Hugh Holland's Locals Only, featuring photos of skateboarders in 1970s California, is as likely to be found in shops in Paris as it is in Los Angeles. This is because, when launching AMMO Books (short for American Modern) in 2006, publisher Steve Crist and president Paul Norton strategized on how to cultivate an international audience before a single title had even come off press.
"When
we sign up a book, we don't concentrate just on the U.S. market or on a local
market," Crist said. "We really think about how the publication might
do globally. Even though we're a small, independent house, our books are in
some pretty far-flung locations." The company's offerings--visual arts, pop
culture and children's books--are sold in 30 countries.
Before co-founding AMMO Books, Crist was a freelance photographer and then joined the publishing ranks. He worked as creative director for HarperCollins' ReganBooks imprint and as a photography editor for Taschen, whose headquarters are in Germany. Fellow former Taschen employee Norton, who was a business director there, heads up AMMO Books' sales and distribution. Rounding out the company's trio of partners is Gloria Fowler, the design director and children's publisher (and Crist's wife).
AMMO Books "specializes in American arts and culture from an American perspective," something Crist felt was missing in the publishing landscape. Many art book publishers are based overseas, whereas he uses a native point of view in finding and showcasing "things that might have been overlooked," he said.
One example: the works of artist Wayne White, whose eclectic portfolio includes puppets for the TV show Pee-Wee's Playhouse and text paintings like "Donald Judd was a Son of a Bitch Wrecked his Train in a Whorehouse Ditch." Crist regularly collaborates with designer Todd Oldham, who is the author of Wayne White: Maybe Now I'll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve (described as "fanfuckintastic" on AmmoBooks.com) and numerous other titles on the publisher's list.
Although AMMO Books, which is headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., does review submissions, none have yet been made into a book. Instead, titles come from Crist and his creative team "kicking around ideas" or from their personal preferences. "We're doing nothing more here than taking work we're passionate about and sharing it with people through book form," Crist said. "Part of it is selfish because we're looking for things that we're interested in."
Among the
company's top sellers are children's books, puzzles and toys featuring the nature-themed
illustrations of the late Cincinnati, Ohio, artist Charley Harper. The line
resulted from Fowler's roles as a mother and a designer. "She was
frustrated at not being able to find cool kids products and so she created her
own through the language of Charley Harper," said Crist. These and other
kids' titles generate strong foreign sales, particularly to parents whose children
are learning English.
Crist often approaches people with whom he's interested in working. Such was the case with film director Spike Lee. The two met and discussed several concepts before they decided on Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing (December 2010), an insider's perspective on the making of the 1989 film and its cultural impact.
AMMO Books produces about a dozen titles a year, including original publications and new incarnations of previous works. Some titles are released in as many as three or four different formats at varying prices, ranging from $400 limited editions to $20 paperbacks. "Some houses work more like record or movie companies," Crist said. "If something doesn't show tremendous promise in the very first weeks, that title is kicked to the curb and really nothing is done to support it. If we release a book, we're going to work it all the way through its life cycle."
Avid audiences for AMMO Books' tomes have emerged both abroad and stateside. The company's inaugural title, Gonzo, a visual biography of Hunter S. Thompson with a foreword by Johnny Depp, sold particularly well in Germany, the U.K. and Japan. The biggest signing to date for Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing was at the American Book Center in Amsterdam, where 300 people turned out to see the filmmaker. An event at Barbara's Bookstore in Chicago on December 24, pulled together with two days notice, drew some 200 attendees.
In the U.S., AMMO Books titles are sold at retail outlets like Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. They also have been embraced by independent booksellers, who have been "big supporters" since the publisher's inception. Visiting bookstores is a favorite pastime for Crist during his travels, even while he's on vacation. During a family escape to Orcas Island, one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State reachable only by boat or plane, he stopped in at Darvill's Bookstore and found a pleasing sight: limited editions of Gonzo and Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life on display behind the counter.
Along with acting as publisher and editor, Crist's varied roles include author (The Contact Sheet, a compendium of contact sheets from renowned photographers' photo sessions) and quality control specialist. He has traveled to China on press checks and this summer will do the same in Italy for a book about his "photographic hero," Edward Weston, due out in the fall. "Nothing gets overlooked because every book counts to us," said Crist. "We really are passionate about every title we do."--Shannon McKenna Schmidt