After four years directing the Hidden Spring imprint of Paulist Press, Jan-Erik Guerth has started BlueBridge, a press focusing on books about spirituality. Guerth told PW that much like the list he published at Hidden Spring, BlueBridge will offer books on a variety of spiritual traditions as well as titles on history, culture, biography, travel and inspiration. The house launched its first list at the Frankfurt Book Fair with three titles, and Guerth said BlueBridge will publish six to eight books a year. Distribution is by IPG.
Guerth said the first three books—Inviting Silence by Gunilla Norris, Teresa of Avila by Shirley du Boulay and In the Heart of the Temple by Joan Chittister—are off to a good start. Guerth has sold U.K. and book club rights to Inviting Silence and Teresa of Avila (joint selection of the History and Military Book Clubs), and U.K. and Canadian rights to In the Heart of the Temple.
Guerth said he left Hidden Spring in 2003 and spent a year preparing for the launch of BlueBridge, which he founded using his own money and investments from friends and family. "Sub-rights sales were helpful in getting the press up and running," he noted. "I want a broader vision of religion," Guerth explained. Books signed for spring 2005 include Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master by Amy Schmidt. "Right now, we're doing more traditionally spiritual books," said Guerth. "Next year, the books will have a more thoughtful spiritual edge."
