By Deborah Hilcove
When Linda Radke was a little girl, her grandmother stressed taking pride in her work and in having a good reputation. Radke must have listened well because she now heads Five Star Publications, a West Chandler-based company that has been producing and marketing award-winning books since 1985.
Indicating the quality of these books, Amazon selected two Five Star books for this year’s National Reading Day—Conrad J. Storad’s Gator, Gator, Second Grader and Kathy Peach’s The Tiniest Tumbleweed.
Amazon’s Read Across America program features nine books from Five Star.
Asked about her company’s name, Radke explains that there were nine siblings in her family, five of whom—including her mother—served in World War II. During the war, parents displayed stars in their windows, one for each child in the service, a patriotic gesture.
Thus, “Five Star” became the family’s symbol.
Working with her authors, Radke says she enjoys “finding out their goals and expectations, regardless of whether they are coming to us with a book project or a marketing need; whether they dream of writing a best-seller or a publication for family and friends. I ask them to think about each part of the publishing process, because you can judge a book by its cover.”
“Producing a book may appear easy, but it takes a professional team, a ‘Five Star village,’ to make a book. With a great story, we can produce exceptional books, like Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, by Nicholas Bazan, M.D.” Set in New Orleans, the book is “art with a purpose,” and explores the life of a jazz singer who is gradually slipping away with Alzheimer’s disease. Made into a film, Una Vida was shown at the 2014 Vail Film Festival, where it was voted “Fan Favorite.”
“There’s more to writing a book than being an expert,” Radke says. “It’s probably as important to think about marketing a book as much as writing it.” That belief may have led to Radke’s selection as “Book Marketer of the Year” by Book Publicists of Southern California, following her own award-winning books, The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing and Linda F. Radke’s Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show.
A former elementary school teacher, Radke is dedicated to raising children’s literacy skills and helping develop a love for reading and writing. She’s established a second imprint, Little Five Star, “to produce, market and promote excellent literature for children. These books are ‘edu-taining.’ Many come with curriculum guides, book trailers, audiobooks, even performance puppets. Of course, there are media kits and social media promotions.”
One of the newest releases is Jamie’s Journey: Cancer from the Voice of a Sibling, authored by Sharon Wozney, a volunteer with Children’s Cancer Network. “It’s written specifically for siblings of pediatric cancer patients, a resource for children lost in the maze. It’s normal,” Radke says, “for them to feel confusion, guilt, jealousy—to struggle with feelings while so much attention is focused on the patient.”
In 2014, she launched StoryMonsters Ink, a free digital magazine with monthly features about authors and ‘books worth devouring,’ as well as stories written by children, accompanied by their photography and cartoons. She also launched Five Star Literacy Foundation (FSLF), an Arizona-based nonprofit for in-school writing projects, and she sponsors the Five Star Dragonfly Book Award Program, a national book contest that recognizes excellence in writing and publication.
However, perhaps her most personal effort involves the Mark Foster Youth Fund, honoring her brother and specifically helping youngsters and their families who are undergoing difficult times.
“My legacy? I want to be known for publishing books that make a difference.”
Perhaps her grandmother’s words were written in the “Stars”—Five Stars, that is.
