The below was originally broadcast January 20, 2015. Ken will be speaking at Swedish hospital in Seattle this March on Divine Arts's bestselling book, Goodbye Parkinsons, Hello Life. You can learn more about the bestselling book at Divine Arts's website.
Dave Watson: Thanks for taking the time to talk. How did you meet Michael Wiese?
Ken Lee: I was an Associate Producer of an awards ceremony. After the event was over, I asked everyone involved in the production for introductions to people in the business. One of the Executive Producers said there’s this guy who seemed to be working on hundreds of projects. Michael recounts it accurately in his autobiography, “Onward and Upward,” when he and I met for lunch. We clicked right away.
DW: In terms of personality? Interests? Both?
KL: He was so much more traveled than I was, so his ideas covered a huge range. He also had a non-linear approach to thinking that at first challenged me, but I got used to it quickly. But in terms of personality, we hit it off.
DW: Were you involved in film before?
KL: Only on the very periphery. I happened into it mostly by sheer luck, working on industrial and corporate videos. One was a music video. I discovered I was good at seeing what motivated people, how to keep them on task.
DW: Michael Wiese Productions didn’t start off as a book publisher. What came first?
KL: Early on, our primary emphasis was video production. We also worked as consultants on marketing and distribution. Publishing was almost an afterthought. I would read manuscripts, and it became obvious that we could fill a very specific niche for the indie film community. We were one of the first in this genre.
DW: MWP has achieved quite a steady rate of growth over the last several years. What do you chalk that up to?
KL: Now we have the benefit of being number one in our genre. If you look on Bookscan in the Performing Arts Category, we have the more titles in the Top 100 than any other publisher. We have been very fortunate to work with very talented authors who want to share their knowledge with others. We make it a point to only work with the best in the business. Christopher Vogler’s breakthrough book, The Writer’s Journey, was one of our first. Additionally, Blake Snyder (Save the Cat) loved screenwriting, but discovered he loved teaching even more.
Our editorial style sets also us apart. We try not to be overly prescriptive, and seek writers who have a different way of solving problems, analyzing material, and help them along. We also pick authors who are ready to talk about their material for four-to-five years to any audience and anytime. And finally, we try to provide our material in as many formats as possible for our market. Readers can buy our books on Amazon Kindle, The Nook, Sony Reader, and dozens of other platforms. Fortunately, for us, our readers like to buy multiple copies of our books in print and ebook editions. We’ve heard of some of our readers who have our books on their Laptops, Kindle and Smartphones all at the same time.
DW: What else distinguishes MWP from other publishers?
KL: We create books that are not about us, but about the reader. What’s more, we’ve created a different kind of publishing model that is inclusive with our authors. We get them together and connect them not just with other authors but with other experts as much as possible, with the singular goal of being of service to our community of media professionals. Our editorial style is to make books friendly and the tone of the company familial. This year, for example, we are planning a gathering of our authors in Montana. Our authors asked, are we going to be on horseback and take some fun photos? I said, saddle up! We’re riding in Montana.
DW: Your Ebooks have been a major success. How are you planning on pushing the envelope even further with Ebooks?
KL: Last year, we introduced Enhanced eBooks with HD video and audio. While a picture says a thousand words, a video can say ten thousand words. Our Ebook series “Master Shots” is currently at Apple’s iStore, and we’re looking at making this series available on the Amazon Kindle platform.
DW: You’ve achieved and maintained a niche market in publishing. How have you done that?
KL: Well, anyone can make home movies, but you have to know about framing, composition, how to move actors in and out of scenes. On the publishing side we’re continuing to expand into foreign markets. With China, for example, we sell to two markets: Taiwan and China. In Beijing, we know thousands of film school students using our books in Chinese. That is very gratifying.
DW: I take it you saw the article in The Economist recently about China developing its own Hollywood.
KL: Yes. The Chinese community is very motivated and one of our goals is to enhance that relationship.
DW: What about stateside?
KL: Our books work like heat seeking missiles of information. They seem to “ find” the audiences they need to. For example, A List Stars such as Will Smith work directly with some of our authors. He finds our books and the contacts them individually to discuss his latest project. For the Teen market, books like “Filmmaking for Teens” and “Screenwriting for Teens” are always big sellers in December.
DW: Is it hard maintaining that niche market?
KL: It’s hard competing with the distraction of other media outlets. People get distracted easily by binging on Netflix, playing video games, or getting caught up by the noise of modern everyday life. It’s challenging to get people to sit down and read a book. Thankfully, our market continues to tell us that they buy multiple copies of MWP books every year to sharpen their skill set.
DW: How will MWP continue to connect with your market in 2014?
KL: We have multiple events planned for 2014 where our authors will meet with our readers directly. It’s kind of interesting that what used to be considered old school (shaking hands and connecting with readers) is now considered new school. By working with great marketing partners, MWP will be represented at live events in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Wisconsin, Montana, London, Italy, France, Spain and more. At all of these events, we’re gathering people who are looking to tell stories; not just make movies.
DW: Ken, thanks so much for your time, especially in the Holiday season. All the best with publishing, your events, and international ventures!
KL: Thank you, Dave! Hope to see you at MWP events in 2014.
Dave Watson is the Editor of the web site “Movies Matter,” http://www.davesaysmoviesmatter.com. He lives in Madison, WI.
