You know they like selling your books when...

One afternoon in October, I was delivering more stock of our terrific books to a local store here in Regina, Saskatchewan when I was overcome with gratitude.

I had just stepped inside Local Market YQR (at 1377 Hamilton Street) when I noticed a brand new, handbuilt book stand that was holding a collection of books I publish! I was surprised and thrilled!

I then sought out co-owner Tim Shultz to let him know I was dropping off more books for their store to sell. He asked if I'd noticed the new bookstand. I definitely had. "Did you make it?" I asked.

He grinned and nodded. I was thrilled and told him so.

"I thought we should have something to display the books," he said.

Wow. It's not every day that a store owner builds a bookshelf to house your pride and joy! Sure, there are a couple of cookbooks and cards on the stands that my company did not publish, but still. Most of the items on display are books I created. How cool is that? 

Tim Shultz with the bookstand he built for Local Market YQR

I had met Tim a few months earlier when I attended a Business Network International local chapter meeting for which my son, Dave Driver, is the president. I enjoyed the Local Market YQR's meeting space and was pleased to see the attached retail spaces with many locally produced products such as food, household supplies, and personal and decorative items.

In a state of unusual forthrightness but not-unusual excitement at seeing handmade items and the efforts of like-minded entrepreneurs, I said to Tim that day, "You should sell my books here." He listened to my descriptions of the types of nonfiction Prairie stories and fact-based kids' fiction books I publish and replied with, "Yes, we should. We should put your books in our Founders Market."

Wow. Me, a founder. I was honoured. I don't usually think of myself in such terms, even though it is true. I did found my publishing company, and I do take the words written by myself and other Prairie authors and turn those into books, but I think of myself as more of a collaborator with my authors and consultants. Together, we make great books. But sure, I'd happily participate in the Founders Market.

Anyway, this lovely surprise happened on a Friday. The next day, something else incredible happened.. on the same theme...

I drove out to Emerald Park, about 20 kilometres east of Regina, to deliver more books to the Farmer John's Local Market & Kitchen shop. And what greeted me just inside the front door? ANOTHER amazing new bookstand!

The bookstand at Farmer John's Local Market & Kitchen shows off DriverWorks Ink books

And this one holds only the books produced by my company!

Wow, wow, and wow! I just stood there in awe, then collected myself and managed to take a photo of this large new bookshelf.

The shop's owner Audra Hill wasn't there that afternoon, but if she had been, I probably would have hugged her - or maybe just jumped up and down in happiness.

This all reminds me of the terrific support and attractive displays which DriverWorks Ink books have been receiving for several years at the Handmade Saskatchewan gift shops in Regina and Saskatoon. Owner Janelle Anderson has made sure that our books are visible in appealing ways, alongside those of other Saskatchewan authors and do-it-all publishers like me. My authors and I love Handmade Saskatchewan! (And we're excited for their new stand-alone store to open in Regina next year too!) 

Our books at Handmade Saskatchewan gift shops in Regina (Cornwall Centre above left) and Saskatoon (Midtown Mall and Lawson Heights Mall above right)

It's rare to receive such special treatment when you are a book publisher. I am honoured by this local support of our books. My authors and I work hard to draw attention to our locally produced books, and we are delighted by the care taken and the support given by these local shops.

Yet another reason to Shop Local and support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Books make great gifts, you know. Just saying.

New Tunnels of Treachery book coming soon from Mary Harelkin Bishop

Author Mary Harelkin Bishop and I are working on our updated edition of the third book in Mary's Moose Jaw Time Travel Adventure series. 

These exciting books for kids, age 9 and up, and adults share the adventures of Andrea and her brother Tony as they go back in time to the dark, dangerous tunnels below Moose Jaw in the 1920s.

Tunnels of Treachery will be released this fall. Stay tuned...

A Funny Thing Happened at a Craft Show

I miss craft shows. Actually, I miss seeing real people with their faces visible, but that's another story.

I miss the busy craft show atmosphere of talking with all variety of folks and selling books to interested readers. Craft and trade shows on the Prairies have been part of my life every fall since 2009 when I published The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story by Alan J. Buick. That fall, the author and I and our spouses (Carol and Al) went on an epic author tour through parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta to launch this wonderful book about a Canadian soldier from Olds/Calgary and a Dutch girl who received his troop's wartime gift of a child's coat made from a Canadian Army blanket. 

The Little Coat is still one of our most popular titles - for good reason, including the fact that the coat is now an artifact in the Canadian War Museum thanks to Alan's writing efforts - and it launched us into the world of selling our books at trade shows and craft shows as well. We had a trade show booth at big events like Canadian Western Agribition for many years and we took our books on the road to various craft shows in all regions of Saskatchewan as well as southern Manitoba and Alberta. Fun stuff for sure.

But people do say the darnedest things sometimes.

One of the funniest - or maybe strangest - moments that happened came during a show in a Saskatchewan town in November 2012. The craft show was held in a large gymnasium-like room and there was plenty of space for craft tables and for customers to wander among them. (Sigh. Did I mention that I miss people?) 

