Never-Ending Stories
Here's the tale of one entrepreneur who refused to close the book on her favorite out-of-print classics.
What: Publisher of
out-of-print books for children and young adults
Who: Madelene Towne of Green Mansion
Press
Where: New York City
When: Started in June 2001
As the mother of three children, Madelene Towne wanted her kids
to read the same books she had enjoyed as a child. But after
shopping around unsuccessfully, she realized that most of her
favorite titles were out of print. Rather than giving up, this
former trust and estates lawyer decided to bring them back to life
with her own book publishing business.
Towne started out by researching the availability and copyright
status of her favorite books, then she purchased and acquired the
rights to those that were available. She then hired a printer,
artists and designers to give the old books an updated look.
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After joining The Small Press Center, a New York City
organization that assists small presses, Towne, now 47, happened to
sit in on a seminar where a Barnes & Noble buyer was discussing
selling books. When the two met, the buyer asked Towne to submit
her titles and find a distributor, because they wouldn't be
able to deal with her directly. Towne secured a distributor-and
Barnes & Noble placed its first order.
In fall 2002, the self-financed entrepreneur released her first
five titles, including The World of Henry Orient by Nora
Johnson, The Joyous Season by Patrick Dennis and The
Wonderful Winter</.I> by Marchette Chute. The books are also
available on Amazon.com and at independent bookstores, and 15 more
titles are in the works.
Says Towne, whose business posted quarterly sales of $30,000,
"For me, it's more than just a business. It's really a
mission to get these books out there, [to] have them read
again."
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