UPDATE: The category in which Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland was entered is Graphic Album – New Material. The gold award in that category went to  Wondermark Volume 3: Dapper Caps & Pedal-Copters by David Malki!

PubWest Announces 2011 Book Design Award Contest Winners

Independent Publishing Association Receives Record Number of Entries for 2011 Contest

Lake Oswego, Oregon — April  21, 2011 — PubWest, the leading trade association of independent publishers, has announced the winners of its 2011 Book Design Awards contest. Recognizing excellent design and outstanding production quality of books from independent publishers, the PubWest Book Design Award contest is the longest running and most prestigious design awards contest in the independent publishing industry. The 2011 PubWest Design Awards contest  received more entries than ever before in its history, judging  160 entries  from 74 publishers  in 20 categories  on typography, jacket/cover design, interior design, format, selection of materials used, and printing and binding production quality. The list of winning titles is now available at pubwest.org.

“I was  delighted with the high quality of books entered into this year’s Book Design Awards contest. With a record number of entries this year, the competition was extremely intense,” said program chair Julie T. Houk of the Boone and Crockett Club. “This was one of the best groups of books we’ve seen in recent years.” Houk added, “We thank the publishers who submitted their titles. Their participation is key to allowing us opportunity to recognize the excellent design and production of today’s independent book publishing industry. Browse through  the list of winning titles  at pubwest.org  and you’ll find  a fascinating variety of successful designs and production qualities.”

Publishers enter the PubWest Book Design Awards to showcase their strongest designs, to recognize the hard work of their editorial production staff and freelancers, and for the unique opportunity to receive critical design feedback from an expert panel of judges.

Winners will be recognized at the  2011 PubWest Conference to be held November 3-5 in Henderson, Nevada at the Green Valley Ranch Resort. For more information on the PubWest Conference program and registration, please visit pubwest.org.

PubWest is  North America’s leading trade association for independent publishers and related service organizations. Comprised of book publishers, printers, graphic designers, editors, binderies, and freelancers, PubWest offers a community of the most dynamic and  innovative professionals in book publishing. Please learn more about PubWest at pubwest.org.

Contact:

Kent Watson

Executive Director

PubWest

Phone: (503) 635-0056

E-mail: executivedirector@pubwest.org

From the Kid Beowulf website:

This weekend I’ll be in Seattle attending theEmerald City Comicon. This will be the first time I’ve attended ECCC, but I’ve heard good things about the show and am looking forward to it! The show runs Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6 and is being held at the Washington State Convention Center. You can find me in Artist’s Alley, at table H-23 with books 1 & 2 and lots of great preview art for Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid. Hope to see you there!

As part of our Wordstock show, we offered a drawing for this delightful Kid Beowulf scupture.

We collected as many entries as we could from kids, teachers and librarians, and anyone purchasing a Kid Beowulf title, and without further ado, the winner is – or rather, the winners are – Dante and Theo Erz! Congratulations Dante and Theo; your prize will be mailed to you soon.

For those of you who still want a sculpt of our viking hero, they’re available for purchase at KidBeowulf.com along with sculpts of Grendel and Hama. And don’t forget the books are now also available for purchase from our very own site here.

Cheers and happy reading,
Bo

The books revel in the placenames and proper names of epic poetry. There’s lots of discussion of Heathobards, Geats, and Danes, and of the Saracens and Franks. At the same time, the books largely avoid the excesses of Thor-speak. There are a fair number of outbursts such as “By Woden,” or “Odin’s eye” for local color–in other words, exactly the sort of thing that a kid might enjoy picking up. The books do not, however, make a fetish of authenticity. Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland has a joke about union rep, for example, and the plot depends on the construction of an amusement park. The books are positioned clearly as a gateway drug to the classics, and do a good job of it.

“I’m very excited,” says Jim. ”Kid Beowulf is a great story, and hosting this fencing tournament is going to be so much fun.” En Garde Fencing marked its one year anniversary in its new location in May and continues to bring the sought after Olympic sport of fencing to the North Bay. The club features a wide range of students and fencing prowess; girls and boys, all ages and every level from beginner to seasoned amateur. It’s a diverse group of swash and buckle!

Among those fencers is cartoonist Alexis Fajardo, creator of the graphic novel series Kid Beowulf, which features it’s own brand of swords and sorcery. Inspired by the epic poem BEOWULF, Kid Beowulf follows the journey of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein. Published through Bowler Hat Comics, book one Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath debuted in 2008 and this spring marks the release of book two, Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland–which features fencing.

“Part of the story for the second book is Beowulf learning how to swing a blade, so I incorporated some fencing into the book,” states Fajardo. “I’ve been fencing almost as long as I’ve been drawing Kid Beowulf, in fact I based one of the lead characters in the new book on my old fencing instructor and I’ve also got a few well-placed cameos of my fencing buddies from the club here. It seemed like a great way to cross-promote the club and the books. I’m looking forward to the event!”

The Kid Beowulf Open takes place Saturday, June 12 from noon to 1:30pm at 917 Piner Road in Santa Rosa. The event is free and open to the public. Fajardo will be sharing his work with attendees, signing books and doing sketches, while Moniteur Jim Liebich will conduct a free class for all attendees. And winners of the beginner tournament might just walk away with the much sought after Kid Beowulf Open Trophy!

For more information please visit www.kidbeowulf.com or www.egfencing.comor call: 415.613.3110

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I have a report from Wondercon in San Francisco, that took place on April 1-3rd. The ever-versatile Jonathan Lemon of “Rabbits Against Magic” plays roving reporter as we checked in on the phone to see what was up. Justin Thompson of “Mythtickle” was there with his very first table selling his very first book. (Buy it here!) And we caught up with the artist/writer of the newest Kid Beowulf book, “The Song of Roland,” Mr. Lex Fajardo. We also talk with his publisher at Bowler Hat Comics, and learn some interesting things about what publishers are looking for when they meet you at a Con.

In addition to Facebook, Bowler Hat is also now on Twitter; follow us – @bowlerhatcomics - if you please!

Special announcements and promotions will often be announced via Facebook or Twitter before they’re announced on our site, so it’s worth subscribing if you want to stay in the know. It’s also an easy way to be notified of new posts on the Bowler Hat blog. See what your friends and others are saying about our books. Come! Join the fun!

For every five copies of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath, by Alexis E. Fajardo, and Visibility, by Sarah Neufeld, sold during the month of December, Bowler Hat Comics will donate one to a school, library, or charity of our choice. ALL sales during the month of December will be tallied. The more you buy, the more we give! Visit the event page on Facebook for more information and quick links to purchase.