PLEASE SEE CORRECTION ON WEEK DAYS FOR VIRTUAL RETREAT |
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IN THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER |
- Passing the Baton
- “Joyful Encounters” Authors Retreat Sept. 29-Oct. 1
- The BK Authors Gift Exchange–Open NOW
- How would Buddha Pivot from In-person Teaching to On-line Teaching?
- Upcoming BK Authors Webinars
- Missed the Online Marketing Conference? Recordings Available for Purchase
- A Peacock in the Land of Cops - by BJ Gallagher
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BK—Our Next Conversation with BK Publishers Leaders
- Next Watercooler Conversations Series—Power and Privilege
- BK Shareholders Annual Meeting Recap and Recordings
- BK Foundation Updates—of Action Learning Fellows and new Board members
- New and Upcoming BK Books—Please Support These Authors!
- Highlights from Our Values: Quality
- Last Word
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Hello BK Authors Community,
When Emily Axelrod and Joan Mcarthur-Blair called me over to their table at the BK Authors retreat in 2017, I didn’t know they were about to change my life.
But change it they did. They invited me to become a BK Authors board member, and to take on the duties of BK Authors Ink editor.
I said yes. I had only a vague sense of what the BK Authors community was at the time. But I knew I loved the vibe. That event at a San Francisco Bay Area retreat center was full of heartfelt, thoughtful, do-gooder people. Everyone seemed so...alive. And they were connected to BK, a publishing company I already knew I respected like crazy.
Over the past 2 ½ years, I’ve tried to make this newsletter a vehicle for keeping people in the loop about our author group events. I’ve tried to highlight our values and shine a light on the funky, fun, profound writers that make up our merry band of some 800 authors overall.
And I’ve had tons of help with that work. Esther Derby, author of the BK book 7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change, agreed to be co-editor more than a year ago. She brought positive, productive change by curating our author profiles and our “Last Word” uplifting quotes. Christel Fairchild, our BK Authors Community Coordinator, has done the heavy lifting of formatting the newsletter, compiling all the new books put out by our community, and distributing the newsletter to everyone’s inbox.
Plus which, the rest of the BK Authors board--especially Emily Axelrod and Karen Phelan--have chipped in a lot.
I’ve loved having this birds-eye view of all that’s happening in our community. I’ve met so many inspiring colleagues at our Marketing Workshop, our retreats and our online gatherings. I’ve loved witnessing how BK authors have admirably tried to pivot amid the pandemic and meet the moment of the racial justice reckoning. I know we have a long ways to go. But I feel more jazzed up than ever by our mission to be a community connecting people and ideas to create a world that works for all.
If the Authors Ink hasn’t hit the spot for you, that’s on me. And in the spirit of iterating our way to a better newsletter, I’m excited to share that there will be a new lead editor beginning with the next issue. BJ Gallagher, a long-time BK author, will take over from me. BJ likes to call herself a Peacock in the land of Penguins (see the story of her book by that name in this issue). And I’m confident that she, with continued support from Esther and Christel, will make the Ink more colorful than ever.
By the way, I’m not stepping down from a BK Authors leadership role entirely. I’ll continue to serve on the BK Authors board, concentrating on my duties as our group’s representative on the BK Publishers board of directors.
Apparently I haven’t yet overstayed the welcome Emily and Joan offered me back in 2017. And I continue to be honored by the chance to serve this community. A community that keeps changing my life for the better.
--Ed Frauenheim (Co-author of the forthcoming BK book, Reinventing Masculinity)
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“Joyful Encounters” Authors Retreat Sept. 29-Oct. 1 |
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We invite the BK Authors community to join us for a virtual version of our annual retreat.
This treasured ritual is going to look different this year, as we do our part to stay physically distant and act responsibly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But we are confident our retreat will do for us what it has in the past. As a participant, you’ll be able to recharge, reconnect with old friends and build new, soulful bonds.
In fact, we expect that a virtual event will allow many more authors to participate. We recognize that geography, travel, and finances were impediments to many authors for our physical event. The virtual event and our scholarship pricing eliminates those barriers, so we hope you can make it.
