Our Angels

When the largest publishing houses -- those with massive New York offices and hundreds (thousands?) of staff and authors -- are reporting staggering losses coupled with dramatic employee downsizing, what do the smaller, independent publishers like OHP face?

If you have taken our tour, you know that our company campus is far from New York City. Our lot is heavily wooded, untamed and natural, and home to both our office and the core staff members, Cris, Jennifer and Brianne DiMarco, and our children, Maxwell and Faith. None of us take financial compensation from the company because we have seen OHP as a labor of love since 1989. Whether we are loved or hated, whether we accept or reject a manuscript, whether we struggle to survive hand-in-hand with our authors or we draw hard lines for our beliefs, it is our passion for the arts that keeps us here.

The simple truth is that when times are tough, people spend their money on food and housing, not entertainment and, whether or not we agree, books are just that: Entertainment. Luxury items. Many an accountant or lovemoney.com consultant could tell you that. In mid-2009, due to plummeting sales (not just for us, but for all publishers), we almost lost the company. That threat was the last straw. We made some changes.

Using the last of our personal resources, we eliminated OHP's outstanding debt. Then we cut away our middlemen suppliers, brought all out-sourced work in-house, and increased production choices and quality control. The chain-reaction of changes that followed our re-organization was made possible by angels. Friends, readers, authors, and artists, who stepped in with literally anything they could -- from ten dollars to two thousand. Our family may have pulled the company out of danger alone, but it was these angels who outfitted OHP with the armor it needed to never be threatened again. It was a re-dedication for all us. A powerful statement of shared belief and faith.

In the face of hardships and hard times, or when detractors wave their angry fists and spout ignorance, we all have two choices: Come together or fall apart. At Orchard House Press, we choose to come together.

We thank our angels, not just for this year, but for always.