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A small press success story (sort of)

Back in 2004, Maine author Jim Baumer began research on his first book detailing the state’s vibrant town team and semi-pro baseball era, post-WWII. Forty interviews and 287 pages later, he had a book like no other. Pitching it to a variety of small and mid-level presses resulted in a positive reception from editors, but each one passed on it primarily due to their lack of experience marketing a book like this one.

Given Baumer’s sales and marketing savvy and background, RiverVision Press was born to be the vehicle that would bring When Towns Had Teams to book buyers. The foray into independent publishing led to RiverVision receiving an IPPY from Independent Publisher, as WTHT was voted best non-fiction regional title in the Northeast, in 2006.

Fast forward four years and RiverVision is set to reprint Baumer’s well-received Moxietown, which sold out its limited press run in 2008, most copies of the book scooped up at the annual Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls.

In addition to re-releasing Moxietown, RiverVision will publish Baumer’s third book, this one focused on longer-form narratives. This collection of essays centered in his home state will again find Baumer weighing in with another unique take on the Pine Tree State. Moxie Matters: Life’s Beginnings in a Small Maine Town is scheduled for release late in 2010.