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Berrett-Koehler Posts Another Profitable Year
By Wendy Werris in Publishers Weekly
Twenty years after he founded the indie San Francisco press Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Steve Piersanti continues to stay focused on the company’s original mission of stewardship and socially responsible publishing practices. That commitment has led B-K to be profitable for nine years in a row, and profits in 2011 will top the $424,868 generated in 2010 on sales of about $7.5 million.
One of the innovators in multiformat publishing, Berrett-Koehler, which first began producing e-books in 2000, has seen its digital sales grow dramatically the past few years, accounting for 12% of total revenues last year. The company has 35 digital distributors. B-K does between 30 and 40 frontlist titles annually, all simultaneously released in print and digital formats. With 450 titles now available (only 20 titles have gone out of print in two decades) Berrett-Koehler, which is distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services, now employs 24 people, many of them for more than 10 years running. The company is controlled by 250 stakeholders, divided among authors, customers, employees (including suppliers, sales partners, and service providers), and “friends in publishing” and former employees. Its distinctive organizational practices revolve around a democratic process in all areas, from pay increases to changes in benefit plans, and include the unique “Author Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.” All the activity helped B-K become a Certified B Corporation during 2011.
The company has three divisions, B-K Life is focused on individual change; B-K Business on organizational change; and B-K Currents on societal change. The latter division produced the bestselling This Changes Everything, the first book about the Occupy movement. It was followed by Corporations Are Not People, which reached #124 on Amazon. Berrett-Koehler’s three all-time bestselling titles in both print and digital are Leadership and Self-Deception, Eat That Frog! and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Thirty-eight of its titles have sold more than 100,000 copies.
In addition to e-books, B-K has branched out into specialized digital editions as well by selling individual chapters from a selection of books. “We have about 150 chapters from eight different books available for sale now,” Piersanti said. “We have certain books that chunk really well, where chapters successfully stand alone.” Among these are The Change Handbook and Eat That Frog! The chapters sell for $3.95 to $9.95. “This is an example of Berrett-Koehler trying to do different things and maintain our digital leadership on both the marketing and editorial sides,” Piersanti said. The press also creates enhanced e-books with embedded audio and video. The digital edition of Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence, for instance, includes two songs that describe the quality of the voice; videos of Brazil and India can be found in Walk Out Walk On.
Piersanti is proud of the success of Berrett-Koehler’s popular Web site, www.bkconnection.com, which receives up to 50,000 hits a month, and points particularly to its semimonthly e-newsletter, the BK Communique. “It’s a community builder,” he said, and it regularly features short promotional videos for new titles, the first of which, for Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, has been viewed more than six million times. The newsletter also includes publishing news, freebies, blogs, candid and funny staff photos, recommended apps, and a link to the top 50 Web viral videos.
Several events in July will mark the 20th anniversary of Berrett-Koehler, including a celebration on July 17 at which the top 10 bestselling B-K authors will speak and be honored, and a day-long “Community Dialogue” to engage B-K authors, readers, service providers, and other stakeholders in planning collaborative actions to support the B-K mission of “Creating a World That Works for All.” “We want to stay true to our mission and commitments in the future, so we’re developing more ways to strengthen them,” says Piersanti.
12/6/2011
Starting December 6, 2011, Berrett-Koehler is offering all e-books at 50% off when purchased during the same transaction as the paperback or hardcover. Simply add the print book to the cart and proceed to the check out. You will be given an option to purchase the e-book for half price.
The printed book will be shipped to you while the e-book can be downloaded on the same day as the purchase. There are many advantages to having both the printed and digital versions of the book. The printed version finds a good home on your bookshelf and can be loaned to others, but the e-book version is great for indexing, search, and other reference tasks. You may prefer to keep the printed version at home or in the office, but take the e-book version with you on your e-reader, tablet, or smartphone. Please let us know how you like this new e-commerce feature. Thank you. David Marshall, Vice President of Editorial and Digital, dmarshall@bkpub.com
11/30/2011
Berrett-Koehler in Two New Digital Partnerships
Kno and 3M to Provide BK Digital Portfolio to Students and Libraries
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is pleased to announce two new partnerships that will significantly enhance the digital distribution of their titles. Kno, a textbook rental service, and 3M, a global technology company supplying libraries with digital files, will begin distributing relevant Berrett-Koehler titles by the end of the year.