For the latest updates on MWP events, like MWP Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mwpfilmbooks?ref=br_tf
Dave Watson: Thanks for taking the time to talk. How did you meet Michael Wiese?
Ken Lee: I was an Associate Producer of an awards ceremony. After the event was over, I asked everyone involved in the production for introductions to people in the business. One of the Executive Producers said there’s this guy who seemed to be working on hundreds of projects. Michael recounts it accurately in his autobiography, “Onward and Upward,” when he and I met for lunch. We clicked right away.
DW: In terms of personality? Interests? Both?
KL: He was so much more traveled than I was, so his ideas covered a huge range. He also had a non-linear approach to thinking that at first challenged me, but I got used to it quickly. But in terms of personality, we hit it off.
DW: Were you involved in film before?
KL: Only on the very periphery. I happened into it mostly by sheer luck, working on industrial and corporate videos. One was a music video. I discovered I was good at seeing what motivated people, how to keep them on task.
DW: Michael Wiese Productions didn’t start off as a book publisher. What came first?
KL: Early on, our primary emphasis was video production. We also worked as consultants on marketing and distribution. Publishing was almost an afterthought. I would read manuscripts, and it became obvious that we could fill a very specific niche for the indie film community. We were one of the first in this genre.
DW: MWP has achieved quite a steady rate of growth over the last several years. What do you chalk that up to?
KL: Now we have the benefit of being number one in our genre. If you look on Bookscan in the Performing Arts Category, we have the more titles in the Top 100 than any other publisher. We have been very fortunate to work with very talented authors who want to share their knowledge with others. We make it a point to only work with the best in the business. Christopher Vogler’s breakthrough book, The Writer’s Journey, was one of our first. Additionally, Blake Snyder (Save the Cat) loved screenwriting, but discovered he loved teaching even more.
Our editorial style sets also us apart. We try not to be overly prescriptive, and seek writers who have a different way of solving problems, analyzing material, and help them along. We also pick authors who are ready to talk about their material for four-to-five years to any audience and anytime. And finally, we try to provide our material in as many formats as possible for our market. Readers can buy our books on Amazon Kindle, The Nook, Sony Reader, and dozens of other platforms. Fortunately, for us, our readers like to buy multiple copies of our books in print and ebook editions. We’ve heard of some of our readers who have our books on their Laptops, Kindle and Smartphones all at the same time.
DW: What else distinguishes MWP from other publishers?
KL: We create books that are not about us, but about the reader. What’s more, we’ve created a different kind of publishing model that is inclusive with our authors. We get them together and connect them not just with other authors but with other experts as much as possible, with the singular goal of being of service to our community of media professionals. Our editorial style is to make books friendly and the tone of the company familial. This year, for example, we are planning a gathering of our authors in Montana. Our authors asked, are we going to be on horseback and take some fun photos? I said, saddle up! We’re riding in Montana.
DW: Your Ebooks have been a major success. How are you planning on pushing the envelope even further with Ebooks?
KL: Last year, we introduced Enhanced eBooks with HD video and audio. While a picture says a thousand words, a video can say ten thousand words. Our Ebook series “Master Shots” is currently at Apple’s iStore, and we’re looking at making this series available on the Amazon Kindle platform.
DW: You’ve achieved and maintained a niche market in publishing. How have you done that?
KL: Well, anyone can make home movies, but you have to know about framing, composition, how to move actors in and out of scenes. On the publishing side we’re continuing to expand into foreign markets. With China, for example, we sell to two markets: Taiwan and China. In Beijing, we know thousands of film school students using our books in Chinese. That is very gratifying.
DW: I take it you saw the article in The Economist recently about China developing its own Hollywood.
KL: Yes. The Chinese community is very motivated and one of our goals is to enhance that relationship.
DW: What about stateside?
KL: Our books work like heat seeking missiles of information. They seem to “ find” the audiences they need to. For example, A List Stars such as Will Smith work directly with some of our authors. He finds our books and the contacts them individually to discuss his latest project. For the Teen market, books like “Filmmaking for Teens” and “Screenwriting for Teens” are always big sellers in December.
DW: Is it hard maintaining that niche market?
KL: It’s hard competing with the distraction of other media outlets. People get distracted easily by binging on Netflix, playing video games, or getting caught up by the noise of modern everyday life. It’s challenging to get people to sit down and read a book. Thankfully, our market continues to tell us that they buy multiple copies of MWP books every year to sharpen their skill set.
DW: How will MWP continue to connect with your market in 2014?
KL: We have multiple events planned for 2014 where our authors will meet with our readers directly. It’s kind of interesting that what used to be considered old school (shaking hands and connecting with readers) is now considered new school. By working with great marketing partners, MWP will be represented at live events in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Wisconsin, Montana, London, Italy, France, Spain and more. At all of these events, we’re gathering people who are looking to tell stories; not just make movies.
DW: Ken, thanks so much for your time, especially in the Holiday season. All the best with publishing, your events, and international ventures!
KL: Thank you, Dave! Hope to see you at MWP events in 2014.
Dave Watson is the Editor of the web site “Movies Matter,” http://www.davesaysmoviesmatter.com. He lives in Madison, WI.
For the latest updates on MWP events, like MWP Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mwpfilmbooks?ref=br_tf