"Flowers are Fun" author Janet Colter with her book published by her husband with production assistance from Wind Ridge Publishing.

by Lin Stone

According to Wake Robin resident Rudyard Colter, last year his family and friends "entered into a gentle conspiracy" to surprise Janet, his wife of 68 years on her 93rd birthday. He said he wanted to give her a gift that would "knock her socks off." Many years ago, Janet Colter had written and illustrated a book about wildflowers for her grandchildren and Rudyard's aforementioned "gentle conspiracy" plotted to revive the book and publish it in time for the celebration. Rudyard didn't have to travel far for help: Shelburne News' parent company, Wind Ridge Publishing, had a work-for-hire program that turned the manuscript and illustrations into Janet's book titled "Flowers are Fun, A Grandmother's Guide for Young People," self published by Colter under the moniker, "Planetary Publications." 

In WRP's work-for-hire program, self-publishing authors can contract for assistance with the editorial, graphic production, and printing of a manuscript. Although Wind Ridge Publishing also publishes its own titles under its own name, this separate program and service offers the community the opportunity to pull their "scribbling" out of bedside tables and desk drawers and bring them to fruition in a book and a legacy that can be shared with others. 

WRP publisher Holly Johnson commented, "Wind Ridge Publishing's book division publishes 6 -10 of its own carefully chosen books each year, (as we also publish two weekly newspapers and a regular magazine). However, the requests from the community for book publishing are far more than that number; this is one way we thought we could do that something more."

Regarding the process, Rudyard claimed, "It didn't hurt at all. That typifies the whole project - we had fun all along the way. There was months of preparation, but nobody peached to spoil the fun or the surprise." And the Colters hope to do some further good: proceeds from the sale of the book in the Wake Robin store will benefit the residents' assistance fund.

Rudyard concluded, "It was truly a labor of love. After 68 years of marriage, I was still able to knock her socks off. I am the luckiest man alive."