Al Canton's List of the Most Influential People
in the Independent Press Sector

A Saturday Rant 12-29-01

AL CANTON'S LIST OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS SECTOR

As I do at the end of every year I take some time out to consider who the most
influential people are in this industry based upon the events and issues of the
past year. I try to pick people who have shown leadership, accomplishment, and
who are the "opinion" makers for our sector. And I look for people who will
probably be on the list next year as well. But as in all years, some people
don't measure up to my "standard" and I don't re-include them. This year has
many "new faces." Remember, this is a totally subjective list and the names are
not in any particular order.

Lots of people write to me and say "I always read your Rants and listen to what
you say." Below are the people that ** I ** listen to.

Calvin Reid - Calvin is the news editor of Publishers Weekly. I've never met
Calvin, but I really don't like him much. In the last seven years I have sent
him two tons of "news tips" and good ideas for stories about the small press and
he never once sent me an email thanking me. But PW used the ideas.... or maybe
it was just coincidence. But it's not important whether I like him or not. It's
important that he like YOU. Because if he does, he can do a story on you much
like he did with Peter Goodman (Stone Bridge Press) in the 9/3/01 issue. While
I'm not nuts about the guy, Reid is one of the very few people at PW who give a
damn about the small press. His boss Daisy Maryles surely doesn't, so I suppose
that Cal has to fight like hell to get some ink for our sector of the industry.
For that I'm grateful. And you should be as well.

David Li - Those of you who only read the Pub-Forum list will probably not know
David. But Pub-Forum is just a tiny blip on the publishing radar compared to the
Usenet alt.publish.books group. (If you are not using Usenet, you should learn
how!) David is the "Dan Poynter" to a "list" that probably has five thousand
readers. David is septuagenarian retired from academia as well as the World
Bank. He decided that, for the remaining years he wanted to transmit Chinese
culture to English-literate readers. Though a published author while in the
academe and in the profession (CPA), with eight titles to his credit, he took a
couple of courses related to publishing at a community college. After a few hard
knocks, his first success was a book on Kriegspiel, an advanced version of
western chess invented a century ago without a book on it. The unexpected
success led him to other games from China. Thus, he did a book on Mah-Jong, and
then a book on Xiangqi (Chinese chess). With all these books doing well, he
wrote a book, All-by-Yourself Self-Publishing, detailing the trials and
tribulations of a self-publisher. David gives good advice on the
alt.publish.books group and is widely admired for his lucid postings (as opposed
to my rambling Rants that also grace that newsgroup!) When I founded the
alt.publish.books group some six years ago I thought it would be a replacement
for the PMA list and /or Pub-Forum. But people still like the "privacy" of a
listserve. However, Usenet has a huge following and I have no doubt that David
is known by far more publishers than any of the readers of Pub-Forum would
imagine. (You should try Usenet. There are a number of tutorials on the web.
It's easier than using a listserv!)

Leonard Reggio - Love 'em or hate 'em, the chain stores are a part of your
business life, and no one runs a better book-superstore than the CEO of Barnes &
Noble. While everyone cries crocodile tears over the demise of the independent
bookstores, most of those tears are shed on the way to the bank. The advent of
huge bookstores in every neighborhood has been a rising tide that has lifted the
ships of all publishers. And what Reggio has created is what was called the
"Third Place" by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, "The Great Good
Place." The third place had several important attributes. It had to be free or
very inexpensive. It has to offer food and drink. It has to be accessible, as
well as draw enough people to feel social so as to initiate easy conversation.
Mr. Oldenburg believed that that such places were disappearing from the fabric
of our society. But he did not anticipate what Mr. Reggio would create in his
new chain stores featuring comfortable chairs, wide tables, and good coffee. The
local B&N has replaced the neighborhood tavern... and it's OUR books, the books
from the small press that make up a huge percentage of the stock. Say what you
want about the death of small stores, I enjoy going to the bank with Len
Reggio's check in my pocket. I don't know if he "saved" the publishing industry,
but I do know that his B&N stores and online site has made small publishing a
much more viable enterprise financially. And my prediction is that Len will take
over Amazon when it goes paws-up in late 2002.

Peter Goodman - As the owner of Stone Bridge Press, Peter is the quintessential
publisher. He knows what to do, how to do it, and most importantly what NOT to
do. He's quick with a smile, is always in good spirits (which I think are
sometimes aged in oak barrels!) and has worked hard over the years to not only
build his own business, but to help others. Unlike me, Peter actually THINKS
before he writes something. Perhaps you saw the stirring piece he wrote for
ForeWord This Week on 12/19/01. When I speak, people hear me. When Peter speaks
people really listen. There's a difference. While he is not the most successful
publisher in the land (although he does OK, mind you) I can tell you truthfully
that he is one of the most admired. If you want to see how to run a publishing
house visit http://www.stonebridge.com . If Peter ever decides to lead what I
think is a coming "revolution" in the publishing business, I'll be the first to
follow him and do what I can to help.

