In the current book publishing climate, authors, publishers, and distributors need to find innovative ways to reach readers and to gain visibility for their books. From fundraising for independent book projects on Kickstarter.com, to rebranding and creating new imprints, to partnering with other businesses to increase distribution, this panel will discuss creative new ventures in publishing that have proven to be successful for local authors, publishers, and booksellers (and even coffee houses).

Panelists

Joy Dey and Anna Skarie, founders of SWAK (Sit With a Kid) Publishing, recently successfully funded the printing of an interactive DoU Adventure book Just Another Monday through a project on Kickstarter.com.

Joy Dey, graphic designer and art director for Old Turtle and The Quiltmaker’s Gift, is the author of Agate: What Good Is a Moose?, winner of the Independent Publisher’s Book Award (IPPY) for Best Children’s Book 2007 and the Midwest Bookseller’s Choice Award for Best Children’s Picture Book 2008, among several others.

Anna Skarie, a web designer and artist with an advanced 3D arts degree, has worked on everything from corporate sites to computer games.

Mark Levine is the founder and CEO of Hillcrest Media Group, Inc., which publishes its own books — including Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, now in its fourth edition — and provides book publishing, marketing, printing and distribution services for authors and independent presses. Hillcrest recently launched CoffeeandBooks.com, which pairs coffee house partners with publishers and sells books online and in 65 Dunn Bros. locations. Scheduled in 2013 is the relaunch of Published.com (the Match.com for authors and bloggers) and the launch of Fiction.com, which combines elements of CoffeeandBooks.com and Published.com with partnerships with independent book stores and MFA programs.

Nancy Tuminelly, co-founder of Mighty Media, a book packaging and interactive technology company, also became the publisher of Scarletta, a local independent publisher, distributed by PGW/Perseus, in 2012. Scarletta, founded in 2005 as a publisher of adult titles, spent the last year rebranding its face and mission, creating new imprints, developing targeted and focused marketing strategies and establishing a trade partnership with Minneapolis’ Abdo Publishing Company to better reflect its growing emphasis on children’s titles.