Company
History
Publications Development Company was
founded in 1968 by Nancy Marcus (Land) in New York. With its humble beginnings
as a freelance proofreading supplier, Nancy quickly saw the
growing need for large publishing houses to outsource more
than simply proofreading and copyediting. As the company
began to grow, so did its list of services, which included
proofreading, copyediting, layout, and print oversight by
1975.
In 1977, Nancy married Jim Land and moved the company to
the small Texas town of Crockett. There, amidst the tall
pines destined to become great books, Jim became involved
with the company and brought his expertise in systems development
and computer technology to the forefront, making PDC one
the most technologically advanced compositors available.
By the mid-1980s, PDC was the outsourcing firm of choice
for major New York publishing houses such as Simon & Schuster,
HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Harcourt Brace. Specializing
in non-fiction, PDC quickly developed the reputation for
being able to handle complex designs, difficult subject matter,
complex material, and killer schedules.
In 2003, after earning his wings as a marketing director
of an architectural graphics company in Dallas, Matthew Land
joined the company as head of business development, bringing
with him a renewed interest in supplying independent authors
with the same great quality and service PDC had been supplying
to New York publishing houses. In 2004, Jim Land retired
from the company, and Matthew purchased Nancy and Jim’s
interest in PDC. Nancy Land continues to train copyeditors
and scrutinize the work of our proofreaders, while Jim works with PDC
in an advisory capacity. |
Executive Staff
Matthew Land,
President and Publisher
Matthew grew up in the publishing business, spending his
formative years first, playing in the office, then holding
any number of summer jobs around the company, from mail
room clerk to proofreader and from copyeditor to graphic artist.
After attaining his BA in English literature with a minor
in economics, Matthew became marketing director for an
architectural graphics company in Dallas, before purchasing
PDC in 2004.
Nancy Land, Senior Copyediting Manager
and Trainer
Pam Blackmon, Senior Project Manager
Pam has more than 20 years experience in the non-fiction
publishing field, managing books and helping authors in
a wide range of subjects from psychology to business to
political exposes. An expert in layout and material flow,
grammatical standards, and writing consistency, Pam leads
the PDC management team for non-fiction titles.
Elizabeth Chenette, Project Manager
After attaining BA in English writing and psychology
and her MS in library science, Elizabeth worked in various
school and university libraries where she acquired the
sharp eyes, organizational know-how, and attention to detail. Her
background provided a foundation for her stunning career
at PDC as a project manager focusing on the more unusual
projects we take on, such as the Library of Congress World
War II Desk Reference, books on prayer and morality, and
other titles that fit uniquely into the PDC work flow.
Celeste Johns, Manager, Word Processing and Production Preparation
Celeste Johns received her BA from St. Thomas University
in Houston, Texas, and began her career in the medical field,
which eventually brought her to Crockett. An expert in systems
analysis and its application to grammar, book structure,
and stylistic rules, Celeste continues to improve each and
every book that crosses her desk as she prepares them for
the final stage in pre-press production.
Tim Norland, Art Director, Designer
Jeri Smith, Manager, Interior Book Layout
and Composition
Shannon Harrison, Pre-Press Manager
Kathy Wells, Accounts Payable and Billing |
Professional
Book Editing, Design, and Layout Services Since 1968