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The NM Book Association recently participated in the Tucson Festival of Books, held on the University of Arizona campus on March 9-10, 2024. The festival is a major annual event in Tucson and draws over 100,000 attendees. This is our third year in a row of exhibiting at the festival.
Our total sales this year were a little better than last year’s, but, as usual, they varied greatly, and many authors sold only one book or none at all. However, this isn’t conclusive: We handed out dozens of flyers with the QR Code and website address for our online catalog, as well as NMBA business cards and SWBDA contest brochures. Authors and publishers may hear from potential customers in the future, and NMBA may gain contest entries and new members.
Our total sales this year were a little better than last year’s, but, as usual, they varied greatly, and many authors sold only one book or none at all. However, this isn’t conclusive: We handed out dozens of flyers with the QR Code and website address for our online catalog, as well as NMBA business cards and SWBDA contest brochures. Authors and publishers may hear from potential customers in the future, and NMBA may gain contest entries and new members.
Shirley Melis and Noemi de Bodisco Photo by Frank Hirsch
Jordan Jones, Paula Lozar, and Susan Weeks Photo by Shirley Melis
Some general observations:
It’s impossible to predict which books will sell and which won’t. Last year we were asked for books in a couple of genres that we didn’t have. This year we had them, but they didn’t sell!
Authors who volunteer at the show have an advantage because they can bring extra copies of their books to sell. Our best-selling authors were volunteers who sold out their original 5 copies, and a few more. But all our volunteers did their best to sell everyone’s books, not just their own.
Participating in the Indie Author Pavilion is a good way to boost sales. This requires a separate application through the Festival website, and costs a small fee, but NMBA shared the information in advance of the deadline.
In general, customers like to interact with authors who are enthusiastic about their books and willing to talk about them, so going to a show is always a good idea.
Emails have gone out to everyone who participated. Authors who sold books at the show received a summary of their sales, and they can choose to be paid through PayPal or to receive a check in the mail. As for books that didn’t sell, we can store them for our next sales event, or, if notified in advance, we can bring them to our next in-person luncheon.
It’s impossible to predict which books will sell and which won’t. Last year we were asked for books in a couple of genres that we didn’t have. This year we had them, but they didn’t sell!
Authors who volunteer at the show have an advantage because they can bring extra copies of their books to sell. Our best-selling authors were volunteers who sold out their original 5 copies, and a few more. But all our volunteers did their best to sell everyone’s books, not just their own.
Participating in the Indie Author Pavilion is a good way to boost sales. This requires a separate application through the Festival website, and costs a small fee, but NMBA shared the information in advance of the deadline.
In general, customers like to interact with authors who are enthusiastic about their books and willing to talk about them, so going to a show is always a good idea.
Emails have gone out to everyone who participated. Authors who sold books at the show received a summary of their sales, and they can choose to be paid through PayPal or to receive a check in the mail. As for books that didn’t sell, we can store them for our next sales event, or, if notified in advance, we can bring them to our next in-person luncheon.
Eric Paul Shaffer, Shirley Melis, and Susan Weeks with customers. Photo by Jordan Jones.
Many thanks to the volunteers who worked at the show. A special shout-out to Roxanne Howe-Murphy and Jack Meyer, who helped to load into the booth on a rainy morning (luckily, we had beautiful weather for the rest of the weekend!), and to Jack, Shirley Melis, Jordan Jones, and Leslie Stalhut, who packed up the booth while the Booth Chair was stuck in a long line of cars trying to get in. And thanks again to Anna Sochocky for collecting books before the show, Jordan for designing the booth banner and tracking entries and payments (and just about everything else), and Frank Hirsch for moral support.
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You are invited to enter the eleventh annual New Mexico Book Association (NMBA) Southwest Book Design and Production Awards (SWBDA)!
SWBDA recognizes creativity and quality in book design and distinction in production.
The awards are designed to showcase excellence in book design and publishing — and to help raise the standards of book design and production — throughout the Southwest.
Books are judged on the principles and elements of design, including industry–accepted format, visual appeal, and consistency.
The awards are designed to showcase excellence in book design and publishing — and to help raise the standards of book design and production — throughout the Southwest.
Books are judged on the principles and elements of design, including industry–accepted format, visual appeal, and consistency.