“This is an exciting opportunity to advance our mission by better serving students,” explains Johanna Vondeling, VP of International Sales and Business Development. “We’re able to get them introduced to [our] mission while they're young.”
The Santa Clara-based Kno distributes digital textbooks, both for sale and rental.Founded by Osman Rashid, the co-founder of Chegg, and Dr. Habib in May 2009, the company has built an impressive set of learning products supported across multiple devices and platforms.
They also take publishers' content and work with them to enhance it with audio, video, and ancillary tools. “We’re hoping this will be an opportunity for us to get some of the videos and product enhancement tools that our digital team has been working on embedded into the actual books,” explains Vondeling.
Meanwhile, 3M will make BK entire digital portfolio available to libraries, so that they can lend them to patrons. Patrons of the 3M Cloud Library can check out a book on an iPad®, take notes while reading on a PC, and finish the book on an Android™ phone. The bookmark feature works across all devices, so readers never lose their place.
“This is a terrific opportunity to make books more widely available, by collaborating with a global company that has been building trusted relationships with libraries for many years,” says Vondeling. “Libraries are an important way to help expose readers to our books, especially readers who might not be in a position to buy them.”
11/7/2011
Open Book Editions and iUniverse Self-Publishing Partnership Debuts First Books
“Just Call Me Dean” and “The Sergeant Major Syndrome” are the First of Many Compelling Titles from Berrett-Koehler and iUniverse “Open Book Editions” Partnership
iUniverse, the leading indie-book publisher providing affordable publishing, editorial and marketing services for authors across all genres, today announced Open Book Editions (OBE)—its partnership with Berrett-Koehler Publishers (BK)—has released two exciting new books: “Just Call Me Dean,” a memoir, and “The Sergeant Major Syndrome,” a professional guidebook. Both books are now available through bookstores and online in traditional and electronic formats. To purchase books directly visit the online bookstore.
Open Book Editions welcomes authors who share in the Berrett-Koehler mission—“Creating a World That Works for All.” BK believes, to truly create a better world, action is needed at all levels—individual, organizational and societal. BK and iUniverse are both proud and pleased that all OBE books, including these first two releases, promote positive change:
“Just Call Me Dean,” written by Florene Stewart Poyadue, is about her son, Dean A. A. Poyadue, a man living with Down syndrome and his remarkable life experiences. The book hopes to encourage and inspire parents of special-needs children and create awareness of the struggles these families face.
“The Sergeant Major Syndrome,” written by Roy Jacques with Mary Hobson, is an essential guide for professionals who believe they have hit the proverbial “glass ceiling.” The book is a diagnostic tool and an action plan for people who want to advance their careers.
For more information about self-publishing opportunities with iUniverse and Open Book Editions, please visit www.iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS.
About iUniverse
iUniverse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Chapters Indigo in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader’s Choice and Editor’s Choice designations—self-publishing’s only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniverse on Twitter.
About Open Book Editions
Open Book Editions is a self-publishing partner of Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Since 1992, Berrett-Koehler has published quality books and welcomes authors who share in its mission of “Creating a World That Works for All.” Open Book Editions offers authors the opportunity to share their stories and inspire readers to make the world a better place. To serve these authors, Open Book Editions has partnered with iUniverse to offer a full-service self-publishing opportunity, with several publishing packages, each featuring an editorial evaluation, customized design, and digital formatting and distribution.
11/2/2011
Berrett-Koehler Publishers and YES! Magazine Join Forces to Rush-Publish Timely and Important Book on Occupy Wall Street
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement
Edited by Sarah van Gelder and the staff of YES! Magazine
Paperback; 5 ½” x 8 ½”; 96 pages; $9.95
San Francisco, CA – Berrett-Koehler Publishers, in conjunction with Yes! Magazine, is bringing what is likely to be the first book on the Occupy Wall Street movement to bookstores nationwide on November 17, 2011.
Berrett-Koehler first proposed this book idea to YES! Magazine on October 7, after BK publisher Steve Piersanti witnessed the dedication of the protestors at Occupy Oakland. The books will start shipping from Malloy printers on November 4th, with an initial print run of 10,000 copies.