Anyway, I returned to the room after a short break and an older woman greeted me at the door. She called to her friend to follow her and they both walked behind me, following me for the entire length of the large room until I got to my table. They stopped in front of my table and waited until I sat down in my chair behind the table.

Then the woman picked up my Never Leave Your Wingman book - about fun-loving, inspiring, seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her wingman husband Graham - and held the bright pink book up for her friend to see.

"They say this is a really good book," the woman said to her friend.

Then she put the book down and they both walked away.

What... was... that? I wondered for a long, long time - when I wasn't laughing and shaking my head, that is.

She never did buy the book. Not that weekend anyway.

At another craft show - in a city this time - a woman came up to my booth and asked if she could buy "that big book." 

I was confused. All the books I publish are of a standard size - either 6 inches wide by 9 inches high or slightly smaller. I have published only a couple of books that are 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches, so I didn't understand what she was wanting. I asked her to repeat herself.

"I want to buy that big book. There!" she said as she pointed to the 12-inch by 18-inch poster of a book cover that was hanging on the booth wall behind me.

"Um... those are just posters of the book covers. The books are here," I said as gently as I could while I motioned to all the books covering the tables between us.

I don't remember if the woman ended up buying an "actual" book or not - I think she did - but I distinctly remember that she was not the only person who asked if they could buy one of the book posters. One other person inquired at a different trade show a few years later.

So maybe there's a market out there for oversized books. Hmmm...

As my publishing business grew and my display table of books by various authors expanded during the past 10 years, my routine of briefly introducing the books on my table became more complex. Sometimes the words that came out of my mouth were confusing for craft show visitors and for myself as well. (I'm better at writing than I am at talking.)  As I honed my publishing preferences to focus only on non-fiction books and other genres related to non-fiction, it became easier for me to describe the books on my craft show tables. At least that's what I thought was happening.

"Hello. These are all books I publish," I'd say. "They're all written by Saskatchewan and Prairie authors, including me. These ones are all true stories (as I pointed out the books), these are healing and wellness, these are children's fiction and non-fiction, and these are humour and cowboy poetry over here. They're all true stories or based on true stories."

It sounded simple enough to me but, then again, this is my business and I deal with these books daily, so it should sound understandable to the person who creates the books. Let me tell you, it definitely boggles the minds of some folks who wander up to my craft show tables. Usually, I can sort out their questions and help them understand whatever it is that they want to know about the awesome books written by awesome writers. (Shout out to my authors!)

But sometimes, nothing I say really matters.

I recall spending five or ten - or maybe it was a hundred - minutes one day talking to a man about the different books he appeared to be interested in on my craft show tables. He had asked about some of the storylines, whether this one was a Saskatchewan story or not, whether these people were still alive... and more. Then came the question that floored me.

"So, have you read any of them?" he asked.

Uh.... What?

"Yes," I replied, trying to keep him from seeing how astounded I was at his question. Hadn't I just told him about almost Every. Single. One. Of these books?

"I edited and published all of these books, so, yes, I've read every word in every one of them. Many times," I said.

The guy eventually walked away. I was glad to see him go. Sometimes you just can't help people.

The final memorable funny moment came when two young girls, about 10 years old, stopped at my booth one evening and began looking at the children's and young adult books. They picked up one kids' book and then another and began conversing with me.

And that's when my "I've read every word in every one of these books" line came back to haunt me.

One of the young smarty-pants girls picked up The Inquiring Reporter by Clay Stacey and randomly opened it up. "Okay, I'm on page 68. The word starts with a p and ends with r. What is it?" the youngster brazenly asked as she looked straight at me.

"Publisher," I replied, without hesitating.

The little girl's eyes opened wide as she looked at her friend in shock. "Wow! She really does know every word in the books!"

She quickly put the book down and they almost ran as they left my booth.

I smiled.

Yes, of course, I got lucky with "publisher", but it was a pretty easy guess. The book's author, Clay Stacey, was a publisher, editor, and reporter in all four Western provinces for 50 years - so "publisher" seemed like a reasonable option for a word that starts with p and ends with r - in a book about a publisher!

However, I am glad that she didn't look a little farther down the page and pick out the word starting with a u and ending with a y...

Unpredictability.

Hockey, SuperMom and the Big Baby books, and Children's Wish Foundation

On February 6th, we had the privilege of attending a Regina Pats Western Hockey League game to sit alongside the good folks of Children's Wish Foundation, Saskatchewan branch, on Children's Wish Night.

Author Dave Driver, who also happens to be our son, brought copies of his funny children's book SuperMom and the Big Baby, illustrated by Guy Laird. Dave is a mortgage broker who wrote this funny story as a gift to his wife Kelli. The phrases that SuperMom speaks in the book are phrases that Kelli spoke while sleeping. The book has been praised by teachers, parents, and children ages two to nine in particular.

We offered a special deal to anyone wishing to buy the book that night. Usually, we sell the book for $13.95 and donate $1 from each book to Children's Wish Foundation. (We donate to numerous charities from sales of some of our books. The list is at the bottom of our Home page.) Last night, we sold the book for $10 and gave HALF of that money to Children's Wish as our donation towards their good work.

