Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 11, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B1 WINTER DRAPERY SALE CALL 204- 942- 2558 OR 1- 800- 818- 7779 ARRANGE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY IN- HOME CONSULTATION TODAY January 23 - March 1 50 % OFF HUNTER DOUGLAS WOOD BLINDS Choose from the Parkland collection in the popular 2" slat size. Off our regular price. 25 % OFF THERMAL DRAPERIES Choose from our Maxwell fabric collection of solids, textures and more. Off our regular price. NO CHARGE UPGRADE REMOTE CONTROL SHADES Place any new order for a minimum of four PowerRise shades and receive the Platinum App bridge kit at no additional charge. The ultimate in ease of controlling your blinds. Limit one per household. CITY & BUSINESS CITY EDITOR: SHANE MINKIN 204- 697- 7292 city. desk@ freepress. mb. ca I winnipegfreepress. com TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014 B 1 I WAS scanning the New York Times online edition Sunday when something shouted out at me. The quote of the day. " I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it. I just want to own my truth." NFL draft prospect Michael Sam spoke those words in the context of telling his University of Missouri teammates he is gay. The courage the young man's general message took jumped out because it reminded me of a topic that came up during a recent dinner conversation with David Friesen, the current patriarch of Altona- based book manufacturer Friesen Corp. The topic being the need to tell our own stories our own way in the form of selfies. No, not the photographic self- portrait that made " selfie" the Oxford Dictionary 's word of 2013. David and I were talking about the written equivalent of the selfie - the self- published book. " Everyone has a book in them," David said. " Everyone has a story they want to tell." So it appears. Sunday afternoon, at Emily Doer's fundraising tea for adult eating disorders, there were two self- published books on the subject, both there for the taking. One of them was titled i'm so fat . Winnipeg wife and mother Sandra Lorange self- published it as a novella through American- based Author- House. In her case, writing was both a natural progression from voracious reading and book- club discussions, to a need to write the story other women had shared with her. But as the New York Times reported last year, even established writers such as Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright and author David Mamet are turning to self- publishing, moved primarily, I suspect, by the lure of substantially higher author profit margins. Then there are journalists, such as former Free Press reporter Carreen Maloney, who is planning to self- publish her non- fiction book for another reason: because she can control the content of a controversial topic traditional publishers might fear to touch. She could even choose to publish it online, at no cost. The working title of Maloney's manuscript is Uniquely Dangerous . I'll leave it at that, although if you're curious - and this comes with a content warning - you can check out the theme on her blog of the same title. For Friesens Corp., it was the increasing popularity of the selfpublished book, coupled with the digitally driven threat to the printing industry, that has prompted it to create a publishing arm, FriesenPress. Even local bookstore McNally Robinson has added a publishing component. In fact, tonight at McNally Robinson - in what exemplifies the essence of most self- publishing - former Winnipeg urologist Henry Krahn launches Damaged Care; A Surgeon Dissects the Vaunted Canadian and U. S. Health Care Systems . Krahn's FriesenPresspublished book will join more than 450 other selfies on consignment at McNally Robinson, including about 60 produced by the bookstore's on- site Espresso Book Machine. What makes Krahn's book typical is it's a labour of love and legacy. Retired Transit driver Brian Darragh's soon- to- be- self- published book, Street Cars of Winnipeg: Our Forgotten Heritage , is beyond a labour of love and legacy. It's the mission of a lifetime for the 85- year- old, who operated a city streetcar for 17 months before they were abandoned in 1955. What was the cost to fulfil his dream? Just over $ 2,000. That includes a series of services, among them editing, layout, Amazon Kindle distribution plus a limited quantity of printed books. How much of the self- publishing business is driven by the labour of love and legacy? Way more than aspiring novelists who hope to be discovered with the next great Canadian novel. That's because, contrary to the seemingly inexorable move from print to online news, blogs and storytelling, self- publishing suggests something that hasn't changed, at least not yet. According to David Friesen, the children of the digital age still want yearbooks. " They still want something they can write in and share with others." Then there's 23- year- old Red River College creative communications grad Kristy Hoffman, who as part of her course requirement self- published 120 copies of her book Late Bloomers . She sold them all, and now she's searching to sign with a traditional publisher. So for some, even some of the young, it's not just the need to tell our stories. It's the need to tell them on paper, in books, that can be proudly placed on a shelf where it will last for all time. Even if the reality, alas, is the digital word may last even longer. gordon. sinclair@ freepress. mb. ca GORDON SINCLAIR JR. Sharing our stories in selfies Self- publishing books becoming popular