Matt Keller has been serving as interim president of supplemental publisher Capstone Press since the September resignation of Jon Martin. Keller, president of the Coughlan Companies, educational publishers, which owns Capstone, said Martin tendered his resignation "to pursue other opportunities. It was amicable." Keller said a search is on for a permanent replacement.
Martin's departure will not interfere with Capstone's plans to launch a graphic library line in January. Eight titles will be on the debut list, including The Sinking of the Titanic, The Adventures of Marco Polo, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and The Battle of the Alamo. The books are geared for students with a grade 3—4 reading level.
The popularity of graphic novels, Keller said, "provided us with the idea of presenting nonfiction in a different way that would appeal to this generation of readers." Capstone plans to publish 24 titles in the nonfiction Graphic Library line by fall 2005, and to expand beyond history to biographies.
Capstone Press was founded by Bob Coughlan, CEO of the family-owned Coughlan Companies, in 1991. Capstone publishes 400 nonfiction titles per year for grades k—8 for the educational and library markets. The company's emphasis is on titles for struggling or reluctant readers, including books for ESL readers.
