way to attract potential IPNE members and also
encourage participation in a cooperative booth. However, no date was set
for a tutorial.

Lisa TKTK of Stony Ridge Press distributed a list of people who had
attended the first meeting or expressed interest in establishing IPNE. She
also volunteered to be program chair and research who might be interested
in speaking in January, March, or May. Barbara TKTK said she was willing to
speak on how to submit a book to a publisher for consideration.

There also was discussion of what members would most like to get out of
participation in IPNE. In addition to help with marketing books, two
attendees indicated interest in a collaborative effort to handle
operational challenges such as invoicing, warehousing, and distribution.

After some discussion of the timing of future meetings, it was suggested
that another meeting should be held 1-2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving, since
summer did not seem likely to attract a large attendance and people would
be busy in September getting ready for NEBA. However, no date was set.

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE RESPOND DIRECTLY TO BETSY--NOT TO ME

-SHEL

The offer below is good even for your members who are not members of PMA. We
invite you to put this announcement in your email and/or on your website
(newsletters, too, if there’s time). Please advise if I should send it
separately to your newsletter’s editor. (Remember to offer FPA and other
affiliates discounted display with your group when it comes time for your
state’s library and bookseller shows. It’s a great way to increase your
group’s coffers and make a grand presentation at the shows.)

The Florida Publishers Association, Inc., is offering cooperative display of
publishers’ products (books, audios, videos, CD-ROMs, etc.) at the American
Library Association Conference, June 26-29, in New Orleans. Our booth will be
across from Ingram and the Library of Congress in the main press section. To
receive a information sheet/registration form, contact FPA at (941) 647-5951
(phone/fax) or FPAbooks@... and leave either a fax number or mailing
address. Discounted display is available for FPA members, NAIP members, SPAN
members, PMA members, and members of PMA-affiliate organizations (even if the
individual publisher is not a member of PMA). Deadline for receipt of all
materials is June 20th, so act NOW by requesting an information
sheet/registration form.

Thanks a metric ton!

Betsy Lampe
Florida Publishers Association, Inc.
mailto:NAIP@...

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Since I'm still waiting to receive and send on the minutes of our
successful May meeting in Cambridge, I'll give you something useful to read
in the emantime. This is from Brian Jud of the CT Atuhors Assn, author of
zillions of books and a video about how to get electronic pubiclity.
-Shel


The Name Game
Brian Jud

	 One method of getting on the air is to contact producers of
television and
radio shows directly,
without using the services of a publicity firm. The first step in doing
this is to find the names and
addresses of producers to whom you will send your press kits. Here are
several sources of this
information:

1) "Publicity Blitz" is a multi-disk package listing the names and titles
of decision makers, along with
their addresses and telephone numbers. It also presents facts about
audience size and the format of
the shows. You can even print this data, sorted by city, to create your
mailing labels. Contact Bradley
Communications, 135 East Plumstead Avenue, Lansdowne, PA  19050-8206, (800)
989-1400, ext.
404, fax (610) 284-3704.

2) The Literary Market Place lists many pertinent services including lists
of  radio stations and
television shows that feature authors regularly.

3) The Gale Directory of Publications & Broadcast Media is an annual
handbook of media
information. It may also be purchased on ASCII diskette or magnetic tape.
Contact Gale Research,
Inc., 835 Penobscot Building, Detroit, MI,  48226-4094, (313) 961-2242.

4) Burrelleís Media Directory is a five-book set of information about all
media. In it you will find the
names, addresses and telephone numbers of editors at newspapers, magazines
and newsletters as
well as radio, television and cable firms. Contact Burrelleís Media
Directory, 75 East Northfield Road,
Livingston, NJ  07039-9812, (800) 876-3342, fax (800) 898-6677.

5) The Broadcast Interview Source publishes Talk Show Selects, a three-ring
binder profiling the
top-rated radio and television talk shows nationwide. It provides listings
for 780 national television
and radio programs and for local television and radio stations in the top
markets. It is published by
Broadcast Interview Source, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20007-4104; (202)
333-4904 or 800-955-0311; fax (202) 342-4511, E-mail Yearbook@....

6) An often-used directory of talk shows is TV Guide. Watch the shows for
ideas on how to perform,
but also observe the credits at the end of the show which are listed
weekly, usually Friday. There you
will find the names of the producers, along with the correct addresses,
telephone numbers and
spelling of their names.

7) The Party Line newsletter contains information about producers, hosts
and columnists looking for
people to interview. To subscribe to this newsletter, contact Party Line,
35 Sutton Place, NY, NY,
10022,  212-755-3487, fax (212) 755-3488.

8) The Yellow Pages directory contains a comprehensive listing which
includes addresses and
telephone numbers for radio and television stations.

9) The Radio/Television News Directors Association publishes the Yellow
Pages Directory of
Electronic News Products, Services and Sources. Contact the Association at
1000 Connecticut
Avenue, NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC  20036, (202) 659-6510, (800)
807-8632, fax (202)
223-4007.

10) The Radio/Television News Directors Association also publishes the
Radio/Television News
Directors Directory semiannually. This directory features 3000 of the
Associationís members.

11) The directory Talk Shows and Hosts On Radio features over 2000 radio
talk shows, including the
addresses, formats, markets as well as hostsí and producersí names. It is
published by Whiteford
Press, 23814 Michigan Avenue, Suite 314, Dearborn, MI  48124, (313)
274-1038, (800) 972-2584,
fax (313) 274-9263.

12) The All-In-One Directory includes over 19,000 media in print. For more
information, contact
Gebbie Press, P. O. Box 1000, New Paltz, New York 12561-0017, (914) 255-7560.

