As part of Corwin’s 25th Anniversary, we are featuring posts by authors who have partnered with Corwin in their work for many years. Today’s post is contributed by Joseph Murphy, author of 19 Corwin titles.
I am finishing my 19th book for Corwin now and hope to start in on the 20th this spring. Gracia Alkema called me when she was getting press off the ground and asked for info on the possible direction, given her mission, and good authors. She also asked if I would be an author. I said yes, but that I did not write textbooks and I was sure some of my best work would not sell well.
She told me she wanted scholarly credibility and would take the risks if I agreed to move to Corwin. She held up her part of the deal in 1995 when I sent in The Privatization of Schooling—it may be the most important book I ever produced and I am still paying indexing fees on it, which tells you about sales.
Corwin did this again with my 2011 book, Homelessness Comes to School.
It has been very nice for me because I have a publishing house that has faith in me and my sense of what professors need, and the needs that are often over the horizon for most eyes. It has been good for the field in general, too, I believe.
Corwin hit the sweet spot in terms of informed but not pedantic work, with a clear eye in making a difference.
