Publishing dollhouse adapts print runs to market realities

Box Sled Publishing in Carson City held a coming out party for some of its authors a few days ago in conjunction with Capital City Arts Initiative.

And while owner, editor and chief Deana Hoover feted her authors in the same fashion as A major publishing house might, she operates on a dollhouse scale.

Most books at Box Sled see an initial print run of just 100. Currently, books are printed on the East Coast at a cost of $6 to $12 per book. She's searching for a local press able to handle short runs.

To augment the company's staff of one, Hoover must outsource editing and publicity as needed.

And, for much of the marketing, she says, "I use the authors themselves, because they know their niche markets."

To sell the book, "Timing Unmasked" aimed at actors, musicians and comedians the author, a performance teacher himself, placed the book at classroom and performance venues.

And history books sell well at museums.

Hoover self-funded the company and holds a simple goal: Box Sled Publishing will pay for itself. And, of course, she'd like it if the authors make some money.

Someday she'd like to have 50 titles for sale on the Web site, boxsled.com. "Always quality books," Hoover says, "not homogenized as in big chains."

En route, Hoover attempts to fulfill the author's dreams, which often involve printed page logistics. "For some that means whiter paper, for others, wider margins," she says.

A writer herself, Hoover has penned for newspapers and magazines, written stories and novels and taught writing.

She's experienced the pain of having a novel "hacked to pieces" by a copyeditor and so says, "We edit with a soft touch."

And in the far future she envisions, "Doing all the books I want to publish."

The company, appropriately, was named for a book: "Box Sled" the story of a curious and creative girl who never gave up on her dream.