I have been surrounded by publishing since I was very small. I am the child of an editor (my mother) and a salesman/author (my father), and from a very young age I have been around books. When other kids knew their sports stars or superheroes, I was mentally cataloging children’s book illustrators.
Early Influences
My father sold books for Harper & Row, and I learned about book sales, markets, and imprints from him. My mother was a medical editor and from her, I learned consistency, clarity, and precision.
Both parents taught me the importance of communication through the written word; between grammar and syntax, anything was possible.
But I was more of a visual person—I drew constantly and aspired to be a children’s book illustrator. While that didn’t materialize, it led me to a career in graphic design.
Work Experience
After a few jobs in the industry (largely in advertising and publishing as an artist and art director) and some time as a computer programmer, my parents and I had the opportunity to buy a company called Adams Press. Adams Press serves small presses and self-publishing authors and helps them produce quality books and ebooks. It was a perfect match for the three of us: a sales and marketing expert, an editor, and an art director. With Adams Press, I have designed and/or typeset over 100 books, and been the managing art director on many more. I have worked closely with my mother and other editors, and have consulted closely with dozens of authors about their books, ebooks, websites, promotional audio and video, and marketing materials.
A Perfect Match
A friend and former employer introduced me to the World Wide Web when it was in its infancy in the mid-1990s. To me, it represented the perfect blend of visual design and computer programming—I was immediately hooked on the dynamic nature of web publishing. I built my first client website in 1996 and have been building and maintaining websites for small businesses, organizations, and authors ever since.
So that’s a bit about how I got here. How can I help you spread your message?