We will kick things off with a welcoming ceremony on the night of Tuesday, September 29th, followed by two days of programming on Wednesday, September 30th and Thursday, October 1st.
Even in these difficult times, our annual retreat will offer plenty of joyful encountersl
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DETAILS:
WHEN: Tuesday September 29th - Thursday October 1st
Tuesday September 29th:
- Opening. 4-5:30 p.m. PT/7-8:30 ET
Wednesday September 30th - Day 1:
- 8-12:30 PT/11-3:30 ET
- 4-5 PT/7-8 ET
Thursday October 1st - Day 2:
- 8-12:30 PT/11-3:30 ET
- 4-5 PT/7-8 ET
WHAT: A variety of sessions led by authors and other members of the BK community.
Some 15 sessions have already been proposed. These include our traditional “State of BK and the Publishing Industry” by BK Publishers executives, as well as sessions on writing skills, supporting women in the workplace and the introduction of a new BK Authors Gift Exchange program.
We have yoga and Qigong sessions in the works, for moving your body. Also a talent show.
There also will be opportunities for Open Space sessions, where you can propose a discussion or activity on a topic that matters to you.
If you wish to propose a session now, please CLICK HERE.
HOW: The Retreat will be conducted entirely over Zoom. There will be breaks to prevent Zoom fatigue!
HOW MUCH: New, variable pricing.
We are putting the price in your hands. We project our break-even cost for the event to be $149 per person. But we recognize that many people are struggling in the current recession. As a result, you are welcome to pay our alternative, scholarship fee of $25. On the other end of the spectrum, we invite those able and willing to contribute to BK Authors to pay our “patron” fee of $250. This amount will help fund our scholarships for authors, through the Ellen Augustine Scholarship Fund.
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We look forward to seeing you at the Retreat!
The 2020 BK Retreat committee
Emily Axelrod
Karen Phelan
John Kador
Ed Frauenheim
Tammy Pickering
Paul Wright
Mark Hurwich
Christél Fairchild
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The BK Authors Gift Exchange – Open NOW! |
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To help BK Authors and friends while raising additional money for scholarships to the Marketing Workshop and Authors Retreat as well as possibly additional funds to financially support Authors or to fund BK Authors Inc.’s other initiatives, we are announcing the opening of “The BK Authors Gift Exchange.” This is an online “exchange” where authors can sign up to receive valuable services offered by members of the BK community for which no payment is required but where we hope authors that take advantage of the offerings will choose to reciprocate by giving back to the Exchange either money or services which they can provide to other authors
Based on a “Gift Economy,” the Exchange is not “transactional” in nature, but instead relies on reciprocity and a desire to benefit the community as a whole without falling back on “market forces” or other incentives to generate value. We believe the BK Authors Gift Exchange will be an exciting new way for authors to connect and help each other. We also are hopeful that by demonstrating that a Gift Economy can work for a community as large and diverse as ours, we are taking one more step toward “a world that works for all."
We will talk more about it at the retreat next month. But the link is HERE for you to explore right now. If you are interested in donating a service to the Exchange to get us started, please contact Christel at bkauthors@gmail.com.
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How would Buddha Pivot from In-person Teaching to On-line Teaching? |
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Authors who are speakers, trainers, and professors have had their businesses turned upside down in the past five months by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Workshops and seminars were cancelled for the rest of the year, as were professional conferences, retreats, and other gatherings. Most colleges and universities instructed their professors to teach their classes on-line, as students will not be coming back to campus this Fall.
In the coming months, we’ll be talking to BK authors who are successfully offering on-line learning experiences so that the entire BK community can learn from them. First up is Franz Metcalf, who teaches at Cal State Los Angeles and is coauthor of Being Buddha at Work: 108 Ancient Truths on Change, Stress, Money, and Success.
We asked Franz: What are the five most important things you’ve learned about pivoting from in-person classes to on-line classes?
