Looking to diversify its media holdings, Alter Communications, a central Maryland—based publisher of newspapers and magazines, is launching a book imprint to be called Alter Books. An 82-year-old publishing firm directed by Andrew Buerger, publisher and the great-grandson of the founder of the company, Alter publishes the Baltimore Jewish Times, a newspaper, and two magazines, Style and Chesapeake Life.
The first book from the new imprint is Prospects: A Portrait of Minor League Baseball by photographer David Deal. The book is a collection of black-and-white photographs of minor league baseball throughout central Maryland, with an introduction by NPR's Neal Conan and an afterword by Anne Wilkes Tucker, curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. The book has a 4,000-copy first printing and is being distributed by Koen Books. It can also be purchased through the author's Web site (www.Daviddeal.com).
Buerger told PW that he expects book publishing to help the firm "become a diversified regional media company." Alter has hired publishing consultant Bookwise Associates to help develop the imprint. Buerger said Alter plans to publish four to six books a year. Subsequent titles from Alter Books will be aimed at the readers of Alter's publications. "Targeting our readers and subscribers makes tremendous sense," said Buerger, "and our books will reach bookstores and other retail outlets around the area." Alter also expects to use in-house writers (Deal is a photographer for the Jewish Times) and editors for its books. "Stories from our publications will become books, and our books can become magazine stories," said Buerger. "We're looking for synergies between our publications."