- General fiction
- Mystery, thriller
- Romance
- Science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction
- Graphic novel
- Biography, autobiography, memoir
- History and political science
- Scholarly, technical
- Guide (travel, recreation, sports, cookbooks, gardening, crafts, how-to)
- Body, mind, spirit
- Poetry 12. Gift books (special format)
- Children’s
- Young adult
- LGBTQ+
- Bilingual (any category, any two languages)
- Art
- Photography
Eligibility: To be eligible, a title:
Additional information, detailed criteria, and both online and downloadable signup forms are available on the SWBDA information page at: https://www.nmbookassociation.org/swbda-2024.html
- Must have a 2021–2024 copyright.
- Must have an ISBN.
- May be a revised edition with a new ISBN, new cover, and revised or additional text.
- Must be published in the Southwest or have as its primary creator (author, photographer, illustrator, designer) someone with an association with the Southwest or have a subject matter related to the Southwest.
- For the purposes of the contest, the Southwest is defined as the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
Additional information, detailed criteria, and both online and downloadable signup forms are available on the SWBDA information page at: https://www.nmbookassociation.org/swbda-2024.html
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N. Scott Momaday
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, poet and storyteller N. Scott Momaday (89) died in Santa Fe in January. After earning a BA degree in English at the University of New Mexico, Momaday won a poetry fellowship to the creative writing program at Stanford University, where he received a doctorate in English literature.
His ground-breaking novel, House Made of Dawn, the story of a young Native man who returns to Jemez Pueblo to heal after serving in WWII and struggles to reconcile the man he has become with the man he was before leaving, is considered a masterpiece of Native American literature that has been credited with ushering in a period known as the Native American Renaissance. “He was the first,” said Institute of American Arts President Robert Martin. “He paved the way for all the Native writers of today. Before that there had been Native American writers and storytellers, but they had never been acknowledged for their importance or contributions until Scott Momaday came along.”
His ground-breaking novel, House Made of Dawn, the story of a young Native man who returns to Jemez Pueblo to heal after serving in WWII and struggles to reconcile the man he has become with the man he was before leaving, is considered a masterpiece of Native American literature that has been credited with ushering in a period known as the Native American Renaissance. “He was the first,” said Institute of American Arts President Robert Martin. “He paved the way for all the Native writers of today. Before that there had been Native American writers and storytellers, but they had never been acknowledged for their importance or contributions until Scott Momaday came along.”
Stanley Crawford
Writer and farmer Stanley Crawford died in Dixon, New Mexico, in January at the age of 86. Educated at the University of Chicago and the Sorbonne, Crawford moved to Dixon in 1970, where he co-founded El Bosque, a garlic farm, with his wife RoseMary. For decades he sold produce at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and served as the market’s president. Crawford published several novel and nonfiction books. Among the latter, A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm won the NMBA’s inaugural Richard Harris Award in 2013.
“In order to become a bona fide New Mexican,” Crawford wrote in New Mexico Magazine in 2017, “it is best to submit to a number of initiation activities. A short list would include hunting for piñon nuts in scrubland hillside forests of the north in the fall, digging out an acequia in the spring, making adobe bricks in the summer, and building your own adobe house. Add: learning at least a few words of the unique norteño patois of northern New Mexico.”
NMBA Treasurer Paula Lozar traveled to Dixon for Crawford’s garlic on more than one occasion.
“In order to become a bona fide New Mexican,” Crawford wrote in New Mexico Magazine in 2017, “it is best to submit to a number of initiation activities. A short list would include hunting for piñon nuts in scrubland hillside forests of the north in the fall, digging out an acequia in the spring, making adobe bricks in the summer, and building your own adobe house. Add: learning at least a few words of the unique norteño patois of northern New Mexico.”
NMBA Treasurer Paula Lozar traveled to Dixon for Crawford’s garlic on more than one occasion.
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The New Mexico Book Association’s Winter Fiesta took place on January 21, 2024, at the Clubhouse at Las Campanas. The event attracted nearly 50 enthusiastic members and guests, including a reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Pasatiempo magazine.
Members with recently published titles brought their books for display at the Fiesta. There were twelve new titles, a testimony to our members’ active writing and publishing efforts.