“Probably the first thing to think about is whether your teaching needs to be synchronous (in other words, live). If it doesn’t really need to be, then don’t force it. Your students/audience will have a better experience and learn more if they can access your materials when they’re ready (and, hopefully, eager). Very few elements of teaching are best live. You will invite in and respect a much larger audience if you prioritize time flexible elements in your teaching.
“Second, keep lectures short. In fact, keep everything short! People have short attention spans. It’s just a face. You think you paid attention throughout your old college classes, because that’s a nice self-myth. In reality you didn’t. You paid attention for maybe 20 minutes. Don’t ever ask anyone for more than that.
“Third, do you know how much more effective expert lectures have proven to be than cold reading of texts? Not at all. This is deeply painful for me to acknowledge and share, but it’s true. So, rather than lecture, have your students read something, then maybe listen to a lecture, then watch a video, then take a little quiz (even just a Zoom chat answer shakes things up), then another reading, whatever. The key is to lecture less and, when you really must lecture, break things up.
“Fourth, give your audience structure. Even more than in F2F teaching, students need structure to feel they’re keeping up and hitting their marks. Organize your course in modules and try to give a similar shape to each module. Students will develop a rhythm that will give them confidence as they move along and solidify their knowledge as they go.
“Finally, be available to these good people. They have chosen to learn from you in a really dark time. Respect that commitment by making yourself contactable. You don’t have to give them your cell number or even your private email, but you can easily create a messaging/email contact specific to the teaching situation. Even just knowing you’re available will encourage them to try things out first, before contacting you. That can make all the difference in their having a positive experience.
“And, since my specialty is Buddhism and I am a nerdy college teacher, after all, here’s a story from the Buddhist tradition. The greatly awakened layperson Vimalakirti was once among a crowd of brilliant Buddhist teachers, including the most prominent monks and even heavenly beings. They all engaged in a contest to best teach the dharma (Buddhist truths). One by one, each great teacher shared their wisdom. Finally, it was Vimalakirti’s turn. He kept silent, saying nothing at all. Vimalakirti won the contest. His silence embodies both wisdom and compassion and provides us a wonderful example for our work. As teachers, we supply materials and strategies for learning, but we bring them to life by truly listening to our audience, by genuinely offering our service, and by authentically being who we are. Of course this is harder to do online; all the more reason to rededicate ourselves to the task.”
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Upcoming BK Authors Webinars |
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Thursday September 10th at 10am PT / 1pm ET
Stewart Levine presents
“The Art of Agreement: Creating Powerful Sustainable Collaborations”
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Tuesday November 10th at 10am PT / 1pm ET
Joel Schwartzberg presents
"How to Know and Champion Your Book's True Point"
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Program Highlights
Our webinar series provides a unique opportunity for BK authors to virtually connect to hear from industry experts on a variety of author-relevant topics. Whether you’re a new author or a veteran, join us as we learn from one another and continue to strengthen our BK author community.
- One-hour webinars designed to provide authors with practical tips.
- Focused on author-relevant topics (e.g. social media, marketing, building a speaking business, writing challenges, contract advice, etc.).
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Submit to speak here.
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Contact us at webinar@bkauthors.org with questions/comments.
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Missed the Online Marketing Conference? Recordings Available for Purchase |
Did you miss the two-day ONLINE Nonfiction Book Marketing Workshop for authors and book marketers. Not to worry! You can still get access to all the presentations and the slide decks that accompany them for $249.
CLICK HERE to purchase the recordings of the various sessions.
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A Peacock in the Land of Cops - by BJ Gallagher |
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Warren Schmidt and BJ Gallagher,1995 |
Berrett-Koehler was founded in 1992, the same year as the LA riots erupted after the not-guilty verdict of four white cops in the beating of Rodney King, a black man. Racial tensions ran high as demonstrations spread to other cities across the country. It had become clear to everyone that the lofty rhetoric of “all men are created equal” did not match the harsh reality of life for people of color in America.
Racial profiling was rampant, and “driving while black” and “hanging out while brown” were offenses that practically every person of color was accused of at some point in their life. Black and brown men and boys risked their lives every time they walked out their front doors to go to work, to the market, or to their neighborhood park. Black and brown women were watched suspiciously whenever they ventured into department stores. To be a person of color was to be assumed guilty of something bad by white America.
