Alaskan Authors Head to National Book Festival

The Alaska Center for the Book selected authors Michael Engelhard and Debbie Miller to represent the state at the 2025 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 6.

Engelhard’s Arctic Traverse, A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range was published by Seattle’s Mountaineers Books in April 2024. The author released three books last year, the memoir Arctic Traverse (Mountaineers); an essay collected What the River Knows (Hancock House); and No Walk In The Park:Seeking Thrills, Eco-Wisdom, And Legacies In The Grand Canyon under his own imprint Corax Books. For more about how this author juggled three books in one year, see our June 2024 interview with him. Photo below provided of the author at book signings for his 2024 titles:

The environmental picture book Glaciers are Alive by Debbie Miller was illustrated by Jon Van Zyle. The book introduces young readers to the wonders of glaciers and was published by Charlesbridge in May 2023.

The National Center for the Book’s 2025 Great Reads from Great Places program features books and authors representing the unique literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas. Since 2002, each Affiliate Center for the Book has selected a book written for children or young adults that reflects local literary talent and topics. In 2022, a selection for adult readers was added to the program.

“We are thrilled to showcase these two captivating books that highlight Alaska’s amazing natural wonders at this year’s National Book Festival,” said Patience Frederiksen, president of the Alaska Center for the Book, in her announcement of the 2025 selections

Representatives from the 56 affiliates of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will staff tables promoting their book selections and state programs at the 2025 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 6. Great Reads selections will be sold at the festival and placed on the permanent list of honored titles on the Library of Congress’s Great Reads from Great Places webpage.

More information about the National Book Festival can be found at https://www.loc.gov/events/2025-national-book-festival/ (photo from 2024 festival courtesy of LOC).

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SABF Celebrates Creativity in May

The Seattle Art Book Fair (SABF) returns May 10 and 11, 2025, to Washington Hall. This free festival features artists and their books, book design, and independent publishing. This year’s fair will include more than 85 exhibitors, classes and presentations, and book-inspired art on display.

SABF defines art books, also known as artist books, as creations which use the medium of publishing or manufacturing a book as an artistic practice. Volumes seen at SABF can be handmade, offset-printed, letterpressed, photocopied, screen printed, or risographed.

The event celebrates creativity on many levels, with artists and their books using narrative, poetry, photography, and illustration to convey their message. Talks, activities, and installations from members of the arts community will take place throughout the weekend. A “launch party” will be held on Friday, May 9. To learn more, check SABF’s website at https://www.seattleartbookfair.org/ (home page of website shown below).

SABF is held at Washington Hall, 153 14th Avenue, in Seattle.

Additional West Coast art book fairs in 2025 include the LA Art Book Fair (May 15-18, 2025), Vancouver Art Book Fair (July 4-5, 2025) and the San Francisco Art Book Fair (July 11-13, 2025).

Book Publishers Northwest News is an indie news site devoted to the publishing scene in the Pacific Northwest. We welcome story suggestions! Use the contact form on the website https://bookpublishersnw.com/contact/.

Publishing Conferences and Book Fairs in 2025

Start marking the calendar with conferences and book fairs of interest to indie authors and publishers.

IBPA Publishing University: This year’s three-day conference will take place May 15–17, 2025 at the Intercontinental Saint Paul Riverfront in Saint Paul, MN. It will feature hands-on sessions, workshops, and other educational opportunities for independent, hybrid, and author publishers, as well as university and association presses. The Independent Book Publishers Association is in the process of finalizing the schedule. To find out more, check https://www.publishinguniversity.org/.

U.S. Book Show: Formerly known as Book Expo America (BEA), this conference takes place in May 2025. No details posted yet on the website but sign up for further information at https://usbookshow.com/.

Looking to sell books at book fairs? Connect with readers? Here’s a few ideas for the Pacific Northwest:

Get Lit! Festival, April 10-13, 2025; Spokane, Washington. The state’s “longest-running annual literary festival” (as per organizers) offers four days of readings, writing workshops, craft classes, panel discussions, literary happy hours, virtual events, and a book fair. Find more information at https://inside.ewu.edu/getlit/.

Worldcon 2025, August 13-17, 2025; Seattle, Washington. A giant international science fiction and fantasy convention that shifts cities every year, Worldcon is coming to Seattle. Applications for dealer tables and for author participation in panels are currently being accepted at https://seattlein2025.org/.