13) The U.S. All Media E-Mail Directory features over 3500 E-mail addresses
for editors of
newspapers and magazines in addition to producers of television and radio
shows. It is produced by
Direct Contact Publishing. P. O. Box 6726, Kennewick, WA, 99336; 1 (800)
457-8746.

14) Perhaps the premier online source of media information can be found at
http://www.parrotmedia.com. When you get into their Network Directory you
can search by the
station's call letters, Nielsen markets or by affiliates.

	 Once you have located the contact information, call to determine
the name
of the producer
most likely to be interested in your topic and the proper spelling of his
or her name. You can usually
get this from the receptionist. Now you are ready to send the producer your
press kit, which will be
discussed in the next issue.

Discover how to market your books at the NEW
seminar featuring Mark Victor Hansen, Jerrold Jenkins, Rick Frishman and
Steve Hall on October 16 - 17, 1999 at the Meadowlands Crowne Plaza (New
Jersey). Contact Brian Jud at (800) 562-4357 or visit
http://www.publishingdirections.com

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

>From PW Daily today:

PW Daily for Booksellers from Publishers Weekly
The First Daily E-Mail Service for Booksellers
-----------------------------------------------------------

BREAKING NEWS

It's Dead: B&N, Ingram Call Off Deal

Barnes & Noble has decided not to go ahead with its plans to buy Ingram
Book Group, just two days after reports surfaced that the FTC staff
investigating the deal planned to recommend that the Commission reject the
merger.

The companies reportedly came to a joint conclusion, but made their
announcements separately. Ingram was forthcoming in its statement, saying
that "the companies and the federal government have contradictory views of
the changes occurring in the marketplace." Chairman John Ingram called the
review processes "disappointing" and said that "the events of the last
several days have made it clear that some staff hold an outdated view of
the marketplace, making an objective analysis of the transaction
impossible."

B&N was more discreet, saying simply that "although both companies believe
the transaction would ultimately be approved in the courts, protracted
litigation would not be in the best interests of Barnes & Noble or
Ingram."

As reported here yesterday, B&N plans on opening its own DC's. The report
today confirmed that one will in fact be in Memphis, Tenn., and another in
Reno, Nev.

John Ingram has previously said that, should the deal fail, his company
would be forced to cut services, a comment that upset some indies. In its
statement, the company also said that it "will continue to evaluate any
opportunities that will help us better adapt to marketplace changes."

We're still gauging industry reaction. More later.--Steven M. Zeitchik



-------------------------
Robert Goodman
Silvercat
San Diego, California
Written and printed communications and publishing services
rg@... / 619-299-6774

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Opened up an e-mail today that offered me a gift certificate from a "secret
admirer.", unspecified amount. Unfortunately for the sender, my spam filter
caught it so I opened it suspiciously. And noticed that it not only
bulk-addressed, but the address at my domain was one of my very specific
info-request addresses, and not a real person. And theat the originating
address looked like a phoney.

But if I hadn't set up a filter like that, I'd probably have been taken in.

This one I reported to every domain listed in the expanded headers. I
really resent them when they almost fool me.

If they'd stoop this low, I wouldn't be surprised if they were just
trolling credit card numbers and had no intention of shipping product.

BTW, someone out there knows a website to automate the process of reporting
spam. Could you please send me that info again?

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

As you'll all see when I receive (and send out) the minutes from our
Cambridge gathering last week, we spent a lot of time talking about a
co-=op exhibit at NEBA, the New England Booksellers Assn conference.

Ilene sent the following info today:

From: "Ilene Horowitz" <fontcntr@...>
To: "Shel Horowitz" <shel@...>
Subject: NEBA
Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 15:39:37 -0400
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3

NEBA is definitely October 1-3 in Providence. The cost of a table is $345
and two tables is double that. Two free badges and one come with each table
and beyond that the cost of a badge is $10. Parking will probably be
somewhere around $7-10 per day with a parking pass (probably more if you
just arrive and park for the day).

The materials will be mailed out starting June 1st. I wasn't sure where to
ask NEBA to send materials for IPNE. I tried to find an email or web site
but didn't have any luck but that may just be lack of time. There telephone
number is 617-576-3070 and someone, probably Mary, should have the materials
sent to her.

Let me know if I can help get more information.

Ilene Horowitz

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Those of you in New England -- hope to see you Saturday at the second IPNE
meeting, 2 pm, Cambridge Central Square Library, Cambridge, MA (and if
you're not receiving this from IPNE-announce, please visit onelist.com and
sign up for it)

We'll continue to discuss the programming we want to offer, what other
benefits our members will receive, and the structure of the new
organization.

Meanwhile, here's another batch ofnotes from PMA-U.

FUTURE OF PUBLISHING
Martin from Rocket e-Books
Advantages of e-books over printed books:

You can read it easily i the dark
Adjustable fonts
Double click on a word to look it up instantly
Holds 10,000 pages in a book-sized reader
Instant delivery over the Web (typical books take 2-3 minutes to download
over an average-speed connection--he did not specify his defnition of average
speed)

His company acts as an intermediary; the publisher sends an encrypted file.
Publishers/authors can either pay a fee to sell their books or post them for
free in an e-book public library. One author found a publisher within two
weeks of osting to the library. Big companies are doing it. Monica's Story
was released simultaneously in print and e-book.

