By Geoff Raker

It's this kind of treatment that reminds you you're not dealing with a famous New York publishing house. And that's perfectly fine with the Emmis folks.

One of the crucial steps in publishing an Emmis book, says Editorial Director Jack Heffron, is the "author's grill." After the writing is finished, he says, they bring in the writer to their Walnut Hills office to brainstorm design and promotion ideas so they're certain they're doing the work justice.

"That's when we roll out the red carpet for them," says Publicity Director Howard Cohen. "We really do have a red carpet."

The rug is more than a gimmick, though -- he calls it a symbol of the kind of relationship Emmis likes to foster between publisher and author.

"This is everyone together making the decisions," Cohen says. "If the book doesn't look great, if we don't promote it in the right places, it isn't going to sell. We're able to forge a relationship with the author so we understand exactly what they have in mind for their book. The feedback we've gotten so far from authors who have been published with other houses is they haven't received this type of attention before."

But the Emmis staff knew that already. The division's five directors collectively have 100 years of publishing experience in Cincinnati and surrounding states and with the big boys in New York. Heffron, Cohen and President Richard Hunt did stints at F&W Publications, the biggest local publishing house.

So they knew how the book publishing game was played -- and they were determined to reinvent the rules.

A clear sign that you might be in an alternative universe is the greeting posted inside the company's front door at the old firehouse on Madison Road.

Photo By Jymi Bolden

Richard Hunt, president of Emmis Books, convinced the company to move the division to Cincinnati.

"We salute, value and welcome every person who journeys here and makes the trek up these steps," the sign says. "Your company enriches our company. Your contributions to helping us carry forth the hopes, dreams and printed words of Emmis authors is keenly felt and much appreciated. By extension, readers of Emmis Books residing at all points of the compass thank you as well. C'mon in."

'Its own momentum'
C'mon in, the grilling is groovy, says writer Dawn Simonds.

"I was there just the other day for a meeting to work out some publicity details, and it was just so fun," she says. "I was there for what they call the 'author's grill.' That's not the type of thing you anticipate being enjoyable at all, but it was."

Simonds writes restaurant reviews for Cincinnati Magazine, which is owned by Emmis Books' parent company, Emmis Communications. When she planned her first book, Best Food in Town: The Restaurant Lover's Guide to Comfort Food in the Midwest, she thought it was a no-brainer to approach the company's book division for a deal. What wasn't so predictable was the publishing process.

"It was nice to be able to pitch the ideas to them and go back and forth on what ideas would actually work, how it would work, what the market demands are right now," says Simonds, who's currently working on a second book, Heartburn in the Heartland, a look at uniquely Midwest delicacies like deep-fried candy bars and raw beef. "I had their ear. I didn't have to just hit them bam, bam, bam with a concept and if it didn't work out exactly, if I couldn't read their mind, they would shut the door on me."

She believes a lot of New York publishers aren't really in touch with what readers in the Midwest want -- an advantage that Emmis Books exploits.

"These guys are not so caught up in the micro climate of the publishing world on the East Coast," she says. "They have a more expansive sense of the possibilities for readership in the Midwest."

That sixth sense -- and a good Midwestern work ethic -- helped Emmis land its most important book to date, Barry Sanders: Now You See Him... . The ex-Detroit Lions running back, notoriously private, was ready to tell the story of why he quit professional football while still in his prime but was looking for just the right publisher as partner.

Sanders' agent wanted the book in stores by prime selling season -- Thanksgiving Day -- which gave Emmis mere weeks to turn around a process that normally takes a year to 18 months. But Hunt says that since his group is small and "nimble" they operated a 24/7 shop and readied the book in seven weeks from contract signing to completion.

Photo By Jymi Bolden

Katie Parker is sales director at Emmis.

"There was something about the momentum on that book," he says. "It was going 60 miles per hour."

"It had its own momentum," Heffron adds.

Actually these guys do that a lot, finish each other's thoughts. The synergy in this group might just be the secret to their success.

Had they viewed themselves as a compartmentalized company, they never would have pulled off a feat like the Sanders book.

"We're not set up like that," Heffron says. "There are no definite boundaries between jobs. There's no one saying, 'That's not my job.' That really isn't an option here."

For instance, even though it's Cohen's job to pepper places with Emmis' promotional catalogs, he has lots of help.

"Every one of us carries catalogs with us wherever we go," Hunt says, at which point Cohen chimes in, "Richard is famous for leaving them in seatbacks in airplanes."

Hunt finishes, "And I leave a note in them that says, 'I loved this book.' "

Running with the big dogs
Emmis Books' life as a Cincinnati publishing house began in February 2003, when Hunt convinced the higher-ups at corporate to relocate the book division from their hometown, Indianapolis, to his. The first year has been a success in almost every way.

Photo By Jymi Bolden

Publicity Director Howard Cohen and Meg Cannon meet with Hunt (L-R).

Although declining to reveal actual numbers, Hunt says his group more than doubled expectations for sales in the past year. And even though deep red ink was forecast, he says the division made as much money as it had expected to lose. The high-profile Sanders book -- which made it on The New York Times best-seller list -- was the icing on the year's cake.

Deborah Paul, executive vice president and editorial director for Emmis Publishing, says the relocation and refocusing of the book division has been a success only because of the staff in Cincinnati.

"They're like a Chihuahua that thinks it's a German Shepherd," she says. "They just absolutely took on the world. It was just this little group of five people who began churning out books. We were stunned."

Paul says she was actually worried for a while that Hunt was driving himself and his staff too hard.