Mardi Link - You might have heard reference to Las Dos Amigas of the publishing
business. These are Ms. Mardi Link and Ms. Victoria Sutherland who are the
editor and publisher of ForeWord Magazine. In the few years that it has existed
on the planet, I have watched it grow, prosper, and improve to the point that I
believe that it is on an even par with both Publisher's Weekly and Independent
Publisher in terms of content and status. While I don't read PW all that often,
I do get the both IP and FW and always enjoy both. But I find that Mardi and
company are looking to branch out into all sorts of new venues and are seeking
to expand their influence in the industry more than their competitors seem to be
doing. I believe that their ForeWord Reviews will be successful, if for no other
reason than for the integrity that  Mardi and Victoria bring to the process.
There is room for three magazines in our industry and I hope for the day when FW
becomes a weekly or at least a bi-weekly. If you don't subscribe to ForeWord (or
ForeWord This Week (their free email newsletter,) than you should, if for no
other reason than to support the good work of these women. Jenkins can subsidize
his IP magazine with revenue from other sources and his magazine is only a small
percentage of his business. But FW is the whole enchilada for these book-babes.
Everything is on the line with them... their bank accounts, their houses, and
their hearts. And you can tell from the quality of the work that they publish.
Spend a few bucks and do the right thing and advertise one of your titles. These
women ARE successful. You want to ride that train with them.

Jerry Jenkins - No one is neutral about Jerry (or me for that matter!). You can
often measure a man by the enemies that he has and to me, Jerry has all the
right enemies. Jerry is not a status-quo type of guy. He is always looking ahead
to TNBT (the next big thing). He is not afraid to take a risk nor is he afraid
to tell people who are idiots that they are idiots! When it comes to plain old
hard-ball knowledge about how to sell books, Jerry is the man.... especially
when it comes to sales to special markets. When I need marketing advice, Jerry
is the guy that I call. I'm sure he could sell ice to Eskimos. Jerry is not a
deep thinker (like Peter Goodman). Jerry is too busy doing what others are just
thinking about. And because he tries more things, he strikes out more often. So
did Babe Ruth.

Mary Westheimer - Mary is the owner of Bookzone. Mary always give the impression
that she  is all business. When you think of the stereotype of the hard-driving
executive, Mary is it. But when you get to know her she is a woman with a lot of
personality, warmth, and a great sense of humor. With Mary it's all about
"relationship." She has many hundreds of satisfied web clients and there is no
doubt that she and BZ are an "influential force" in the industry. Mary has
worked hard for the publishing industry by getting herself on various boards and
committees and unlike some vendors, she understands that for HER to survive, WE
have to survive! I've always found her somewhat shy and reserved, but perhaps
that is just my affect on her. Be that as it may, you can't take away from her
the success that she has worked so hard these past 10 years to earn and I have
no doubt that she will become an even bigger "mover and shaker" if e-books
become more of a reality for more and more publishers.

Mayapriya Long - She's blond, she's good looking, and she's very smart... not an
oft-found combination. And she has a hard-to-spell/speak first name
(my-ah-PRE-ah). Mrs.Long is a book designer, publisher, and packager who has
held just about every job in this business... before starting her own. There are
a lot of book designers out there. But there are NOT a lot of CREATIVE book
designers out there. Most designers have a "style" such that all their covers
look alike  Go to www.bookwrights.com  and you will see a range of talent and
creativity that you won't find often. Mayapriya does work for some of the
largest houses in the world, as well as some of the smallest (like mine!). And
what separates her from the rest of the pack is that she is so easy to deal
with... she doesn't have the ego associated with most artists... or Rant
writers! She's not cheap, so if you want cheap, you have to go elsewhere. But
for a few bucks (and only a few) more you can have one of the best in the
nation. You don't have to believe me. Look at her client list. You've all heard
of Judith Applebaum (How To Get Happily Published... probably in its 103rd
edition!)? Judy can get anyone she wants to design books for her clients. Who do
you think Judy goes to? Mayapriya is a major-domo in the hugely successful
Virginia Festival of the Book held each year in Charlottesville. Why? Because
they know they can count on her to get stuff done... on time... and on budget.
How many people in this industry can you say that about?

Dan Poynter - He's still the big kahunna in the business not only because he is
so knowledgeable  but because he is just plain  NICE. In a business where we
give great accolades to the hard-driving, "make it happen" executive like Reggio
or Bezos, Poynter stands out as a beacon for all who want to not only build a
business but also enjoy it. He gives away more consulting than he ever charges
for and is always happy to spend a few minutes on the phone with a newbie to
answer a question that may not be on his HUGE website (http://www.parapub.com).
And he is only too willing to write an introduction to a book that will compete
with his Self Publishing Manual. That shows class. Dan is one of only a few
people in this biz who understands how technology is going to really impact us.
I don't always agree with him, but I always listen to him. Dan is a prime
example of a man who has done well by doing good.

Ivan Hoffman - What? A lawyer? With influence in publishing? Damn right and well
deserved. Ivan Hoffman is one of the truly knowledgeable legal minds when it
comes to issues that relate to how we small publishers do business. His
http://www.ivanhoffman.com site has a ton of articles about copyright,
licensing, contracts and all the other mundane stuff we publishers need to know,
but really hate reading about. While Ivan doesn't exactly make it fun, he makes
it easy. I've met Ivan on many occasions and I know a lot of people who do
business with him. If I ever need legal assistance, he would be my legal "go to"
guy. He has a motto: Layering with Integrity. He's the only lawyer I know who
can accurately put those three words after his name. He is well-known and
well-respected in the small press world. And he is affordable. We are lucky to
have him WITH us instead of AGAINST us!!