Jeff Blumenthal from Follett gave an overview of varous e-book technologies.
Format options inlcude HTML and PDF files, as well as proprietary formats for
the various hardware readers (HTML and PDF can both be read on either a
reader or a regular computer). There are varuious methods of ensuring
security, including a file that self-destructs after a demo period, files
that remove themselves from one computer if sent to another one (kind of like
lending out your copy of a printed book), varius firewalls. One big advantage
of the dedicated readers: no I/O ports, and thus harder to pirate than from a
PC. Varous hardware and software options, distribution channels. Also various
pricing models: subscription, one-time use,pay-per-download,
"super-distribution"--letting your customers enthusiastically send demo
versions to their freinds.

NOTE: There were a number of competing e-book options on the floor of BEA. If
anyone wants to write an article comparing all the various ebook vendors, I'd
publish it on my Internet magazine, Down to Business.

______________
SMALL BUDGETS, BIG IDEAS (low-cost promotion)
Don Tubesing, Pfeifer-Hamilton (Duct Tape Book, Old Turtle)
Always think outside the box. Constantly ask yourself : "In what ways..."

Get free market research by offering a copy of the finished book to your
friends in exchange for feedback (note from Shel: make sure you test the full
spread of your target demographic)

Make a list of ten goals, i.e., press in certain publications, awards. Try to
achieve at least three of these.

Develop a scenario of $10,000 or $100,000 marketing budget. Figure out how
you'd spend it if you had it. Then look within for the grand ideas, new
market positioning, etc. that you can extract toward your realistic budget.

If you have several target markets and some respond better than others, ditch
the poor ones and concentrate on the successful ones. Too many publishers
waste big money trying to squeeze sales out of a nonresponsive channel.

He has tried a number of wildly creative promotions. And some of them flopped
big time.

Joanna Lund, QVC's cookbook queen, has sold 3 million books without
advertising. She started with a $2000 bank loan, paid it back in two weeks as
her local Iowa publicity began to hit.
* Write articles that complement and stimulate interest in your books. Give
them away in exchange for a resource/contact box. She self-syndicates to 50
monthly senior papers, and King syndicates a weekly column to 1500 papers.
Again, they don't pay her--just the rsource box--even though King pays its
other writers.
* Thnk of unusual markets. She writers for Truckers Connection (her husband
is a professional trucker). Trucker wives love her "man-pleasin' healthy
recipes. The mag runs pictures of her and her husband eating in truck stops.
* Invite the media to your events. She invited CNN to her annual national
potluck. They didn't come but she asked permission to subscribe them to her
newsletter. A few months later they did a big feature. She estimates it cost
"the best $3 I ever spent" on mailing and postage for this.
* Be a spokesperson for complementary products. She pushes Keebler pie crusts
and gets to pitch her cookbooks at the same time.
* After her first national book tour for a big publisher, she got them to
rent an RV, hre her trucker husband, and drive around on tour. It was more
relaxing, she had a familiar bed and a test kitchen with her at all times,
she could walk in to the TV studio fresh after sleeping the night in the
statin's parking lot and it cost the company a lot less than first-class
hotels. Plus it was far more promotable and attracted attention in all the
tour cties. Then people magazine sent a reporter to ride 8 hours with her--a
captive audience. This resulted in a 2-page full color spread, which was seen
by Publishers Clearing House--and a deal resulted.
* Look for great media angles and write great press releases about them. She
made up pie recipes using Clinton's and Dole's favorite flavors (she
researched this with a couple fo phone calls) and asked people to vote on
which pie they liked better. Even though Dole had the chocolate one, the
results exactly mirrored the election returns. She got two national TV
appearances, national feature on CBS radio, 50 local media interviews and 30
newspaper interviews from this.

When she itches, she only leaves a voice message the first time. Then she
just keeps calling back at different times--she logs them--untl she gets a
human being. That way she's still a fresh voice, not a pest, when she finally
gests through.

John Kremer, 1001 Ways:
Three rules:
1. Determine your market BEFORE you write the book (can test on the Web--he
offered votes on book cover for the latest verson of 1001 Ways. His pick was
wildly outvoted and he used the wnning one)
2. Sell the same information more than once (sub rights, repackagng, series,
booklets, etc.)--and keep them in print forever.
3. Promote every day--and believe passionately in your product: "I only
publsh the best book on a subject. If I can feel the product down to my toes,
I know it's a great book." You can't fake this--if you try, everyone will
know.

1001 ways was originally 101 ways. He aimed for 96 pages in the first edition
but it came in at 320 pages with a 96 page resource section

Create AND VERIFY a database of 100 key contacts and work them every month or
two--not always with a press release, but with some contact (personal is
best). Write a note about a story they ran (and about how you could fit into
a simlar story). Take the editor out to lunch. Include somebody at USA Today,
Time, People, NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Newsweek, US News & World
Report. Always give high quality of info--it will come back 300 times, just
like an Iowa corn farmer gets 300 times as much as is planted.

Network and comarket with your competitiors. He and Dan Poynter sell many
copies of each other's books.

Keep going through the falures. Find out what DOES work and work it harder.

Be familiar with any show that you pitch.

Audience tricks: Di Pfeifer--faxed a pre-pub survey to four key buyers asking
for input on title, bnding, etc. She got immediate and detailed responses,
and then those buyers felt invested in the book. She had sales of 20,000
before going to press.

Shel: personal e-mails to radio talkshow hosts have been extremely
effective--85% success rate (of course, it helps to have a track record and
mention it). Also Internet discussion groups, using a strong signature.
Fantastic marketign tool if used correctly.

IF YOU HAVE A NICHE WEBSITE--A NOTE THAT DOESN'T FIT IN ANYWHERE ELSE:
Someone told me that Baer & Taylor will set you up as a reseller and dropship
to your customers. An alternative to being an Amazon.com affiliate. Contact
person is Bill Zorkin (?) in Momence, IL

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

I'll be doling these out as I type them up. Here's the first batch.

