Tribute Books Commemorate Loved Ones

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Tribute Books Commemorate Loved Ones

Courtesy of
gozarks.com

     A sage Irish Blessing cajoles: "May you never forget what is worth remembering ..."

   In this homespun spirit, an innovative trio of entrepreneurs - namely Jeff Bass, BJ Watts, and John Velke - are rolling out the red carpet, introducing Worth Remembering Publishing, Inc.

   "We publish high quality commemorative tribute books which memorialize the lives of loved ones," Velke, who conceptualized the publishing house, explained. "Our titles include Men Worth Remembering, Women Worth Remembering, Children Worth Remembering and Ancestors Worth Remembering," he elaborated.

   Each volume in the ongoing series presents a compendium of 200 or so biographical essays, extolling the dignity, tenacity and accomplishments of 'memorable people'.

   "Each profile commemorates the life of someone's mother, father, sibling, child, spouse, aunt, uncle, teacher or dear friend," Velke said. "Someone that others have chosen to honor and bring recognition to in one of our special commemorative volumes."

   Every volume has a unique International Standard Book Number and, in addition to the books received by the sponsoring families, copies are provided to the Library of Congress and the State Library system, nationwide.

   To introduce the publications, a 416-page sample volume containing biographies of historically notable individuals has been distributed to a long list of funeral homes. Also, the publishing house exhibits at selected expos, such as the Southern Festival of Books, and various State Funeral Director conferences.

   "We are concentrating our initial outreach efforts on funeral homes because we think that makes the most sense," Bass, who came to WRP from a 25-year career merging retail sales and information technologies, explained. In addition, an independent affiliate-marketing program is offered and professionals who take orders on the company's behalf earn commissions.

   Watts, whose expertise stems from two decades in Web design, IT management and product development, chides that back in the early 1980's he did a two-year stint as a professional Water-Skier/Clown at Six Flags in New Jersey. He drives the web-tools which make it simple and easy for those wanting a tribute to place the request online and seamlessly submit requisite information for assignment to one of the house's stable of writers. The business domain was registered March 28 and the features of the site have been streamlined over time with twin objectives of simplicity and common sense.

   Velke, who has a history of success in family-centric business and is himself a published author, coordinates the editorial staff and related service providers who create each finished volume. "We have a very diverse mix of about 200 writers with at least one in nearly every state and several in Canada," he said. "Some are past and current college professors, others are non-fiction book authors, small press editors, newspaper journalists, and we even have a few romance writers among the group."

   "One that I found very interesting is the writer who submitted a wonderful tribute but was unable to describe any of his previously published work because it was all 'classified'," Velke said. "I did a little checking and found one declassified paper he had written in the 1960s, about the exploration of Mars. We each have specific responsibilities. However, we do not confine our input or involvement strictly to those areas of primary expertise. We have the strength of real collaboration. We look exclusively to customer satisfaction as the bedrock of our publications as we work to expand our identity in the marketplace and enable more families to have a keepsake heirloom memoir of a loved one.

   "When someone makes the decision to have a tribute written, one of our professional writers is assigned to gather factual details, photographs and stories about the deceased from family and friends," Velke posited, noting that this research is the soul of the unique biographical essay which results. "When the family is pleased with what's written it goes to our editor for the final proof which must comply with strict journalism and formatting standards before going to print."

   Though intentionally created as an Internet company, founded in February 2006 with virtual office space on the Web and in the team's laptops, the Worth Remembering innovators are in constant contact via e-mail and also meet regularly in the non-virtual sense.

   "We wanted to be able to work anywhere at any time and we have no need for warehouse space to stock inventory because each volume is custom-created, going directly from our printer in Ohio to our clients," Velke said.

   Each tribute, inclusive of photographs, fills two to four pages of the finished volume, costs $300 to $1,600 depending on length, number of photos and priority placement, and includes at least 10 books shipped to one address and ancillary benefits.

   "A four-page tribute with up to four photographs and 20 books is only $600," Velke said, noting additional copies of any volume may be ordered on a per-book basis and placement of a loved-one's photo on the front or back cover may also be arranged.

   "We also offer discounts online, via promotional codes," he explained.

   Quality control measures implemented by the team look to customer satisfaction surveys for ongoing improvements and the continued growth and development of professional affiliations to forward the company's brand name image in the marketplace.

   Velke and spouse Dani operate a day care, raise horses in their spare time and are the parents of four children with three in college. Bass, who recently lost a grandparent, is the married father of three and plays with auto restoration as a hobby. Watts, whose given name is William Massey - hence BJ for Bill Junior - with spouse Beverly are the parents of three boys, two of who are twins, and is hooked on family genealogy. All reside in Alabama.

   "We have received a lot of positive feedback," Velke concluded. "We truly believe in what we are doing. Everyone has been patient with us as we've put Worth Remembering together and we are encouraged by the response we have received to the concept of enshrining a loved one's memory in a commemorative book. It has been a terrific adventure so far and we expect this success to continue for a long, long time."

For more information, contact Worth Remembering Publishing, Inc., 541 Tenth Street NW #177, Atlanta, GA 30318, 1-877-615-1587, or visit www.WorthRememberingPublishing.com online.

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