Book Publishers Northwest, better known as BPNW, is the regional affiliate of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). We meet in the Puget Sound area, most frequently in Seattle. Our membership dues are used to pay for our meeting space, reimburse speakers at our free educational events, and display our members’ books online and at Pacific Northwest Booksellers Trade Show, among other activities.
Membership application forms can be found at the bottom of our free newsletter each month. We encourage prospective members to sign up for the free newsletter first to learn more about the organization and to determine whether it will be helpful for them.
For those wishing to renew their memberships for 2016 or wishing to join for the first time, 2016 memberships are $50.
Checks should be made out to Book Publishers Northwest. We do not accept any other form of payment. Please include an email address with your check so we may acknowledge payment.
Mail membership payments to Book Publishers Northwest, 2212 Queen Anne Ave North #275, Seattle WA 98109.
If you did not receive an application form with our newsletter, just send the following information with membership payment to Book Publishers Northwest:
- Business Name
- Contact Name
- Website
- Contact e-mail – please note that memberships cannot be completed without a valid email address.
After receiving payment, we will e-mail you a receipt and request for further information for our membership directory. You must have a working e-mail to receive the receipt from Book Publishers Northwest. Set your spam filter to accept e-mails from bpnwnews at aol.com. Check sent without a contact email address means that you will not receive a receipt or member notifications. Please be aware that we are an all-volunteer organization and, depending on our own book publishing schedules, it make take a month or more to send out this notice.
BPNW 2015 memberships expire on Dec. 31, 2015, and 2015/16 or 2016 members expire on Dec. 31, 2016, no matter when during the calendar year a person joined.
Member Benefits
Book Publishers Northwest exhibits members’ books each year at the PNBA Fall Trade Show.
BPNW members receive discounts from our national publishing affiliate IBPA, regular e-newsletters, listing in the BPNW Online Directory, and other special offers as available including display at a local trade show.* We suggest reading the blog to learn more about past events.
In 2015, these benefits included the opportunity to receive a full scholarship to IBPA Publishing University in Austin ($400 value), discounted or free admittance for any member to Pacific Northwest Booksellers Trade Show ($75 value), and more. Special rates were available for members to advertise to local booksellers through PNBA and display at PNBA Trade Show, among other benefits. It doesn’t take long to save as much or more than the original membership cost. These benefits are exclusive to paid members and only sent to them.
No E-mail, No Benefits
Book Publishers Northwest communicates with its members through e-mail. If you do not have an e-mail that can accept our e-newsletters (which contain pictures, links, and other interactive features), you will not receive the full benefit of being a member. Remember, please set your spam filter to accept e-mails from bpnwnews at aol.com.
If you have any questions about membership, please e-mail bpnwnews at aol.com. Since we are an all volunteer group, we do not have a phone number, and it can take up to 3 days to answer emails.
Who should join?
If you are a book publisher of any size, working in the publishing industry, or provide services to book publishers, Book Publishers Northwest is the place to network with others, discuss issues related to the business of publishing, and grow your businesses.
If you are a writer seeking a publisher, you are welcome to join but there are many groups in our region who focus more exclusively on the business of writing that may be a better fit for your needs. Come to a meeting or two before joining to see if BPNW will be beneficial to you.
If you are located outside of Washington state, we suggest checking the activities of the other affiliates of the Independent Book Publishers Assocation to find a group closer to you. Non-Washington members are welcome to join, but should be aware that most of our activities occur in Seattle, Washington, area. If you are a member living elsewhere and would like to start a BPNW meetup in your community, contact us. We’d love to help make that happen.
Still not sure? Come to one of our meetings! All are welcome!
*Stuff the lawyers make us say: Book Publishers Northwest reserves the right to refuse or revoke membership at any time. Trade show display is contingent upon BPNW having enough volunteers to staff a booth and a PNBA trade show being held. New members are encouraged to volunteer at events, speak at meetings, or otherwise help to expand our services for publishers.
BPNW is a not-for-profit trade association of independent book publishers located in Washington and Oregon. If you’re in Seattle, come to any of our free meetings to learn more. We suggest attending a few meetings or reading our newsletter (also free) before joining. If you’re looking for an editor, try the Northwest Independent Editors Guild: http://www.edsguild.org/. There’s many different writing groups in the Northwest to help you figure out how to submit to a publisher.