Media Panel

Hansen and Canfield (Chicken Soup) try to average a media interview every day.
Roseanne wants to learn one new thing every day. Claudia Kagan (producer)
uses authors about 3 times a week. Recent guests: someone with a book on
multiple personalities (Roseanne suffers fronm this), an urban woman who
married a cowboy, ftness, the Kabballah (Jewish mysticism). Producers submit
recommendations to Roseanne, who has final say. Watch the show regularly and
know your pitch. It hould be a mini-movie with a beginning, middle, and end.
If you pick an author, make darn sure s/he's willing to do the show! "For me,
it's about relationships. we all started as somebody's assistant (so be nice
to ALL staff) and we have really long memories. Mny shows are built from
e-mail comments from viewers. Tell us why people should care, what's unique.
Publicists are not necessarily an advanatage-but if you do your own pitching
you should know the protocol. Get yourself a nice outfit, hairdo, makeup.
Roseanne: Contact Elizabeth Warner
7800 Beverly Blvd #251
Los Angeles CA 90036
323-575-2626

Charlie Cook, Donny & Marie show, uses fewer authors. We try to do something
different with them, take something and twist it. Demographic: stay-at-home
moms, 18-40s.  Spell your contact's name right. 25% get it wrong (or write to
a previous producer, etc.) A personal note goes a long way--I might even
think I actually know you. Bring ALL your books; we'll show them on air.
Charles Cook
Donny & Marie Show
Sony Studios
Barrymore Building
Culver City CA 90232
310-244-377

Blanquita Cullum, National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts.
Very different demographic: 70% vote, They are activists, readers,
provocateurs. She's a conservative but doesn't only have consiervatives on.
Loves to get Clinton because he brings a strong response (unlike Al Gore). "I
want you (guest) to provoke a phone call, a response. If you can paint a
picturem you can have more room (and more air time). Unlike many hosts, I red
the book. I read 6-7 books a wekk. But give good bullets in your press
packet, because most won't read it., Don't leave the burden on the host or
producer--give them everything they need to do a good interview. If you're
not right for her but perfect for someone else she knows, she might refer
you. Never call just before air time. Know when they're on and know they
might be both host and roducer and thus very busy before the show.
National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts
1030 15 St NW
Washington DC 20005
202-408-8255
Attn: Sandy

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

This from Linda Chestney:

Just a quick correction to the minutes,
I offered to CONSIDER being treasurer. I didn't firmly commit. My comment
was that if it were a task not requiring a great deal of time, ...like
treasurer... I'd consider it.

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Emily Spongberg apologizes for the lateness of these minutes; she's been ill.
IF YOU HAVE COMMITTED TO AN ACTION STEP, PLEASE PERFORM YOUR ACTION.

Meeting commenced  11:30 a.m.--Shel Horowitz home office



Introduction:

Everyone introduced themselves, company and their genre.


Location of next meeting was first discussion. Looking for a more central
location for all involved.

SPEAKERS:

Brian Jud--Connecticut Author's Association
Tordis (?) Presentation
      Discussed Membership and Commitments

Brian Jud--Founder of Connecticut Author's Association--gave a brief
history of the organization.  Gave a description of members and the
associations function in the community of Authors.

They started as a Marketing organization for local people, brought in
speakers on promotion, production and writing.  They established a formal
group shortly after.

Format:   Speaker--Discussion--Networking

They have a board of directors, resources development, member development
A Speakers bureau and provide both media training and speaker training.

The association procures speaking engagements for the members and share 90-10.

The speakers are promoted via publicity and flyers.

They also have a mentor program to help people outside of their meetings.
Several writers have formed smaller groups in various areas.

The organization displays books for the members and discounts 15%.  The
organization gets 10-15% of sales.  They sell approximately 1100 books a
month.

They promote via newsletters and news releases.

Dues are $40.
30 meetings a year, newsletter, many events

First 2 meetings are free.

They also have a Patron Program--members donate
Sell shirts, bags

They have a 200-member list and cost for family membership is $55.
$8,000 budget (60% from members--40% from fund raising)

Speakers receive no compensation but are encouraged to sell their books.

Question: Pamela--How do you handle speakers?
Speakers come without compensation.  We encourage them to sell their books.
We've had speakers like Marilyn Ross, Nancy Carnie?

The meetings are very different from each other--Tuesdays are more for the
writer--Saturdays pull in from all levels.

How much time do you give to the organization?

Brian--40 hours a month approximately does newsletter and financial reports

Keeps in close contact with the media and the local media calls on him for
experts in different areas.

Question:  Pamela--are you planning on having an all day Pub Conference?

Brian:  We are working on that.  Writing Contest--Madeleine L'Engle is one
of the judges.  Also have a holiday party with speakers and have a very
good attendance.

Co-op Exhibit--they split the cost

Group Book Signings--a group will get together and do a book signing.  And
several other fun activities

For Small Press Month, they called books stores and did book signings.

Susan Franklin-Wilson--Tordis

Organization Aspects

Picking up the pieces NEPA left behind.

Shel invited approximately 150 names of members from both SPAN and PMA to
organize an entirely different organization.

Tortdis presented a sample of the PMA organizational paperwork.

We need to thing about
name
next 12 months
events we want to happen
people who want to be more involved in
activity report
at this point we need to have officers

Comments from Attendees:

Larry:  His interest was in marketing and promotion. He wears several hats
but sees a need to promote/market more.  Marketing is as he sees it a big
need.
He would like to see growth and also a mentoring program to help upcoming
publisher's help in avoiding the pitfalls.

Tordis:  Use NEBA as well as the CT Authors and collectively do things with
them.  Have a geographical location that everyone can get to.