NMBA Co-President Shirley Melis presided, assisted by Vice-President Anna Sochocky; Co-President Miguel de la Cruz was unfortunately unable to attend because of illness. Shirley briefly reviewed NMBA’s history and mission, and announced that we will be commemorating our 30th anniversary at our Summer Gala. Anna announced our upcoming events, including our virtual Networking Meetings, workshops, book shows and festivals, and the upcoming Southwest Book Design and Production Awards competition.
Paula Lozar gave commemorations of two recently deceased NMBA members, Scott Gerber and Richard Blide. Scott’s father Marty Gerber, a former NMBA board member, and his wife Susan were our guests. Paula was then surprised to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from NMBA for her long and diligent service to the organization. She was pleased and touched, and hopes to continue supporting NMBA’s mission for a long time in the future.
Members with recently published titles brought their books for display at the Fiesta. There were twelve new titles, a testimony to our members’ active writing and publishing efforts.
NMBA Co-President Shirley Melis presided, assisted by Vice-President Anna Sochocky; Co-President Miguel de la Cruz was unfortunately unable to attend because of illness. Shirley briefly reviewed NMBA’s history and mission, and announced that we will be commemorating our 30th anniversary at our Summer Gala. Anna announced our upcoming events, including our virtual Networking Meetings, workshops, book shows and festivals, and the upcoming Southwest Book Design and Production Awards competition.
Paula Lozar gave commemorations of two recently deceased NMBA members, Scott Gerber and Richard Blide. Scott’s father Marty Gerber, a former NMBA board member, and his wife Susan were our guests. Paula was then surprised to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from NMBA for her long and diligent service to the organization. She was pleased and touched, and hopes to continue supporting NMBA’s mission for a long time in the future.
Marty and Susan Gerber Photo by Pat Galagan
Shirley Melis and Paula Lozar Photo by Sally Thomson
Luci Tapahonso Photo by Sally Thomson
The Richard Harris Award is presented annually to commemorate our late president, an author, publisher, and supporter of quality in publishing. The award honors a book that exemplifies Richard’s high standards for content and production, as well as having impact in New Mexico. This year’s honoree was Sáanii Dahataał, The Women are Singing, a 1993 volume of poetry and stories by Navajo writer and professor Luci Tapahonso. Luci was also our keynote speaker: She read from her work and shared her warm reminiscences of her home and family in Shiprock, NM. She said she was honored to receive the award, and we were honored by her presence.
Our thanks to the Board for organizing the event, to photographers Pat Galagan and Sally Thomson, to the staff of Las Campanas for their professional service, and to all our members for their support.
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Garcia Street Books is excited to be celebrating the winners of this year’s prestigious Pasatiempo Writing Contest which has published outstanding literary works from a variety of genres. This year, there were categories in Fiction, Nonfiction/Essay/Memoir, and Poetry. New this year, the Pasatiempo team assembled a blue chip panel of judges to select top entries in each category, as well as a Grand Prize winner and a slate of Pasa Youth Writer Prize recipients. The contest was announced in November and winning entries were published in Pasatiempo on December 22. Come hear the Grand Prize winners and the youth categories winners read to your from their work!
Sunday, January 28, 4pm
RSVP is required, please click above.
For more information, call the store
at (505) 986-0151
For more information, call the store
at (505) 986-0151
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The New Mexico Library Association (NMLA) is holding its annual conference in Albuquerque on October 25-27, 2023, at the Marriott Pyramid North. NMBA will be displaying and selling our authors’ books in their exhibitor area.
This conference marks the 100th anniversary of NMLA, and is likely to be a well-attended event.
Important: This opportunity is for NMBA members only. If you aren’t certain of your membership status, check the Member Directory at https://www.nmbookassociation.org/member-directory.html
To participate, do the following:
This conference marks the 100th anniversary of NMLA, and is likely to be a well-attended event.
Important: This opportunity is for NMBA members only. If you aren’t certain of your membership status, check the Member Directory at https://www.nmbookassociation.org/member-directory.html
To participate, do the following:
- Register online by October 13 at https://www.nmbookassociation.org/nmla-2023.html. The fee is $35 for the first title and $25 for each additional title.
- Provide 5 copies of each title you plan to display.
- NOTE: if you have participated in previous shows, we may already have copies of your books. (If you’re not sure, email Paula at lozarpaula@cs.com, and put “NMLA Book Sales” in the subject line.) Check before you mail any additional books!