Portland Book Festival, November 8, 2025; Portland, Oregon. Run by Literary Arts, this festival offers spaces for authors to meet readers and sell books. Sign up for information at https://literary-arts.org/about/programs/portland-book-festival/.

We’ll be adding information on other book festivals and conferences as these become available. Staging an event of interest to indie authors and publishers? Send us the information at bpnwnews at aol.com.

Partners in Print Plans For New Seattle Space

Partners in Print (PIP), a nonprofit devoted to the art of letterpress, is planning a move into a physical space in downtown Seattle, Washington.

Starting in 2020, the organization received equipment from School of Visual Concepts (SVC) when they closed their school print shop. Since then, PIP has maintained storage for the equipment. The group has organized Zoom events and pop-ups to introduce people to the joys of letterpress printing.

On October 22, PIP announced that they had signed a lease for a new physical space to house their equipment and serve as a cultural center for letterpress printing. On their Facebook page, they posted “In the coming months, we’ll be fundraising, engaging with designers, contractors, and the larger community to build on everything we’ve learned over the last four years. Together, we’ll reinvent a vibrant new cultural space for letterpress printing in Seattle at 402 Cedar!”

The Belltown location will house PIP’s equipment and give them a space for on-site classes. The organization also plans to continue its community outreach and online activities. “By furthering the 19-year legacy of the SVC Letterpress Program, Partners in Print continues to wield the power of print for the greater good,” states their website.

To learn more about PIP and their plans, visit their website at https://partnersinprint.org/.

Top: New home for PIP in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle (photo top left and top right from PIP Facebook page). Former SVC workshop and letterpress from PIP. For more information see: https://partnersinprint.org/.

Portland Book Festival Turns Ten

Literary Arts is celebrating a decade of producing a successful book festival in Portland, OR. This year’s Portland Book Festival, presented by Wells Fargo, returns Saturday, November 2 to ten stages at six partner venues in downtown Portland’s south Park Blocks. More than 100 authors and interviewers, drop-in writing workshops, pop-up readings, a book fair, and local food trucks return for this 10th annual celebration of books and stories.

Tickets range from $5 to $18 for a general pass. Some author readings require additional tickets. Veterans and youth passes are available for free. Some passes also include a $5 voucher for purchase of books.

Full details on guests and events can be found at https://pdxbookfest.org/.

SPECIAL READERS NIGHT

Literary Arts offers readers an exclusive peek of the Portland Book Fair on the evening of November 1 including complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Supporters get early access to the many book sellers and vendors. The Readers Night is an all ages welcome event. The event takes place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. Tickets are $75.

More information available at: https://literary-arts.org/event/readers-night-2024/

Meet Readers Who Love Books

Romance readers are known to be passionate about their favorite genre. Now authors and publishers of romance books can connect with fans at Emerald City Romance Author & Reader Event. The all day event takes place at the South Seattle College, 11am to 5pm, on August 17.

Readers can choose from “early access” VIP tickets to be let into the venue at 11am. General admission starts at noon. VIP admission is $30 (limited to less than 100) and general admission will be $10 (expected to cap at 250). Wrist bands will be provided to those who register, and admission includes cost of parking.

Vendors tables range in size and price from $80 to $125. Authors and other vendors reserving a table will receive a box lunch and parking too. Set up for the day begins at 9am on August 17.

For more information, check Emerald City Romance Writers website: https://www.emeraldcityromancewriters.org/2024-author-reader-event

Emerald City Romance Writers, previously known as the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America, promotes excellence in romantic fiction by helping writers become published in the romance genre and providing a place where writers — both published and unpublished — can come for growth, support, inspiration, and education.

Publicist Finds Our Region Very Book Friendly

Publicist Jenni Tyler promotes the books of Arcadia Publishing. Her “territory” is the West Coast so we took the opportunity to ask her about promoting books and authors in our region. Here’s what she had to say about her job and our friendly book scene.

How did you become a publicist?

I always knew that I wanted to work in publishing, but I initially thought I wanted to be an editor. I attended the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver in 2010, and there I got to see what each role was in the book publishing process. And I just fell in love with publicity. At the time it seemed so glamorous getting to speak with the media and go to events. After DPI, I ended up moving to Charleston, South Carolina and saw that Arcadia Publishing had a job opening in their publicity and marketing department. I’ve been there ever since.

Could you tell us a little about your job for Arcadia Publishing?

