Who is Derusha?
Our Story and the Future of Publishing
It All Started with a Prayerbook...
Then Came the Company.
As a Publisher, We Refuse to Exploit Literature.
As a Corporation, We are Dedicated to Environmentally Sustainable Practices.
As Human Beings, Our Vision Goes Beyond Our Books.
...This is the Future of Publishing.
It all started with a prayerbook. When we decided that we wanted to pray according to the prayers recorded in the research of a particular Jewish leader, we were unpleasantly surprised to find that no prayerbook contained those prayers according to their beautiful and ancient wording. All the Judaica market had to offer were the standard prayerbooks of more recent composition, with their numerous additions, insertions, and general expansions. Which isn't to say that we didn't appreciate those additions at all; it was just that we were looking for something a little more traditional. Yet, it seemed that if we weren't interested in the "cookie-cutter" approach to prayerbooks that is widespread today, then we would be entirely out of luck in finding the right prayerbook for us.
Truthfully, we knew what the solution would be early on: If the prayerbook we needed didn't exist then we would simply print it ourselves. Printing prayerbooks is an established Jewish tradition, dating back over a thousand years. Historically speaking, as the needs and attitudes of different communities changed, rabbis and printers responded with new prayerbooks suitable for each community's circumstances and needs. Personally inspired by this precedent, we set out to do our work. It took a good deal of time and effort to get ahold of the correct texts, compile and edit them, and design an attractive and usable layout, but before we knew it we had a new prayerbook in our hands - the first edition of Siddur Mesorath Moshe. [ top ]
Then came the company. After printing the new prayerbook for ourselves, a number of individuals who were also interested in purchasing their own copies approached us. Many people had exciting questions for us - What was so special about this prayerbook? Why weren't we happy with the prayerbooks already out there on the market? And who exactly did we think we were, just going ahead and printing our own prayerbook like that? While we were busy explaining ourselves to friends and customers alike, we also began exploring the unfolding possibilities presenting themselves to two booklovers with a dream.
If the books we wanted to read weren't being published, then we could publish them ourselves. All the translations of books that we wished we had, all the fascinating stories that never made it to print, all the words that got lost somewhere along the way - as the owners of a publishing company, we would be in the prime position to realize countless literary dreams. Without further delay, we decided to officially incorporate and with that Derusha Publishing, LLC was born. As a corporate entity, we would have the material means to bring books into the world; but as people of principle, we would never let our company be just another company. [ top ]
As a publisher, we refuse to exploit literature. One of the most beautiful developments of the post-modern world is the rise of the Internet as a means of communication, publication, and inspiration. Users across the world can access a vast and diversecollection of music, art, and literature with great ease and from the comfort of their own homes. Even more exciting is the role the Internet plays in sharing media on the personal level, through online communities and file-sharing (P2P) networks. An author publishing in this post-modern, digital environment will quickly find his or her works distributed throughout the globe, across virtual networks and on hard-drives everywhere.
While it is true that some media companies and industry associations are terrified at the thought of their creative content being distributed (for free!) across the Internet by users, listeners, and readers, we see this as an oppurtunity to further expose our (potential) readers to our books and authors. We offer a free electronic edition of nearly every book we publish, in the hopes that readers will share it with their friends and family. It makes little sense to us to "lock up" our books under restrictive and archaic copyright schemes; therefore, we encourage all our authors to release their works under liberal and open Creative Commons licenses. As the first publishing company in the world to fully embrace this approach to copyrighting, we hope that eventually other publishing houses - and other companies in the media industry - will follow suit. This "publishing revolution" of ours doesn't just end with a new approach to copyright, however. [ top ]
As a corporation, we are dedicated to environmentally sustainable practices. In our eyes, one of the biggest benefits of marketing electronically-published and -distributed books is the ecological impact (or lack thereof!) of a publishing plan which does not rely on paper. As nature enthusiasts, we have a love of the land that doesn't disappear when we step into the office; why should we sacrifice forests to make books?
All of our books and products reflect our dedication to environmental sustainability and the responsible use of the Earth's limited resources. Therefore, in addition to making editions of all our books available electronically, we guarantee that nearly all of our regular editions are printed on post-consumer recycled paper. Our goal is to ensure that as a publishing company we also encourage our readers (and authors) to act conscientiously as stewards of our shared natural resources. [ top ]
As human beings, our vision goes beyond our books. We genuinely enjoy reading the books we publish, but we're even more interested in the lives and stories behind those books. Our authors come from radically different walks of life and represent many diverse cultures and perspectives. We publish their books because we want to share those perspectives with the rest of the world - a world that is torn up by fear and misunderstanding. We hope that each book we publish will make a meaningful impact on the world, increasing our knowledge and mutual understanding bit by bit.
History has proven time and again that through publishing books, a community can successfully preserve its culture for posterity. When thoughts, ideas, values, and customs are put down on paper they are no longer bound to a single time and place but become available for world to read forever after. In fact, this might be called the essence of publishing: Every book shares with readers a glimpse at what once was, what now is, and what - eventually - could be. Our commitment to publishing, therefore, is also a commitment to preserving the ideas and values we love, so that they may be read and studied now and in the future. [ top ]
This is the future of publishing. We didn't start out trying to change the world of books (and beyond!) but we we sure are glad to give it our best shot. We are committed to making information and perspectives available - and as free as possible - to the world. We are committed to acting as responsible caretakers of our natural environment. We are committed to the people behind our books and to the communities around the world who use books to survive, grow, and learn. We may be the first publishing company to think along these lines but we know we won't be the last - this is the future of publishing.
Welcome to our little "revolution." [ top ]
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