LIT 50
Who really books in Chicago

INSTITUTIONS WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
Try to imagine Chicago's literary landscape if we didn’t have the Printers Row Book Fair, or Triumph Books releasing best-sellers. These institutions and the people behind them have made it their mission to support writers and their works—a tough and often thankless task.

Paula Barker Duffy
Few university presses can dream of both commercial and critical success in a lifetime, much less one book. But University of Chicago Press scored just that with Alice Kaplan’s “The Collaborator,” the story of a fascist French intellectual’s persecution after World War II. The widely acclaimed book won the L.A. Times Book Prize for history, and has been nominated for the National Book Award. Along with such critical hits, UCP has released another Royko book, “For the Love of Mike: More of the Best of Mike Royko,” sating Chicago’s jones for the curmudgeonly columnist. UCP seems to have nothing but its hometown in mind these days: Slated for 2003, the press is compiling an oversized encyclopedia of Chicago. However, that daunting project has not eclipsed their commitment to serious scholarship, or a new edition of the trusty tome, “The Chicago Manual of Style,” due 2002. “Most of what our editors look for is work that crosses disciplines,” says Director Paula Barker Duffy. “Often, a book isn’t all that easily categorized. That’s also a mark of University of Chicago, and to that extent, we like that association with the university.”
Ranking: 16

Mitch Rogatz
Triumph Books, a little house on Printers Row helmed by President Mitch Rogatz, has plugged along for ten years, quietly becoming one of the most prominent sports publishers in the country. Triumph began by publishing desk references (including a definitive guide to the ins and outs of NAFTA), but found their niche as the official publishers for the NFL, NBA, NHL, USGA, USTA, US Soccer Federation, NCAA and the PGA Tour. Along the way, Triumph has released dozens of athlete autobiographies, including John Elway’s and Mario Lemieux’s. Their breakout is a recent book on Dale Earnhardt, which is ranked No. 2 (as of press time) on The New York Times Bestseller List, and this month they’re releasing a pictorial history of Tiger Woods’ grand slam of golf.
Ranking: 9

Mark Suchomel
These folks have the publishing game all figured out: go small and in all directions. Independent Publisher’s Group distributes books around the world for independent publishers and small presses. At a time when mainstream publishing resources are increasingly dedicated to major retail outlets, IPG thrives by paying attention to high-quality operations and texts on the margins. “Our goal is to sell in as many places as possible,” says President Mark Suchomel. “We’ve always gone after even the smallest presses.” More than weathering the storms of the recent economic downturn, IPG is growing. The first major distributor to start a Spanish language catalog, they’ve also begun shipping directly to Canada and have acquired Paul & Co., an academic press out of Boston. IPG ensures small voices and unique perspectives are heard, proving that inclusiveness is good for business.
Ranking: 29

Linda Matthews
Tear off the lid of the formidable Independent Publisher’s Group, and you find the twentysomething-year-old publishing house, Chicago Review Press. IPG distributes CRP’s output of thirty to thirty-five books a year, not to mention their backlist of such indispensable city guides as “Chicago on Foot” and “Chicago’s Museums.” Director Linda Matthews is excited this year about the Oddball books, a growing collection of travelogues that unearth the quirks and hidden treasures of each state. “Oddball Illinois” has made a splash, “Oddball Wisconsin” just hit the market, and “Oddball Indiana” is on the way. Like picking which child you love best, Matthews has a hard time pinpointing which of their successes she is most proud. “I think the thing that I’m most proud about is probably boring, and that is our continued steady growth. It’s gone from a backyard operation to a quiet success.”
Ranking: 30

Susan Harris
Northwestern University Press has never crouched docilely under its towering parental unit, but it does borrow a thing or two, including pride in academics. But NWUP also revels in the simple, unacademic pleasures of a good story, which their literary journal, TriQuarterly, prints on a regular basis, prompting The New York Times to label it as “perhaps the preeminent journal for literary fiction in the country.” “We’re unusual for a university press because we have an academic and scholarly list, but also a strong trade presence,” says Director Susan Harris, who assumed the top spot in April, after nearly two years as acting director. Harris and the press are currently enjoying the success of local writer Leon Forrest’s posthumously published novel, “Meteor in the Madhouse,” which garnered a feature piece in the Chicago Sun-Times. This September will find the press celebrating the 150th anniversary of “Moby Dick,” re-released with a new introduction by Hershel Parker.
Ranking: 28

