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Spring Greetings!
As you can see by this newsletter's title, the quote above, and our current articles, we've been deeply involved in business books lately. And with all that's going on with today's up-and-down economy, so is the publishing world in general. We recently announced the results of our first annual Axiom Business Book Awards (see article below), and we learned a lot about what's happening out there in the world of business book publishing. For this contest, we allowed entries from the major publishing houses, and it was interesting to see how the indies and the majors stacked up. Of the 85 total medals handed out, 60 went to indie-published books vs. 25 to the majors.
One of those indie-published winners, gold medalist in the Human Resources/Employee Training category, was Achieve Brand Integrity, by Rochester, NY-based Gregg Lederman. See the feature, "The Making of an Axiom Award Winner," to read about how Lederman and his consulting business team put together - with no prior book publishing experience - an award-winning book."“My company was growing quite rapidly and I had the manuscript 90 percent completed," says Lederman in the article. "I suggested to my leadership team at Brand Integrity that we simply needed to get this book designed, illustrated and published in four months or less. I spoke to a few people in the publishing industry and they felt my time line was a bit too aggressive.”
It's just that aggressive attitude that is often the difference between the style, effectiveness, and maybe more importantly, the timeliness of independently published business books.
This sentiment is echoed by I.P. columnist (and Axiom Awards judge) Nina L. Diamond, who writes in the article, How Can Business Books Keep Pace?: "Business book publishers may also want to cut the lead time back from the usual nine months or a year (or more) between contract and publication. Sure, it means that those publishers wouldn’t be able to rely on the traditional seasonal paper catalogs to make sales to booksellers six months before a book is published. But, they could, instead, market to bookstores via e-mailed and online catalogs a month or two before publication."
Yes, the way we write, publish, deliver, and promote books is changing faster all the time. Independents who are open to change and stay light on their feet may find more and more advantages in the uncertain but exciting years ahead.
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Book Awards Updates:
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS - entry deadine April 1st
Enter now at: http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipland/IPAwards.php
Just 5 days left to enter the IPPY Awards
65 National Categories - 20 Regional Categories - Ten Outstanding Book of the Year
The IPPY Awards contest is among the largest and most recognized book awards events in the world, and all independent, university, small press, and self-publishers who produce books intended for the North American market are eligible to enter titles copyrighted or released in 2007.
Questions? Contact Jim Barnes, Awards Director, jimb@bookpublishing.com
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2008 MOONBEAM CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS NOW OPEN
http://www.MoonbeamAwards.com
“Celebrating youthful curiosity, discovery and learning through books and reading.”
Announcing the call for entries into the second annual Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, designed to honor the year's best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The new book awards program is accepting entries until August 16th, 2008 for books with 2007 or 2008 copyrights or that were released in 2007 or 2008, and is open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English and intended for the North American market.
Click here to download complete guidelines and entry form:
http://www.moonbeamawards.com/MoonbeamGuidelines.pdf
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NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS 2008 - "Changing the World One Book at a Time"
http://www.nautilusbookawards.com
"Recognizing Books that Promote Spiritual Growth, Conscious Living, and Positive Social Change"
Entries are now closed. Thanks and good luck to all participants!
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AXIOM BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS - "Success Through Knowledge" - www.AxiomAwards.com
The Axiom Business Book Awards were presented on Monday, March 10, in midtown Manhattan.
Complete results and photos from the event: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1211
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Book Awards elsewhere:
Announcing the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award
The Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award is a $2,500 grant given in memory of Amanda Davis. Amanda Davis was a very gifted writer and close friend of the folks at McSweeney's who passed away in March of 2003, at the age of 32. "She was an irreplaceable person, one who created and nurtured communities wherever she went. She loved to write, loved being a writer, loved to read, loved the existence of books, and wanted happiness — personal, professional, spiritual, shoe-related — for everyone. She really did."
This memorial award is intended to aid a woman writer of 32 years or younger who both embodies Amanda's personal strengths — warmth, generosity, a passion for community — and who needs some time to finish a book in progress. The book in progress needn't be thematically or stylistically close to Amanda's work, but we would be lying if we said we weren't looking to support another writer of Amanda's outrageous lyricism and heart.
Requirements and Guidelines
Applicants should send a work in progress, between 5,000 and 40,000 words, and a statement of their financial situation. You may list any and all ridiculous jobs performed to facilitate your writing, and you may include two other short pieces, published or otherwise, if you feel they would help in the understanding of your work generally. The reading group will consist of McSweeney's editors and a handful of writers and readers close to Amanda. The award will be given in one lump-sum grant, with no strings attached. The deadline is May 1, 2008. Winners will be notified by September 1, 2008. Send materials, with SASE, to:
The Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award
849 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
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Think Spring!
Jim Barnes
jimb@bookpublishing.com | 
