- What inspired you to launch
Cynren Press?
I am a language lover, from all
angles. Of course, I’ve always been an avid reader, but I was also the ’90s
grunge girl carrying around a torn notebook in which I was constantly
scribbling. I went on to study linguistics, writing, and communication through
various degree programs, so my approach to learning and understanding more
about language was comprehensive. After grad school, I naturally fell into an
editorial career, first as a staff editor, then as a successful freelancer for
more than a decade. I suppose I always wanted to work in publishing, even from
a tender age, so once I had that experience and exposure, and a little extra
cash, I hit the ground running with Cynren.
- How did you come up with the
name?
I formed Cynren Press with the intention of
focusing on history, memoir, biography—people-centered stuff—but more
importantly, work that would unite us, show us our
similarities, bring us together as humanity. I am also a personal devotee of
British history. Cynren is Old English for “kindred,” so I thought it suited
our mission, and my own personality, well.
- What marketing strategies will
you employ to ensure your success?
We’re taking full advantage of the
various marketing opportunities the IBPA has to offer, including cooperative
advertising. Additionally, we’re submitting to all the major trade journals for
reviews (we were delighted to get a great review in Foreword for one of our fall titles), and our books are both
appearing on the cover of Publisher’s
Weekly in September. Our books have appeared or will appear at industry
trade shows, conferences, and book fairs; we’re on NetGalley and Edelweiss+;
and we’ve sent thousands of announcements, releases, and ARCs to influencers
with interest in the subject matter of each title. That’s just for starters; we
add more customized marketing depending on the book. For example, one of our
titles, about the Beatles, was advertised at the Fest for Beatles Fans.
- What are your first two books
about?
In Fall 2018, we’re publishing two
really killer books.
The first is A
Boy Named Courage: A Surgeon’s Memoir of Apartheid by Himmet
Dajee, MD, and Patrice Apodaca. Dr. Dajee was among the rather large Indian
population of South Africa during the gruesome apartheid years. We often hear
about the suffering of the native black population during that time, but it’s
easy to forget that Indians have called South Africa home for decades (Gandhi
was a lawyer in South Africa when he first began his movement). Dajee’s story,
gorgeously crafted by journalist Apodaca, tells us about how apartheid affected
brown people there and also is a wonderful glimpse into a culture and
tradition, and its effects, both positive and negative, on youths of the time.
Dajee ended up bucking both the system and his father’s rigid upbringing to
become a celebrated heart surgeon in the United States. His story is quite
extraordinary. We were delighted to have Denis Goldberg, the renowned
anti-apartheid activist and comrade of Nelson Mandela, read and highly
recommend the book for its importance.
The second book, very different but
no less amazing for what it teaches us, is titled Diary of a
Beatlemaniac: A Fab Insider’s Look at the Beatles Era and is
written by Patricia Gallo-Stenman. It’s exactly what it says it is: a diary,
written by a teenage Patricia (aka Patti) as she came of age in Philadelphia
during the early years of the Beatles era. This is no ordinary diary, though. I
could only wish my own teenage writer’s notebook had been filled with the
insight Patti offers us, even at such a young age. Foreword Reviews hit the nail on the head when it said in its August/September
review of the book that Diary of a
Beatlemaniac has much to teach about how fandom can mold and form young
people in positive ways. Though the diary has some of the silly poetry and
scheming that you’d expect to find there (and for Beatles fans of the era, it’s
quite fun!), Patti tells us how she became a teen columnist for a local
newspaper, daringly met and then befriended Victor Spinetti (of Beatles movie
fame) and Hy Lit (the famed Philly deejay), and grew up with the Beatles, eventually
becoming the first woman in her family to attend college and moving on to a
successful career in journalism. Printed in full color, it’s filled with photos
and memorabilia, and it concludes with exclusive interviews with Spinetti and
Hy Lit. It’s awesome.
- How many titles do you hope to
publish in your first year?
We have six books under contract,
five of which will be published by Spring 2019. The other is still being
crafted quite carefully.
- What publishing experience
informs your decisions?
I have a good amount of experience
from my work history, and I fill in the gaps by asking lots of questions,
reading industry journals, and hiring professionals when I need to—from whom I
learn a great deal to take the press forward. We have as a goal to publish
high-quality books, both in content and form, so we’re keeping it traditional
and treading the tried road, but at the same time, we’re not afraid to take advantage
of new opportunities to improve on the process as they arise.
- What advice do you have fir
struggling writers?
Go indie! Small presses have a lot
to offer, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get a contract with the big
guys. I think Cynren authors would all agree that they’ve received individual,
concentrated attention because we value them for what they’ve done, and we’re
honored to be able to publish their work. At the same time, small presses can
provide the editorial, design, and marketing that self-publishing cannot, at least,
without a hefty price tag.
- What do you see as the future
of book publishing in five years?
I’m
loving the indie movement, which I feel is gaining steam. I think many people
believe the printed word to be on its way out, but the opposite is true. Printed
books are still loved (and bought), and indie bookstores and presses are going
strong. I think we’ll see that trend growing stronger over the next five years.
I’m also seeing more in the way of accessibility, especially in the ebook
industry. I think (I hope) that more publishers will consider accessibility
when they publish ebooks so that those words can reach everyone.
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Brian
Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas
expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or
anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and
email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when
discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©
2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.
This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America
and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute
Conference.
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