One of the highlights of PMA
University 2006 will be hearing Walter Mosley—author of 19 critically
acclaimed books and best known for his <span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’>Easy Rawlins mysteries—talk about
why he decided to publish some of his work with an independent publisher.

Mosley will be the keynote speaker
at the 2006 PMA University, which will be held on May 16, 17, and 18 at the
Washington, D.C., Convention Center, right before Book Expo America takes place
in the same location. As many publishers know from experience, PMA University
offers the best educational programs available to independent publishers today.
And BEA is the largest book fair in America. Worldwide, only the Frankfurt Book
Fair is larger.

When Easy Went Indie

The keynote presentation,
scheduled to follow lunch on Thursday, May 18, will feature not just Walter
Mosley but also W. Paul Coates, publisher at Black Classic Press. When Mosley
decided, in 1997, to work with an independent publisher, he wanted to show that
it’s possible to publish a book successfully outside the New York mainstream
and to create a model that other writers—African-American or
not—could follow.

The independent publishing company
Mosley chose was Coates’s Black Classic Press, and the book he chose to publish
was Gone Fishing,
the prequel to the Easy
Rawlins series. Mosley and Coates then continued to collaborate
on additional books, publishing <span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’>What Next? in February 2003. Part
political essay and part handbook for community action, <span
class=95StoneSerifIt>What Next?
examines the singular kinds of contributions and patterns of belief and action
that African-Americans can add to any approach toward world peace.

You’ll be able to learn about both
the joys and challenges of the Mosley-Coates collaboration as Coates talks
about what happens when a small independent press becomes the publisher of a
well-known author, and Mosley tells what differences an author finds when
working with a smaller publisher.

For more information about the
2006 PMA University, see the brochure included in this issue and watch for
previews of courses, events, and activities—along with tips on how to
maximize your time and get the most from the three jam-packed days—in
upcoming issues of PMA
Independent.

Robin Bartlett, an account
executive for the American Heart Association, is a member of the board of the
Healthcare Marketing and Communications Council and past president of the
American Medical Publishers Association. A former member of the PMA board, he
is educational chair of PMA University and contributes frequently to <span
class=8StoneSans>PMA Independent.
To contact him, e-mail robin@robinbartlett.com; or visit www.robinbartlett.com.

Make
the Most of BEA

When BEA starts this spring
(right after PMA-U ends), the publishers who have prepared systematically will
be the ones who profit the most. To join that group, see “The New and Improved
Matrix Method for Working Large Trade Shows” by Robin Bartlett. It appeared in
our April 2005 issue, and it’s available at <span
style=’font-size:11.0pt’>www.pma-online.org.

The Matrix Method is a
simple organizational tool that will help you focus activity on the booths and
prospects that are most likely to produce profitable business relationships,
new partnerships, future sales, and network connections.