San Diego Business

Local book publisher releases 'Boom!'

Independent publishing gains popularity
By Jennifer McEntee
Posted on Fri, Mar 4th, 2005
Last updated Fri, Mar 4th, 2005

The 20-something sitting at The Living Room Coffeehouse off El Cajon Boulevard doesn't necessarily look like a publishing powerhouse.

But what does a publishing powerhouse look like anyway?

In the case of Steven Coy, proprietor of San Diego-based independent media publisher Better Non Sequitur, he looks like a college student waiting for his next class. And he is.

But he's also got four books and a DVD film to his credit, and more on the way.

What began last year as a means of self-publishing his own reams of short stories and scripts has grown to a fledgling business. Writers worldwide submit stories, poems and artwork, which he compiles in professionally bound paperback books and sells in online venues including Amazon, his own Web site www.betternonsequitur.com, and at independent bookstores, including the College Area's Hot Monkey Love Cafe.

The latest, an anthology called Boom! For Real, debuted last month. At 134 pages, the book contains the work of more than 40 writers and artists. About one-third of the contributors are San Diegans.

Coy shares editing credit on Boom! with friend Ian Dooda. The book retails for $10.

Authors are paid in books, which they can share with friends and family or sell for a profit. Book sales so far pay for the continuation of the business.

Coy says he's long been a fan of other independent writers, particularly because they tend to be more accessible to their readers.

"They're alive and e-mailable," said Coy in a recent interview.

The difference between work printed by independent publishers and big media houses is the difference between independent films and Hollywood productions, he says. The quality of the writing is there, if not better, but the independent work can be grittier and touch on unconventional topics.

He keeps the look of his books shelf-worthy by getting them digitally printed at Pennsylvania's OPM, or Offset Paperback Manufacturers. The printer produces some 350 million mass market and digest book products annually. For Coy, they publish several hundred copies of each book.

Independent book publishing has fast become an attractive way for authors to get the word out without sacrificing control of the ultimate product. No hard numbers are readily available on just how many independent publishers there are nationwide. The Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based trade group PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, counts its membership at nearly 4,000.

Coy says part of the beauty of self-publishing is that he can publish writing and art based on what he likes, without concern for the bottom line.

"I don’t think about what would sell," he said. "If you’re in this to make money, it's not for you."

He compares his work to that of a garage band working gigs to pay for a guitar, or buy an amplifier.

But the business is growing. Coy would like Better Non Sequitur to publish twice as many books next year. And he'll have the submissions to fill them: while it once took a month to amass enough stories for a book, a request for stories will now generate some 50 submissions in a day.

Better Non Sequitur's following has grown largely by word of mouth, said Coy.

"Talented people know more talented people."

____

Jennifer McEntee is a San Diego-based freelance writer.

Have an interesting business story? Pass it along at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Business Sector	:	Entertainment
URL	:	http://www.betternonsequitur.com/

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