Arcadia Publishing is a publisher of local history books, and as such we very much work by territory. I manage the West Coast for publicity and marketing. I reach out to and work with the media, and set up events for my authors to give their book the best coverage possible. Our books are different in terms of publicity because they are so localized – while we would love to see our books reach a national audience, the local audience is going to be our primary audience.

How many books are you currently promoting?

I’m currently working on about 25 books. We work on a rolling schedule so I always have books that have already published, are about to publish, and are pre-publication.

How would you describe the book culture of the Pacific Northwest?

From what I can see from my vantage point, the PNW is made up of readers. Most of our books do well there. I can only speak to this from that local history perspective, but it seems like people love to learn about the history of their towns and the stories surrounding them. Maybe it’s the rainy/foggy atmosphere, it definitely makes great reading weather!

Is it easier or harder to promote a book in the PNW than other regions?

I have worked on the East coast and the Midwest to promote our books, and I would say it is definitely easier to promote in the PNW. Everyone is generally enthusiastic about seeing new books come through and there is not as much competition when it comes to booksellers. The East coast is so small and congested, it feels like there’s a bookstore on every other corner (which, as a book-lover, I fully support!) but that makes it hard to market. If a bookstore has a signing event, the other bookstores within a mile radius aren’t going to also want to host the author because it will bring in the same (but smaller) audience. Whereas in the PNW everything is a little more spread out without taking hours to get between locations.

What do you think is the best thing a publisher or author can do to get their work noticed?

Social media is key these days. Authors need to have a strong social presence to get noticed. Again, our books are very localized, so the media attention we get are also localized (think the local paper or a regional radio station) – so in order to get noticed by a broader audience you have to have a strong social media presence (both the author and the publisher).

Picture of Jenni Tyler and Arcadia Publishing book courtesy of Tyler. To find out more about Arcadia Publishing, visit their website at https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/. Please note an earlier version of this article was attacked by autocorrect and misspelled Tyler’s last name. Our sincere apologies!

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Alaskan Writer Promotes Three Books Simultaneously

Michael Engelhard has three new books out in 2024. Two are based on his life in Alaska and published by Pacific Northwest companies: the memoir Arctic Traverse (Mountaineers) and What the River Knows (Hancock House), an essay collection.

His third book this year explores the Grand Canyon. For No Walk In The Park:Seeking Thrills, Eco-Wisdom, And Legacies In The Grand Canyon. Michael decided to publish the book himself under the imprint Corax Books.

Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Engelhard has worked 25 years as an outdoor instructor and wilderness guide in Alaska and the canyon country. He is the author of 12 books.

Throughout the year, Engelhard plans to strategically schedule events to cross-promote all three titles simultaneously. We recently did an interview via email on how he came to have three books out in one year and what’s the best way to promote that many titles. You can learn more about all his titles at michaelengelhard.com.

*Photo of books courtesy of Michael Engelhard*

Interview with Michael Engelhard

Why did you settle in Alaska?

I came to Alaska as an exchange student from Germany in 1989. I had wanted to live “up north” for a very long time—too much Jack London at a susceptible age you could say. I fell promptly in love with cabin life in Fairbanks, the Native cultures, and the immense swaths of public lands, especially in Alaska’s Arctic, all of which have inspired me ever since. My memoir Arctic Traverse and the essay collection What the River Knows are only the latest in a number of books and articles that have sprung from my fascination.

Why did you decide to bring out three books this year?

For starters, 2024 marks the centennial of the first official Wilderness (in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico), pushed for by the proponent of a “land ethic,” Aldo Leopold, a whopping four decades before the Wilderness Act. And most of my writing and much of my life is centered on the dual concept of wildness-wilderness. So, publishing three books on the subject this year feels like an appropriate commemoration. On a practical level, it allows me to cross-promote these books simultaneously.

Which came first: wilderness guide or writer?

Actually, anthropologist came first. Working with Alaska Native peoples, I discovered an interest in storytelling and what I call “the symbolic dimensions of landscapes” —place names and related myths, cognitive maps and ways of wayfinding, the lived experience of a landscape beyond subsistence activities. I only became a wilderness guide after I taught briefly at the university and found that for me, an indoor classroom is not the best setting to educate (and entertain) people. Also, while I worked on my Ph.D. I spent more and more time in front of computers and less in the outdoors, doing fieldwork.

What has been the greatest challenge in promoting your work?

