Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1992 — UH Press ranks in nation's top ten [ARTICLE]

UH Press ranks in nation's top ten

by Ann L. Moore Don't judge the University of Hawai'i Press by its headquarters. The unpretentious group of beige buildings, originally intended to be temporary, houses the tenth largest university book publishing enterprise in the United States. Right up there with Harvard, Columbia and Stanford. The Press is nestled on a hillside in Manoa Valley, sheltered by shade trees, and next door to the impressive astronomy building where visitors must park. It's a steep climb up a narrow drive to reach the modest complex where, last year, 100 books and monographs and journals were published and another 20 eopublished.

Last year alone, the Press considered 612 manuscripts and proposals and accepted 49. The criteria for selection of manuscripts is simple, said Steve Hirashima, who heads the media and public relations side of marketing. First of all, the author must know the subject. Then, the project must be one affecting Hawaii's people, their lives, arts, or cultures. "Criteria is interpreted in a most open way," he said. For example, he said, the Press would not consider a book on European architecture but would consider a book on Japanese architecture and how it influenced building in the Islands.

Onee submitted, a manuscript goes to the editorial department, then to the editorial review board. The decision to take on the project is made by the board in conjunction with executive editor Iris Wiley and director of UH

Press, William Hamilton. Working under the auspices of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Press is self-sufficient, independent, and a profit center for the University of Hawai'i. At the time of its last report to the vice president, the Press had 61 works in progress. Since its founding as the East West Center Press in the 1960s through June 1991, the Press has 1,024 publications to its credit. Seven hundred and five are still in print and available for purchase. During the 1990-91 fiscal year, ending June 30, the annual sales for the Press topped $2.7

million. Deducting the university appropriation, book sales, journals ineome, commissions, fees, production services and similar costs, the

Press showed a respectable $3,863,316 protit over the previous year. A notable achievement. Given its commitment to publish books that are relevant to Hawai'i, the variety is impressive.

One recent book, "50 Years Behind The Microphone," is by loeal radio personality Les Keiter, another "Called From Within" edited by Mari J. Matsuda is a collection of 17 biographies of pioneer women lawyers who were involved in the dramatic changes that brought Hawai'i from monarchy to statehood. "Tide and Current, Fishponds*of Hawai'i," by Carol Araki Wyban, is a distillation of the author's 10 years of living with and learning

about Hawaii's fishponds and the timeless eeological truths she discovered. Other current or soon-to-be released books are on the lighthouses of Hawai'i, volcano watching, woodblock prints, an illustrated instruction book on lei-making and a marine atlas of the Islands. Naturally, the Press also does a lot of books on subjects covered at the university, many written by UH professors. "We often work in association with the EastWest Center to co-publish or take on the distribution of books that others publish," Hirashima said.

In co-publishing the Press helps underwrite production, publishing, distribution and marketing. "One of our most _recent co-publishing ven-

tures, with the Honolulu City Council, was 'The City and County of Honolulu: A Government Chronicle' by Donald D. Johnson, assisted by Phyllis Turnbull, whieh was introduced March 5 at Honolulu Hale courtyard," Hirashima said. In 1991-92, the Press had co-publishing agreements with firms in Australia, London, Scotland, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Press seived as woridwide distributor for puNishers in Thailand, New Zealand, Korea, the Philippines and the U.S., providing sales, marketing, promotion, warehouse and business services on a ccxnmission basis. continued on page 10

The Press is self-sufficient, independent , and a profit center for the University of Hawai'i.

UH Press from page 3

One of the books distributed by the Press, in conjunction with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, is the "Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook," edited by Melody Kapilialoha MacKenzie. The 336-page book contains chapters on Native Hawaiian lands and sovereignty; a historical and legal discussion of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act; and securing individ-

ual Hawaiian land titles, natural resource rights including water, fishing and marine resource rights and shoreline boundaries. Also featured are traditional and customary rights including religious freedom, access and gathering rights, burial rights and customary adoption (hanai); and resources benefiting Native Hawaiians including charitable trusts and federal programs and benefits.

