JAN HARTMAN BOOKS champions innovative ideas, inspired writing, and compelling visual narratives to bring fine books to life. I manage development and production from start to finish.
Offering seasoned knowledge of book publishing and deep relationships among industry mainstays and publishers, I create concepts that are distinct, saleable, and embedded in rich content, beautiful images, and a creative design vision.
If you are an Author…
If you are an author, I work with you to develop your ideas, create a distinctive package, and conceive works that tell compelling stories. I present book concepts to publishers and help negotiate contracts. On the editorial side, I guide the author as a trusted partner, bringing integrity and creativity to my work as well as effectiveness. Clients include Mary Miss, Donlyn Lyndon, Alan Ward, Akiko Busch, Julia Gamolina, Kimberly Ridley, Robert Brantley and others.
The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass
Princeton Architectural Press, 2020
When architect Alan Stein and Nancy Virts approached Jan to help them publish the evolutionary history of the conservatory, the global passion for beautiful gardens under glass, she guided them through a winning proposal, then worked closely with the husband-wife authors to produce the work through content editing, the acquisition of archival conservatory prints, and the production of new color photography to create a distinctively sumptuous visual history of the international conservatory.
If you are a Publisher…
If you are a publisher, I work with you the same way you do an independent editor, literary agent, and packager. I create complete concepts and content strategies to conceive and develop marketable publications, as well as produce the work through design and printing. I understand that publishers are looking for an editor and packager of integrity who assures the client that its investment of time and resources is worthwhile.
Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French
Princeton Architectural Press, 2019
Princeton Architectural Press and The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the value and importance of award-winning historian Harold Holzer’s manuscript that portrayed sculptor Daniel Chester French, whose best-known work is the Abraham Lincoln monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Press and the National Trust found in Jan Hartman an editor experienced in design history to complete a deep content edit of the manuscript. Jan worked closely with the author and the director of the National Trust’s Chesterwood, the former home and studio of French, to produce the definitive biography of America’s best-known sculptor.
If you are a Company or Institution…
If you are a company or institution, Jan develops a strategic publishing plan that portrays and advances your distinct story, helping you to develop custom products that accomplish your goals. Sometimes a publishing plan may culminate in a commemorative anniversary book. Sometimes it may culminate in a strategic partnership with a publisher that branches out to an array of opportunities. Appreciating the objectives of the internal stakeholders within a company or organization, Jan brings both strategic thinking and a personal touch that is critical to her success for connecting the dots and managing expectations. She shares the client’s loyalty to its brand identity and the investment value of time and resources to achieve its advancement goals.
Amherst College: The Campus Guide
Princeton Architectural Press, 2020
Founding editor of The Campus Guide series in 1999—36 volumes in all—Jan Hartman answered the call from Amherst and author Blair Kamin, architectural critic of the Chicago Tribune, to assemble a team to produce a Campus Guide for this esteemed New England college. Jan retained photographer Ralph Lieberman to create the new color images and architect Christopher Beck to illustrate the campus in a three-dimensional aerial map. Guiding the relationships between Amherst, the author, photographer, illustrator, and the Press, Jan managed the production of a beautiful and engaging book that also advanced Amherst’s branded story.
List of Services from
JAN HARTMAN BOOKS
· Concept development
· Proposal writing
· Acquisitions and content editing
· Pitching authors’ proposals to publishers
· Assembling, managing and inspiring creative teams
· Negotiating contracts
· Art direction
· Design