- If we need more books, mail them to New Mexico Book Association ℅ Coyote Arts, Attn: NMLA 2023, PO Box 6690, Albuquerque, NM 87197-6690. Books must be received by October 13.
- This year we are using an online catalog only. Use the form linked to the registration page to upload the PDFs of your sell sheets for the catalog. Specifications for sell sheets are on the registration page.
- We are seeking volunteers to help in our booth at NMLA. Volunteers are needed for three-hour shifts on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and two-hour shifts on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. From past experience, we know that sales are better for authors who are present in the booth, so consider helping us out at NMLA! The link for volunteer sign-up is also on the registration page.
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Nacha Mendez
Writers, book designers, publishers, and more literary lovers gathered for the annual New Mexico Book Association's Summer Gala on August 23rd at Las Campanas in Santa Fe.
The summer heat cooled as attendees mingled outside the Club Room under the portal, munching on assorted appetizers on a picture-book summer evening in Santa Fe.
Acclaimed guitarist and performer Nacha Mendez brought her quintessential song and musical talent to the Gala by playing for NMBA members and friends. Mendez, voted Best Female Vocalist in Santa Fe in 2009 and 2010 and the recipient of the New Mexico Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, made sure the air sizzled with song.
The summer heat cooled as attendees mingled outside the Club Room under the portal, munching on assorted appetizers on a picture-book summer evening in Santa Fe.
Acclaimed guitarist and performer Nacha Mendez brought her quintessential song and musical talent to the Gala by playing for NMBA members and friends. Mendez, voted Best Female Vocalist in Santa Fe in 2009 and 2010 and the recipient of the New Mexico Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, made sure the air sizzled with song.
But New Mexico's award-winning poet, memoirist, and screenwriter Jimmy Santiago Baca stoked the artistic passion of NMBA Gala attendees. Often described as both a "firebrand" and "inspirational," Baca is, in the main, a storyteller. Raised first by his grandmother and later sent to an orphanage, Baca was a runaway at age thirteen. After being sentenced to five years in maximum security prison, Baca learned to read and write, unearthing a voracious passion for poetry and what writing can bring to the human soul.
Baca described himself as notoriously anti-social saying. “I don't go out anymore. I’m devoted to work and have been for many years. I get some invitations from global publishers, which normally I turn down, but I'm always a sucker for regional publishers.” Weaving stories about being a robber gang’s lookout, stumbling upon a nine-bedroom house of his dreams that he would later own, and taking young teenagers from east Los Angeles into the hallowed library of Stanford University, Baca revealed the inner workings of his life and writing to gala attendees.
Baca described himself as notoriously anti-social saying. “I don't go out anymore. I’m devoted to work and have been for many years. I get some invitations from global publishers, which normally I turn down, but I'm always a sucker for regional publishers.” Weaving stories about being a robber gang’s lookout, stumbling upon a nine-bedroom house of his dreams that he would later own, and taking young teenagers from east Los Angeles into the hallowed library of Stanford University, Baca revealed the inner workings of his life and writing to gala attendees.
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Of particular interest to many Summer Gala attendees, the NMBA announced the finalists and winners of the 2023 Southwest Book Design and Production Awards (SWBDA) competition in twelve categories. Twenty-seven books, and by extension, their authors, book designers, and editors, were honored. Award winners are listed in this article’s sidebar.
The Association also revealed its 25th Annual Book-In-Hand Award, which recognizes individuals and entities for their diligent efforts to put books into the hands of readers. Jimmy Santiago Baca was recognized for his work with at-risk youth through the non-profit Cedar Tree, with the mission to help transform the lives of at-risk youth through workshops on writing and literature in prisons and community centers. Jean Devine, owner and operator of Garcia Street Books, was recognized for her collaboration with NMBA that showcases member authors and their books on the Garcia Street Books portal in Santa Fe the first Saturday of the month while the weather holds.
The Association also revealed its 25th Annual Book-In-Hand Award, which recognizes individuals and entities for their diligent efforts to put books into the hands of readers. Jimmy Santiago Baca was recognized for his work with at-risk youth through the non-profit Cedar Tree, with the mission to help transform the lives of at-risk youth through workshops on writing and literature in prisons and community centers. Jean Devine, owner and operator of Garcia Street Books, was recognized for her collaboration with NMBA that showcases member authors and their books on the Garcia Street Books portal in Santa Fe the first Saturday of the month while the weather holds.