“This rapid publication is possible because YES! Magazine has been at the forefront of reporting on the Occupy Wall Street movement from the beginning,” explains Piersanti.
Berrett-Koehler has successfully published fast-track books before, including the 2009 title, Agenda for a New Economy by David Korten (who, not coincidentally, is Board Chair of YES! Magazine). Korten’s book was produced in seven weeks from book idea to finished books and has sold over 25,000 copies.
The YES! Magazine editors were able to combine original analyses of the movement with reports they received from participants inside the protests and the best articles they saw from other observers. “Then the entire staff of YES! Magazine worked furiously to edit, design, and produce the book in less than two weeks, with support from many BK staff, and Malloy is printing the book on a rush schedule,” says Piersanti.
“This book captures an extraordinary movement, when people who have been sitting, frustrated, on the sidelines finally have a voice,” explains Sarah van Gelder, cofounder and executive editor of YES! Magazine. Adds Piersanti, “I believe that this book will not only be immediately useful in helping people everywhere understand the far-reaching impact of this movement – how it is truly changing everything – but that it will also stand the test of time as a profound analysis of its meaning and significance. It does far more than you’d expect from an ‘instant book’.”
YES! Magazine is donating royalties from this book to support the Occupy movement and plans to give out 500 copies at Occupy sites.
About the Book
This Changes Everything blends the voices of participants and organizers inside the Occupy Wall Street protests with the voices of such perceptive observers as Naomi Klein, David Korten, Rebecca Solnit, and Ralph Nader. It includes original accounts published for the first time in this book and classic reports from other publications that have been edited for this book.
About Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to over 1500 cities around the world. It has named the source of our economic and political crisis – the runaway power and greed of Wall Street and large corporations – and focused anger on the decades-long redistribution of wealth from the 99% to the 1%. And it has identified the core issue of our time: creating a world that works for the 99% and not just for the 1%. Furthermore, this movement is changing the way people view themselves and the world, the kind of society they believe is possible, who is involved and how they are involved, and what methods are being used to organize and work together to bring about real, profound, and enduring change.
About YES! Magazine
Since their founding in 1996, YES! Magazine and YesMagazine.org have been showing how powerful ideas fused with practical actions can drive profound change towards a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. Project Censored calls YES! “the standard for solutions journalism.” Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman calls YES! a “vital voice of independent journalism.” The Utne’s Independent Media Awards have repeatedly recognized YES! Magazine; and Treehugger.com named YES! the best green business and politics website of 2011.
About Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Berrett-Koehler Publishers was founded in 1992 by Steve Piersanti in San Francisco, CA. The mission-based publisher believes in “Creating a World That Works for All” and publishes an average of 40 titles per year that reflect that mission in the business, current affairs, and lifestyle categories. Berrett-Koehler Publishers is a Certified B Corporation.
Media Contact: Cynthia Shannon, cshannon@bkpub.com, 415-743-6469
11/1/2011
Holiday Gift Guide From Berrett-Koehler Publishers
These Six Titles Make Great Presents for Every Person On Your List
It's been proven year after year - books make great gifts! Not only are they affordable, but they can be inscriped with a message to make them personal, and they are the easiest thing to gift wrap! You can find a book for everyone on your list here at Berrett-Koehler. Here are some suggestions from our staff:
Source by Joseph Jaworski. $26.95, paperback. By the author of the best-selling book, Synchronicity, comes this enthralling narrative of Jaworski's search for the fundamental source of creativity and innovation.
I Moved Your Cheese by Deepak Malhotra. $19.95, hardcover. The first serious challenge to the iconic bestseller Who Moved My Cheese?, this thoughtful critique written by a Harvard Biz School Professor uses the same playful fable format to encourage readers to examine their deeply held assumptions and take control of their own destinies.
Mother Teresa, CEO by Ruma Bose and Lou Faust. $21.95, hardcover. Eight important lessons can be learned when viewing Mother Teresa’s life through the business perspective. Praised for its brevity in the Financial Times, this little book packs a powerful punch.
Infinite Vision by Pavithra Mehta and Suchita Shenoy. $19.95, paperback. The story of Aravind Eye Care System, the largest provider of eye care in India that delivers surgical procedures that surpass those of developed countries – at 1 percent of the cost. Written with an eye of dramatic detail, this book is bound to inspire readers.
