Letter from the President
It’s summer, which is often a quiet time with MiPA. Our programming year generally runs September through June, with July and August on a hiatus for planning and renewal. But this summer has proven unusually busy.
Over the first weekend of August, I journeyed to Indianapolis for GenCon, which is a very large tabletop gaming convention. GenCon draws roughly 100,000 participants from across the planet and basically takes over downtown Indy for a week. Part of GenCon is the Writers’ Symposium — a set of programs and activities, presently led by noted author Maurice Broaddus, that draws roughly 30,000 people to at least one of its ticketed events.
With our administrative coordinator, Allison Hawkins, we presented a MiPA specific panel that alone netted us roughly two dozen new members. (Welcome, friends!) I also enjoyed the privilege of moderating a packed panel about independent publishing featuring authors Cat Rambo, Danni Williams, and Matt Dinneman — see the picture at the top! — that successfully completed despite a tornado warning.
Over the five days we were at the convention, I met literally hundreds of aspiring authors, showering them with MiPA propaganda and pins and talking about the publishing industry in general. As I reflected on the totality of my experiences, I think my biggest take-away is that it’s too easy to dismiss the efforts of writers of “not-books” and exclude them from the publishing tent. For example, it takes a lot of skill and dedication to write a tabletop role-playing game or draft the narrative elements of a video game. Yet celebration of those talents are often appendages of different trade organizations. Can MiPA do a better job of recognizing the craft of writing even if it doesn’t come in book form? I think the answer is a resounding YES, but the devil slithers amidst the details. Plenty to ponder.
From L: Jason moderating a panel. With Mychal Threets. One of Kurt Vonnegut’s typewriters.
We also chatted briefly with Mychel Threets, the new host of Reading Rainbow, about ways that libraries can better partner with independent publishers. Our board member Nancy Roop has been our point person on libraries. There’s a ton of bidirectional interest in working together, so now we need to find specific activities to better cement those vital relationships.
I’ll say it again: Lots to ponder.
Tidbits
A few other things to share:
- Midwest Book Awards. We are currently reviewing our lessons learned from last year’s cycle and exploring ways to update processes now that Jennifer Baum, our previous chair, has finished her service to the association. We do not expect many major changes, but the submission window will not be as late in the season as it previously had been. Stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks.
- Retention Election. Our bylaws require us to get the endorsement of the membership of any member of the board who was appointed to fill a vacancy by the board itself. We’ve enjoyed the service of Michael Braun of Orange Hat Publishing for a year, and the board is asking for you to confirm this appointment for the remainder of the term that expires on June 30, 2027. Only members can vote, so log in and visit the election page to cast your vote or click the blue button at the bottom of this message. To be confirmed, the vote merely needs to be a majority of those voting, with no quorum requirement.
- Programming Calendar. We are focused on expanding our service portfolio to include more in-person activities, and to be more intentional about virtual conversations. If you believe you have valuable expertise to share about a topic related to independent publishing, please reach out to me directly at president@mipa.org with a pitch, especially if it’s not a rehash of stuff already readily available online.
- Being Together. Those of you in the Southwest Michigan market are invited to drop by the Holland Literary Festival in Holland, Michigan on Saturday, September 12. There is no cost to attend. MiPA will have a table there. And then on Saturday, November 7, we’ll have a table at the Twin Cities Book Festival in St. Paul, Minnesota. At TCBF we’re extending authors an opportunity to schedule an hour block to set up their books and do in-person signings, for a small cost-sharing fee. Please reach out to info@mipa.org for more information about joining us at TCBF.
Thank you for being independent together with MiPA.
Jason Gillikin
MiPA President