Tami Dever, co-owner and founder of TLC Book Design, discusses key elements of book design that signal professionalism, readability, excellence, and permanence

What are the elements a book designer needs to consider when designing an interior? A cover? Tami Dever discusses how she works with clients and notes the factors that make a book look good against the competition.

Topics include

things to keep in mind when designing a book: audience, competition, tone, readability

the importance of interior design in sealing the deal and drawing customers to the cash register

favoring longevity over trendiness

using Word to prepare text for a designer (hint: avoid overformatting!)

key elements of cover design that must work together (and it’s not easy!):

avoiding Photoshop gimmickry

Typefaces mentioned in this podcast:

To reach TLC Book Design, go to http://www.tlcbookdesign.com/.

Notes to the Q&A segment

The article in the IBPA Independent on Authors.me can be found at http://articles.ibpa-online.org/article/finding-real-creativity-with-artificial-intelligence/.

Participants

Tami Dever is the co-owner and founder of TLC Book Design in Austin, Texas. The business has grown from a design studio to a complete publishing development firm, with a wonderful reputation for providing outstanding design and caring customer service.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Cynthia Frank, publisher of Cypress House, shares some of the hard-won insights from more than 30 years as an independent publisher

Listening to this wide-ranging interview you get a sense of what issues come up and what life is like as an independent publisher in a small town on the northern coast of California. Cynthia Frank has been publishing for as many years as there has been an IBPA and before that PMA, and has seen technology go from a phone and fax to high-speed internet and the digital revolution. Lots of things have changed, but much is still the same, like Cynthia’s belief that the publisher must emphasize editorial content and quality of expression more than anything else.

And she’s also outspoken on subjects like, is it worth going to BEA? Can you publish successfully without Amazon? Why has there been a resurgence in indie bookstores (hint: Amazon’s success may ironically have had something to do with it!)? Do special sales pay off?

Mentioned in the podcast are:

Cypress House is at https://www.cypresshouse.com/.

Participants

Cynthia Frank is publisher of Cypress House, QED Press, and Lost Coast Press in Fort Bragg, northern California. In addition to being a royalty house that has won national and international awards and grants, Cypress House is a full-service book production and promotion company. It provides manuscript evaluation, editorial services, typesetting, cover design, forms filing, marketing and promotion, subsidiary rights assistance, e-book account setup and liaison, and comprehensive consultation services. It specializes in helping new publishers launch their own companies and in helping authors find the right publisher.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Lisa London, CPA, author, and publisher, discusses many of the specialized points of accounting that every publisher needs to know

This podcast looks at many of the things publishers need to know when setting up and using accounting packages to manage revenue, expenses, and taxes. Among the subjects mentioned are:

Some of the goods and services mentioned in the podcast include:

Lisa’s book Banish Your Bookkeeping Nightmares is here: https://goo.gl/LWSGHa

Lisa’s publishing company Deep River Press is here: https://deepriver.press/

Follow Lisa on Twitter at @LisaLondon3

or on Facebook at AccountantBesideYou

and also see http://AccountantBesideYou.com

Notes on the Q&A segment

Here is a list of attorneys IBPA has worked with in the past. They all know the world of publishing. This list is not an endorsement but is provided for informational purposes only.

Participants

Lisa London is a CPA and the primary author of The Accountant Beside You series. Her experience as an auditor, a director of finance of a Fortune 500 company, and a consultant for small businesses and nonprofits has given her the skills to explain complex items in an easy-to-understand manner. She also recently released her first work of historical fiction, Darker the Night. Follow Lisa at https://accountantbesideyou.com/

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Daniel Lerner, inspirational speaker and teacher at NYU, discusses how publishers can invigorate their work with passion and find happiness by serving themselves in a way that serves others

Following his enthusiastically received keynote at IBPA’s Publishing University 2018, Daniel agreed to this interview to further reflect on what makes people happy. So many accomplished people—doctors, lawyers, even publishers-- are stressed out, despite making lots of money and leading a “comfortable” life. What are they missing or not understanding?

There’s no easy answer to human satisfaction. But there are some things we can all do that can alleviate our stress levels and connect us better to what we’re doing and to other people. We need to relax, for one thing. To not obsess so much over our jobs. To find additional outlets for our energies. And above all, we need to work in areas that both satisfy us and enable us to serve others, whether it’s making time for our family or our larger communities.

Humans are not so distant from a time when our prime motives were strong emotions like fear, disgust, and anger. These were essential to our survival. But our world is safer now, and we have to work hard to evolve to the next stage, to discover that friendships with others are more than just safety in numbers but enormously satisfying to our own sense of well-being.

Publishers, this is a great message to reflect upon. Are you working with passion? Does your work serve the world?

To learn more about Daniel Lerner, go to http://daniellerner.com/.

Participants

Daniel Lerner is the author of U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life). He is a clinical instructor at NYU, and he serves on the instructional staff at the University of Pennsylvania.

Transformative, forward-thinking and always striving to help others realize their full potential, Dan Lerner has become known for his exploration of how positive psychology can affect the pursuit of world-class development, particularly how to leverage the advantage that a healthy psychological state can bring to performance excellence both at work and at home.

Employing cutting-edge research into positive psychology and peak performance, Dan works with students, established and high-potential performing artists, athletes and numerous Fortune 500 companies and executives around the world helping them manage stress and anxiety, achieve well-being, uncover their core strengths and define and realize their own brand of success.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Judy Baker of Book Marketing Mentor discusses how branding your book can help you grow your readership and establish yourself as an expert in your field

This podcast looks at branding your book and the benefits it brings. Books, especially nonfiction, are where experts can showcase their expertise. The book becomes a starting place for building a business, and can lead to follow-up series, workshops, podcasts, and other related activities.

