Printing up success

Rachel Guza
Contributing Editor

Mark Stosberg just couldn't wait. He may still be in college, but that didn't stop him from starting a publishing company and working with Sean Mount to put out a book this past semester.

Last semester, Stosberg, senior computer science major, and Sean Mount, junior English major, began working in collaboration with Jordan Green, a senior at Antioch College, to publish Ron Whitehead's latest book, Beaver Dam Rocking Chair Marathon.

"I'm really excited because Ron [Whitehead] is already a well-known writer in Kentucky, and I think we're lucky to be able to publish his work," Stosberg said. Whitehead's work has received praise from such people as Hunter S. Thompson, Lawrence Ferringetti, and Bob Edwards.

The book is a collection of stories and poems that is based on a real rocking chair marathon that took place in Kentucky in the 1970s. Whitehead contacted Stosberg and Green with the manuscript because they had included him in their first book, Blue Collar Boom, in 1996.

Stosberg and Green first started working together on publishing projects while Stosberg was still in high school. Later, they formed the publishing company that became Tilt-A-Whirl Press. Stosberg is the design manager, and Green is the editor. However, when Stosberg saw the manuscript for Beaver Dam Rocking Chair Marathon, he decided he needed an illustrator, as well. He then contacted Mount, a friend and juggling partner, and signed him on to the project.

"When I read the book, I tapped into this kind of dark aesthetic that I have," Mount said. "I felt like Ron had kind of a similar idea about art. I wanted the darkness to seep out of the characters and their surroundings," he said.

Mount is excited about this, his first real experience with distributed public artwork. For Stosberg and Green, however, it is their second time publishing a book.

"We both learned a lot from publishing Blue Collar Boom, which was our first book," Stosberg said. "We learned a lot for content and design." He believes that the design for Beaver Dam Rocking Chair Marathon is an improvement over the first book, and he sees progress in marketing strategies, as well.

Around 1000 copies of the book will be printed, some of which have already sold advance copies. Stosberg hopes that Whitehead's promotional tour (the "Marathon Tour") this summer will increase interest in the book, as well.

Throughout most of the process of putting the book together, Stosberg was doing an internship in New York City, Mount and Green were at their respective colleges, so communication among the publishing team members was primarily done through email and a few phone calls.

"Jordan and Sean and I for the most part were in three different cities and we collaborated a lot to get the book done," Stosberg said. "Sean would develop his original art, and instead of mailing me the originals, he would email them to me. I would come up with a mock layout and send it back."

"It was like this weird little network we had set up," Mount said. He appreciated the ease of using email and web sites and the speed with which they allowed him to communicate once he learned how to work with them.

In fact, location came in handy for Stosberg, who was able to use the software and equipment owned by the design firm he was interning with.

Although publishing a book is a time-consuming process, especially for three people who are still in college, Stosberg and Mount are looking forward to the book's release on May 14.

"It left me in a wake of academic ruin, I put so much time into it," Mount said. However, he said he would do it all over again, given the choice. Mount plans to continue to contribute to future projects of Tilt-A-Whirl Press as an illustrator. He will also be able to use this experience in his future career of writing and illustrating children's books and writing novels.

For his part, Stosberg is making design a permanent part of his life. He is starting a design firm that will be based in Richmond. In the meantime, he is helping to put the finishing touches on Beaver Dam Rocking Chair Marathon before its release.