Re: B. B. Mackey Books is 25 Years Old this month!

**H* Y* <h*@gardeningwithconfidence.com>**

Congratulations, Betty!  What an accomplishment.  

Helen
On Nov 17, 2011, at 4:23 PM, Betty Mackey wrote:

> B. B. Mackey Books Celebrates 25 Years of Garden Publishing
> 
> 
> 
> In 1986, twenty five years ago this month, I innocently ventured into 
> publishing--vanity publishing. I had been invited by garden guru Marian Van 
> Atta ("Florida's Mother Nature") to attend an authors' party and book 
> festival with her in central Florida, where I then lived. Would I be the 
> only non-author present?
> 
> 
> 
> My first book, "A Cutting Garden for Florida," born in a hurry, wasn't 
> finished in time for the author party but at least I had flyers. I did the 
> typesetting on a Commodore 64 computer (remember those?) with a "Write Now" 
> cartridge and a very noisy daisy wheel printer plus my own line drawings. 
> When the book came out I learned that I was supposed to talk to garden clubs 
> and I also got onto a morning talk show in Orlando. I allowed chapters of 
> the book to be serialized in a Gannett chain paper in return for including 
> ordering info. Soon people were sending me checks and I was hooked. My 
> crowning achievement? I was invited to plant a cutting garden at beautiful 
> Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, and a few months later I saw a wedding 
> party having their pictures taken there in front of my long border of big 
> pale yellow sunflowers and other annuals.
> 
> 
> 
> Now it is twenty five years later and B. B. Mackey Books publishes a number 
> of garden books including some authored by members of GWL: Duane Campbell, 
> Nellie Neal, and (coming soon), Betty Earl. I no longer live in Florida but 
> I work with author Monica Brandies who does.
> 
> 
> 
> I have seen huge changes in garden publishing in the 25 years since I 
> ventured in. In the early 'nineties there was a boom in glossy garden books. 
> A few years later the publishers of those books were acquired by huge 
> conglomerates interested in best sellers that could be movies, and stopped 
> doing garden titles. Startups and mom-and-pops suddenly had the field to 
> themselves.
> 
> 
> 
> Celebrating and looking back, I am having a big book sale at 
> http://www.mackeybooks.com/asale1.html If you blog or write a column, it's a 
> great time to review books as holiday gift suggestions, so let me know if 
> you'd like a review copy of something I offer.  Your readers can take 
> advantage of the sale which lasts from today through December 16, 2011.
> 
> 
> 
> For info or a review copy, write to me off list at betty@mackeybooks.com .
> 
> 
> 
> To see details of all the books, go to my website home page, 
> www.mackeybooks.com, and navigate from there. Cheers and thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Betty Mackey, Publisher
> 
> B. B. Mackey Books
> 
> P. O. Box 475
> 
> Wayne, PA 19087
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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