Editor's Note: Margo Baldwin is one of the hardest-working independent publishers we know. This is a well-deserved award. Congratulations!

Read on:

Chelsea Green President and Publisher named one of 50 top women in book publishing

Margo Baldwin, President and Publisher of Chelsea Green Publishing, has been named one of the “50 Top Women in Book Publishing” by Book Business Magazine. In the first year of this annual award, Book Business appreciates those industry leaders who affect publishing in its entirety, from what—and how—consumers read to the future of the industry itself.
 
This year, the women selected range from the largest trade houses—such as Gina Centrello, President and Publisher of Random House; Carolyn Reidy, President and CEO of Simon and Schuster; and Nan Talese, Senior Vice President of Doubleday, and Publisher and Editorial Director of Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, Random House—to smaller educational publishers and university presses.  
 
Book Business shares a tip from each of the women on the Top 50 list. Baldwin says: “You must have a sustainable publishing model. That means hewing to an editorial focus and publishing niche, not paying oversized advances, keeping returns below 20 percent, and publishing content that not only is relevant and timely, but continues to add to your core backlist. Without backlist, no publishing company can survive.”
 
To see the complete list, click here.

Baldwin co-founded Chelsea Green Publishing in 1984 with her husband Ian Baldwin, which they operated out of their house on the town green in rural Chelsea, Vermont. Since then, the company has come to be regarded as the preeminent publisher of books on sustainable living, with foundational books on sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, green building, eco-cuisine, and, more recently, on progressive politics, including three New York Times Bestsellers: Don't Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff, The End of America by Naomi Wolf, and Obama's Challenge by Robert Kuttner.
 
For 25 years, Chelsea Green has been a leader, not only for its environmentally focused program, but also for trying to move the publishing industry toward more environmentally sound practices. It is a founding member of the Green Press Initiative and has been printing its books on recycled paper and using soy-based inks since the publication of its bestselling classic, The Man Who Planted Tress by Jean Giono (over half a million copies in print since it was first published in 1985). Currently the company prints more than 95 percent of its books on recycled paper with a minimum 30 percent post-consumer waste and often with 100 percent post-consumer content. This approach is a perfect example of what is called a "triple bottom line" practice, one that benefits people, planet, and profit, and the emerging new model for sustainable business in the 21st century.