InnerVisions: Grassroots Stories of Truth and HOPE

The joys of custom book publishing: celebrating author success

One of the greatest joys of custom publishing is watching a book project not only succeed but evolve into an even greater, and more impactful, story. The anecdotes found in InnerVisions: Grassroots Stories of Truth and Hope have spiraled into plays, community gardens, rescues, renovations, senior centers, creative ideas for prison reform, and much, much more. The seedlings of hope sown in Jan Thrope’s reflections have grown into maturity, providing comfort, inspiring passion, and envisioning a stronger and more vibrant Cleveland. And we, as her custom publisher, have had the great pleasure of celebrating with Jan along the way.

The success the book has found nationally (look for it at Book Expo America this weekend!) is just one piece of this puzzle. Last year, her book was awarded the Next Generation Indie Book Award for nonfiction, and this year, her book has been honored as a Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal winner and a National Indie Excellence Award finalist. The book is clearly a testament to the hard work of Jan and her organization, and we are delighted that the message is felt so deeply across the country.

Beyond the book: celebrating hope in Cleveland

Perhaps the most fulfilling and heartwarming story in the evolution of her book is to see the resolution of several unsolved tragedies and community struggles. In the centerfold of the book there is a graphic depicting Cleveland’s lost teenagers, three of whom were found this past month after being kidnapped and held captive for over a decade. The Langston Hughes center, boarded up and neglected at the time the book was published, is now a renovated senior center. The boy at the beginning of the book, Rashon—whose real name is Darterius—is now gardening and building a chicken coop for his community. The evolution of hope has been real, measurable, dramatic, and inspiring. For more stories, and to hear the message from Jan herself, check out the Inner Visions blog.

There are books that stay close to your heart for years to come, and this is one that Orange Frazer will continue to celebrate as we watch for Jan’s success and cheer her on. We believe in our custom authors, and we are ever more grateful that we have the relationships with them that we do, that we can partake in their joy.

In her email to us announcing her most recent awards, Jan wrote: “I will forever be grateful to you for helping me bring my photos and words together so that my story could be ‘beautifully told.’ You live up to your mission!”

We believe that authors like Jan Thrope live up to their missions every day.