Creating Personal Presence by Dianna Booher. $15.95, paperback. Shows how anyone can cultivate the kind of commanding presence essential to success in all walks of life - not just in business.
Full Voice by Barbara McAffee. $22.95, hardcover. Tap into the power of your voice. This book explains the distinction between the five different voices that reside in all of us. Tip: go for the enhanced e-book that includes video and audio of the author singing and demonstrating examples of each voice!
So get your holiday shopping done early! Support local booksellers! And above all, happy reading!
10/31/2011
Safari Books Online To Significantly Expand Collection of Berrett-Koehler Titles
Business Professionals to Benefit from Addition of Berrett-Koehler Books in Safari Books Online Digital Library
Safari® Books Online, the leading on-demand digital library for technology, digital media and business professionals, today announced that it will expand its offering of titles from independent publisher Berrett-Koehler in its online digital library. These additions push the number of books and videos available on Safari Books Online to more than 17,000. The Berrett-Koehler book titles feature an emphasis on business and leadership topics.
“Berrett-Koehler is a highly respected publisher whose publications are frequently requested by our customers,” said Mark Brokering, Safari Books Online’s vice president of content strategy. “We are always seeking high-quality content that will increase the value of Safari’s cloud library to our subscribers, and we know the important role that Berrett-Koehler’s books play in the business community.”
The top five Berrett-Koehler titles now available on Safari Books Online include:
- I Moved Your Cheese – by Deepak Malhotra
- Eat That Frog! – by Brian Tracy
- Leadership and Self-Deception – by Arbinger Institute
- Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em – by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan Evans
- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man – by John Perkins
“Berrett-Koehler is thrilled to partner with Safari Books Online, a perennial innovator in the digital publishing arena,” said Johanna Vondeling, vice president, International Sales and Business Development, Berrett-Koehler. “This collaboration represents a great leap forward in our efforts to serve the millions of business professionals who share our commitment to progressive leadership and management practices, socially responsible approaches to business, and humane and effective organizations.”
About Safari Books Online
Safari Books Online (www.safaribooksonline.com) is an on-demand digital library that delivers expert content in both book and video form from the world’s leading authors in technology and business. Technology professionals, software developers, web designers, and business and creative professionals use Safari Books Online as their primary resource for research, problem solving, learning and certification training.
10/28/2011
Berrett-Koehler Qualifies as Certified B Corporation
Mission-based Publisher Meets Rigorous Corporate, Social, and Environmental Standards
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., is pleased to announce that it has become a “Certified B Corporation,” joining over 450 other Certified B Corporations in the United States. B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance. They also expand their corporate legal responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build a collective voice for corporate social and environmental responsibility through the power of the unifying B Corp brand.
“We are thrilled that Berrett-Koehler qualifies for this certification,” states BK president Steve Piersanti. “This is in keeping with our mission of ‘Creating a World That Works for All’ and our commitment to manage BK for the benefit of all of our stakeholder groups, including readers, authors, employees, suppliers, service providers, sales partners, and the societal and environmental communities in which we live and work.”
The B Corporation certification process is administered by B Lab, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Over the past several years, B Lab has certified corporations in 60 different industries as B Corporations, with combined revenues of over $2 billion.
“The certification process turned out to be quite rigorous, which I am very happy about,” says Piersanti. “The first step was our completing a 230-question ‘Impact Assessment’ that examined BK’s performance on measures of corporate accountability, transparency, compensation, benefits, employee training, worker environment, worker ownership, social benefit, community service, local involvement, diversity, job creation, and environmental practices.” The next step was B Lab’s question-by-question review of BK’s assessment responses and correction of some responses to comply with B Lab’s standards. “Then we submitted documentation in about a dozen areas to support and further detail our answers, and B Lab scored our assessment,” explains Piersanti.
“We were pleased to pass the assessment with a score of 106.8 out of a possible 200, which is well above the score of 80 that is needed to receive B Corp certification,” says Piersanti. According to the B Lab website, “across the more than 1,500 companies that have already completed the assessment, an average company scores between 60 and 100 points.” Adds Piersanti, “most of these 1,500 companies were already very socially and environmentally conscious when they completed the assessment, so it is not easy to score over 100 on the assessment.”
