By Allan Maurer
CHAPEL HILL, NC – New media approaches to publishing are still evolving and one with promise is “crowd sourcing,” says a local entrepreneur. “Great Things Will Happen Today, The Intrepid Media 2008 Collection,” the first print-on-demand book released via Intrepid’s partnership with Lulu.com, “Is proof that the literary world is ready for something between traditional publishing and do-it-yourself publishing, and that’s where the crowd comes in,” says Intrepid President and CEO Joe Procopio.
Procopio, a columnist for TechJournal South since its inception, says one of the purposes of his company is “To bring together the talent of the crowd.”
This collection, like the first published last year, draws largely from material originally published on the Intrepid Media Web site.
Even publishing the book relied on “the crowd,” notes Procopio.
The book was created step-by-step by the Intrepid Media community. The content was contributed throughout 2008 by community members, including some of the best published and unpublished writers from around the world. Then, the best content was selected using member feedback, ratings, and an in-site selection process. Finally, the book was edited by volunteers, who are also members of the community.
Even the cover art is a group effort, with the design and artwork contributed by Intrepid Media staffer Russ Carr and the photos and bios, even the cover model, taken directly from the community.
The book is something of a time-capsule on events of 2008 from “The Olympics to the election and little pop culture events along the way,” Procopio says.
The Intrepid Media community serves as an incubator and promotional tool for independent writers. The partnership has been a success, and Intrepid Media has seen huge gains in membership and revenue. In time, Intrepid Media plans to be a consolidating force in the secondary publishing market. It now has about 1400 members.
The Web site and the books have helped several Intrepid writers land traditional publishing contracts with major houses.
But the company’s partnership with Lulu.com, the North Carolina-based publish-on-demand company, is aimed at providing an alternative to the traditional route. “I think there is a place for writers who may not be in the top level but who can sell 10,000 or 20,000 books and make a profit,” Procopio says.
The current book is available in paperback or as a free eboook from Lulu.com and at Amazon.com.
Procopio adds, these are still the early stages. “We’re just now figuring out the path to get from idea to print. In time, we’ll provide assistance at every step, from writing to editing to publishing to marketing, in a clear and repeatable manner. With that in place, we’ll be able to do several books in 2010, including, we hope, a few we’re not even aware of yet. There’s room in the crowd, and maybe even a few best-sellers.”
Founded in 1999, Intrepid Media has grown to over 1400 members around the world, including New York Times bestselling authors, writers represented by major agencies, novelists, journalists, freelancers, technical writers, bloggers, and students.
Procopio is also working on a new social networking startup that will be introduced at TechJournal South’s Internet Summit Nov. 4-5 at the Raleigh Convention Center, he says. (See www.Internetsummit.com for more information).
Online: www.intrepidmedia.com
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