Three years after the Rodney King riots, Berrett-Koehler published “A Peacock in the Land of Penguins: A Tale of Diversity and Discovery,” one of their first diversity and inclusion books. It’s the story of Perry the Peacock, a colorful bird who comes to live in the Land of Penguins, where he is pressured to change in order to fit in and be accepted by the penguins. For the Land of Penguins was a place where exotic birds are expected to assimilate, not stand out. Pluralism, individuality, and multiculturalism were not valued by the penguins.
Written in parable format and heavily illustrated much like a children’s book, the pages of our “Peacock” book were laid out with just a few sentences – sometimes just one sentence – on each page. One might describe it as “Dr. Seuss Meets the One Minute Manager.”
Pub date was eagerly awaited by Warren Schmidt and me, as we hoped our book would make a valuable contribution to public discussion of the diversity dilemma facing American businesses and American society at large. An initial print run of 10,000 copies was ordered.
When the first box of books arrived, I eagerly grabbed a copy and started to read through it. Then the unthinkable – I discovered a typo. Three words were missing at the end of a sentence on page 28. It was supposed to read: “They had cautioned him about the rules and the style with which the penguins governed their land.” But “governed their land” was missing.
Now, in an ordinary book of 200 or 300 pages, three missing words might not have been a big deal. But in a parable like ours, with just a couple sentences on each page, the omission was glaring.
I called Steve Piersanti, who immediately decided to re-print the whole first print run – 10,000 copies – and destroy the misprinted books. Some had already been shipped to bookstores so it was impossible to keep all of them from going to market, but Steve was successful in stopping shipment of about 9,000 books.
Warren and I were dismayed at the thought of destroying thousands of books – such a waste of paper and trees – so we asked Steve if we could find another solution. He agreed.
We tried to think of organizations that might be able to use them. Steve was willing to donate the books if the recipient would pay for shipping. We contacted Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco – they said, “No thanks.” We contacted the Jimmy Carter Center in Georgia – they, too, turned down our offer.
Finally, we contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, thinking that they could use the books in their diversity training programs, and they accepted. We had only one request: We asked that the officers be instructed to write in the three missing words – “governed their land” – when they were given their books in the training workshops.
And that’s how a Peacock came to live in the Land of Cops. Berrett-Koehler donated 9000 books to the LAPD, in hopes that our book might help the Police Penguins transform their organization – and the City of Los Angeles – into the Land of Opportunity.
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Have a great story to share? Inquiring minds want to know! What's your backstory? What inspired you to write your book? How does your book help you leverage your business? Have you encountered any unexpected surprises in the process of writing and publishing? Any adventures – or misadventures – you'd like to share? Give us a shout and let us know. We'd love to talk to you. We can conduct a short interview or you can write up your own story if you prefer. We welcome all BK authors – both new and old.
To share your backstory, please contact Ink Co-Editor Esther Derby..
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BK—Our Next Conversation with BK Publishers Leaders |
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Please join Johanna Vondeling and Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland from BK Publishers, as well as BK author Stewart Levine, for a conversation about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at BK. This conversation will address the company’s editorial strategy as well as the steps it is taking to advance its internal DEI practices and update its data and accountability metrics. Topics will include the history of culture change efforts at BK, the working group that has formed to advance DEI at the company, BK’s efforts to audit its practices and track its progress, staff training, and how the staff is working with the board and the BK Foundation to ensure maximum impact.
The conversation with BK Publishers leaders will again be hosted by BK Authors founding partner Stewart Levine.
The call will take place Thursday, September 3, from noon-1:30 PT/3-4:30 p.m. ET.
CLICK HERE to register in advance to join this Zoom event.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We hope to see you there!
