We all live in the West, probably because we are drawn to it. From the open spaces, the smell of sage after a hard rain, the too-short glimpse of a cactus bloom, the ancient layers of desert canyon rivers, soaring lonely peaks, dark and loamy pine groves, or the simple act of waving to a passing neighbor, the West supports a lifestyle unlike any other. Rare is the voice that can truly capture this mysterious … something.
    Rarer still is the opportunity for publishers and booksellers to team up in a concerted effort to let the world know about such reads. MPIBA’s new Reading the West program is geared towards this specifically. Selected books will be supported by promotional materials and more widespread author tours, making it easy to display these titles well with the end result of, hopefully, selling some really great books that might otherwise be overlooked.
    One of the great challenges in the book industry is simply getting attention. It’s extremely difficult to get a book to rise above the noise, especially when that noise is thousands of other great and, let’s face it, not-so-great books. This program is geared towards getting a few of these books a bit more attention, maybe that extra shove a great read needs to garner the readership it deserves.
    The titles selected will fall into one of two categories: books whose subject matter deals with our region and books written by authors who live in our region (content doesn't have to be regional). The goal is to have one adult title and one children's title each go-round. The big publishers, small indie presses, self-published, whatever. It’s all eligible … it just has to be great. One of the nice things here is that it doesn’t take much space to set a book apart. Pictured here is a quick endcap display I set up. Nothing fancy. Simple but effective. You can, of course, make it as simple or elaborate as you want. Please send in photos of your displays! It’s great to see how other stores are using the same materials in different creative ways, and will be a wonderful way for us to see your store. Our region is so vast that it’s impossible for us all to visit each other. Use this opportunity to introduce us to your store!

    All that being said, Reading the West has a lot of potential to help us all -- publishers, booksellers and readers -- discover and help others discover a few good reads. Stay tuned for more details and more great selections. Remember, if you have a suggestion just e-mail Lisa (lisa@mountainsplains.org) and tell her about it.