"They were working seven-day weeks like they were medical residents or something," she says. "We've tried to talk them into getting a little more help or slowing down, because it's just becoming an inhumanely large task. But they succeeded really quickly in turning (the division) into something of some stature, something with some clout."

That clout has even caught the attention of F&W's former head honcho, Richard Rosenthal. The grandson of F&W founder Ed Rosenthal, he sold his family's publishing dynasty back in 1999 but remains active in Cincinnati arts and philanthropic causes.

When his friend Stewart Goldman, a celebrated local artist, came to him with an idea for a book, Rosenthal knew that F&W's focus remained narrow. So he turned the idea over to his former head of sales and marketing, Hunt.

Goldman says he and his collaborator on My Mother's Eyes, Auschwitz survivor Anna Ornstein, tried unsuccessfully to get their works published in book form. But Emmis ended up producing it as a limited-edition gallery work featuring Ornstein's short stories about her memories of the Holocaust and life in the camps and Goldman's lithographs.

Goldman says a providential visit from Hunt got the ball rolling on what the Emmis staff calls a "traveling gallery."

Photo By Jymi Bolden

Cohen and Hunt meet with Jack Heffron, editorial director at Emmis.

"We didn't have an agent, and we were just doing it by ourselves," Goldman says. "It sort of came like a thunderbolt of lightning out of the blue when Richard called me and said, 'I'm two blocks away and I'd like to come by your house and talk to you about publishing your book.' They rolled out the red carpet for me in a sense of just how dedicated they've been in terms of making the book right for publication."

Actually, since Goldman was one of the first authors to visit the old firehouse -- Emmis moved into the historic building in July -- the staff didn't have their red welcoming rug yet. But they were already sure of their commitment to partnering with Cincinnati writers and artists.

"We're creating a platform for the region so people can see what's available here, and I think that's an amazing gift we're able to give," says Design Director Dana Boll. "Our books can travel to those who fear the neighborhoods with the galleries and those who no longer read regional publications because they can predict the contents. I hope that some of the unsung talent in Cincinnati will find its way onto our pages and on to a larger audience."

Paul thinks this local and regional focus will be a boon for Emmis Books.

"Their take on what they publish is probably unique in publishing circles in that they're doing some books that are related to our magazines, some commercial non-fiction and books of regional interest," she says. "That three-pronged approach kind of sets them apart from a great big New York publishing house."

And it sets them apart from F&W, which has been hugely successful in niche publishing, producing how-to and hobbyist books and offering supporting lines like book clubs, Web sites and the like. (See "F&W Has the Hobby Market," page 24.)

"Emmis is not a cookie-cutter, only-and-always-these categories type of publisher," Hunt says. "There are other publishers in town that might be considered a better business model, if you measure solely on return on investment. Maybe we're stubborn, maybe we're wrong or maybe, just maybe, we believe more in the potential and intellect of our neighbors and want to salute and support local writers and readers."

'Everything intersects'
Don't be fooled by the red carpet treatment, though. The hardworking Emmis staff doesn't do all the work -- they expect their authors to also push hard for success.

Photo By Jymi Bolden

Emmis Books combines a 24/7 ambition with a red carpet treatment for writers. But high standards and big dreams don't mean a stuffy workplace as Hunt (right) meets with his staff.

Cohen recalls how talk show host and television producer Jill Lieberman, who compiled patriotic thoughts from some leading Americans in American Pride: Famous Americans Celebrate the USA, took extraordinary measures for her book.

"She woke up one morning after the Dixie Chicks' statements and decided to do something," Cohen says. "Jill is like this force of nature. She's got moxie. She called up the Hollywood Squares game show, and they loved the idea of this book. I think this has to be unprecedented -- who'd think of a game show promoting a book?"

Not only that, but Heffron says Lieberman even had the chutzpah to ring up the White House for a quote.

"She told us she called up the White House and asked for President Bush and he just happened to be at home that day," Heffron says, and the book got a presidential quote.

Another potential misconception is that since Emmis Books is a division of a huge family of media outlets -- 27 radio stations, 16 television stations and five magazines -- promoting their authors on the air and in print is a snap. But Cohen says getting on the air or in print isn't automatic.

Maybe someone might know his name when he calls WQCD-FM in New York to get a boost for CityBeat columnist Kathy Y. Wilson's Your Negro Tour Guide: Truths in Black and White. Maybe not.

"We've teamed up with other Emmis divisions, but it's not a gimme," Cohen says. "I can't just call up one of the TV or radio stations and say, 'Hey, it's Howard. I want the lead spot on your morning show today.' I have to forge relationships with these people."

And the relationships continue to develop. Hunt continues to direct the staff to focus on their strengths.

"We believe that if we focus on doing things we do well -- publish smartly, package attractively and promote non-stop -- and find others who do those things well which we don't, such as warehousing, shipping, collecting, we'll thrive," Hunt says.

From all indications, the division is thriving. Until a month ago, the staff consisted of five directors -- including Sales Director Katie Parker -- and no one to direct. But they finally assuaged corporate's fears by hiring some help.

Meg Cannon came on board to work with Cohen on the marketing and promotion end of things, and Jessica Yerega is now editing with Heffron. An intern from the University of Cincinnati, Sara Crabtree, is also in the fold.

Cannon and Yerega previously worked at F&W, and both say the intimate atmosphere at Emmis is enchanting. They've also learned to finish each other's thoughts like pros.

"There were great people at F&W, but this is so small and everyone works as a team," Cannon says. "Everything intersects with everything else."

Yerega nods and interrupts, "At a place like this, I feel I can make a noticeable impact." ©