Mapletree Publishing Company
Excellent books that gently promote religious values
Mapletree Publishing Company was
founded in 2002 in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. In 2003, we moved to the Denver,
Colorado area. Our focus is on bringing quality, uplifting
literature to America. Our motto is: Publishing excellent books that
gently promote religious values. In carrying out that mission, we aim to
publish wholesome books from authors of various denominations that
reinforce commonly held Christian values.
As a young company, we have decided to concentrate on
homeschooling and parenting titles. Also, since we have some very
talented fiction editors, we will publish some high quality fiction,
capable of attracting the attention of critics.
As much as our American culture seems to be preoccupied with materialism, fame, and
glamour, almost all of us know, deep down inside, that the greatest
satisfactions in life come from the committed relationships of those
closest to us, especially our families. We want to be a publisher that brings people books that will help them with
those things that matter most.
Our original headquarters in Mt. Vernon, Iowa where our company was
founded.
Our Mission
We want to publish literature that is uplifting.
Whether fiction or nonfiction, we want it to inspire—to leave the
reader better for having read it. That's the reason we're in this
business. We'll be honest—we're religious people with a strong
commitment to raising the cultural level of our society. We want to
go home each night feeling we've made a positive contribution to
society. We will not participate in any literature that is degrading
in any way.
We are a publisher that is author-friendly. We view our business as a cooperative
enterprise with the author. We want authors to be satisfied with our
contractual arrangements, our editing, and the final product. The author’s
success is our success, and together we want to publish books that command
the attention of the buying public. We also seek authors who want to be actively
involved with us in promoting their books.
We have high standards of excellence. We will work intently to produce
books that are error-free, artistically appealing, accurate and
informative.
We will work hard to promote our books through every legitimate
channel available. We believe that if a book is worth publishing, it is
worth promoting. We will take preparatory time prior to the release of
every title to cultivate influential reviews, media opportunities,
and other promotional channels. We will establish credibility with media
contacts and marketing outlets by meeting our commitments and providing
accurate information.
Company Profile and History
Mapletree Publishing Company was founded by
David A. Hall. Although it was
established in 2002, its roots go back to 1981. That was the year that he conceived of
a new idea in a board game. Rather than having a game where your success
was built on the defeat or destruction of your opponent, why not have a
game where you interacted with the other players in a positive way? He
called the game Mortality, and played it with family and friends. There was
so much positive reaction that he made some business contacts and actually
lined up distributors and potential retail outlets to carry the game,
but, being a new dentist, he lacked the finances to be able to produce
the game. Then, after he got busy and had the financial depth to begin
the venture, he lacked the time.
Company founder,
David A. Hall
Finally, in late 2002, he made the plunge to get the game published. He hired
an associate to treat his patients, took a break from his
dental practice and
formed a publishing company. He contracted with printers and suppliers, hired a
marketing consultant and a couple of staff, and was on his way.
After learning some about the publishing business, he became intrigued with
it. He decided to branch out and become a book publisher. Later he decided not
to pursue the game
business but to concentrate entirely on books. He wanted to be a
publisher that would be dedicated to promoting
good, wholesome values without being too "churchy," a company that would produce
popular but uplifting books. He wanted to provide resources for families—books
that would be directed toward family issues and strengthening the family, as
well as books about public policy issues. His goal was to create a trademark that people
could depend on for quality published materials that would never be degrading or
corrupting. The more he got into it, the more he felt that this was what he
needed and wanted to do. He sold his dental practice and went fully into the
publishing business.
In November, 2003, he moved the company from Iowa to the
Denver, Colorado area. The Denver area was selected because it is a publishing
center with a wealth of publishing talent and experience available to help grow
the company.
Although he was new to the publishing business, he has had a long-standing
interest and a wealth of experience in publishing-related activities. From the
editorial staff of his high school yearbook and getting A's in all his English
classes in high school and college, to being called to work a new edition of the
Bible while he was in college in the mid-seventies, to publishing professional
and other newsletters, and professional research and writing, he has been
involved with publishing for many years. He has also had a considerable amount
of experience in public relations and in marketing, which are an integral part
of the publishing business. He was a public affairs director for the LDS church
in Iowa, a public relations chairman of his local dental society, and was the
first national public relations chairperson of the American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry.
As mentioned above, Dr. Hall jumped into the publishing business knowing
little about it. He decided that if he immersed himself in it and read widely,
he could become expert in the business. It's a tough business, and there are
some tough lessons that need to be learned very well. His strategy is to read
every worthwhile book he can on the subject and to attend seminars regularly,
applying the knowledge gained along the way. He loves to learn and feels that by
continuing to be open to learning from everyone he can he will develop the
competitive edge that will make Mapletree a leading publishing company.
Member, Small Publishers
Association of North America
Member,
LDS
Booksellers Association
Member,
Colorado Independent Publishers Association
Guide to this site for prospective authors:
Much of this site is dedicated to
authors. We naturally have our submission
guidelines posted. If you are an author planning to submit a work,
please consult that page, as well as our author
information questionnaire. We have a page where we discuss our thinking
on contracts and what type of contract you can
expect from us.
We have a number of pages dedicated to
writing tips. We're convinced that there are a
lot of people with excellent ideas that deserve to be published. Often, many
of these people only need a few of these concepts incorporated into their
works to make them excellent, marketable books. So we have tips on how to
make your work marketable, and how to
promote your work once it's written.
We have a number of tips on
writing fiction: on
building a plot, on style,
on creating characters, and on
writing dialogue. For fiction and
nonfiction writers, there are some grammar
questions answered.
We also have collected a page full of
resources for writers available on other
sites on the Internet. There are some excellent ones. Several sites sponsor
on-line courses - these can be excellent. If you're serious about your
writing, take some of them.
There are also some excellent books you can read on
writing. If you're a novelist, get a copy of Self-editing for Fiction
Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King. It could be career-changing for
you. If you write nonfiction, try Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts
into Books by Dan Poynter.
There is additional information about our company, our staff,
phone numbers, fax number, and e-mail addresses on our
contact us page.
We hope all of this is helpful to our authors. Please make
use of these resources, and together we'll make each other successful!
Secure web site sales, accepting all major credit cards.