The Native Hawaiian Right Handbook also contains a history of the Hawai'i ceded lands trust, a description of the various resources available to Native Hawaiians and a discussion of self-governance and self-determination; legal remedies and required procedures available to secure and maintain Native Hawaiian rights; a glossary of terms, an index by subjects, and a tab!e of cases. About to enter its second printing, the book retails for $25. Catalogues, mailed to customers worldwide, are one of the Press's most effective sales tools.

Two basic, seasonal catalogues are mailed in the spring and fall. The Press also has an Asian Studies catalogue and a Hawai'i and the Pacific catalogue whieh comes out eaeh year in early summer. Among the current distributions from the Press are: "An halian Baroness in Hawai'i," the travel diary of Gina Sobrero, the bride of Robert Wilcox, that chronicles their life together in Honolulu during the reign of King Kalakaua; and "Tales of Moloka'i, The Voice of

Harriet Ne, collected by Gloria L. Cronin and illustrated by Terry Reffell, includes folktales, loeal myth and legend and oral history by Auntie Harriet Ayau Ne, a living treasure of Hawai'i and cultural historian of Moloka'i by gubernatorial appointment. A new book on the Hawaiian language "could be a real groundbreaker for us,"said Hirashima. The book is entitled "Ka Lei Ha'aheo Beginning Hawaiian" by Alberta Pualani Hopkinson and its eompanion volume "Teacher's Guide and Answer Key." Published by the Press, it will be ready for consideration by school officials in early summer.

There is a showroom at the Press, at the top of that steep hill, where the latest volumes are on display and available for purchase from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is best to phone ahead to inquire about a book. If it is not on the shelf, the showroom staff will order it from the warehouse and have it available to browse through. Naturally excited about the new books they have on offer, the Press staff is also proud of the many titles that have become classics in Hawai'i.

The Press best seller, by number of copies sold, is Young's New College Text, a textbook for classes in the Japanese language taught at UH, closely followed by Pukui's Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary, a long-time favorite with visitors, students and editors and writers. The most recent version, the "New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary" by Pukui, revised and

enlarged, recently hit bookstores statewide. In dollar revenue, the top books are Young's New College Text, (Volumes 1, 2, and 3) Sato's "Japanese Now" (Vol. 1 ) followed by the Littman book on the eclipse "Totality," Wagner's "Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i," and Pukui's Hawaiian Dictionary. Fielding's "Underwater Guide To Hawai'i," the Daws Hawaiian history "Shoal of Time," and Hobson's "Hawaiian Reef Animals" round out the top 10.

There is also a separate department of the Press whieh publishes journals. They are: Asian Perspectives puMshed semi-annually for over 30 years. Distributed worldwide, it is a journal of archeology and prehistory of Asia and the Pacific, Wiilam G. Solham E, editor. The Contemporaiy Pacific journal, published semi-annually, focuses on current Pacific issues and concerns from many social science and humanities disciplinary perspectives. Brij V. Lal, editor.

Oeean Linguistics, published semi-annu-ally, is the only journal devoted exclusively to the study of the indigenous languages of the oeeanie area. George W. Grace, editor. Pacific Science is a quarterly report on research in the biological and physical sciences focusing on the Pacific Basin. E. Alison Kay, editor. Manoa is a Pacific journal of international writing, a new, semi-annual literary review of fiction, poetry, reviews, art and commentary from top writers plus original translations of new works from Asia and the Pacific, with spe-

eial guest editors. Robert Shapard, editor. For information on subscribing to any of the UH Press journals, eall (808) 956-8833, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday, or write to: University of Hawai'i Press 2840 Kolowalu St. Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822

To get on the catalogue mailing list, eall (808) 956-8697, or write to address above. Out-of-print books are listed at the back of eaeh catalogue. For those titles, Hirashima said the books ean sometimes be found at the Tusitala Bookshop in Kailua, the Book Cellar on Merchant Street, Gecko or Jelly's bookstores. Otherwise, he said, people have to hope to find them at library book sales or through advertisements in loeal newspapers or magazines. The final hope for that book you simply must have is to use the skills of dealers in old and antique books, who will conduct a search for you through ads in trade magazines. They generally charge a modest fee.

The Press is represented by more than 20 independent commission sales representatives in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and by University Publishers Group based in London; and in the AsiaPacific region by its sales subsidiary East-West Export Books. Service to customers on books ordered from catalogues or by phone is provided from fullservice warehouses maintained in New York, London and Honolulu.