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Wanted: Your Expertise
GPA seeks publishers to act as international mentors
Dean Merrill
GPA Board member and Partners in Publishing Project Coordinator
Printed in: E-Link, March 2008
If we in ECPA have learned anything over the years, it is that the publishing enterprise is not a cakewalk. It is, in fact, more like rocket science. The complexities of choosing what the public will buy, getting books developed and manufactured, pricing them realistically, promoting them effectively, distributing them efficiently, and collecting your proceeds so you can start the process all over again … it all makes for a complicated life. There are a thousand ways to lose money and go broke before you know what hit you.
If we have trouble staying afloat here in America, with all our systems and affluence, how much more challenging is it for a novice in a dysfunctional, developing nation? That is why Global Publishers Alliance, the international arm of ECPA, has developed its Partners in Publishing program.
Partners in Publishing: Teach, mentor, and guide Christian entrepreneurs in the developing world toward effective, self-sustaining Christian publishing.
There are many Christian entrepreneurs in the developing world who mean well but have little background to guide their professional decisions. Yes, they need working capital—but even more, they need a seasoned voice at their side to show them the way forward, keep them from making mistakes, and stay focused on their true mission.
Probably all of us can remember someone who steered us straight in the early days of our own careers. We will be forever grateful for what they taught us about publishing. Might we do the same for a Kenyan, a Bolivian, or a Filipino?
To quote the current president of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki:
“The challenge facing everybody is to address poverty and underdevelopment. It’s not about welfare handouts but about investment, knowledge transfers, all the things that enable economies to grow faster and modernize” (emphasis added).
ECPA publishers in the United States have gained a great deal of knowledge about the publishing field. We can share this knowledge with those eager to learn.
GPA is the clearinghouse to select international publishers who would like to learn from an ECPA member’s experience. We collect and vet their information; we assess their character, their education, their work ethic. We decide whether this applicant has a fighting chance to make it as a publisher in their particular country. A detailed set of criteria has been developed, in fact, to guide in making these selections. Then an appropriate ECPA mentor is matched with this partner.
What Will You Actually Do as a Publishing Mentor?
This involves an on-site visit of a week or so, getting to know the partner’s turf, befriending them, observing their operation, analyzing what’s working and what’s not, and helping them overcome their obstacles. More than them wanting your money, they want to know what you know. You will be their honored tutor.
The receiving company will coordinate lodging and in-country transportation for the mentor. Travel expenses, however, are the responsibility of the U.S. side—either the mentor’s company or, in some cases, GPA itself (funds permitting).
By the end of your visit, a warm friendship will have been established … which leads to follow-up contact via e-mail, renewed contact at trade shows, and possibly even return visits.
Rolf Garborg and Ezdra Publishing in Ukraine
A prime example is Rolf Garborg’s mentoring of Andrey Kravchenko and the team at Ezdra Publishing in Ukraine. When Rolf first went there in the fall of 2006, Andrey had never actually met an American before. He was very shy and nervous about his limited English—so much that he hired an interpreter for the week. Rolf simply sat down and got to know him, his business, his limitations and his opportunities.
Today, Ezdra is running double-digit sales jumps over the previous year. They have opened up new market channels never before dreamed of. The whole Christian publishing climate of Ukraine is on a rising tide, with more rights deals being signed, more indigenous products coming out, and a whole ECPA-type organization being founded.
Andrey and Rolf are a “mutual admiration society,” as you could tell if you heard them speak on the opening night of Pub U last November. This coming July at the GPA Golf Benefit Tournament in Orlando, you will get to meet Andrey in person!
Resources to Make This Effort Successful: “Publishing in a Box”
GPA has developed a starter collection called “Publishing in a Box” for mentors to use. It contains resource material on the various publishing disciplines, e.g., production, marketing and sales, operating systems, financial management, etc. Mentors, of course, will want to add to the collection from their own favorites, recognizing that there’s more than one way to convey the wisdom that makes for great publishing.
The Partners in Publishing project coordinator, GPA board member Dean Merrill (who has traveled to 48 nations of the world on five continents and was VP of international publishing with International Bible Society), is the mentor’s point of contact and gives additional input to each mentor that is country-specific. He arranges advance communication before the visit, so that the mentor can arrive as prepared as possible.
What Results to Expect
The long-term goals in Partners in Publishing are:
For the international partner:
Is this the kind of enriching experience that fits you? Would you like to learn more about what you might do? Do you have a special interest in a certain nation of the developing world? Or are you open to serving “wherever”?
Contact Dean Merrill at deanmerrill@comcast.net or 719-599-0153.
Dean Merrill is an independent author in Colorado Springs who serves on the Global Publishers Alliance board. He previously led publishing divisions at Focus on the Family and International Bible Society.
www.deanmerrill.com
For more information on Global Publishers Alliance (GPA), or to make a donation, visit the GPA web site.
GPA will be raising funds for its programs at the GPA Invitational Golf Tournament, held Sunday, July 13, 2008 at the Mystic Dunes Golf Club in Orlando Florida. Plan to participate!