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BK Shareholders Annual Meeting Recap and Recordings |
BK Publishers held its first-ever 100% virtual Annual Shareholder Meeting Thursday, July 30, 2020, with 96 people attending from around the world. The online event included multiple stakeholders in the BK Community, including readers/viewers/listeners of BK products and services, shareholders, authors, partners, BK staff members, and board members. The theme for the gathering was LEADERSHIP FOR A CHANGING WORLD, which is the same focus as BK’s upcoming fall summit.
BK CEO and CFO David Marshall offered this summary for the 2019-2020 year at BK Publishers: “We had a challenging year in 2019, and encountered fresh pandemic headwinds in 2020, but we have put measures and plans in place to help us finish out 2020 on a strong note and return to sustained growth and profitability in 2021 and beyond.”
Here are recordings from the shareholders meeting:
BREAK-OUT SESSIONS: (click on the session you want to watch for the video)
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BK Foundation Updates—of Action Learning Fellows and new Board members |
The Berrett-Koehler Foundation celebrates the third cohort of Action Learning Fellows who just completed eight months of growing (and COVID-adapting) their community-building and social justice initiatives, with generous support from Craig Neal and ‘Art of Convening’ principles.
Their projects range from climate justice, to empowering active citizens+leaders, to ensuring parent wellness, and activating African diaspora giving. We are proud to have Renee Bradford, Maya Carlson, Rose Essiem, Valentina Helo-Villegas, Heera Sharma, Meg VanDeusen, and Julie Weinstein as part of our extended BK community.
BKF is also thrilled to announce two new board members in 2020: Cecily Victor (design-team member and fellowship mentor) and Cheri-Leigh Erasmus (Action Learning Fellow in the second cohort, and “facilitant” – facilitator/participant – in the third cohort).
BKF’s next newsletter will highlight innovative and grassroots ways that two fellows have fought COVID-19 misinformation internationally. To learn more about all the fellows’ projects and to catch glimpses of new ways that "A World That Works For All" takes action in diverse communities, sign up for BK Foundation's newsletter.
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New and Upcoming BK Books—Please Support These Authors! |
Below is a list of BK books that are being published this summer.
Please consider buying these books or giving them a plug on social media.
These authors are facing the uphill battle of trying to launch a book amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the related economic crisis and recent social unrest.
Please consider buying these books or giving them a plug on social media. These authors are facing the uphill battle of trying to launch a book amid the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic crisis.
** click on each of the images below to learn more about the book.
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Put Your Money Where
Your Life Is
Michael H. Shuman
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Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces
Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD
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Humility Is The New Smart
Edward D. Hess and
Katherine Ludwig
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Touching The Jaguar
John Perkins
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Leveraging The Impact of 360-degree Feedback,
2nd ed.
John Fleenor, Sylvester Taylor, Craig Chappelow
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The Creativity Leap
Natalie Nixon
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The Remote Facilitator's Pocket Guide
Kirsten Clacey and Jay-Allen Morris
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Crossing Boundaries
Aziz Abu Sarah
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Mastering Marketing Agility
Andrea Fryrear
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Seeing People Through
Nate Regier, Ph.D.
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Untapped Agility
Jesse Fewell
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Ten Years To Midnight
Blair H. Sheppard with Susannah Anfield, Ceri-Ann Droog, Alexis Jenkins, Thomas Minet, Jeffrey Rothfeder, and Daria Zarubina
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Burnout To Breakthrough
Eileen McDargh
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Inclusive Conversations
Mary-Frances Winters
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The Good Country Equation
Simon Anholt
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Project Management for Small Projects
Sandra F. Rowe, PhD, MBA, PMP
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Highlights from Our Values |
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This issue’s value is Quality.
Individually and collectively, we develop and use to our fullest ability the talents, capabilities, financial means, and other resources we now have and might develop. We are continually learning, growing, and progressing. We give our best efforts and performance. We take initiative to meet needs and make the most of opportunities. We create systems to do our work and serve others well. We strive to add value in all we do.
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We invite you to share this newsletter with your professional and personal networks.
Also, please share our social media content with your friends and colleagues to broaden our reach and work toward our collective mission of a world that works for all.
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BK Authors Ink Co-Editors:
Esther Derby and Ed Frauenheim
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