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Available Now
Audubon
Edward C Benfold
USS BENFOLD
The Future
The Magic Of Winnie The Pooh
Affirmations
Accolades
From the mouth of Babes
About The Authors
Ceremonial First Copy
order blank
US Korea 2000 Foundation
Book Review
News Release
Coincidence
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| A Friendly Publisher - - - by Mari Herreras |
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| Turning Writers Into Published Authors |
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| At the bottom of Ella M. Dillon's business card it reads "Everyone can see their name in print," a phrase the book publisher uses to describe her business philosophy. The owner of Redrosebush Press and the quarterly poetry magazine, Portals, Dillon discovered her philosophy at her aunt's deathbed when the aunt told her neice that her only regret was never being published. "She was a poet, so was my mom," recalled Dillon. "But my aunt wanted to share her writing with the world." Dillon decided to honor her aunt's life by publishing her work and that of other writers. When Dillon wanted to publish her first book, she looked for a publisher or an agent. When Vantage Press said they would publish Dillon's book, the first-time author was thrilled intil she was told they needed $6,500. "I couldn't afford that," said Dillon, "so I went to Webpco Printing in Wenatchee and did it myself." After "A Night Auditor Tells All", was published, Dillon discovered other writers with similar experiences. They wanted to be published so Dillon came to the rescue with her first magazine, Portals. Through Portals, Dillon will print at least one time, almost any writer who submits work. Then, more books followed, including two with her close friend Craig Burgess. The latest project for Burgess and Dillon is "The Green Wave and The Navy: The History of the USS BENFOLD", which is a departure from the traditional poetry published by Redrosebush Press. The book, written by Burgess and Danny K. Edgar, focuses on the history of the USS BENFOLD, a U.S. Navy destroyer named in the memory of Edward C. Benfold. The book highlight's Audubon, New Jersey, Benfold's home town, and the town's connection to the Navy. Audubon is also Burgess' home town. The book, said the author, is his tribute to the town, as well as an Audubon High School student project that created a memorial for three Audubon Medal of Honor recipients. Burgess said when the time came to look for a publisher for this book he knew Dillon was the person. "This wasn't poetry, but Ella has a personal touch in her work as a publisher I've always admired," said Burgess. "I had no question in my mind that Ella was the one to help." Dillon is moved to tears when she describes her involvement in the project. Dillon said the emotions come from the content of the book, especially about the memorial organized by the group of high school students. When Dillon first accepted the project, Burgess was at 200 pages. The final project ended up at 512 pages -- the biggest book Redrosebush Press has published. The book proved to be a year-long effort for Dillon, who designed and typeset the pages, and coordinated print production with Commercial Printing in Wenatchee. According to Tom Wentz, production manager for Commercial Printing, this is the largest order the local printer has worked on from beginning to end. To handle the load, Wentz said his company had to purchase a new image setter that allowed him to process four negatives at a time, rather than the single negative from the old machine. According to Wentz, the image setter, networked to the computer, puts the page on film. From there, the film is used to create the plates for the press. The project took a year for Commercial Printing to complete, but it would have taken much longer without the new image setter. "We needed the upgrade. Imagine what it would have been like without it, because this book was over 500 pages," explained Wentz. Wentz, who has worked with Dillon on other projects, said 7,000 copies of the book were produced, taking 500,000 sheets of paper. Some 387 boxes of books were delivered to Burgess' home at a total of 32,000 pounds (16 tons). Despite the year long work, wentz said the project was fun. When the book was presented to the Navy in a ceremony back East, Wentz was invited to attend. "I'd never been East before," said Wentz, adding Commercial Printing is now talking with Burgess about printing a second book. "This was something else." Although Burgess paid almost $195,000 for the paper and printing costs at Commercial Printing, there is a bargain hidden between the pages of his book -- Dillon's publishing fee. "I'm retired," Dillon explained. "I don't charge anything. This is something I do for love. All the people I publish are my children." |
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