Shel

Events 2-3 promote to Public not exclusive to members

Meetings 2-3 or perhaps once a month and combine forces with Connecticut
Authors Association

PAM--We have many people whom we could invite as expert speakers.

Monthly meetings would be good--but again geography posses a problem.

Tordis--Internet will be a great source of communication

Shel:  looking at an event in Cambridge.  A need to coordinate geographical
concentration.

Pamela:  Where would the 3 events take place--So. Connecticut or Mass.

People who come to Brian's group can come to ours.

Pamela suggested Tom Wohl, Katonah, NY perhaps can come in June

NEBA 2nd or 3rd of October in Providence.   A joint exhibit at NEBA would
be a good attention for the organization.  We should concentrate on this as
a goal.

The speakers and NEBA event would be a great way of promoting membership.

A listserv to be created by Shel for the organization but discussion group
might be redundant.  Perhaps it would be good to just post an article i.e.
trade shows where others could add their experiences.

Pamela:  would like to create a good media list also does need to be
created. Current lists can be supplied by each of us.

Shel and Brian's list is a good starter.

Name of Organization

Suggested names:

Independent Publishers of New England
Publishers Association of New England
Independent Publishers Association of New England

Chosen:

Independent Publishers of New England

Membership:

The question of who would be a member was a lengthy discussion.  What is
the focus of the organization?

Membership--associates

Members and Affiliates (to be determined)

Tim:  We need to determine our mission statement--our purpose

Pam:  Read Bay Area Independent Publishers mission statement, we liked it
but want to write out own.  Tim/Pamela to write

Emily suggested we bring John Kremer in as a guest speaker.   Emily to
inquire about him coming down (pro-bono) on Marketing

Tom Wohl on financial aspects of publishing
Shel Horowitz--seminar

We talked about doing some planning for NEBA workshops.  Shel suggested in
place of exhibit maybe doing a reception.

Good idea but most felt we needed to do a combined book exhibit.
Shel--Clearinghouse for media list.  We can send our contacts in the areas.
He will put it together.

Shel will send a notice to all whom he contacted for the initial meeting
and ask them for the media list.

Another meeting will be set for May 8th or May 15th--day before as a back-up
To be held in Cambridge. NOTE: THIS MEETING IS NOW FINALIZED FOR SATURDAY,
MAY 15, 2PM, CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL SQUARE LIBRARY

Next time we meet we will topics--a 30-minute topic will be discussed.

Topic suggested: Media in New England--everyone to bring in their
experiences.  What worked, what didn't.  Bring your media kit.

Membership will be our focus throughout the year.

Pamela--Bay area group to get their group materials--talk to Tom Wohl

Emily--Contact John Kremer

Torteise--Contact NEBA getting a table for the show.

Pat Bell/Tim Spongberg to work on mission statement  - Pat on by-laws Tim
on mission statement.

Linda Chesney--offered to be treasurer
Membership--woman from Ridgefield, she never e-mailed me.  You know her
Shel--media list--communicate with all interested party--PMA liaison
Emily--type up notes  - SPAN liaison

The meeting adjourned at 3:45 pm

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

I see in the minutes that Brian and I are supposed to coordinate a list of
New England media. This list will be available to any IPNE member.

So here we go. If you have media contacts, please assemble them into the
following fields:

Contact Name
Title/News Beat
Publication/Station
Address
City
State
Zip
Phone
Fax
E-mail
Type of Media
Accepts guests? Y/N
Covers out-of-area news? Y/N


News Beat = subject specialty, i.e., publishing, education, religion
Type of Media = daily newspaper, weekly newspaper, TV station, radio
station, etc.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY:

Please list each contact by typing your response directly AFTER the tab
stop in the above form. DO NOT DELETE THE TABS. IF YOU LEAVE A FIELD BLANK,
PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE LINE.

If including more than one media contact, please put two carriage returns
between entries.

To send it to me, please DO NOT HIT REPLY! This is important, as this is
going to you from a list processor and I won't get it. Use this mailto link:

mailto:shel@...?subject=NewEnglandMediaContacts

In most e-mail programs, you will be able to just click on that link. If
not, address a new e-mail to shel@..., with the subject:
NewEnglandMediaContacts. Please don't change the subject line (or insert
any spaces in it), as I will be filtering it automatically. I'll try to
assemble the list before June 1

If you send it between 4/27 and 5/3, you'll get an automatic message that
I'm out of town (at BEA)

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

From Pat Bell, author/publisher of the Pre-Publication Handbook and a
well-known presence on many publisher lists. This appeared on the
PMA-Affiliates list

From: PatJBell@...
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 13:37:37 EST
To: PMA-LAffiliates@...
Mime-Version: 1.0
Subject: Re: Meeting Format
Reply-To: PMA-LAffiliates@...


In a message dated 4/1/99 12:09:26 PM, blackmp1@... writes:

<< I'm planning the April meeting of the Georgia Independent Publishers

Association and would like input on a good format for the meeting.  Our

meetings will be on Saturday mornings.  Also, what time of day and day of

the week has typically worked best for your groups?  How long should the

speaker talk?  How long do your meetings typically last? >>

Typically, the MIPA (Midwest Indie PA) holds meetings for about 2 hours;
usually there is a 30 minute social time available before it starts. MIPA has
met on a Wednesday night for lo these many years. For a number of years, we
met in a library meeting room; that tended to reinforce the idea of the
meeting ending at 9 pm, though sometimes we've almost had to use a broom to
get people out so the library people could go home.

