Foreword Publisher's Note
Building Up Our Independent Publishing Community
We are back from the Frankfurt Book Fair and I’m still processing (and will be for many months) the ideas, leads, and deals made with our publishing colleagues from around the world, many of whom we have not seen since 2019. There was a resounding echo of gratitude due to the chance to meet with each other in person once again.
During the fair, there were many opportunities to learn, so I attended several marketing panels. A key theme kept surfacing: marketing and community building—between authors and readers, agents and film producers, and other stakeholders like publishers, journalists, and politicians.
For instance, it was suggested that communities built between independent publishers could create synergies similar to what happens within larger publishing houses. From another perspective, a panelist noted that, in their experience, book pricing is less important than a strong sense of connection or feeling of belonging—their readers don’t necessarily want cheaper books, they want to be part of the author’s “community” and contribute to their success. I can’t stop imagining the possibilities. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking fascinates me and keeps me coming back to in-person industry meetups year after year.
It’s been a minute since we connected via this Publisher’s Note, so I’ll catch you up on a few things and share some deadlines.
First and foremost, I personally want to let you know that after nearly five years, we must raise our ad rates in order to deliver the same quality product you have come to rely on to showcase your independently published titles. Beyond the paper and postage increases that all of you are experiencing, we DOUBLED our readership in the last year!
No, we didn’t double our ad rates, but I sincerely hope you understand that occasional bumps in pricing are necessary to sustain our business, and we hope that you will support us with your marketing dollars here and there. Notably, this issue we are running our popular BOGO Author Q&A + 1/3 vertical print ad package, if you happen to have an author you’d like us to spotlight. The Jan/Feb 2023 issue close date is November 28th. Please contact Stacy Price for details and space reservations.
2023 marks our twenty-fifth anniversary, and I’m still just a little bit flabbergasted that this is actually happening! We have so many special events planned throughout the year to celebrate, and we could use your help. Our PR firm, Books Forward, is collecting testimonials for our press campaign. If you have a special story to share about how Foreword has helped your book business, please don’t hesitate to let Marissa DeCuir Curnutte know with a quick email by November 30th. A special thank you in advance for the time and effort.
As always, please feel free to reach back out to me with any questions, ideas, or activities you’ve done that have contributed to building a stronger independent press community together.
Happy Halloween!
Victoria Sutherland
Founder/Publisher
Victoria Sutherland