Here's a photo journal of that night's fun event:

     Dave posed for a picture while signing a book for this little guy before the game. Meanwhile, Al is busy visiting with the little dude. His 'grandpa' impulses kick in and he starts the teasing and visiting every time he sees a child.

Then it was Dave's turn to visit.

He signed a book for this young man...

...who couldn't wait to look at his new book.

     A Children's Wish Child was introduced to drop the puck at the beginning of the hockey game.

     We were impressed by the new $3.7-million scoreboard and screen at Brandt Centre, home of the Regina Pats junior hockey team. Wow! It's like watching TV in high-definition and the clips between plays add so much more entertainment to a night out at the hockey game.

     I've never seen a 'Kiss Cam' or those psychedelic 'Clap Your Hands' colours on screen at a Pats game before. 

     This family stopped by and the dad asked what we were doing at our display. When we told him we were selling our great children's book and giving half the proceeds to Children's Wish Foundation, the little boy (about age six or seven) told us: "I've read that book."

     I was a little taken aback and asked him. "You've read this book?"

     "Yes," he said.

     I looked at his mom and told her that her son said he's read this book. "Oh, maybe he read it at school," she said.

    The boy looked at me and announced," It's in my backpack."

     "Your backpack at home?" his mom asked.

     The boy nodded.

     I leaned down to the boy's level and pointed at Dave. I told the boy, "This man wrote this book. Isn't that cool?"

     Without missing a beat, the boy replied, "I know. I saw his picture in the book."

     Dad asked, "Do you like this book?"

     The boy nodded.

     "Would you like to buy a book so you can read it to your brother and sisters?"

     "Yes."

     So they purchased their own copy of the book, and we all smiled. For quite a while.

     Meet Kristen Allen (left) and Jillian Desautels, Children's Wish Foundation staff in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan respectively.

  

We had fun working alongside them and talking about their great charity.

 When the overhead lights were down and the game was on, Dave and Al enjoyed watching the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades on the ice.

I asked Al to take a photo of me with Dave, to prove I was there. (The photographer is rarely in any photos - with the exception of today's selfies trend.)

While Al was busy chatting with Jillian and Kristen...

... Dave was waiting patiently for K9, the Regina Pats mascot, to pose with him and the SuperMom and the Big Baby book.

     It was a fun night in Regina, Saskatchewan, made even better when a gentleman came along and made a substantial donation to Children's Wish Foundation. He had a Wish Child several years ago, and they went on a vacation through Children's Wish. His selfless act made our night.

   We'll be doing this again next month, on March 17th in Moose Jaw, at 7 p.m. in the new Mosaic Place, when the Moose Jaw Warriors play the Swift Current Broncos. We'll see you there!

Kids love the SuperMom and the Big Baby book

"Hi, guys! How are you?" asks author Dave Driver of the Grades 1 to 4 students at Elsie Mironuck School in Regina, Saskatchewan.

'Fine,' mumble a few students.

"Good," a few others reply.

"Oh, you can do better than that," says Dave. "Let's try that again. Hi, guys. How are you?"

"GOOD!" yells the room full of students.

"Shhhhhh. This is a library!" whispers Dave with a smile on his face.

The students giggle.

And their time with the author begins.


Dave tells them that his wife Kelli talks in her sleep and that he wrote down some of the silly phrases she said.

After he had collected a lot of odd sayings, he used his imagination and created a funny story about his family, including his wife and their two sons.

The story has a beginning, a problem or conflict, and an ending in which the hero solves the problem, he tells the students. They sit quietly as he begins to read his book.

"Once upon a time, there was a normal family of a mom, a dad and two children...

"Mom and Dad called to Easton, but Easton thought it was a game and ran away down the street... 

Everyone on the street was scared...

Mom and Dad had to think fast. 

What would they do?"

 

The students listened to the rest of the story, smiling and giggling, and laughing in spots. 

At the end of the reading, they asked Dave about his book and whether he would write a sequel. 

(Yes - children in Grade 4 know the meaning of the word 'sequel'.)

"Well, my wife still talks in her sleep," Dave replied. "Do you have any suggestions for what the next book should be called?"

"SuperDad and the Middle Child," suggested one boy.

"Are you the middle child in your family?" Dave asked.

Nod.

"SuperMom and the Missing Tooth," said another listener.

"Interesting," said Dave.

"SuperBaby."

"Just SuperBaby? By himself?"

"Yes."

"SuperMom and the Big Rat."

"Whoa! That would be scary. A big rat running down the street. Everyone would be scared!"

Smiles from the creative child.

"SuperMom and the Mermaid," offered another student.

"Hmmm... I'm not sure how SuperMom would meet a mermaid, but thank you for your suggestions," said Dave.

As the students began filing back to their classrooms, one young boy asked Dave if he could look through the book. 

"They liked it," said one of the teachers. "You could tell."

One quiet young boy asked to look at the book, then began leafing through the pages.

Then another couple youngsters asked to look through the book. 

We all left the reading with smiles on our faces.