The announcement last month that Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing Group had reached an agreement to publish a children's book by Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura may have come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with the low-profile, highly successful Midwestern publisher. Yet to the folks at LPG, the deal was very much in line with the sort of things they've been doing for more than 40 years.

"We're certainly very pleased that the governor was open enough to consider an independent Minnesota publisher," company president Adam Lerner said. "At the same time we also feel that we're fully qualified to do a project with such a high profile. We've definitely paid our dues, and we think this book fits in nicely with the direction we've been moving in for a number of years."

The Ventura title, in which the wrestler-turned-governor will explain the inner workings of government to children, is slated for a spring 2002 release, and licensing fees and royalties from the sale of the book are earmarked for Ventura's charitable foundation, Ventura for Minnesota Inc. "We're also proud of the fact that the entire publishing process—writing, editing, designing, printing and binding—will be done right here in Minnesota," Lerner added.

The colorful Minnesota governor's last two books were bestsellers for Villard and Pocket Books, and Lerner wouldn't mind if its planned large-scale national marketing campaign and Ventura's celebrity increased the visibility of a family business that has existed and thrived not so much in the shadow of New York publishing as almost completely outside of it.

Founded in 1959

Lerner Publishing Group founder and CEO Harry Lerner was a GI stationed in Germany when he cooked up the idea for a travel guide for overseas military personnel. That book, which he wrote and published himself, was called the C-Plate Car and Travel Guide. In 1959, Lerner published a series of medical books for children, written by his sister-in-law and bankrolled by his brother Aaron. Those initial titles were a modest success, and Lerner Publishing was born. Forty-two years later, Harry Lerner presides over a company with a half-dozen imprints, over $20 million in revenues and a backlist of 1,500 titles in print.

In nearly half a century in downtown Minneapolis, Lerner has built an organization that is remarkable in its self-sufficiency: the Lerner Publishing Group has over 200 employees (including a staff cartographer, as well as a photo research department with a library of over 100,000 images at its disposal), does all its own pre- and post-production (LPG owns its own 70,000-square-foot commercial bindery plus a 55,000-square-foot distribution center) and handles its own sales and distribution. The company's editorial headquarters are also home to Interface Graphics, a Lerner-owned graphics and production service.

After working for several New York publishers as well as Barnes & Noble, Adam Lerner took over the publisher's reins from his father in 1998, and earlier this year he added the title of president; Harry remains CEO.

Company observers credit Adam with expanding LPG's vision for the trade market through increased production, a revamped design and more focused goals. And while Adam will admit to concentrating on LPG's trade titles, he's also seeking to expand LPG's school and library sales with a new curriculum division, LernerClassroom, which will pair teaching guides with a number of LPG titles.

"We increased the number of titles we published last year by over 20%, up to 256," he said. "And I'd like to bump that up again this year. As far as the trade side of the business goes, I've definitely upped the ante. We have terrific design resources at Lerner, and we're focusing more on making the best use of those resources and paying attention to the way our books look. Kids really respond to visual elements, and I think our commitment is paying off already."

Even as LPG made news with the Ventura deal, it also generated excitement by reaching back into the company's past. The publisher announced that it had convinced bestselling children's author and illustrator (and Minnesota native) Nancy Carlson to return to the fold after a long hiatus. Carlson started as an illustrator with Lerner in the late 1970s and introduced her characters Loudmouth George and Louanne Pig in 16 books with LPG imprint Carolrhoda Books before moving on to Viking. Carlson, who will continue to publish with Viking, has agreed to produce two new titles for Carolrhoda this year, beginning with Harriet and George's Christmas Treat. As part of the deal Carlson will get back the rights to her first five Lerner books.

Adam Lerner notes that while "there's a lot of caution now in book publishing," LPG "is moving full speed ahead. We're committed to building on our base, and we're always looking to expand and do more." Somewhere down the line, Lerner admits that he'd like to take LPG into the adult trade market, but for now that idea is still in the germinating stage. "That's definitely an interest of mine, and that's one of the big advantages of being an independent publisher: if we look at an idea and decide that it's viable, there's nothing stopping us from taking the plunge."