Kansas authors, publishers convene in Topeka for networking event
After three years of publishing books, the partners of Meadowlark Books, of Emporia, are working on how to actually sell them.
“I knew I didn’t want to be a romance publisher, I didn’t want to be just a poetry publisher,” Tracy Million Simmons said Saturday during the fifth annual Great Writers Right Here event at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. “I love Kansas and I love Kansans, so we finally decided on Midwest authors or stories that are Midwest-focused.”
“As a publisher, we’re starting to better define what it is we’re publishing and what our focus is,” Simmons added.
Miranda Ericsson, a public service librarian at the library, said Saturday’s event was curated and brought an estimated 50 Kansas and Midwest authors and publishers together in one place to talk about each other’s work.
“When we get feedback from people after the event, they say, ‘Yeah, it’s great that I sold some books but it’s even better that I got to meet authors that I admire face-to-face,’ ” she said, “or I got connected up with a publisher and we’re going to work on a project. A lot of times I get to hear stories after the fact about people who made important connections to advance their writing careers.”
“This is a great networking event for authors,” said author and Kansas historian Roy Bird, of Auburn. “It’s an opportunity to see what else is being done in the state.”
Jim Kenyon, a native of Bogue in northwest Kansas, is one such author who has written two books that Meadowlark Books has published.
A retired veterinarian now living in Iowa, Kenyon said his first book, “The Art of Listening to the Heart,” is based on his “heartwarming” and “heartbreaking” experiences of taking care of family pets.
“You couldn’t really treat the animal without knowing the human and what was involved,” he said. “It’s life stories.”
Mike Graves, a partner with Meadowlark Books, is also an author. He co-wrote “Green Bike” with Simmons and Kevin Rabas. It’s the work that Meadowlark Books published and garnered a coveted Kansas Notable Book award as part of the annual Kansas Book Festival each year at the Kansas Statehouse.
“It’s just been a wonderful ride, a wonderful good time,” Graves said of the distinction for “Green Bike.” He said that when he received the email that the book had been designated as a Kansas Notable Book, he said he almost deleted it, believing for a moment that it was junk mail.
“It was real,” he said. “And it’s been a whirlwind for us since then. I’ve met some wonderful people and the Kansas Authors Club has been tremendous. We have lots of good support and we all help each other and encourage each other.”
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Contact reporter Angela Deines at (785) 295-1143 or @AngelaDeines on Twitter.