Book machine

Fellow small press publisher and all-around great guy, Ari Meil, is announcing a unique project from his own venture, Warren Machine Company.

Meil is launching a new line of locally written, printed, and published books. They are looking for fiction or creative non-fiction 7000-12,000 words(+/-). Each piece that is accepted will be published individually in a short run of uniquely signed and numbered books.

According to Meil's email I received, the purpose of this unique venture is three fold.

Writes Meil, "First, it is meant to break down some of the barriers for writers to get into the market. The stakes are lower than other publishing ventures, because the scope is small, and the print run short, so we will take greater risks, and publish things that might otherwise not be published. Second, it is meant to equalize the relationship of the writer, publisher, and bookstore. We will profit share equally with each party,meaning that no one benefits any more than anyone else from sales. And we will look for sponsorship for each book by a company or individual, adding a community building aspect, that will also equal greater profits for the artists and art related businesses involved. And third, we are very interested in the idea of books as art, and making small runs of books that are personally numbered and signed by the author, without any more to be made available, we make each book more precious, like a limited edition print. "

Submissions can be sent via email to smallbooks@warren-machine.com; please indicate "submission from" in the subject line.

Here's a great chance for new writers to have their work brought to the market by a publisher that values writers and the difficulties inherent in getting published.

RiverVision launches its latest title

[T.W. Moore greets the crowd and talks about the new book]

[Reading from I Love Today—Musings From New England]

[Moore with his family]

[Chatting with folks between signing books]

Last night, RiverVision Press held its official book launch event for T.W. Moore’s, I Love Today—Musings From New England.

Deciding that we wanted to hold our coming out event in Lewiston, where we are based, we partnered with a great local bookseller, Laurie St. Pierre and held it at Percy's Burrow, her delightful store in the Lewiston Mall. Laurie is a gracious host and had prepared punch, cookies and nuts to go along the wine and cheese that we brought for those who came to hear Moore talk about the new book.

Small press publishing is fraught with challenges, none more pressing than being able to get the word out about the work and the books that you produce. One of the best ways to get your name out into the highways and byways is the old-fashioned way—meeting people one on one and talking to them about your goals, mission as a publisher and most important—telling them about your books.

Having been through my own experience with When Towns Had Teams, I know how important it is to be willing to travel around and talk about your book. I’ve found that people like to know how you came up with the ideas that make up your finished product and people enjoy hearing the “story behind the story.”

Being a new publisher, I’m always looking to learn from those publishers that have been doing it for awhile and have a solid track record. One of the key things that most experienced publishers say about promoting books is that you need to have authors that are willing to go out and promote their own book.

T.W. Moore (Tom to his friends) is going to be that kind of author. He came across as folksy, informative and told some great stories about how he came to write the essays that ultimately became I Love Today—Musings From New England, during our book launch event.

Afterwards, Tom told me he was nervous and that fact was verified by his wife, LuAnn. However, none of us listening to him read and enthrall the crowd in attendance picked up on that. It looked like Tom had been doing this for his entire life.

After spending two hours plus, reading, signing books and chatting with those who came out, it was off to the RiverVision Press compound, for a lively after-party to celebrate the new book and two years of publishing success.

In the news

I released When Towns Had Teams in September, 2005. Now, almost two years later, people are still discovering the book, which has become the quintessential book on Maine baseball history.

Matt DiFilippo, a sportswriter for the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel, in Central Maine and a fellow SABR member, had received a "tip" from a Kiwanis member in Augusta, also a member of SABR that I was speaking at their noon luncheon. DiFilippo sent me an email and we arranged a phone interview.

We had a nice chat Monday night, with DiFilippo saying he hoped to run a short story about my talk, which happened yesterday, prior to the event.

With everything else happening with RiverVision Press and the launch of a new book, I forgot about it. My boss came in yesterday morning and said, "Baumer, I didn't know you were so famous."

Apparently, I was front page news on the sports pages of the KJ, yesterday morning. DiFilippo filed a nice advance article and my talk at the Kiwanis Club, in Augusta saw about 60 people in attendance. I had a good time, got to give one more talk on my book and local baseball in Maine and even sold a few books. I've posted DiFilippo's article below, in case the link goes down at some point.

Maine author speaking in Augusta
Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel

By MATT DiFILIPPO
Staff Writer

When Jim Baumer was growing up in Lisbon Falls in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it seemed every town had its own baseball team.

"I got to thinking, 'What ever happened to all the baseball?' " Baumer said.