Dominique Raccah
Sourcebooks shot up like a weed in the past year, and it won’t get mowed over anytime soon. Publisher Dominique Raccah has launched her already successful press into the full arena by introducing fiction with imprint Sourcebooks Landmark, and she kicked it off by watching Tony Parsons’ “Man and Boy” soar up The New York Times Bestseller List. The book had already been a best-seller in the U.K., but all the same, Raccah was cautious. “Realize that when selling a first-time book from a first-time author, by a publishing house that has no prior history with fiction, one would not have good expectations. We would’ve considered it a success if it had sold 5,000 copies. The book came out early April… and we now have 65,000 copies sold.” Sourcebooks also introduced Sourcebooks Media Fusion, an official imprint for their highly successful collection of books with CDs. If everything goes as planned, expect Sourcebooks to become a major player: “We intend to grow into the strongest independent in the country,” Raccah says with conviction. “Chicago is the third largest city—it deserves a great publishing house. We’ve never had one. It’s about time.”
Ranking: 14

Julie Parson-Nesbitt
It’s been nearly two years since the Guild Complex founder Michael Warr turned over the reigns of executive director to Julie Parson-Nesbitt, and it’s safe to say the fate of Chicago’s literary/artistic/poetic vanguard is in good hands. As the sponsor of myriad artistic programs—from book-release parties to Guild-specific events like the “Musicality of Poetry” series—the Guild puts on more than 100 events every year at its performance space in the Chopin Theater, a result of steadily increasing membership. And on the publishing side of things, the Guild’s Tia Cucha Press continues to publish cutting-edge poetry and prose, most recently Tony Fitzpatrick’s collection of art and poetry, “Bum Town.” Pushing the Guild Complex’s profile even higher, Fitzpatrick’s book-release party will be held in conjunction with book releases for author Steve Earle and the internationally known writer, Michael Ondaatje.
Ranking: 36

Mary Davis Fournier
Year after year, Mary Davis Fournier, the program director of the Printers Row Book Fair, faces a daunting challenge. How to improve this—the little book fair that could—when there’s simply no room to grow? For starters, she is strapped with the boxy geographical confines of the Printers Row district. Then there’s the annual budget—a pittance compared to the war chests of the larger annual literary fests in Miami and Los Angeles. Still, the Printers Row Book Fair holds its own. It is the third largest fair in the country, just after the aforementioned corporate fiestas. This year, Fournier snagged desirable grants from the Humanities Council and the Illinois Arts Council to help pay the bills. And, as with years past, the Fair is bursting at the seams. Vendor tables are at capacity and the line-up of literary programming is so dizzying it would prod Terry Gross to get some fresh air. But for Fournier, the Printers Row gig is a year-round deal. Whether appearing on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” to talk books, or working on the book fair’s fast-growing “authors in the schools program,” Fournier’s day-planner is, quite frankly, booked.
Ranking: 45

Mary Dempsey
As Mary Dempsey moves through her lucky seventh year as commissioner of the Chicago Public Library, her actions prove that Daley knows how to pick his people. Her accomplishments since taking the post are a clinic in getting things done; everything from a major overhaul of the public access catalog to opening the largest branches seven days a week and the continual openings of new libraries around the city. But Dempsey (who moonlights as the lady with the answers on WBEZ’s “Rewind” segment, Ask the Librarian) is far from resting on her already well-earned laurels. Her involvement as a member of the Mayor’s Reading Roundtable—which has helped create teen and adult reading clubs throughout the city—is the first step in what she calls “creating a culture of reading.” This summer the CPL will open two more branches (in Canaryville and at Austin and Irving); plans have been solidified for another Chicago Book Week this fall, and recently the CPL has seen an increase from 6,000 to 7,000 visitors per day. So was it worth giving up her private law practice to fill the commissioner spot? “Absolutely,” she says without a pause. “Everyday I wake up and feel proud of what I do. I love every bit of it.”
Ranking: 12

LIT 50
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