GPA seeks publishers to act as international mentors
Dean Merrill
GPA Board member and Partners in Publishing Project Coordinator
Printed in: E-Link, March 2008
If we in ECPA have learned anything over the years, it is that the publishing enterprise is not a cakewalk. It is, in fact, more like rocket science. The complexities of choosing what the public will buy, getting books developed and manufactured, pricing them realistically, promoting them effectively, distributing them efficiently, and collecting your proceeds so you can start the process all over again … it all makes for a complicated life. There are a thousand ways to lose money and go broke before you know what hit you.
If we have trouble staying afloat here in America, with all our systems and affluence, how much more challenging is it for a novice in a dysfunctional, developing nation? That is why Global Publishers Alliance, the international arm of ECPA, has developed its Partners in Publishing program.
Partners in Publishing: Teach, mentor, and guide Christian entrepreneurs in the developing world toward effective, self-sustaining Christian publishing.
There are many Christian entrepreneurs in the developing world who mean well but have little background to guide their professional decisions. Yes, they need working capital—but even more, they need a seasoned voice at their side to show them the way forward, keep them from making mistakes, and stay focused on their true mission.
Probably all of us can remember someone who steered us straight in the early days of our own careers. We will be forever grateful for what they taught us about publishing. Might we do the same for a Kenyan, a Bolivian, or a Filipino?
To quote the current president of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki:
“The challenge facing everybody is to address poverty and underdevelopment. It’s not about welfare handouts but about investment, knowledge transfers, all the things that enable economies to grow faster and modernize” (emphasis added).
ECPA publishers in the United States have gained a great deal of knowledge about the publishing field. We can share this knowledge with those eager to learn.
GPA is the clearinghouse to select international publishers who would like to learn from an ECPA member’s experience. We collect and vet their information; we assess their character, their education, their work ethic. We decide whether this applicant has a fighting chance to make it as a publisher in their particular country. A detailed set of criteria has been developed, in fact, to guide in making these selections. Then an appropriate ECPA mentor is matched with this partner.
What Will You Actually Do as a Publishing Mentor?
This involves an on-site visit of a week or so, getting to know the partner’s turf, befriending them, observing their operation, analyzing what’s working and what’s not, and helping them overcome their obstacles. More than them wanting your money, they want to know what you know. You will be their honored tutor.
The receiving company will coordinate lodging and in-country transportation for the mentor. Travel expenses, however, are the responsibility of the U.S. side—either the mentor’s company or, in some cases, GPA itself (funds permitting).
By the end of your visit, a warm friendship will have been established … which leads to follow-up contact via e-mail, renewed contact at trade shows, and possibly even return visits.
Rolf Garborg and Ezdra Publishing in Ukraine
A prime example is Rolf Garborg’s mentoring of Andrey Kravchenko and the team at Ezdra Publishing in Ukraine. When Rolf first went there in the fall of 2006, Andrey had never actually met an American before. He was very shy and nervous about his limited English—so much that he hired an interpreter for the week. Rolf simply sat down and got to know him, his business, his limitations and his opportunities.
Today, Ezdra is running double-digit sales jumps over the previous year. They have opened up new market channels never before dreamed of. The whole Christian publishing climate of Ukraine is on a rising tide, with more rights deals being signed, more indigenous products coming out, and a whole ECPA-type organization being founded.
Andrey and Rolf are a “mutual admiration society,” as you could tell if you heard them speak on the opening night of Pub U last November. This coming July at the GPA Golf Benefit Tournament in Orlando, you will get to meet Andrey in person!
Resources to Make This Effort Successful: “Publishing in a Box”
GPA has developed a starter collection called “Publishing in a Box” for mentors to use. It contains resource material on the various publishing disciplines, e.g., production, marketing and sales, operating systems, financial management, etc. Mentors, of course, will want to add to the collection from their own favorites, recognizing that there’s more than one way to convey the wisdom that makes for great publishing.
The Partners in Publishing project coordinator, GPA board member Dean Merrill (who has traveled to 48 nations of the world on five continents and was VP of international publishing with International Bible Society), is the mentor’s point of contact and gives additional input to each mentor that is country-specific. He arranges advance communication before the visit, so that the mentor can arrive as prepared as possible.
What Results to Expect
The long-term goals in Partners in Publishing are:
For the international partner:
- Better productivity and output at the partner publishing house
- Financial stability and progress toward self-sufficiency
- Growth in the overall Christian publishing industry in the partner’s country
- Heightened appreciation for God’s work and God’s people worldwide
- Strong relationships across national boundaries
- Ongoing instruction via e-mail and phone
- Perhaps return trips by the mentor and/or colleagues
- Perhaps spontaneous gifts from the mentor’s company (e.g., equipment)
- A growing enthusiasm within ECPA as various members report on their efforts
Is this the kind of enriching experience that fits you? Would you like to learn more about what you might do? Do you have a special interest in a certain nation of the developing world? Or are you open to serving “wherever”?
Contact Dean Merrill at deanmerrill@comcast.net or 719-599-0153.
Dean Merrill is an independent author in Colorado Springs who serves on the Global Publishers Alliance board. He previously led publishing divisions at Focus on the Family and International Bible Society.
www.deanmerrill.com
For more information on Global Publishers Alliance (GPA), or to make a donation, visit the GPA web site.
GPA will be raising funds for its programs at the GPA Invitational Golf Tournament, held Sunday, July 13, 2008 at the Mystic Dunes Golf Club in Orlando Florida. Plan to participate!