Independents Focal Point of MoveOn's Spring Book Tour

Inner Ocean Publishing has teamed up with MoveOn, the grassroots civic action group, to publish MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country: How to Find Your Political Voice and Become a Catalyst for Change, a collection of 50 call-to-action essays by everyday people who were inspired to act for change in their community. Chapters are introduced by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, writer Gail Sheehy, and former Vice President Al Gore, among others. The Maui-based Inner Ocean has devised an extensive and unusual book tour to promote 50 Ways, which debuted in the number six spot on the Book Sense nonfiction bestseller list for April 8.

The spring book tour currently includes 70 events, with new events being added daily, and Inner Ocean is actively looking for more bookstores to participate, with the goal of offering 100 events nationwide during the tour. Each event is to serve as a community forum with local volunteers organizing the reading and/or discussions. Mark Kerr, Inner Ocean's sales and marketing director, told BTW that over 95 percent of the participating bookstores are independent, adding that it "made sense to partner with independent bookstores because they share the independent spirit" that propels MoveOn. "Our goal is to reenergize handselling and re-energize the independent bookstore as a community gathering place." MoveOn has also included BookSense.com as one of the links on its Web site. Bookstores hosting MoveOn events include Tattered Cover in Denver; Powell's in Portland, Oregon; the Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina; Northshire Bookshop in Manchester Center, Vermont; A Clean Well-Lighted Place in San Francisco, and many other independents.

The idea for the book itself occurred while Inner Ocean Publisher Karen Bouris, a MoveOn member, was getting her hair cut in Berkeley, California. "It was after the California general election of November 2002, and I was really depressed," she told BTW. "Only two out of seven of the people in the salon had voted. The other person who voted was a new citizen from the Middle East. She knew voting was such a privilege. She was appalled; I was appalled [at the low voter turnout]." Bouris, who at the time was not yet publisher at Inner Ocean, wanted to do something about the feelings of apathy and contacted MoveOn, imploring them to publish a book that inspired people to get involved.

Bouris was working on her own book at the time, Just Kiss Me and Tell Me You Did the Laundry (Rodale Press), and met with MoveOn co-founder Joan Blades to offer the help of her agent and friends in publishing. When Bouris was offered the position at Inner Ocean, she courted MoveOn to publish the book herself.

The intention of 50 Ways, said Bouris, "has always been to encourage political discussion, inspire people to get involved, to let them know that their voice does matter. The book is nonpartisan in that message. Of course, most of the contributors are from the Democratic platform, but the message is totally nonpartisan. To write a letter to the editor for example, it's not about being a Democrat or a Republican, it's about getting involved."

All royalties for this book go to MoveOn.org. For more information, visit http://www.moveon.org/book/ or http://www.innerocean.com. --Karen Schechner