Polipoint Press
Encyclopedia
PoliPointPress was a San Francisco Bay Area
publishing
company, originally founded to print the work of University of Phoenix
founder John Sperling
. In 2004 it published its first book, Sperling's own The Great Divide, a book of essays and full-color illustrations arguing that the Democratic Party, in order to retake the United States presidency, must abandon efforts in the allegedly culturally backwards "red states." The company was brought into being to "bring new ideas and perspectives into the body politic, to ignite dialogue,” according to publisher Scott Jordan, a former publicist for the Saudi Arabian government.
The company later expanded its range of titles to include progressive books by Joe Conason
, among others. Its offices were in Sausalito, California
.
The company closed in 2011, selling off rights to its books to Paradigm Publishers and Berrett-Koehler Publishers
.
, a grassroots Web site. In the ensuing fallout, prominent Daily Kos pundit Markos Moulitsas called PoliPointPress a "den of thieves."
The controversy began in 2005, when the Buy Blue activists were in talks with PoliPoint to print their book. But publishing director Scott Jordan withdrew the deal, claiming to have "run out of time" to produce the book on schedule. In fact, PoliPointPress was about to produce its own book, The Blue Pages, covering similar ground but without paying or involving the activists.
To Moulitsas and the activists, this was a theft of an original idea. Moulitsas
called for a boycott. BuyBlue tried without success to halt the release of the book. PoliPointPress's editorial director, Peter Richardson, offered a different account, calling the new book "complementary" to the Web site.
In 2010, despite having lambasted PoliPoint's Scott Jordan as unethical, Markos Moulitsas announced he'd joined with the company to publish his book, American Taliban.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
company, originally founded to print the work of University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
founder John Sperling
John Sperling
John Glen Sperling is an American businessman who is credited with leading the contemporary for-profit education movement in the United States. His fortune is based on his founding of the for-profit University of Phoenix for working adults in 1976, which is now part of the publicly traded Apollo...
. In 2004 it published its first book, Sperling's own The Great Divide, a book of essays and full-color illustrations arguing that the Democratic Party, in order to retake the United States presidency, must abandon efforts in the allegedly culturally backwards "red states." The company was brought into being to "bring new ideas and perspectives into the body politic, to ignite dialogue,” according to publisher Scott Jordan, a former publicist for the Saudi Arabian government.
The company later expanded its range of titles to include progressive books by Joe Conason
Joe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
, among others. Its offices were in Sausalito, California
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
.
The company closed in 2011, selling off rights to its books to Paradigm Publishers and Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is a book publishing company in San Francisco, California, that publishes books on progressive business practices, current events, and work/life issues.- History :...
.
Daily Kos controversy
In 2006, the company met with criticism over whether it dealt ethically with BuyBlue.orgBuyBlue.org
BuyBlue.org was an online consumers' guide designed to help progressives in the United States choose brands that favored their politics. Its editors rated companies based on their campaign contributions and other factors. Its name refers to the popular idea of the U.S...
, a grassroots Web site. In the ensuing fallout, prominent Daily Kos pundit Markos Moulitsas called PoliPointPress a "den of thieves."
The controversy began in 2005, when the Buy Blue activists were in talks with PoliPoint to print their book. But publishing director Scott Jordan withdrew the deal, claiming to have "run out of time" to produce the book on schedule. In fact, PoliPointPress was about to produce its own book, The Blue Pages, covering similar ground but without paying or involving the activists.
To Moulitsas and the activists, this was a theft of an original idea. Moulitsas
called for a boycott. BuyBlue tried without success to halt the release of the book. PoliPointPress's editorial director, Peter Richardson, offered a different account, calling the new book "complementary" to the Web site.
In 2010, despite having lambasted PoliPoint's Scott Jordan as unethical, Markos Moulitsas announced he'd joined with the company to publish his book, American Taliban.