PUBLISHED JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 Compiled by Alexa Schlosser, Managing Editor, IBPA Independent magazine — Roy Carlisle has managed a number of interns over the years. Hear his perspective as well as the perspectives of four of his former interns. Questions for the Publisher What is the advantage of using interns over hiring an entry-level employee? Roy …

PUBLISHED JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 by Rudy Shur, Founder, Square One Publishers — Learning how publishers fail can help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls you didn’t know existed. When I started publishing books on my own, I was young, ambitious, and thought I knew the book industry. Looking back at that time, two out …

PUBLISHED JANUARY/FEBRAURY 2021 by Peter A. Arthur-Smith, Founding Principal, Leadership Solutions Inc — Three factors independent publishers should consider before making their next move. In the July/August 2020 issue of IBPA Independent, Maria Dismondy, founder of Cardinal Rule Press, shared the story of how she launched and distributed a new children’s book as the COVID-19 …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 Compiled by Alexa Schlosser, Managing Editor, IBPA Independent magazine — 4 IBPA members with podcasts share their goals, tips, and tools for the medium. Tell me about your podcast. When did you start it? What was the goal for creating it? Carissa Andrews (CA): My podcast is called the Author Revolution podcast …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 by Jyotsna Ramachandran, Founder, Happy Self Publishing — The best way to build a team is to hire a set of freelancers who are experts at what they do. Are you a self-published author who is overwhelmed by the number of items on your book launch checklist? I have some good news …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 by MJ Courchesne, Founder & President, Gryphon Publishing Consulting — An overview of what the IBPA Advocacy Committee is monitoring and contributing to the copyright-related cases. As a professional trade association dedicated to leading and serving the independent publishing community, IBPA has an intrinsic interest in helping protect its members’ intellectual property …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 by Deb Vanasse, Reporter, IBPA Independent magazine — As independent publishers adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic with resourcefulness and ingenuity, some say their innovations will improve their businesses long after the crisis has waned. We can’t wait for things to get back to normal. Or can we? Everyone wants an end to …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 by David Marlin, Co-Founder, MetaComet Systems — Mistakes and inefficiencies in royalty calculations and payments can quickly escalate into publishing horror stories, but MetaComet has the remedies. Everyone in publishing has first or secondhand horror stories to tell—of bad decisions and simple mistakes that caused serious disruption or even ended a business. …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 by Michele McAvoy, Publisher, Blue Bronco Books and The Little Press — Publisher Michele McAvoy explains how and why she started her own publishing company during a pandemic. I did it. I started a publishing company during a global pandemic. Am I a risk-taker? Well, I don’t jump out of airplanes, I …

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 Compiled by Alexa Schlosser, Managing Editor, IBPA Independent magazine — IBPA members delve into what they’ve done differently since the COVID-19 outbreak began. In what ways were you forced to pivot or adjust your business/publishing due to COVID-19? What did you learn from this? Ian Lamont (IL): I realized that my overreliance …