By engaging your readers you build your community and become familiar to them, and this enhances your credibility as an author and makes your books even more desirable.

Judy is also active in BAIPA, the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association, based in Marin County north of San Francisco. Judy talks about how BAIPA has grown and what is offered at its monthly meetings. BAIPA is also an IBPA affiliate: Judy notes the many benefits that affiliate publishing associations get from IBPA, such as discounts, speakers, and access to information and expertise.

Find out more about Book Marketing Mentor at https://bookmarketingmentor.com/.

Find out more about BAIPA at https://www.baipa.org.

Notes on the Q&A segment

For information on song lyrics and fair use in general, see

Participants

Judy Baker, with Judy Reyes, operates Book Marketing Mentor, whose mission “combines strategic marketing, branding and admin expertise into a unique service offering.”

Judy is a native Californian who makes her home in Sonoma. She serves on the board of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (she is past President of BAIPA); is on the Board of the Bay Area Consultants Network (BACN); is a co-chair of the 2017 Redwood Writers Academy (Redwood Writers); and is working on her book and course about building connections.

Judy specializes in branding and marketing. Her expertise as a graphic designer, book designer, marketing strategist, performer, and being a profoundly curious individual is why authors love working with her.

You can reach Judy at https://bookmarketingmentor.com/.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Jonnie A Bryant, Executive Director of Sales/Marketing at book printer McNaughton & Gunn, talks paper, cost, and schedules, and offers her take on challenges facing the industry

If you are wondering what’s happening in the world of book manufacturing, and how that might impact your ability to produce a book economically and on time, you’ll definitely want to listen to what Jonnie Bryant of McNaughton & Gunn has to say.

Topics include

And more!

To reach McNaughton & Gunn, go to http://www.mcnaughton-gunn.com/

Participants

Jonnie A. Bryant is Executive Director of Sales/Marketing, McNaughton & Gunn. She serves on the M&G Leadership Team, providing direction and support at the woman-owned book manufacturer’s headquarters and production facility in Saline, MI. In 2015, M&G proudly celebrated 40 years of creating books and making history for its customers.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Board Member Elizabeth Turnbull discusses quality standards, hybrid publishing, diversity, and other target areas for IBPA's Advocacy Committee

Subjects covered include:

Participants

Elizabeth Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where she grew up surrounded by the people and landscapes of her latest book, Say to These Mountains.

After graduating from Quisqueya Christian School, in Port-au-Prince, Elizabeth went on to study Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University and received her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Today, she is the Senior Editor for Light Messages Publishing where she is immensely grateful to immerse herself in new stories every day. Elizabeth is also the author of two children’s books: Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market and Bonnwit Kabrit.

Elizabeth lives on a budding farm in Hillsborough, NC, with her husband Roberto and a handful of critters. She currently sits on the IBPA board.

Find out more about Elizabeth at https://www.lightmessages.com/.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Editorial Director Jim Milliot talks about how leading trade magazine Publishers Weekly views book publishing today and the rise of the indie publisher.

In a wide-ranging interview, Jim Milliot looks at how book publishing has changed in the last decade and how Publishers Weekly has adopted strategies to adjust, such as developing digital outlets for news and advertising in the face of declining print sales. As a result, today PW reaches a huge audience, surprisingly made up mostly of consumers looking for reviews and opinions to guide their buying choices.

Jim also talks about different ways PW serves the publishing industry, not just the BIg 5 but smaller presses. He suggests different ways indies can get coverage, and he emphasizes that PW plays an important advocacy role when it comes to creating a level playing field for publishers of all sizes.

At the end, Jim has a rather surprising take on the overall health of the American book publishing industry.

To visit Publishers Weekly online, go to https://www.publishersweekly.com/

Participants

Jim Milliot, editorial director, has been with Publishers Weekly for 23 years. Jim edits news on mergers, acquisitions, and financial performance for the weekly magazine and for the PW Daily online Newsletter. His reporting and insights into the changing publishing industry are often quoted in the media, and he regularly appears on book industry panels. Jim is also a member of the IBPA board.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Robby Price, in his last term as IBPA board chair, talks about the association, how it has changed, and how it is helping transform and strengthen indie publishing today.

Robby explains how he got his start in publishing, evolving from a 1-page printout to a full traditional printer and then, more recently, a successful author services provider. He then reflects on how IBPA has changed during his time on the board and then as board chair.

He points especially to the increasing strength exhibited by author publishers. It is no coincidence that as author publishers gain ground, hybrid publishers have emerged to lend them support with curation and expertise.

Robby also discusses his own business, Gatekeeper Press, a service provider to author publishers and small indie presses.

Gatekeeper press is at https://gatekeeperpress.com/.

Participants

Robby Price is chairperson of the IBPA board of directors and the president of Gatekeeper Press with 200,000 books sold as a self-published author. Gatekeeper Press works with publishers and authors looking to self-publish who earn 100 percent of their net proceeds, retain 100 percent of their rights, and reach readers all over the world.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.

Robin Cutler, Director of IngramSpark, discusses ways that publishers can use print-on-demand technology to launch their business and achieve distribution quickly.

Topics include:

To find out more about IngramSpark, go to http://www.ingramspark.com/

Participants

As the Director of IngramSpark at Ingram Content Group, Robin Cutler is committed to helping independent publishers easily get their content into the hands of readers around the globe. To help make this happen, she leads the development of IngramSpark and continues to support and refine the platform to better serve independent publishers around the world. She is a leader in the independent publishing space, and when not developing new programs and services for IngramSpark, she can often be found sharing her expertise at industry events around the world.

Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.