Storey to Publish First Memoir

by Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly, 7/16/2008 12:04:00 PM

Like 25-year-old Web designer Jenna Woginrich, 25-year-old Storey Publishing is willing to try new things, especially when they involve sustainable living. Woginrich’s first book, Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life is also Storey’s first in the memoir category. Due out in December, the book describes Woginrich’s efforts to raise chickens, keep bees, grow her own food and cook—mistakes and all.

For Storey president Pam Art moving into memoir with Woginrich’s book is not a big leap for a press best known for books like Dick Raymond’s Joy of Gardening or Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s Things I Learned From Knitting (Whether I Wanted to or Not) since its theme dovetails with Storey’s mission: to promote eco-harmony and self reliance. “Made From Scratch is all the things that we’ve always espoused: sustainability, harmony with the environment, self-reliance,” said Art. “It’s written in a fresh voice for the twenty- and thirty-somethings who have decided to live more responsibly and are looking for advice.”

To promote Made From Scratch Storey printed its first ARCs, in seven years, and Woginrich signed ARCs at BEA and will also do a signing at the NEIBA trade show. Already the book has captured the attention of booksellers like Sherri Gallentine, at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., who shares Woginrich’s concern about incorporating self-sufficiency in her life. “By not sparing us her beginner’s mistakes [Woginrich] really encourages the reader to plant a garden, raise some chicks or learn to play an instrument,” said Gallentine.