The framework for meetings has been pretty traditional -- start at 7, make
announcements, tend to whatever business might need tending, and then the old
custom, which sadly has frequently lapsed in recent years, of each person
identifying self with brief (some people had dim notion of what's "brief") and
choice tidbit, if any, about what's new -- new title, a big deal with a
premium, whatever. These are nice: it gives people a chance to know who does
what and an appropriate audience for a bit of crowing.

Sometimes the format was to hold a brief intermission following this phase and
the program -- gave a chance for networking, which is a prime reason for some
to come to such meetings. Program is usually scheduled for an hour --
speaker(s) to talk from 20-40 minutes, with Q&A following.

Marketing topics are always of prime interest. Some of this will of course
depend on your own local resources. Getting the book editors of the major
papers in your area to talk about their work and what they look for is
invaluable, if not always easy.

If you have some good professional editors in your area, get them to talk
about what editors do and why it's important. I've seen a lot of independently
published books that BADLY needed professional editing. Everytime one of these
poorly-edited books goes out into the world, it makes it a bit harder for
those who strive to produce a high-quality product to gain acceptance.

If you have graphics people in your area, get a cover designer (stress cover
designer -- not just an artist) or some designers in to talk about their work.
We all know "clothes do make the man" -- books are chosen or not on the basis
of how they present themselves to the world.

Jan has mentioned in times past (this for the newer souls on the list) the
processing of proffered titles to the Trade Distribution Committee (PMA's
means of helping us gain entry into the national chains), but it bears
repeating. Many just don't cut it because they look bad or don't look right
for the market. The problem of bad covers is slowly being overcome, but more
attention needs to be paid to the "innards" of a book -- its appearance
(design) and even more important, the (well-edited) content.

Here's where we as affiliates can do a great deal in educating neophytes.
After all, we're at the grass roots, at the firing line, where the rubber
meets the road and all those mixed metaphors. The point is, we as a group are
important not only to the success of our members but to the ongoing success of
the small press community.

Sorry -- didn't mean to climb up on the soapbox and rant so long.

Pat Bell
Cat's-paw Press
PMA Affiliate Committee

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

1) Immediately following sending this message, I will change the name of
our announce-only listserv from NEPA-announce to IPNE-announce. If you are
using filtering, please change your settings so I go into your in-box.

2) I will also set up an unmoderated discussion list that all of you can
join. To join, please visit http://www.onelist.com and sign up for IPNE-chat

NEXT MEETING will be Sat., 5/15/99, 2 pm at the Central Square Library in
Cambridge, MA, large meeting room. Thanks to Mary Frakes for setting this
up instantly. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Emily says she should have the minutes of yesterday's meeting tomorrow.
Once I post them, I should be quiet for a while.

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

mailto:SoapAuth@...,mailto:shel@...

If you would like to be listed in the member directory for the brand new
Independent Publishers of New England, please fill out the info below, and
then CLICK ON THE MAIL LINK ABOVE or copy the full link into a new
e-message. Please DO NOT hit reply--if you do, your message won't go to the
person compiling the list. If you choose to leave any of the fields out,
just leave a blank entry there.

first name
last name
company
address
city
state
zip code
work phone
home phone
email
fax
URL
type of books
number of employees
number of titles/year
titles (actual names of your books)
SPAN member? (y/n)
PMA member? (y/n)
Areas of expertise/special skills
Interested in volunteering for
Notes


__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Got a couple of different sightings of this nasty, inlcuding from Wally
Bock, who has never been taken in by a virus scam in the four years I've
been on his list.

NOTE: A wise precaution when dealing with attached MS Word files,
especialyy fi you're not expecting them--ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS open them
in something that doesn't support a macro languae, i.e., Word v. 5/1 and
earlier for Mac or 2.0 and earlier for windows, or a text editor like
simpletext.

If you see it's a legitimate file (scroll down past the computer garbage),
then you can close it woithout saving changes and open it in a more recent
version that will display the formatting.

______
There are several stories on the wire today about a virus that you should be
aware of.  You are most at risk if

  * You are using Microsoft Word with macros on
  * You are using Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express

If the virus shows up on your computer it will arrive in an attachment called
list.doc, probably on an email from someone you know.  Opening the Word file
activates the virus that searches for an Outlook address book and then sends
mail to the first fifty addresses.

To be safe, delete the list.doc file without opening it.

Mail with the virus attachment is reported to
  * Be from someone you know (that's from mining the address books)
  * Have a subject line including "Subject: Important Message From"
  * Include a message which says "Here is that document you asked for ... don't
show it to anyone else ;-)."
  * And have the list.doc attachment

>Please read more about it at
>
>http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2233130,00.html
>
>and for more technical information
>
>http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-99-04-Melissa-Macro-Virus.html

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Yesterday, some 14 or 15 publishers gathered in my farmhouse, representing
four of the six New England states. People are energized and enthusiastic,
and I think we have a go!

Some immediate businesss:
1) Our name will be Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE)
2) Next meeting should be Saturday, 5/15/99, in or near Cambridge, MA.
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE! An alternate date is the week before, 5/8,. if a
location can't be found for the 15th.
3) We will be initiating an e-mail discussion list, attempt to have a
presence at the New England Booksellers Assn meeting in October, and set up
some educational/outreach programs
4) We are creating a database of our member publishers. If you'd like to be
listed. I'll have the desired format for you shortly.

Full details will follow when I receive the minutes. Stay tuned!

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

We are rapidly coming up on our initial meeting, and I'm expecting 15-20
people here at 11 a.m. Connecticut and Massachusetts will be well
represented, there will be at least one Vermonter, and I think one from
Rhode Island. Several NH/Maine folks were interested but felt it was too
far. Maybe the next gathering can be in eastern MA, closer to them, and on
a Saturday, since Sundays were not good for several people.