E IGHT months before Winnipeg elects its next mayor, Sam Katz is no longer the candidate to beat. Two successive polls about voter intentions have placed Judy Wasylycia- Leis at the top of a crowded field of potential mayoral candidates. The former NDP MP and MLA, who finished second in Winnipeg's 2010 mayoral race, now appears to be the frontrunner in 2014. An Insightrix Research poll commissioned by Global News and CJOB and released Monday suggested Wasylycia- Leis would have enjoyed 42 per cent of the vote, had the election been held in late January. Former St. Vital councillor Gord Steeves ranked second, while Katz, Charleswood- Tuxedo Coun. Paula Havixbeck, St. James- Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding, River Heights- Fort Garry Coun. John Orlikow and lawyer Brian Bowman trailed behind. This result was similar to the findings of a Free Press - commissioned Probe Research poll that suggested Wasylycia- Leis had 45 per cent support in December. That poll didn't include Orlikow, who hadn't yet gone public, or Katz, who's sporting disastrous numbers for an incumbent. While polls merely serve as snapshots of voter intentions at a particular point in time, the large spread between Wasylycia- Leis and the rest of the potential field suggests it's time for other candidates to work harder at establishing their identities. To be frank, since none of Winnipeg's potential mayoral candidates has said much about anything so far, any opinion on any subject would make for a good start. Officially, Winnipeg's mayoral race begins on May 1, when candidates are allowed to register their campaigns and begin raising and spending money. But there's nothing preventing candidates from getting their ideas out and trying to increase their profile even when they're not allowed to spend money. Unlike in Toronto, where mayoral candidates such as Rob Ford and David Soknacki have already attended one public debate, Winnipeg's slate of would- be candidates have been extremely quiet, both on social media and in front of reporters' microphones. The entire field is playing it safe while they work behind the scenes, meeting with small groups of potential supporters, putting together volunteer networks and trying to cobble together a platform. Wasylycia- Leis, who neither works at a law firm nor is burdened by elected office, has been particularly busy at these tasks. It's fair to say she started working on her 2014 campaign the day after she lost to Katz in 2010. On Monday, Wasylycia- Leis said she was encouraged to see two polls place her ahead of the competition, but insisted favourable polls are just one factor to consider before she confirms she will in fact run. " It's certainly an important piece of information," she said during a telephone interview on Monday. But in the next breath, she conceded it's highly unlikely anything could arise over the next few months to prevent her from running for mayor again. " I can't think of any," she said. Wasylycia- Leis said she's learned from 2010, when she waited too long to unveil what she would do if elected mayor. " I know from the last election I need to be out earlier, and I need a concrete set of ideas," she said. But don't expect to hear any of those ideas before May. Wasylycia- Leis said she's going to " complete a discussion with Winnipeggers" before she lets any ideas loose. Over the weekend, she held a meeting with 200 supporters in her own home for this purpose. Steeves has adopted a similar strategy. On Sunday, for example, he tweeted out a call for ideas to improve recreation in Winnipeg. Steeves, Wasylycia- Leis and Orlikow have all made suggestions about snow- clearing, but that's about it in terms of policy announcements. Katz hasn't raised new ideas and Bowman has been almost silent. Havixbeck has been her usual visible self at city hall, while Fielding has promised to begin unveiling at least two policy planks per month. But overall, Winnipeggers don't know what their would- be mayoral candidates stand for, beyond the vague outlines of their ideological orientations. The only common theme, for everyone other than Katz, is city hall needs to be fixed. " People are concerned about an open and accountable government, an efficient administration and a credible plan to deal with our infrastructure problems," said Wasylycia- Leis, pretty much stating the obvious. Only eight months before a momentous decision, Winnipeg deserves specifics. If Toronto's mayoral candidates can begin fleshing out ideas, so can the many would- be mayors of Winnipeg. bartley. kives@ freepress. mb. ca Let's start talking, people City voters eye potential mayor, but they don't have much to go on By Bartley Kives An alysis Where they stand THE results of two recent polls of voter intentions toward mayoral candidates: Probe Research December 2013 Judy Wasylycia- Leis : 45 per cent Gord Steeves : 25 per cent Paula Havixbeck : 11 per cent Brian Bowman : 11 per cent Scott Fielding : Six per cent Insightrix Research February 2014 Wasylycia- Leis : 42 per cent Steeves : 17 per cent Sam Katz : 12 per cent Havixbeck : Nine per cent Bowman : Six per cent Fielding : Six per cent John Orlikow : Six per cent BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Judy Wasylycia- Leis is at the top of the heap with voters as this year's mayoral contest inches closer. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Brian Darragh shows a mock- up of the book on streetcars he is self- publishing. B_ 01_ Feb- 11- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B1 2/ 10/ 14 9: 33: 59 PM ;