Side jumpers
As the new publishing director, Gregory C. Zäch intends to run Werd Verlag like an SME within a larger company.
As the new publishing director, Gregory C. Zäch wants to run Werd Verlag like an SME within a company, and he probably asked the most questions of all the candidates at the interview, says Gregory C. Zäch. Since the beginning of October, the founder of the small but excellent Midas Verlag has also been working as Publishing Director at the large Werd Verlag publishing house. He brought a book from his own publishing house entitled "Vom Geschäft mit Büchern" as a small gift for the job interview. It was written by Jason Epstein, one of the most important figures in American publishing, who, among other things, established the paperback as an independent format. Zäch intends to continue to devote around 20 percent of his working time to program management at Midas, while 80 percent will be reserved for Werd Verlag, "although in the end, of course, that will be a commitment of more than 100 percent", according to the new publishing director.
As an outsider, Zäch "saw relatively quickly" where a breath of fresh air was needed after 17 years at Werd Verlag. "With over 200 titles, the program is very large, but also somewhat diffuse," he says. "That's the point where you have to streamline on the one hand, but on the other hand you can also bring in something completely new."
"You have to examine a lot of concepts and manuscripts in order to select the few percent that ultimately make up a coherent program," is the credo of his publishing work. To this end, Zäch attends events ranging from the Frankfurt Book Fair to the London Book Fair and the most important trade fairs in America. This networking provides the necessary contacts and a feel for "what's going on in the industry".
The dual citizen, who was born in New York and grew up in St.Gallen, counts several US authors and publishers among his good friends and is convinced that in the publishing industry, the smaller ones often have the better chances, as they can react more quickly and have more credibility and profile due to their proximity to the target group. "Publishing is by nature a pre-industrially organized industry: decentralized, improvised, personal, most efficient in small groups of like-minded people who love their craft, are concerned about their autonomy and are very sensitive to the needs of writers and the diverse interests of readers," Epstein's "On the Business of Books" also states. Zäch therefore believes that "a small publisher like me can be good for Werd Verlag" because he comes from a different corner in terms of his way of thinking. Book publishers in corporations often have the mindset and structures of corporations, "but are actually small businesses themselves". Zäch is convinced that the flexibility of a small publishing house can be combined with the strength of a company and that good money can be earned in the book industry with such an attitude, provided you have a feel for the right projects.
"Looking Good in Print" was the name of one such book with which Gregory C. Zäch launched his Midas publishing house around 15 years ago. He translated, laid out, edited and published the bestseller on the subject of desktop publishing himself. The specialist book is now in its fifth, revised edition, which is "rather rare for a computer book".
Another bestseller is the "Midas Macintosh Bible", which has already sold over 20,000 copies. This work is also based on the recipe for success that Zäch adopts a good concept idea from the USA, for example, and then "fills it with his own local content". As a specialist book publisher, he works in a very target group-oriented way and knows exactly where the needs are. The "QuarkXPress insider book" he published has sold more than 65,000 copies because it was the first useful book on the subject.
At Werd Verlag, he wants to expand existing core competencies and add new forms. Zäch can also well imagine a new series of non-fiction books in the fields of communication, advertising and media. "A publishing house within the Tamedia company can certainly demonstrate great credibility and expertise in this area."
What Zäch is less interested in are sponsored books without a profile. These would dilute the program and would therefore not be free of charge for the publisher, but would possibly cost a lot. "Do it right or don't do it" has always been Gregory C. Zäch's strategy.
He was already doing this as a 16-year-old with articles for music and film magazines. After a traineeship at Ostschweiz, he joined the founding team of Radio Aktuell as a news editor. He also studied business administration at the HSG and journalism and English studies in Zurich and Cambridge. Together with a colleague who had attended the Ringier School of Journalism with him, he founded the trend magazine Sputnik, which was later joined by Sputnik TV (on Tele Züri). One of the first titles that Zäch was able to present in his new role was "Nahsehen", Hugo Bigi's book to mark the tenth anniversary of TeleZüri.
Believes that "a small publisher like me can do Werd Verlag good": Gregory C. Zäch.
Andreas Panzeri
As an outsider, Zäch "saw relatively quickly" where a breath of fresh air was needed after 17 years at Werd Verlag. "With over 200 titles, the program is very large, but also somewhat diffuse," he says. "That's the point where you have to streamline on the one hand, but on the other hand you can also bring in something completely new."
"You have to examine a lot of concepts and manuscripts in order to select the few percent that ultimately make up a coherent program," is the credo of his publishing work. To this end, Zäch attends events ranging from the Frankfurt Book Fair to the London Book Fair and the most important trade fairs in America. This networking provides the necessary contacts and a feel for "what's going on in the industry".
The dual citizen, who was born in New York and grew up in St.Gallen, counts several US authors and publishers among his good friends and is convinced that in the publishing industry, the smaller ones often have the better chances, as they can react more quickly and have more credibility and profile due to their proximity to the target group. "Publishing is by nature a pre-industrially organized industry: decentralized, improvised, personal, most efficient in small groups of like-minded people who love their craft, are concerned about their autonomy and are very sensitive to the needs of writers and the diverse interests of readers," Epstein's "On the Business of Books" also states. Zäch therefore believes that "a small publisher like me can be good for Werd Verlag" because he comes from a different corner in terms of his way of thinking. Book publishers in corporations often have the mindset and structures of corporations, "but are actually small businesses themselves". Zäch is convinced that the flexibility of a small publishing house can be combined with the strength of a company and that good money can be earned in the book industry with such an attitude, provided you have a feel for the right projects.
"Looking Good in Print" was the name of one such book with which Gregory C. Zäch launched his Midas publishing house around 15 years ago. He translated, laid out, edited and published the bestseller on the subject of desktop publishing himself. The specialist book is now in its fifth, revised edition, which is "rather rare for a computer book".
Another bestseller is the "Midas Macintosh Bible", which has already sold over 20,000 copies. This work is also based on the recipe for success that Zäch adopts a good concept idea from the USA, for example, and then "fills it with his own local content". As a specialist book publisher, he works in a very target group-oriented way and knows exactly where the needs are. The "QuarkXPress insider book" he published has sold more than 65,000 copies because it was the first useful book on the subject.
At Werd Verlag, he wants to expand existing core competencies and add new forms. Zäch can also well imagine a new series of non-fiction books in the fields of communication, advertising and media. "A publishing house within the Tamedia company can certainly demonstrate great credibility and expertise in this area."
What Zäch is less interested in are sponsored books without a profile. These would dilute the program and would therefore not be free of charge for the publisher, but would possibly cost a lot. "Do it right or don't do it" has always been Gregory C. Zäch's strategy.
He was already doing this as a 16-year-old with articles for music and film magazines. After a traineeship at Ostschweiz, he joined the founding team of Radio Aktuell as a news editor. He also studied business administration at the HSG and journalism and English studies in Zurich and Cambridge. Together with a colleague who had attended the Ringier School of Journalism with him, he founded the trend magazine Sputnik, which was later joined by Sputnik TV (on Tele Züri). One of the first titles that Zäch was able to present in his new role was "Nahsehen", Hugo Bigi's book to mark the tenth anniversary of TeleZüri.
Believes that "a small publisher like me can do Werd Verlag good": Gregory C. Zäch.
Andreas Panzeri
