A new publishing house, which just launched on the Hawaiian island of Maui and bills itself as the first trade house of national scope in the islands, is offering its first list this fall—five books in the area of personal growth, which will be its specialty.
Inner Ocean was launched in late 1999 by two businessmen, John Elder and Chip McClelland, who felt they had both benefited from the human potential movement and wanted to publish books that could help others in similar ways. One of the co-editorial directors they have hired, Roger Jellinek, was well-known in New York publishing as editorial director at Times Books many years ago. In recent years, he has been running a literary agency out of Honolulu with his wife, Eden-Lee Murray, but now plans to move to Maui to spend more time at Inner Ocean. His codirector is John Nelson.
The books that will launch the house in October are The Soul in the Computer by Barbara Waugh, a former radical feminist activist who later headed Hewlett-Packard and spearheaded the company's drive to bring Internet access to poorer people; a revised edition of Paul Pearsall's Miracle in Maui, by a bestselling inspirational author who has also signed up for more titles with the company; Kent Keith's The Paradoxical Commandments; Donna Lee Gorrell's Perfect Madness; and David M. Alderman's High Country.
Jellinek describes the Inner Ocean motto as "Exploration, Inspiration, and Transformation," and insists its titles are not aimed at the conventional religion market, but rather at people seeking change in their lives. He plans to involve authors in every step of the publishing process and sees them as the chief salesmen of their books. "I think many authors are seeking a different kind of publisher, and this is an approach that works," he told PW. Inner Ocean will publish both established authors like Pearsall and Jean Houston, who is also in negotiation for a new book, and new ones.
Distribution is through National Book Network, and Jellinek sees strong special sales possibilities. Jane Wesman has been hired to provide mainland publicity, and there is a "lean" staff in Maui of fewer than a dozen. Inner Ocean aims to do 12 titles next year and then settle into a steady production rate of 15 to 20 a year.
Inner Ocean can be contacted at P.O. Box 1239, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii 96768; 800-863-1449; its Web site, complete with relaxing sea sounds, is at www.innerocean.com.
