About The Graduate Institute Publishing Center
About Our Center
Welcome to the digital home of The Graduate Institute Publishing Center.
Want to know more about us?
Let’s begin by talking about what The Graduate Institute Publishing Center is not.
We are not a publishing house or an academic press. This is an important distinction. One of the venerable traditions of academia goes something like this:
An institution of higher learning sets up a publishing business which produces and distributes books which the gatekeepers of learning determine are worthy of publication. This is a noble goal and provides a vital service to readers and the culture at large.
But, here is the rub: Because of the nature of an academic press, not to mention and the entire publishing industry, many writers are left out of the process, stranded without a voice in the wilderness, with no way to reach out to their readers. This causes many writers to become discouraged and dispirited. Many aspiring authors turn away from writing in search of other ways to use their talents. We will never know how many stunning books have been sacrificed in the process.
Here at TGI, we are determined to change that. Our Pub Center is the brainchild of the faculty of the Creative Writing and Storytelling (WS) program. We see publishing as an integral part of the writing process, not just something that a lucky few might someday achieve after graduation. Every WS graduate becomes a published author upon completion of the program.
Instead of acting as a traditional publisher, the Pub Center gives our students and faculty the tools to set up their own independent publishing companies and distribute their work on the Amazon.com platform before a worldwide audience.
But Wait…
“But wait,” I hear you saying, “Isn’t that cheating? If writers self-publish their books, that is not the same as being marketed by a mainstream publishing house.”
No, it is not.
Consider this: The book business is changing. Thanks to advances in digital technology and the rapid expansion of the global book distribution network, publishing is now a very real possibility for any writer with the grit and determination to do it.
By giving emerging writers the tools to publish and distribute their own books, we are giving them the cure for the rejection blues and providing a viable pathway to readership.
Pub Center Director Robin Moore self-published his first book, a historical fiction novel about women on the Pennsylvania frontier, in 1983. Within a year, he had sold a thousand copies out of the trunk of his car while doing storytelling performances at local schools, museums and festivals. His early success attracted the attention of HarperCollins, one of the world’s largest publishers, and led to the publication of a trilogy of historical fiction novels about frontier life in early Pennsylvania.
The books later went on to win several literary awards from the National Association of History Teachers, The National Association of English Teachers and was named “Best Read-Aloud Book” by The Keystone State Readers Association. The books become required reading for elementary grades in Pennsylvania school districts, allowing Robin to begin a career as a children’s book author which continues to this day.
But Wait…
Many critics of the indie publishing movement have complained that the market has been flooded with inferior books which have not been vetted, or even spell-checked, by the people who wrote and published them. That is true and we certainly want to make sure that any work that comes out of the publishing center is worthy of ink.
We do this in three ways. All the graduates of the WS program have worked closely with seasoned writers and editors to produce their work as part of the independent study portion of our academic program. The individual projects are designed and created in collaboration with the Creative Writing and Storytelling faculty to assure academic rigor. In addition, we have an editorial board which reviews all titles to assure that the books which appear on this site are well-written and well-conceived and reflect the values and principles of The Graduate Institute.
Emerging writers who enroll in our Creative Writing and Storytelling MA program can be confident that we will guide them through the steps needed to not only write, but to also publish their work. We see publishing as an integral part of the writing life. Writers in our program begin by producing an anthology of work created by all members of the cohort. This initial publishing effort serves as an exercise in collaborative publishing and as an introduction to creating individual works.
All writers who enroll in our program can emerge with a published book, regardless of the genre they choose. The copyright is wholly owned by the writer and 100 percent of royalties go directly to the author. Since our publishing center is open to all students and faculty of TGI, we look forward to publishing a growing number of student anthologies and individual fiction and nonfiction books.
The Wait is over…
Authors have waited long enough for the gatekeepers at the large publishing houses to determine their fate. We are providing a means for writers to cook up a batch of savory dishes and let the readers decide if their appetite for has been satisfied. These books are a feast of potent and fresh ideas, like steaming loaves of bread, hot from the oven!
Too many metaphors, you say?
As writers, we are always searching for the most powerful way to convey an idea or a feeling. Because human thought processes are basically metaphorical anyway, we go out of our way to celebrate the venerable art of making metaphors.
As the old saying goes, “A picture may be worth a thousand words but a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures.”
So, let’s engage in some metaphorical tasting! We have a time-honored tradition of associating great ideas with eating. Maybe this is why so many great plans have been hatched around at table laden with food and drink.
Here is an example (ideas are food) from one of our favorite books, Metaphors We Live By, authored by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson:
Ideas are food.
What he said left a bad taste in my mouth.
All this paper has in it are raw facts, half-baked ideas and warmed-over theories.
There are too many facts for me to digest them all.
I just can’t swallow that claim.
That argument smells fishy.
Let me stew over that for a while.
Now there is a theory you can really sink your teeth into.
We need to let that idea percolate for a while.
That’s food for thought.
He’s a voracious reader.
We don’t need to spoon-feed our students.
He devoured that book.
Let’s let that idea simmer on the back burner for a while.
This is the meaty part of the paper.
Let that idea jell for a while.
That idea has been fermenting for years.
Your Table is Waiting!
After years of fermenting our own ideas about creating a student-sourced publishing center, we are proud to launch this new addition to our menu of choices.
A feast of delicious ideas is spread before you.
Come right in, your table is waiting!
