I was listening the other day to an NPR piece about self-publishing and the iPad. A well-established author named Mark Morford was complaining, rightfully, that publishing isn’t what it used to be. Publishers used to spend a lot of time and energy crafting a book, editing, designing, and then marketing it to bring the best possible work to the widest possible audience.
Those days are gone. "Trade” publishers—those who get books into Barnes & Noble and other physical bookstores—are largely concerned with getting books done cheaply. Morford observes that “There’s no more marketing money.” He’s right, and the problem goes much deeper.
At most publishers, there’s actually very little interest in crafting the book. Just get it in print. Let the author do the marketing. Make the author hire a publicist, and an artist, and a photographer, him or her self. Rely on the author’s network of colleagues and friends; see if they can build a buzz around the book. If they can, great. If they can’t, too bad. At least the publisher hasn’t invested much.
How different it is for us here at Behrman House. And how pleased I am to be able to say that. We still craft our books. We know we have an ongoing relationship with educators, with readers, with authors, with families, and with the children they all care about. We like it that way—we’re those kind of editors and publishers. Our customers want books that are carefully crafted to deliver meaningful Judaic content in an engaging way. To bring Jewish learning to readers and help them make meaningful lives with it.
And so we edit. We find the right photographs. We commission great art. We design activities for children. And we design our books to be fun to look at, and easy to read. And then we fact-check, and fact-check again. (Sometimes too many times, but please don’t get me started.)
We’re very proud of what we do. It’s a lot different than the publishers Mr. Morford describes—just getting product out the door. And I hope we continue to meet your needs as well.
