The 56th Annual New England Book Show

Now that I think of it, I am a little stunned to be part of a 56-year tradition. This year's book show was held at Boston Symphony Hall, and it was as big an honor as any before for the winners.

This year's event also included the presentation of our "lifetime achievement" Dwiggins Award, as well as acknowledgment of scholarship recipients. Board member David Stirling of Heinemann took the outstanding pictures that are in this post. I will do my best to identify the subjects of each ... please do use the comments section to notify me of any errors. (It's not ink-on-paper, and I am happy to fix!)


Meredith White of the Dwiggins Award Committee introduces the Dwiggins winner in a speech with the traditional element of suspense.



Dwiggins winner Nancy Fenton delivers her acceptance speech.

 

Outgoing president Tom Plain of IBT/Hamilton introduces incoming president Jamie Carter from Copyright Clearance Center (that's me!)

In the purple tie is board member John Rodzvilla. I believe that he is flanked by two Emerson scholarship winners, with Iris Amelia Febres at right.

Northeastern scholarship winner Ingrid Villatta shows her work to Nancy Fenton.

Checking out the winners are two members of the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University design team (right).

Stephen Pekich of Victory Productions (and a Dwiggins alumnus) with Breaking the Spanish Barrier.

At left, text and cover designer Ellen Maxwell. The winning books are from Cheng & Tsui.

The two men on the left are board member Tom Campbell (King Printing) and president Tom Plain (IBT/Hamilton).

Very nice picture. I am sorry that I cannot read the name tags!

At left is Stephanie Rineman.

Board member Joanne Sweeney of Candlewick is in red on the right.

Board member Michele Brennan of Bridgeport National Bindery gets a pat on the back from board member Mike Mozina of Brill.

Incoming board officer Laura Wind (left) organized the book show with Michele Brennan (above). At right is Stephanie Grey, professor from Framingham State and art director for the 2011 catalog. 
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Incoming officer Tom Delano (left) appears here with two colleagues from Vista Higher Learning.

A second winning title from Vista Higher Learning.

Pearson is the publisher of the second set of covers displayed on this board.

Glenn Castle of Cengage.

An award-winning title from David R. Godine.

Two 2013 Boston College scholarship recipients.

Incoming board member Bob Bethune (Maple Press) is on the right.

John Corkery and Mike Edson.

Compositor and cover designer Fritz Klaetke with an award-winning title from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

Scholarship winner Ingrid Villatta with her husband Jeff Holmes of Harvard University.

Former board member Lisa Diercks (Emerson) is at left with John Rodzvilla. On the right are Bob Kosturko and Gabi Anderson of Beacon Press.

Almost all of the design crew from the Art Institute, with George Restrepo (Rest Design) in black.

For a complete list of winners, visit the Bookbuilders website.

Bookbuilders 2012 Holiday Party

Switching things up this year, Bookbuilders held a holiday cocktail party at Petit Robert Central in Downtown Crossing.


Carolers in Downtown Crossing


The change to a smaller venue and scaled-down event was appropriate for the times. Appetizers were hot and plentiful, and the service was terrific.

A $30 ticket price made it possible for many to attend on December 12, and the most notable feature of the party for me was the range of attendees. I spoke with several "newbies"--two of whom received Bookbuilders scholarships in the spring, and all of whom landed their first jobs in publishing just months ago. Founded in 1937, Bookbuilders continues to attract new members!

I also spoke with a former president of one of Boston's biggest publishing houses who later established several successful start-ups. Another Bookbuilders board member introduced us, and we are always happy to do this.

It was also very nice to see several printer representatives visiting from out of town. The Wednesday timing made this convenient, since New England trips can be scheduled for the business week around the party.

We are always working to make events accessible, fun, and productive. If you have comments on this or any Bookbuilders function, please feel free to comment below.

Fall Networking Is Back

It still felt like summer when we arrived for our first fall networking event, but within 12 hours there were reports of frost on the tomato plants. Ah, Boston!


About 35 people attended this event, held at a new venue for us called the Back Bay Social Club. It was a perfect setting: not too crowded, nicely air conditioned on this muggy evening, and friendly. Please join us again here sometime!

Our first time at the Back Bay Social Club.

I met a production and information manager, the owner of a small publishing company, a published author, freelance copyeditors and proofreaders, and a supply chain specialist. And yet, there are numerous people smiling in these photos that I did not have the chance to meet. The photos are courtesy of our newest volunteer, Kristin D'Agostino. Another member approached us about volunteering as well, so there should soon be a small variety of voices contributing to this blog.

Our fearless leader, Tom Plain, at right.

Tom Plain, board president pictured at far right, offered remarks to welcome the group and comment on the mission of Bookbuilders of Boston. This is an open group, encouraging newcomers to the field of publishing while providing education and support. We partner with related groups to strengthen the industry network--this coming Thursday we are happy to join AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Boston at their AFTA gathering: http://boston.aiga.org/home.

What a cool venue!

There was a nice diversity in this month's group, with some veterans, some mid-career folks, and brand-new interns ready to learn, meet, and grow. No matter your experience level, please feel welcome to attend. We all need one another to make the experience worthwhile.

Good conversation with old friends.

The next Bookbuilders networking will take place in Harvard Square in October--we alternate between Harvard Square and Back Bay. We would love to see you there, whether you are a current member, former member, or just looking to find out more about our group. Registration is free, and we ask that you sign up here: http://www.bbboston.org/.

Retirement Bash for a Bookbuilders Leader

Last Thursday many of us attended a unique event: a retirement roast for John Walsh of Harvard University Press. Held in Charlestown, MA, the roast was a charitable event with proceeds benefiting the Education Fund.

Many were probably a little apprehensive about the format ..."insult comics" were popular when John started at Harvard 37 years ago, but humor has changed and we wanted to wish John well rather than embarrass him. There was no reason to worry--Don Rickles was nowhere in sight, and, at least for the first two hours when I was in attendance, we enjoyed entirely painless jokes at the expense of the industry or self-deprecating presenters.

Whenever a comedian is required, Bookbuilders looks to Dwiggins Honoree Chuck Wallace. Even though Chuck wasn't available for the roast, his monologue stole the show. Tom Plain gamely delivered Chuck's prepared remarks, making the references to Tom himself even more amusing.

The production values for the roast were impressive, especially since I'm pretty sure that no one from the Friars Club was hired as a consultant. "The Fabulous Finnerans," for example, were accompanied by the Dropkick Murphys' "Tessie" on their walk to the dais. The Finnerans' own contribution was musical as well, with personalized lyrics and heartfelt delivery (if not always in tune).

The evening was bittersweet, of course, since no one wants to see the old gang breaking up. In addition, there's a sense that we are entering a largely electronic era (after all, this is a blog and not a newsletter). In John's spirit we embrace the future and technology, but we look back with fondness on the days of press checks, bluelines, mechanicals, and color keys.