Polipoint Press
| Status | Defunct |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Sausalito, California |
| Publication types | Books |
| Official website | p3books |
PoliPointPress (or P3Books) was a San Francisco Bay Area publishing company, originally founded to print the writings of University of Phoenix founder John Sperling.[1] In 2004 it published its first book, Sperling's own The Great Divide, a book of essays and full-color illustrations arguing that the Democratic Party, in order to retake the United States presidency, must abandon efforts in the allegedly culturally backwards "red states."[2] The company was brought into being to "bring new ideas and perspectives into the body politic, to ignite dialogue,” according to publisher Scott Jordan, a former publicist for the Saudi Arabian government.[3][4]
The company later expanded its range of titles to include progressive books by Joe Conason, among others.[5] Its offices were in Sausalito, California.[6]
The company closed in 2011, selling off rights to its books to Paradigm Publishers and Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Daily Kos controversy
In 2006, the company met with criticism over whether it dealt ethically with BuyBlue.org, a grassroots Web site. In the ensuing fallout, prominent Daily Kos pundit Markos Moulitsas called PoliPointPress a "den of thieves."
The controversy began in 2005, when the Buy Blue activists were in talks with PoliPoint to print their book. But publishing director Scott Jordan withdrew the deal, claiming to have "run out of time" to produce the book on schedule.[7] In fact, PoliPointPress was about to produce its own book, The Blue Pages, covering similar ground but without paying or involving the activists.
To Moulitsas and the activists, this was a theft of an original idea.[8] Moulitsas called for a boycott.[9] BuyBlue tried without success to halt the release of the book.[10][11] PoliPointPress's editorial director, Peter Richardson, offered a different account, calling the new book "complementary" to the Web site.[12]
In 2010, despite having lambasted PoliPoint's Scott Jordan as unethical, Markos Moulitsas announced he'd joined with the company to publish his book, American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right.[13]
References
- ^ "What's Behind Puzzling Ads? A Billionaire and his Book," The Boston Globe, August 23, 2004
- ^ Thomas Frank, "Retro vs. Metro" (book review), New York Times, November 28, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/28/books/review/28FRANKL.html
- ^ "Progressive Presses March Forward; With change and reform in the air, a bevy of activist presses weigh in with political titles," Publishers Weekly, September 15, 2008
- ^ Scott Jordan, LinkedIn profile, http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jordan-scott/18/781/781, downloaded August 27, 2010
- ^ Joe Conason, The Raw Deal (PoliPointPress, 2005)
- ^ p3books.com
- ^ BuyBlue.org February 2006 press release, http://maneegee.blogspot.com/2006/02/buyblue-public-service-announcement.html
- ^ "Casting ballots at the checkout: A company's politics can win or lose sales," The Denver Post, October 29, 2006
- ^ Daily Kos, February 10, 2006
- ^ BuyBlue.org February 2006 press release, http://maneegee.blogspot.com/2006/02/buyblue-public-service-announcement.html
- ^ Daily Kos, February 10, 2006
- ^ Peter Richardson response on DailyKos.com, February 10, 2006. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/10/114153/477
- ^ MediaBistro news item, http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/behind_the_deal/daily_kos_founder_scores_book_deal_will_compare_republican_party_and_islamic_radicals_149077.asp