Your Book, Your Way

Reynolds, who formerly owned a recording studio, makes a comparison between contract publishing and the music industry. Just as an independent record producer hopes for an artist of his to be a success, so does an independent book publisher.

“I’m always evaluating authors on the basis of ‘Is this book that I have in front of me the next Nevermind album?’” says Reynolds, referencing rock group Nirvana’s 1991 chart-topper. “Is this the book that could turn into multipressings, a million, 2 million, 3 million?”

Brio also has had success solely as a book printer. It has produced Neal Lozano’s Will You Bless Me? and Can God See Me in the Dark?, which were picked up by New York–based publisher Scholastic. It also has produced the children’s book series The Many Adventures of Pengey the Penguin, by John Burns, which has been optioned for a feature-length animated movie.