MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 1 – March 8, 2007 Edition
Shoemaker Forms
New Literary Press
In Avalon Buy-Back
EMERYVILLE, CA/2/23/07-Jack Shoemaker, co-founder of two significant independent publishers, has joined Avalon Publishing’s founder Charlie Winton, to form the new Winton, Shoemaker & Company, LLC. The original investors in S&H bought back their interests in Shoemaker & Hoard just before Avalon Publishing Group was merged with Perseus Book Group. The company will publish under the Shoemaker & Hoard imprint.
In a letter to industry leaders, Jack Shoemaker said the company will continue to operate from its Emeryville location until this summer when they plan to move somewhere in Berkeley. Roxanna Font will continue as managing editor and Shoemaker will continue as publisher. Bill Newlin and Avalon staff will provide support services during the transition period for production, publicity and marketing.
Shoemaker said he hopes to announce another significant acquisition sometime in the next ninety days, which will enable the company to expand its staff and stand more firmly in the work of independent publishing.
“Our immediate goal is to make this ownership change virtually invisible and to allow it to have as little negative effect on our books and authors as is possible,” he said in a written memo.
“You all know how grateful I am at the extraordinary support shown me once again. Independent literary publishing has never been more difficult, but this difficulty coupled with the remarkable outpouring of help and good wishes combines to make the work even more rewarding than before.”
Jack Shoemaker and Trish Hoard joined together with their colleagues and partners at the Avalon Publishing Group to found the new company based in California. Shoemaker & Hoard, Publishers will focus on publication of literary works and will release aobut 30 titles over the next three seasons. They describe themselves as "a traditional, small, author-driven publishing house," and writers already pledged to support their efforts include Robert Aitken, Wendell Berry, Guy Davenport, Michael Downing, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Anne Lamott, Romulus Linney, David Markson, W. S. Merwin, Mary Rakow, James Salter, Richard Selzer, Gary Snyder and Jane Vandenburgh.
Jack Shoemaker was the co-founder, editor and publisher of two significant independent publishers, North Point Press and Counterpoint Press. A bookseller and small press publisher for many years before North Point, his career began in central California in 1963. Trish Hoard left New Scientist magazine ten years ago to join Mr. Shoemaker at the beginning of Counterpoint Press. Combining her work as an editor, production manager, and business manager, she today serves as Associate Publisher of Shoemaker & Hoard.
