| Testimonials |
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Writing a historical guidebook for the Placenames series was a perfect way for our historical society to unlock and share hundreds of facts and images that had been hidden in the archives. Working with Back Channel Press made our project not only possible, but a pleasure. We recommend this adventure in publishing to all historical societies, especially small towns threatened with overdevelopment like ours! - Wendy Pirsig, Old Berwick Historical Society/Counting House Museum The Placenames of South Berwick
A daunting project presented itself of writing a guidebook, and only with the help of Back Channel Press could this exciting endeavor come to fruition.
- Windy Burns, Chairman, Friends of the Rice Library
After publishing two books with a POD company, I knew I had to find a more cost effective way to publish. Back Channel Press filled that need; the cost was a fraction of what I had been paying previously and the personal attention far greater. My book was laid out and the proofs sent to me in record time. I was constantly updated on the progress of each step. John and Nancy were reliable, and most importantly, they constantly looked out for my book's best interests. I will be publishing my next novel with them. - Tyler R. Tichelaar Superior Heritage
Writing a book is only half the job. Designing the cover, sizing pictures and placing them in the appropriate places in the text, text editing, and in general getting the book into a publishable format and then finding a printer that can bring your book to life at an affordable price are just as important to the finished product. John and Nancy Grossman took my raw manuscript and turned it into a attractive, marketable product. I can highly recommend them as a one stop source for editing, publishing, and printing services. - Bill Holly Love Letters to Spike a Telegraphers Lament
I had for some time been looking for someone to publish my book of poems. I had tried a number of possible sources with little success. Finally through a friend I learned of the Back Channel Press. After a friendly discussion I decided to engage their services. They did an outstanding job with my manuscript. Their counseling and suggestions were well presented and eagerly accepted. Their work was professional and well presented. I would highly recommend them for publishers of any size or magnitude.
- Fred W. Lane,
I couldn't have been luckier, because John and Nancy Grossman's Back Channel Press published my book, George W, The Son King. I knew absolute zero about getting a book published, and in the acknowledgments section of the my book I thanked them for their "unstinting efforts." Of course "unstinting efforts" doesn't begin to enumerate or elucidate or expound on what they actually do, which would take another complete book in itself to spell out. Let me put it this way -- they know their business, they're good at it, they're understanding, they're infinitely patient and they're fun to work with. Not only that, they'll hold your hand and get you through your funk when you have your inevitable crisis of confidence that your whole goddamn literary masterpiece is a colossal piece of junk, and a colossal waste of time, energy and money. That's the psychobabble part of their operation. Then there's the nitty-gritty part -- ISBN numbers (huh?), library of Congress, proofing, page setups, illustration scanning, doing all sorts of cyber-hocus-pocus, indexing, press releases, Amazon book listing, cover design, distribution ideas, type face choices -- oh, the nitty-gritty goes on and on and on, and I don't know half of what John and Nancy do, but I know that they know their stuff, and in the end something magical happens -- you hold your book in your hot little hands -- it's your very own special ta-dah moment. And John and Nancy did it. I hope this says you can trust the Back Channel Press to successfully get you wherever it is you want to go with your literary dreams.
- Mike Dater
As sophisticated as I consider myself about the world in general, I found out I was pretty naive about the world of publishing. After I had finished writing part one, I immediately set to getting it published. I sent several unedited copies to publishing houses in New York. I figured they'd be sitting around dying to get the next great book idea. They are. This wasn't it. I never heard from them but I think I could hear the laughing all the way from New York. I gave copies of it to a couple of folks on the ski patrol to read. They came back with similar sentiments. "Interesting pile of words you've got there. Why don't you find an editor?" I had no idea how to do that. Steve Barnes, on the patrol, suggested I contact a friend of his named Nancy Grossman. I did. Nancy and her husband John were immediately enthusiastic. They thought I had done something that was better than I thought it was. (If they didn't, they've managed to keep that from me for a fair amount of time.) Nancy had a ready understanding about how sensitive we writers can be and that any little thing will send us into a snit. At the same time she immediately got what I was trying to do here and embellished it. Daily she would send me back little sections. It was amazing to me what a difference a word here or a changed phrase there could make. She rarely forced her opinion, but when she did I usually had to agree that her way sounded better. She also cured me of my habit of inserting a comma after every two words. She is also responsible for part two of my book. Part one had languished on my desk for a couple of years. One day I got an e-mail from her that asked, "Are you ready to write the sequel?" I had already given up on part one ever going anywhere but before you knew it I had generated the second half. It took some pushing and cajoling and the occasional stroking of my ego, but here we sit. The best thing about working with her was that she never lost sight of the fact that this was my book. She just polished and kept things pointed in the right direction. For any of you who think you might be sitting on the next best seller...you could do worse than to run it by Nancy. Give her a hello at backchannelpress.com. I won't be getting a finders fee, but you can consider my advice on this solid!
- Gerry Dougherty
When my book, Sarah Her Story, was returned for the second time from a large, well-known publishing firm, complete with orders to cut it almost in half to make it commercially viable to publish, I was distressed. But I was also determined to do whatever it took to get Sarahs story in print, and so I began the cutting process. However, before I had gotten very far along, I was told to contact John and Nancy Grossman, of Back Channel Press. From my very first meeting with them, I felt as if I was dealing with good friends versus a large impersonal company. The Grossmans assured me that I could have much more control over the creative process, cutting only what I wanted, as well as the commercial aspects of my book if I put it in their hands. I liked what they told me and I trusted them to be the right publishers for Sarah Her Story. When I came to them I also had a two-month deadline to meet in anticipation of a promised signing to launch my book. The Grossmans assured me that they could meet this deadline and for the next two months they both worked hand in hand with me to produce a quality book that is well laid out as well as aesthetically appealing. Nancy, an artist as well as a writer, deserves the credit for the cover design. I knew I wanted the portrait of Sarah Goodwin on the cover, but Nancy is the one who framed it the Victorian wallpaper that hangs in the Goodwins formal parlor, and John took the photograph of the portrait. Both of them deserve credit for most of the pictures in the book, which they either took or collected from other sources. They were also very generous also with existing pictures from their own collection. More importantly they both worked side by side with me sometimes late into the night, formatting, editing, indexing, footnoting and making last minute corrections and changes until together we finally gave birth to Sarah Her Story. Through it all Nancy was always supportive, encouraging and reassuring. I couldnt have asked for better teammates than the Grossmans. I feel that together we have produced a quality book we can be very proud of, and we met the deadline as well! At that first book signing Nancy was there cheering me on, and she and John have continued to promote and sell my book to local bookstores as well as on line. It is now in its second printing and continues to sell well. All in all working with Nancy and John was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience and I continue to be grateful to them for sharing their friendship as well as their professional expertise with me.
- Margaret Whyte Kelly |