That thought and more than 40 interviews later, Baumer had self-published a book, "When Towns Had Teams," which covers town baseball from the World War II era to the demise of town baseball. Baumer will be speaking about baseball and his book at noon today at the Kiwanis Club in Augusta.

Much of Baumer's passion for his subject comes from his own memories. He remembers going to Pettengill Park in Auburn to see teams from all over the state play in the Yankee Amateur Baseball Congress tournament.

"This was '71, '72," said Baumer, who lives in Durham and is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. "You would still have, on a weekend, two or three thousand people coming out to these baseball games."

Baumer, 45, said his book validates the stories that the players on town teams have told their children. He learned how proud the players were about their accomplishments when he sat down and talked to them.

"They remember these games 40 years ago like they were yesterday," Baumer said. "I would go ask one or two questions and they'd talk for 2 1/2, 3 hours."

Like many Mainers, Baumer feels that "coming to Maine was almost like stepping back through a window in time" and laments that it is not that way anymore. In a sense, Baumer's book helps capture the time when it was true.

"A lot of people who have read the book have told me that it's very much a baseball book, but it's also a book about small-town Maine," Baumer said. "It's a book about a Maine that, if it hasn't disappeared, it's very close to being gone.

"Part of it is the way society's changed. We don't go to our local drugstores anymore. We go to Wal-Mart, or we go to box stores."

Baumer started a company, RiverVision Press, to publish his book, and has branched out to help other Maine authors. A book by T.W. Moore of Buxton, "I Love Today -- Musings from New England," which will be released June 14. A Q&A on the company's Web site says, "We endeavor to be a publisher that releases a small number of books each year, intended for a specific audience."

"I feel like there's an awful lot of very talented writers in Maine who don't have a lot of options for getting their books out," Baumer said.

Meet RiverVision's newest author

[RiverVision Press (the small press I started back in 2005) is planning on releasing its second book, T.W. Moore’s book, I Love Today—Musings from New England. Here is a recent interview I conducted with Moore. Our release date for Moore's book is June 1st.]

RVP: We’re here with T.W. (Tom) Moore of Buxton, talking about his latest book, I Love Today—Musings from New England. Tom, thanks for coming in to discuss the book.

TWM: You’re welcome.

RVP: Tell us a little about the genesis of I Love Today—Musings from New England?

TWM: I Love Today—Musings from New England consists of a variety of poignant, but mostly humorous vignettes regarding everyday life in New England. I think most people will agree that New England carries with it a certain “mystique,” along with a somewhat “pastoral” or “the way life should be” connotation to it and it is this very essence that I tried to capture in my book.

RVP: In my reading of the manuscript, I immediately thought, “Chicken Soup for the Mainer’s Soul.” Do you think that’s an apt description of what you were aiming for?

TWM: That’s an excellent analogy. While experiencing life here in Maine, I felt that there were so many stories to be told—good stories that shed a little bit more light on life here in New England—stories that truly show the heart and soul of the people that work and play here.

Of course, I’ve added some of my own thoughts and observations, too!

RVP: I don’t know if I should let the “cat out of the bag” here, but you’re not from Maine, right? What brought you here and well, what turned you into such an enthusiast about our state, tucked away in the northernmost reaches of the New England region?

TWM: I have to admit that I am “from away.” I’ve been living in Maine for over six years now, but I began visiting this part of the country with my family many, many years ago. My mother-in-law used to live in North Conway and then for a while in Old Orchard Beach and once or twice a year, we’d pack up the car and drive up to visit. That was my first indoctrination to this region—beautiful mountains and the awesome coastal area. How could one not fall in love with a combination like that? From east to west, this region has a raw beauty that’s absolutely wonderful. When you think about it, we really do have it all here.

RVP: In your chapter, “Daddy’s Not So Little Girl,” you detail your daughter, Taryn’s evolution, from that sweet child who rushed to the fake, plastic cow at the Fryeburg Fair, to a teenager, who no longer wanted to wait in line for the opportunity to pat the cow and have her picture taken. It struck a nerve with me, as my son just graduated from college—I think you really latched on to a universal theme for parents—how to cope with our children’s growing up.


TWM: It is a universal theme—in fact, the title of the book says it all. Meaning it’s important to seize the day, seize the moment, because before you know it, your children have all grown up and moved out and started families of their own. It’s a very fast, complicated world out there today and again, I think that’s what makes this area so special—the fact that we’re not half as crowded or as populated as some of our more southern neighbors. I think this attribute naturally translates to a somewhat slower pace and hopefully this book will serve as a reminder to try and take advantage of that extra time and spend it with your kids—before they grow up and pass up the plastic cow!