“In a spirit of transparency toward Berrett-Koehler’s stakeholders, we are sharing our assessment scorecard and our full impact assessment,” says Piersanti.
http://www.bkpextranet.com/bcorpassmt.pdf
http://www.bkpextranet.com/bcorp.pdf
Piersanti admits, “despite our overall good score, there are many areas where we fell short and have room for improvement. We will work on these areas over coming months, and we hope to have made substantial progress in many areas when we complete our next impact assessment with B Lab two years from now.”
Other qualifications for B Corporation certification, in addition to passing the comprehensive impact assessment, include committing to manage the corporation for the benefit of all stakeholders (not just shareholders), committing to corporate social and environmental responsibility, and agreeing to incorporate these commitments within a two-year period into the governing documents of the corporation. “These requirements are consistent with what Berrett-Koehler has long stood for, so we were happy to make them,” says Piersanti.
10/12/2011
The Corporate Whistleblower's Survial Guide Wins getAbstract International Book Award
Organization Honors Books That Have Made a Significant Impact Worlwide
News from Germany has it that the Berrett-Koehler title, The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide by Tom Devine and Tarek Maassarani, has won the prestigious getAbstract International Book Award. This is the first time Berrett-Koehler has received this award.
At a ceremony at the Lesezelt (Reading Tent) at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Wednesday, getAbstract Chairman Rolf Dobelli presented author Tom Devine with a trophy and a special acknowledgement to Berrett-Koehler, represented in part by Johanna Vondeling, VP of Business Development and International Sales.
“Corporate whistleblowers save lives, prevent fraud, and preserve the environment, often at great cost to their personal and professional well-being,” said Ms. Vondeling. “It's our hope that this timely book will provide essential guidance and support for would-be whistleblowers, as these courageous persons of conscience deserve unswerving support—from all quarters—in their valiant efforts to 'commit the truth.'”
“We are deeply grateful to our esteemed partners at getAbstract for drawing attention to the value and accomplishments of this essential resource," she adds.
The getAbstract International Book Award is focused on non-fiction books that have made a significant impact worldwide. Each year, getAbstract's editors assess more than 10,000 English and German non-fiction books.
Devine, along with co-author Tarek Maassarani and the entire team at The Government Accountability Project, join the ranks of other esteemed authors who have won this award, including Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Robert Shiller, Benoît Mandelbrot and Chris Anderson.
In his response for receiving this award, Tom Devine emphasized the four key themes of the book. “For whistleblowers, you are not powerless. You can make a difference by committing the truth without becoming a martyr, if you learn from others’ experience instead of through trial and error.
For corporate leaders, it is bad business to kill the messenger, both in terms of fighting internal fraud and preventing avoidable liability. For government leaders, during the last decade there has been a legal revolution in corporate freedom of speech for U.S. workers. Private sector transparency is a prerequisite for the anti-corruption campaign necessary for globalism to work.
And for the public, your solidarity with whistleblowers is the decisive factor whether their warnings make a difference for you.”
10/5/2011
Berrett-Koehler Releases New Flash Video for The Power of Your Past by John Schuster
Viewers Encouraged to Comment and Share Their Own Past
Berrett-Koehler is pleased to announce the release of The Power of Your Past Flash Video. This is the 13th Internet video released in conjunction with a Berrett-Koehler title.
The video is an inspirational representation of John Schuster’s book that helps readers connect their past with their present. In The Power of Your Past, John Schuster systematically demonstrates that our pasts are the biggest, most accessible, and most under-utilized of resources for anyone wanting to make positive changes.
The past is never dead. It is never even past. – William Faulkner
Understanding this life truth unlocks the power of your past!
When we truly understand our past, we are presented with three life-long gifts:
Identity: We know who we are
Potential: We set goals worthy of our best efforts and dreams
Direction: We claim our original course.
The end of the video presents a Free Gift – a chapter of the book for immediate download, plus a 30% discount on the book. Viewers are also encouraged to sharer about their own past on the blog.
With The Power of Your Past, Schuster provides insight, encouragement, and steps for essential professional and personal development. Reads will enjoy the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that all they need to grow—insight, courage and persistence are the ingredients—is already within.
