Bronze Man Books Company History

Spawned from the Art of Publishing class, Bronze Man Books began in the spring semester of 2006 at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. The class is under the professorship of Dr. Randy Brooks, Chair of the English Department and the Writing major at Millikin University, Dean of Teaching & Learning, Media Arts Center Coordinator, and founder of Brooks Books and Ed Walker, Director of the Commercial Art & Computer Graphics majors and Chair of the Art Department at Millikin. The original intention of the class was to found an undergradute student-run publishing company in which students become an integral part of the publishing process.

As the semester progressed, the press was dubbed Bronze Man Books --named so for the bronze, student statue at the center of the Millikin University campus. Identity was further established with the creation of the Bronze Man logo and later the mission statement. As the title of the course implies, the class originally sought out English and Art majors. Therefore, as the press began to grow, an extreme emphasis was put on the quality integration of design and content – a desire to create a product unlike any other on the market.

As a smaller business, Bronze Man Books has a distinct advantage to take on more personalized projects, scrutinizing both content and aesthetics. The company is entirely student-owned and operated with the assistance of faculty and community advisors. Though the press maintains loyalty to Millikin University, Bronze Man Books is always in search of new, interesting, and challenging material, publishing both new and established authors dealing with the arts and education.

Art of Publishing Course History

Faculty Advisors Dr. Randy Brooks and Dr. Ed Walker invented a course named The Art of Publishing. The goal of which was to capitalize on the strong relationship between the English and Art departments, combining faculty resources and student ambition, in order to create a small, sustainable student-operated publishing group. The two professors, who possessed several decades of publishing experience individually, hoped to corral interested students into a course where innovation, creativity, teamwork, and communication were of equal necessity.

First cross-listed between the English and Art departments in the Spring semester of the 2005-2006 academic year, The Art of Publishing took off from the very beginning. Much was accomplished in founding Bronze Man Books as an official business during this first semester. As a result, the students and faculty advisors went about creating a mission statement, establishing a legal status, inventing a flexible corporate infrastructure, and planning for an inaugural project.

Bronze Man Books is comprised of three teams or divisions: Editorial, Production, and Marketing/Sales & Operations. Each team consists of four-to-six individuals whose personal skills and collaborative abilities qualify them for their position. The leader of each team holds a seat on the Managerial Board, who oversee the general direction and performance of the company.

Today, Bronze Man Books upholds a higher standard of professionalism and quality than ever before. Interviews for acceptance into the course are held biannually for the upcoming semesters; students entering the program understand the privilege and level of commitment that is expected of them. With more and more students from all areas of the university contributing to our Editorial, Production, Marketing staffs, the press draws from several varying areas of study in order to bring to life the chapbooks, children’s books, poetry collections, photo histories, and all the quality products of Bronze Man Books.