“Gadji” is a recently released novel...

“Gadji” is a recently released novel about a Bosnian gypsy

family’s struggle for political asylum in France. It examines the

perseverance of the family as they overcome numerous obstacles in

obtaining refuge. The book’s publishers, Holly and Jon Gruber of

Costa Mesa, are intimately familiar with adversity and perseverance.

After starting a publishing company and signing Gadji’s author for

their first book, Holly was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. Instead

of giving up on the project, they decided to forge ahead and carry

out the publishing process.

The daily process of reviewing the manuscript while working toward

the ultimate goal of publishing it helped Holly deal with the taxing

effects of chemotherapy and eventually triumph over the cancer.

“Instead of sitting around every day, wondering what could happen,

I had a job,” Holly said. “It was therapeutic. I had a reason to get

up.”

Holly and Jon were drawn into the scintillating world of

publishing around the time they had their first child and Holly was

looking for an intellectual pursuit. She considered writing a book

and began wondering how she would publish it. As she and her husband

started scanning the shelves of local bookstores, they had an

epiphany that they could start a boutique publishing company. “We’d

be browsing for books and thought, ‘This could be done better,’” Jon

said. “We were pretty analytical.”

The Grubers’ passion for reading was also fueled by their

participation in a book club called “Hrududu,” based on a word in

rabbit talk for “car” from the best-selling novel “Watership Down.”

Jon had some publishing experience when he worked for a company that

published the National Medical School Review.

So in 2000, the couple decided to start the next chapter of their

lives and opened a small, general publishing company called Quality

Words in Print. The couple works out of a small home office in Costa

Mesa, but will probably find a larger space when they grow out of

their current digs.

Like any business that depends on relationships, it took a while

to establish themselves. It also took a long time to find the ideal

first author, said Holly, who usually read the manuscripts first. Her

criteria?

It had to be compelling, with a unique voice.

They found their first author, Louise Domaratius, in France.

Domaratius, an American writer and teacher, had already garnered

awards for her short stories and was working on her first novel.

“I saw a lot of clever stories, but this particular one felt

authentic,” Holly said. “I felt seduced by it. I feel like, as a

reader, it’s so rare to have that experience where you get lost in a

manuscript.”

The Grubers received the manuscript in January 2001 and committed

to publishing the book seven months later.

Next was the labor-intensive process of content editing, which

involves restructuring the characters. As Holly and Domaratius

e-mailed each other drafts of the manuscript -- sometimes in the wee

hours of the morning -- a transatlantic friendship started to

blossom. It was in October when Holly found a lump on her neck that

turned out to be Hodgkin’s Disease. The shock caused the Grubers to

decide not to take on any more books at the time, but the doctor’s

positive attitude buoyed them to continue working on their first

project.

“Luckily, I was very friendly with [Domaratius] at this point,”

Holly said. “So I told her. And we let each other know [how we were

doing] on a day-to-day basis. Some days, I couldn’t do anything. She

was very understanding.”

Domaratius is equally impressed with Holly’s stamina and

professionalism.

“Holly is an exceptional person,” Domaratius wrote by e-mail. “She

brought ‘Gadji’ to fruition in the face of crushing circumstances....

And although I knew Holly was undergoing harsh treatments, she

tactfully spared me from realizing fully how difficult those times

were for her.”

The Grubers’ desire to complete the publishing process was

facilitated by fortuitous contacts like finding the same cover

designer who did the artwork for John Irving’s latest novel. They

also contracted out for a lot of the work instead of trying to take

it on themselves.

Friends and family also offered support, dropping off pizza for

Jon and their children on the days Holly went to chemotherapy and

keeping her spirits up with e-mails, cards, flowers and hugs. Despite

the waxing and waning of her energy due to the cancer and

chemotherapy, Holly’s focus on getting the book published never

wavered.

“This was [Domaratius’] baby,” Holly said. “She had taken a chance

on me as a new publisher. I felt a tremendous obligation to her to do

this book justice.”

The Grubers’ victories over their personal and professional

struggles converged on June 2 -- the day the book came out and Holly

received the first indication she was cancer free. She remains so

today.

“It was a real triumph for us,” Holly said. “In spite of the

difficulties, many agree it’s a high-quality, well-written product. I

don’t know if I could have done it better if I was in good shape.”

Domaratius agrees.

“I am delighted with the final product, a striking, hard-cover

volume every bit as handsome and professionally rendered as those

brought out by the biggest and longest-established presses,” she

wrote by e-mail.

“Gadji” has received some favorable reviews in respected journals,

Jon said. The Grubers are now moving full-speed ahead into the

future, with three more novels lined up to be published, including

another one from Domaratius. Their goal as a small, boutique

publisher is to elevate the literary genre to the discriminating

readers’ taste.

“We want to keep our list interesting and not appeal to the lowest

common denominator,” Holly said. And Holly may soon be searching for

a publisher of her own since she has already written another book,

using her battle-fought experience as a publisher to enhance her

marketability.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.