Writers unite for Silverton event

By Omie Drawhorn

When Adam Copeland published his novel, Echoes of Avalon in 2009, it was an isolating experience.

“When I wrote my book, I had one big story inside me that I wanted to get out and publish with the world,” said the former Silverton resident. “But once I did it, I felt like I was in a vacuum; I did everything by myself.”

He published the book through Createspace.com. Owned by Amazon.com, the site provides tools for independent writers and artists who want to market their work.

As his own publisher, Copeland contracted with an editor to ensure his work was error free. But he was on his own when it came to book promotion.

At an Oregon Science Fiction Convention event he shared a table with fellow self-published writer Mike Chinakos. They hit it off and discovered they had many of the same experiences.  The two discussed ways to save time and money by pooling their resources.

When Chinakos suggested starting a group, at first Copeland was hesitant.

“It just sounded like so much work,” he said. But once he agreed, the group grew quickly and Northwest Independent Writers Association was born.

“We started NIWA exactly a year and month ago; it’s grown in leaps and bounds, beyond my past wildest expectations,” Copeland said.

The writers group is hosting a book discussion and signing from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 31 at the Silverton Green Store, 201 Main St. Writers in the group will participate in a panel about their work and self-publishing. Copeland said he chose The Green Store for the event because it supported him by selling his book.  His first book signing was there.

NIWA started with five members; it now has more than 50.  While some members religiously attend the monthly meetings in Portland and Vancouver, others just participate in online discussions.

When the group began, Copeland assumed it would be just like any other writers’ group he had participated in.

“We’d review each other’s work, share each other’s short stories, but it became more than that,” he said. Members are passionate about pooling their resources to help promote independent writers. The biggest challenge, Copeland said,  is “money, money, money.”

“To do something farther reaching takes money and experience,” he said. “With the group, we can get more done faster and for less money.”

They have produced an anthology showcasing members’ works. They’ve attended conferences, book signings, tours and a speed-date-an-author event.

They also collaborate on advertising. One recent example is a slide at Silverton’s Palace Theater. Other projects include a CD of short stories written by group members, which is a result of “challenge writing” where members write and critique each other on a selected topic using Google.docs. There is also a  bookstand promotion featuring books written by NIWA authors. In addition to books, the display has a monitor which continuously plays promotional trailers and includes information about the writers’ group.

“We want to market it to independent bookstores,” he said.

The group is also developing a NIWA seal of quality.

“There is a stigma that with self publishing the quality isn’t there, because anyone can publish. We want to take that stigma away by offering a boot camp that members can put the book through. It would be a peer review that shows that the book has met the approval of NIWA,” Copeland said.

He said working with other writers has been inspirational and motivating. He thought he might just have one book in him, but since joining the group he said he has written more in the last year than he had in the past 10.