I'm looking forward to putting faces with your names and e-addresses!

Our SPAN liaison, Emily, is coming in early so she and I can talk about the
relationship of this new entity to larger publishing organizations (since
I'm the PMA liaison).

AGENDA WILL INCLUDE:
Introductions: Who we are, what we publish, what we'd like to see a New
England Publishers Association accomplish (and how we'll help)

What is possible: Brian Jud of the Connecticut Authors Association (a very
active writers group based in Farmington, CT. Brian is a publisher, media
coach, and the organizer of that group, which includes many publishers)

Brief report on last year's PMA University and Book Expo of America: Shel
Horowitz (Note: A detailed written report was submitted to David Ewen for
the newsletter, but it was not published)

Name and structure of the new group: Open discussion facilitated by Tordis
Isselhardt (Images from the Past, Bennington, VT). Will we incorporate?
What will our dues be, and what do we expect to use them for? What officers
and bylaws do we need? How often and where will we gather?

Currently, three names have been suggested:
Independent Publishers of New England
Publishers Association of New England
Independent Publishers Association of New England, or IPANE

Then we can always put it more specific and change any of those Publishers
to Book Publishers

We don't want to use NEPA because there is already a publishing-related
NEPA: the New England Press Assn

Division of Responsibilities, Next Steps, and Next Meeting Date

RESPONSIBILITIES
We're going to be a pretty high-tech group! We've had people volunteer to
organize a webring (a group of collective links on our websites), host a
chatboard--and the newsletter, which I've volunteered to edit, will be
distributed by e-mail to save both time and cost. And we have PMA and SPAN
liaisons in place. Maybe we should also have a liaison to the Small Press
Book Center in NYC, but maybe we don't need that yet.

We also have someone who is considering being membership coordinator. STILL
NEED to find people to take on program, treasury, fundraising, and various
other functions. Please think about volunteering, even if you're not coming
to the meeting.

ACTIVITIES/RESOURCES
Do all of you know about the Internet discussion groups for publishers? I
currently participate in pub-forum, a very active, high-volume list with
several hundred members. Pub Forum is the successor to the late, great
PMA-L. Slogan: "Independent ideas come from independent publishers." I'm
also on John Kremer's (1001 Ways to Market Your Books) Bookmarket list,
much lower volume.

Here are the Pub Forum sign-on commands for digest or individual versions
(I get digest and print it out)

List-Subscribe: <mailto:pub-forum-on@...>
List-Digest: <mailto:pub-forum-digest@...>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:pub-forum-off@...>

For bookmarket,
BookMarket Online is owned by John Kremer (JohnKremer@...) and is
brought to you by the friendly folks at BookZone -- http://www.bookzone.com
* List instructions and commands available at
http://www.bookmarket.com/bmlist.html

EXTRA INFO IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO ATTEND
We called for brown-bagging to make it simple. If you'd like
recommendations on where to pick up good take-out in Amherst or
Northampton, please let me know. There isn't much to choose from in South
Hadley, so if you're coming from the Pike Exit 5, better to bring from home.

We are about an hour from Worcester, 50 minutes from Hartford, 15 minutes
from Amherst or Northamnpton.

Couple of other interesting things in the neighborhood that day: Hampshire
College is starting a new Center for the Book, and their first activity is
a show called Book Arts in the Pioneer Valley, at the Film and Photography
Gallery--bunch of very odd ways to put together a book, from what the
article says. (I don't know where on campus that is, but the campus is not
that big).  Hanmpshire is also home to the wonderful National Yiddish Book
Center. Hampshire is on Route 116 in the south part of Amherst. From
Boston, you'd stay on 116 in South Hadley instead of turning on 47. From
Route 91, follow the directions to my house but turn left on Bay Road
(there are signs for Hampshire and the Yiddish Book center)and left again
on 116. It's right there on the left.

From Hampshire to me, right turn on 116, immediate right on West Bay Road,
left on 47 when it ends.

And after our meeting, there's an art opening at UMass called "A Feminist's
Perspective: Rhoda Juels Assemblage." Several good art shows all around the
valley.

See you on Sunday!

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

Well, we're going to have a GREAT meeting on Sunday, March 28! By my
current count, I've heard that 12 are attending and three more are hoping
to come. Another 10 people said they were interested but that it wasn't a
good day for them, and eight more dropped me a note to make sure they're on
the mailing list (all of them SPAN members responding to my original
question as to whether they had received the call through the PMA member
e-mailing.

This is a phenomenal response, considering that the call for a meeting went
out to only about 160 people! Clearly, we struck a nerve. 33 out of 160 is
a very very high number.

An issue to add to the agenda: a new name:

> Shel,   I was doing some research last night and ran across the  letters
>NEPA, standing for New England Press Association. It is my thought that
>we may want to have different initials for our group to avoid confusion,
>and  perhaps a lawsuit. Just thought I would let you.   Regards,
>Kimberley

I might throw two into the ring: Independent Publishers of New England,
Publishers Association of New England. If you have other suggestions or
want to cast your vote and are not attending, drop me a line at
shel@....

We've had some folks volunteer for things:
Emily Spongberg will be the member liaison to SPAN (Marilyn Ross's group).

I will be liaison to PMA (Jan Nathan's group) and also the newsletter
editor. The newsletter will be distributed through this e-mail list, BTW,
so don't expect fancy graphics <g>

Melisse Rose and Bonnie Kreitler have both offered to help with publicity.

Kimberley Converse is interested in setting up a Web ring (if you don't
know what that is, it means a group of people who put some code on their
web pages to enable a group link--people can click on the web ring to visit
other participating sites).