It is hard to decide what kind of thing to focus on: ads, reviews, guest blog posts, excerpts, podcasts, interviews, readings, appearances at conferences and book festivals, etc. The efficiency of these promotional activities can be hard to determine, since sales reflect their cumulative effect. Currently, my biggest challenge is to promote my Grand Canyon book, No Walk in the Park, while living in Alaska.

What do you think is the easiest thing for an author/publisher to do to promote new works?

It’s important to cultivate personal relationships in the industry over the years, with people very likely to respond positively to a particular new book, to prevent having it end up in the slush pile. The easiest thing that works, for an author, is to meet his or her readers at book events. You’re trying to sell yourself as much as you do a book.

*Photo of Michael Engelhard at book signing courtesy of author.*

Seattle Art Book Fair Returns in May

May’s sunshine not only brings out the flowers, it also marks the start of festival season in the Northwest. The 2024 Seattle Art Book Fair recently announced their lineup of 80+ artists, designers, publishers, and for their May 11-12 event at Washington Hall in Seattle.

This free annual festival celebrates independent publishing, book design, and books-as-art. Check their website or follow them on Instagram for more information on the 2024 programs and exhibits at https://www.seattleartbookfair.org/.

Seattle Art Book Fair

SABF’s published list of exhibitors and participants reads as follows:
51 Personae // A is A // A. T. Pratt // Adelaide Blair // afterhours // Alder & Frankia / Impractical Labor (ILSSA) // Amalgam // ANEMONE // Anna Moore // Are Not Books // & Publications // Awkward // Ladies Club // Bad Student / Future Fellow // Robert Baxter & Co. // Benschop Books // Berm // BEST KEPT SECRET // Body&Forma // Bored Wolves // Broccoli // Carletta Carrington Wilson // The Cauldron Press // Chin Music Press // Cold Cube Press // The Corners of Their Mouth Press // Cornish College of the Arts, Design Department // Crackling.Co // Crow Design Studio // Curious Publishing // Current Editions // Ediciones Concordia Mx // Editions // Erika Rier // Errant Press // Fillip // G.U.P.I. // Gelkheht (Yewon Kwon & Benjamin Kraco) // Girl Noise Press // Historical Seditions // HOMOCATS // horse gurl press // Insert Press // Irrelevant Press // Issue Press // Jason Hendardy // Keep On! Creative // Late Night Copies Press // Leobardo Bañuelos Jr // Living Room Press // Mara Gervais // michelle ho // Mirrored Society Books // Moniker Press // Monograph Bookwerks // National Monument Press // NEOGLYPHIC MEDIA // New Documents // Nick Thompson // NIGHTED // Ouroboros Press // Paper Press Punch // Photoverge Studios // play.ground // PM Press // pocket press // Popla1000 // PrintED Studio 印得物工作室 // Raspberry Bow Press // Risolana // RITE Editions // self.img // Set Margins’ // sick sad trans fags // Skylark Editions // Snack Break Studio // Siempre Snack Time & Slow Nights Studio // Sybil Press // Taxonomy Press // Temporary Services / Half Letter Press // Tiny Splendor // Track and Field // UW Division of Design // Wave Books // Winter texts // Wonderfolio // Zine Hug // Zines4Queers // Community Tables: ARCADE Magazine // Books to Prisoners // Center for Contemporary Art // Folio Seattle // The Garfield Messenger // Puget Sound Book Artists // Real Change Newspaper // SPL ZAPP Zine Archive

Seattle Literary Events Calendar Launched

Seattle City of Literature started a calendar in February “to celebrate the people and organizations that make Seattle a UNESCO designated City of Literature.” Organizations are encouraged to contribute information on “all literary adjacent events open to the public — readings, workshops, open mics, comics classes, discussions, lectures, youth programs, book clubs, residency deadlines, festivals, talks, plays — anything you might dream up that’s “literary” in the loosest sense,” according to the announcement.

Seattle City of Literature aims to email a biweekly digest of all the literary events listed to their subscribers.

“The calendar will also serve as an important way to benchmark the health of our literary community and track all of the events that are happening every year,” said José L. Montero, President of the Board, Seattle City of Literature.

More information about the organization and its new calendar can be found at www.seattlecityoflit.org/community-calendar.

The UNESCO Cities of Literature network of 53 cities represents 6 continents and 39 countries, and a combined population of over 26 million. Seattle received its designation in 2017.