Capra Press rolls with tradition

By Melinda Ann Yao,Voice Staff Reporter

Robert Bason beams at the mere mention of Capra Press, the renowned Santa Barbara publishing company he purchased last year.

The lifelong collector of books, mainly modern fiction, says the transition from collecting to publishing books was natural. He’s been an Assistant Chancellor for UCSB and a fundraiser for non-profit charities, but he secretly knows he’s been destined to be a publisher.

"For me, it’s such an issue of happiness," he said. "I realized I probably should have been doing this 30 years ago."

Bason’s new endeavor has forced him to feel his way through the business. But with help from his friends, colleagues and advisory board, he’s becoming a high-quality publisher.

"I’m quite frankly in the process of learning right now," he said. "As I go, everybody’s been enormously helpful. John Daniel’s been helpful. Ralph Sipper has been enormously helpful. And, I’ve brought around a board of advisors, made up of authors and publishers, who have been wonderful in helping me. Everybody wants to see Capra Press stay alive because it’s such a historically important press."

The Capra name comes with a strong tradition of excellent literary and non-fiction books bearing the hand carved goat emblem. The Capricorn was founder Noel Young’s personal totem. The logo also adorned Young’s printing business during his early ink-filled days working with his Heidleberg print press. The zealous craftsman published an eclectic selection of his favorite authors and lifestyle topics, including his own works, "Santa Barbara Architecture," currently in its third edition and "Hot Tubs."

Capra Press is the oldest continuously operated small press on the West Coast. Early Capra books have become valuable collectibles, including first editions by Henry Miller, Anais Nin, Ray Bradbury, Raymond Carver, Lawrence Durrell, Gretel Ehrlich and Ross McDonald.

The publishing world is a living machine, with many breathing components to juggle, from editing and designing to marketing and working with authors. Bason has enlisted the help of Goleta’s own Richard Barre, winner of the 1996 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. mystery. Barre welcomes the new challenge. He brings his sensitivity as a writer and former owner of his own public relations company to his position as Associate Publisher of Capra Press. He’s also untangling the ropes of the press and describes his learning process as a wild ride.

"It’s stepping in the door onto an escalator that’s going a hundred miles an hour," he said. "And you just have to go with it and grab that ski tow-rope and hang on and do what you have to do all day long. No two days are ever the same. It’s an amazing texture of stuff that goes on all the time. So, you just have to be prepared, take a deep breath and go with it.

"I bring in my perspective as a writer," he said. "My challenge is to put out the best books that we can. I’m absolutely committed to making the books look as big as they possibly can, to be strong beacons for the shelves of the bookstores, and I want them to be books we can all be proud of."

Previously, Walker & Co. and Berkeley Prime Crime published Barre’s early Hardesty novels. He’s had success and experience with New York presses, but he’s been disappointed by the lack of finesse and craft associated with market-driven publishers. His forthcoming mystery, "Burning Moon," will be published in-house at Capra, where Barre has the advantage of greater control over the finished product. The Goletan says he prefers publishing his book in a smaller press rather than the larger publishing houses in New York.

"I’ve had experience with New York," he said. "And, frankly, I think New York is big and that’s about all you can say about that. The people who run the book business in New York are not book people. It’s not to say good books aren’t coming out from New York; they are. At least, in my genre, I think they’re missing the boat in many cases. They tend to be run by the marketing people back there.

"We have ambitious plans to carry on the Capra tradition and maybe take it in some directions that are going to be uniquely our own. I hope small presses will be repositories of quality work and, as such, we can keep the good tradition of writing alive. This is a very unique pursuit. To think that maybe we can have a chance to make a difference in this world of quality literature."

The new Capra publishers are proud of their first set of books, including titles by Santa Barbara’s prolific 98-year-old writer, John Sanford, and Robert Emmons, the poet who is also chairman and CEO of Smart & Final.

The first book of the new Capra team, "The Star," will debut this month. The gift-sized hardbound Christmas story by Richard Barre, with an introduction by Michael Connelly and cover by Frank Goad, UCSB’s Arts & Lectures graphic designer, is a stocking-stuffer mystery.

Bason wants to ensure his books appreciate in value and reach the attention of book collectors. He expresses paternal pride in his unique selections.

"It’s such a joyful experience to be able to take the works of great authors and be able to give birth to them and get them out to the public," he said. "It feels like you’re leaving something for generations to come, which is wonderful and remarkable. I see writers like John Sanford, who’s 98, still writing works, all of his life being an author, and we are the ones who actually get to put it out so people can read it. It’s a dream come true."

Photo Caption: Richard Barre, left, and Robert Bason proudly carry on the Capra Press tradition. Capra Press is the oldest continuously operated small press on the West Coast.