Day 1205: Small Press Book Fair

We drove to Buffalo this morning so I could attend the Small Press Book Fair at the Karpeles Library.    After all, I'm on the hunt for a publisher.  One day very soon, a hundred backpackers will march triumphantly into Russell Joy Park and Quest will be over for another year.  Then,  I will return to work on my book....about Quest.  This little interlude of not writing has actually been productive because I've been brewing about the months of revisions and what still must be done.

There were just two publishers on hand that accepted non-fiction, but I picked up flyers, calling cards and contests for my poet friends in Penelope.  One publisher is the No-Frills company that my friend Debbie used last year for her novel.  The more promising option was Buffalo Heritage Press.  I spoke for a long time with the publisher.  She purchased the press eight years ago from Canisius College when they decided to close it down.  She publishes a wide variety of books that focus mostly on the Buffalo region or are written by Buffalo based authors.

At the beginning when I described the project, she said it sounded more like an article than a book.  Really? It's three hundred pages!  I decided to listen, learn and not be insulted.  By the end of our conversation, she said she would be interested in working with me.   There's so much to learn and consider that it's a bit frightening.

I spoke with a retired teacher who has published several books using Create Space which is a division of Amazon.  She had nothing but praise for their services and she had sold 1100 of her children's book already.  Plus, she was approached by a regular publisher about picking up her new non-fiction book.  That's something to think about too.

Afterward, we had lunch at our favorite, Sun Restaurant.  It was disappointing, though, cause the hostess sat us next to a huge family group and we couldn't hear each other.  The black rice mango rolls, however, made it all worthwhile.