RVP: So how are you coping with Taryn’s teenage years and the dreaded, boyfriend?

TWM: (laughs) So far—not so good! I mean she’s only 15 going on 25 and of course, I don’t want her to date until she’s at least 30! I’ve found that I’m way over-protective and usually end up making a fool of myself. Thank God my wife, LuAnn, is more level-headed about this particular subject and seems to have a much better handle on this boyfriend/girlfriend thing than I do!

RVP: I really like how your essays flow thematically, from “Life, Love & Children,” to coping with “Holidays,” your section on “Heroes” is very poignant and you don’t miss sports (“How Sporting of You!”) and of course the final section, “Shopping and Taxes.” Is there some philosophical message for readers here?

TWM: With a few exceptions, it’s to try and find humor in our everyday lives. But a lot of it also goes back to that central theme: love today, love every moment and learn to cherish every breath you take, because the world out there is such a complicated, crazy place that you never know what might happen from one day to the next or what the future holds….So you may as well keep a sense of humor and live life to its fullest!

RVP: Since we mentioned sports and it’s April (although with this last snowfall, it doesn’t seem like it), all thoughts in New England turn to the Red Sox. Any thoughts or even more bold, predictions for this summer’s version of New England’s team?

TWM: Oh, we’re definitely going all the way this year! Especially with the recent addition of the fifty-million dollar man, Dice-K. Anyway, I unfortunately can’t say we’re still tied for first place because we just lost the opener, but up until we won the World Series a few years ago, everyone in the entire New England area claimed we were going all the way for 86 straight years, so this time of year—hope springs eternal!

Speaking of eternal, one of the stories in the book deals with that very subject—about how Major League Baseball recently signed a venture with the funeral industry where you can actually emblazon your favorite team’s logo on the side of your casket!

I say sign me up—but not just yet!

RVP: You’ve been freelancing for awhile and I know a version of many of these essays first appeared in Maine’s largest daily newspaper. Any other projects in the works beyond I Love Today—Musings from New England?

TWM: My next book project is a supernatural thriller titled Circle of Stones. This is a story about a young teenage girl who befriends two mystical wolves in the northern woods of New Hampshire. I’m very excited about it.

RVP: Tom, it’s been a pleasure. I know we’re very excited that you’ve chosen RiverVision Press to handle your book. Our plans are for a June 1st release date and we’re going to do our best to run you out there to bookstores, libraries and wherever to share your great stories about the unique and sometimes quirky qualities that constitute a life lived in the northernmost state in New England.

TWM: Thank you. Believe me, the pleasure has been all mine. Because this is my first book project, I didn’t really know what to expect and RiverVision Press has made the entire process not only very enjoyable, but quite painless as well. I’m looking forward to getting out there and sharing these stories with the great people of Maine!

[You can find RiverVision Press books, including our award-winning first release, When Towns Had Teams, at most of Maine's independent booksellers, all Mr. Paperback locations, as well as the Borders stores in Bangor and South Portland.]

The "buzz" continues

I released When Towns Had Teams last September. Many books have a short "window of opportunity," particularly those that are tied to trends and popular culture. Thankfully, a book like mine, with its historical arc, from a time rapidly fading from memory, continues to captivate those with an appreciation for Maine's unique heritage from bygone days.

Harry Gratwick reviewed When Towns Had Teams for The Working Waterfront, one of our state's more interesting and pertinent publications. Gratwick obviously understands what I tried to convey by writing this book. Not only does the baseball captivate this reviewer, but as he writes, "Baumer uses Maine to illustrate the changes that were occurring in American society in the 1950s. 'High school graduates from all over the country,' he writes, 'were now deciding on college as an option to jumpstart their careers.' One result of this influx of manpower was the development of a more competitive brand of college baseball. This in turn improved the level of summer ball played at the semi-pro and town team level in Maine. The result was that spectators of the sport were treated to a high level of baseball from early summer until the last major league team had barnstormed through the state in the fall."

I was aware of putting Maine's unique brand of baseball into the proper context and reviewers like Gratwick obviously appreciate my efforts. As a writer, this is very gratifying.

Thanks to Gratwick for his great review and hopefully, this will bring the book to the attention of many of the former town team players and others, who probably still don't know about the book.