Larry Fennelly is interested in sharing his knowledge about marketing books
over the 'Net.

Unfortunately, Karin Gertsch, who had volunteered to be membership
coordinator, has since decided to fold her publishing company and quite
understandably has withdrawn the offer. So that position is open.

Quoting from the previous call, we still need a few more volunteers to make
this fly:

> This organization will fly only if a committed core of people is willing to
> make it fly. So far, we have had people volunteer to serve as Membership
> Coordinator (Karin Gertsch, Acorn Press, Cape Anne, MA), Newsletter Editor
> (Shel Horowitz, AWM Books, Hadley, MA), and PMA Liaison (Shel again). We
> also have a commitment of support from both Jan Nathan, PMA Executive
> director, and Marilyn Ross, who has that role at SPAN. Other roles that
> need to be filled are program coordinator, publicity, SPAN liaison,
> fundraising, treasurer, member benefits. And if there are any lawyers among
> you who would be willing to donate a bit of time to take Jan's model bylaws
> and get us incorporated, that would get us off on a good foot--or even if
> you're not a lawyer but know one who is willing. (And if we do so, we'll
> need an official secretary and board of directors, too).

At the very least, we need a program coordinator and treasurer right from
the start. A membership coordinator would really help the organization take
off. We could probably run for a while without incorporating, though
getting a formal structure in place would be a good goal for, say, one year
out. That's something that could be done by committee, and probably done
almost entirely via e-mail and maybe an occasional conference call. I know
Tordis has a strong interest in this area, and am hoping that at the 3/28
meeting a group will emerge with her chairing it to explore our best
structural; direction.

My suggestion is that we have at least three business-oriented and three
program-oriented events in the coming year, of which the 3/28 gathering
could count as one of the business meetings. We'll also need to figure out
our membership structure, costs, future activities (i.e., group presence at
book trade shows). To be fair, these meetings should rotate geographically
within the central core (i.e., probably nothing north of about Concord, NH
or south of Hartford). We do have a number of people interested from
farther out; perhaps they might form a Northern New England subgroup.

So please, think about what YOU can do to help this organization become an
important voice for publishers in New England. For instance, if you know
other publishers (especially who are not PMA or SPAN members with valid
e-mail addresses), please tell them about what we're doing!

Well, the snow has started again as I write this. Let's put in our good
wishes for a beautiful sunny day on March 28.

Best,


__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________

A few PMA (Publishers marketing Association) members have been discussing
the possibility of a regional publishers organization that would be
affiliated with both PMA and SPAN (Tom and Marilyn Ross's Small Publishers
Association of North America). Some of you might have been part of the last
attempt to start a New England Publishers Association. That was a one-man
show. David Ewen, who started that group, has resigned from it and left the
publishing industry.

We feel that even though that organization never really got off the ground,
the concept has merit--and with a more cooperative approach involving
several people and a not-for-profit orientation, there's more of a chance
of getting it off the ground. I (Shel) participate in the PMA Affiliates
Discussion Group, and have seen how in other parts of the country, amazing
benefits come to participating publishers. A few among many examples:
coordinated activities for Small Press Month; educational programs for
publishers at various levels; networking and cooperative marketing; a
newsletter, joint exhibits at regional book fairs and library shows; a
public presence for the local publishing industry; ability to garner media
coverage; awards ceremonies; a hurt books sale in which we collectively
sell off our damaged returns...

This organization will fly only if a committed core of people is willing to
make it fly. So far, we have had people volunteer to serve as Membership
Coordinator (Karin Gertsch, Acorn Press, Cape Anne, MA), Newsletter Editor
(Shel Horowitz, AWM Books, Hadley, MA), and PMA Liaison (Shel again). We
also have a commitment of support from both Jan Nathan, PMA Executive
director, and Marilyn Ross, who has that role at SPAN. Other roles that
need to be filled are program coordinator, publicity, SPAN liaison,
fundraising, treasurer, member benefits. And if there are any lawyers among
you who would be willing to donate a bit of time to take Jan's model bylaws
and get us incorporated, that would get us off on a good foot--or even if
you're not a lawyer but know one who is willing. (And if we do so, we'll
need an official secretary and board of directors, too).

With this lofty--but certainly achievable--goal in mind, I invite you to
attend an inaugural meeting of the revitalized New England Publishers
Association, to be held Sunday, March 28, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Holyoke
Mountain Center (my house)--a beautiful 255 year old farmhouse next to the
Holyoke Range in Hadley, MA. The location is relatively central for the New
England region and is easily accessible--close to I-91, I-391, the Mass
Pike, and Route 9. We are fifteen minutes from the cultural centers of
Amherst and Northampton, and five minutes from South Hadley, less than two
hours from Boston or Albany, so you might plan to make a day of it. Please
bring a brown bag lunch--and copies of your publications to show off to the
group!

Agenda will include:
Introductions: Who we are, what we publish, what we'd like to see a New
England Publishers Association accomplish (and how we'll help)

What is possible: Brian Jud of the Connecticut Authors Association (a very
active writers group based in Farmington, CT. Brian is a publisher, media
coach, and the organizer of that group, which includes many publishers)

Brief report on last year's PMA University: Shel Horowitz (Note: A detailed
written report was submitted to David Ewen for the newsletter, but it was
not published)

Name and structure of the new group: Open discussion facilitated by Tordis
Isselhardt (Images from the Past, Bennington, VT)

Division of Responsibilities, Next Steps, and Next Meeting Date

__________________________
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@..., 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
Books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks)
and pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get
free marketing advice, arts/travel zines & more: http://www.frugalfun.com
_____________________________