Shirley Melis- co-president, outlined the year's activities and accomplishments. Co-president Miguel De La Cruz announced the names of newly elected board members, effective August 2023. Treasurer Paula Lozar recognized two long-time NMBA members, Shanti Banwart and Art Tucker, who passed away this year.
Once the program and awards portion of the Gala ended, NMBA members were treated to a book signing by Jimmy Santiago Baca, including collections of poetry, memoirs, and short stories. NMBA purchased fifty copies of two books by Baca, and the author himself brought a stack of titles for NMBA members.
Once the program and awards portion of the Gala ended, NMBA members were treated to a book signing by Jimmy Santiago Baca, including collections of poetry, memoirs, and short stories. NMBA purchased fifty copies of two books by Baca, and the author himself brought a stack of titles for NMBA members.
NMBA Board Members
Photos by Bill Frej & Pat Galagan.
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Listen to NMBA member Lisa Lucca, winner of the 2022 Southwest Book Design and Production Award from the New Mexico Book Association for her book Ashes to Ink in the LGBTQ category, discuss the challenges of writing about your past while living in the present. Lucca was Interviewed by memoir coach, memoir teacher, memoir editor, and memoir writer Marion Roach Smith on Querty, a podcast by, about, and for writers who want to live the writing life.
Listen here:
https://marionroach.com/2022/12/writing-about-your-past-while-living-in-the-present-with-lisa-lucca/
Listen here:
https://marionroach.com/2022/12/writing-about-your-past-while-living-in-the-present-with-lisa-lucca/
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The successful "Meet the Authors" monthly event at Garcia Street Books in Santa Fe continued on July 1, 2023.
Rebecca Skeele, Donna Pedace, and Sandi Wright (L to R) displayed their books to readers and buyers on the portal of the bookstore. Thanks to Garcia Street Books for offering NMBA authors this opportunity!
Note, the bookstore has offered to continue the tables through October. We're full up for August 5, but I'll soon be sending out a call for the two following months. If you're interested, watch for the email.
Rebecca Skeele, Donna Pedace, and Sandi Wright (L to R) displayed their books to readers and buyers on the portal of the bookstore. Thanks to Garcia Street Books for offering NMBA authors this opportunity!
Note, the bookstore has offered to continue the tables through October. We're full up for August 5, but I'll soon be sending out a call for the two following months. If you're interested, watch for the email.
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The New Mexico Book Association has been invited to display and sell member books at the annual government-sponsored 2023 Feria del Libro de la Frontera in Juarez, Mexico. NMBA Co-President Miguel De La Cruz, who lives in Las Cruces, will be handling our booth at the fair, which attracts thousands of English- and Spanish-speaking and reading people from Mexico and U.S. states bordering Mexico.
Here’s How You Can Participate
Because the cost of a booth in Juarez is less than the cost at the Tucson Festival of Books, we’re able to charge less to register.
Fees (payable by check or PayPal):
$15 for first book title; $5 for each additional (maximum of three)
Submit three (3) copies for each title: If we already have your book(s) in our book show stock, we’ll use those. If we don’t, please mail copies to Paula Lozar (address below)). If you’re not sure, email Paula: lozarpaula@cs.com. Books and/or check must be received by Paula by May 12th.
IMPORTANT!
Participation is limited to registered NMBA members. If you’re not yet a member and would like to participate in the Juarez Book Fair, you can register to be a member here or if you would like to renew your membership, you can do so by clicking here.
Because the cost of a booth in Juarez is less than the cost at the Tucson Festival of Books, we’re able to charge less to register.
Fees (payable by check or PayPal):
$15 for first book title; $5 for each additional (maximum of three)
Submit three (3) copies for each title: If we already have your book(s) in our book show stock, we’ll use those. If we don’t, please mail copies to Paula Lozar (address below)). If you’re not sure, email Paula: lozarpaula@cs.com. Books and/or check must be received by Paula by May 12th.
IMPORTANT!
Participation is limited to registered NMBA members. If you’re not yet a member and would like to participate in the Juarez Book Fair, you can register to be a member here or if you would like to renew your membership, you can do so by clicking here.