Ann Scholl Rinehart Steve Semken owns Ice Cube Press in North Liberty, Iowa.

Steve Semken didn’t start out with the idea of being a regional publisher. As it turned out, those were just the stories with which he felt most comfortable.

Semken, 44, of North Liberty, publishes "place-based" books through Ice Cube Press, which he started in 1993 and operates out of the home he shares with his wife, Laura, and 8-year-old daughter, Fenna. It is one of the longest-running, non-state-subsidized publishers in Iowa.

Why place-based books? Says Semken, "I am only able to work with what I know best, and that’s how to live in Iowa and the Midwest. I just believe that our Midwestern stories are valuable well beyond our region. I think you need to have a good feel for where you live to best live where you live."

Semken graduated from the University of Iowa in 1987 with a degree in history and English and went on to earn a master’s in English from the University of Kansas in 1990. He figured he would be a teacher, but after having a story published in a literary magazine while a graduate student, he became intrigued by the writer’s life. Still, he pursued teaching. When a teaching job didn’t turn up, he gave sales a try. It was during that career that he focused on writing. Semken spent lunch breaks at a bookstore. The idea of place-based stories was sparked by a collection of essays by Wendell Berry about the passing of community and farm life. A year later, while living out West, Semken started a newsletter called Sycamore Roots, sharing stories of those who were exploring why they lived where they lived. He shifted from publishing newsletters to publishing books in 1993, and Ice Cube Press was born.

He’s published nationally respected authors like Iowa State University professor Mary Swander as well as writers who have never been published. "The authors, the mix of tasks, the excitement of a new project" all keep Semken excited about his work.

His books have done well. "A Cook's Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland," a recent publication, has been a hit, Semken says. Books like "Letters to a Young Iowan" also have proved popular.

Asked why his press has survived when so many other small presses in Iowa haven’t, Semken says: "I treat authors and their books with respect, and I really care about the whole process of publishing, from the style of the font to the press releases … to even where the author does readings."

It helps that he’s an author, too. And he believes his sales training also prepared him to succeed in the publishing business. "It helped me immensely. Almost no other profession teaches you the need to move past failure. This lesson is vital in publishing."

His goal as a publisher is to "find the most believable and sincere people to tell the best stories of where we live." He says he walks a "tightrope" between finding good books and books that will sell. "In the end, there is no way for me to predict what makes a good submission. What works once may not work twice. Author Jim Harrison reflects my views well regarding publishing: ‘It only gradually occurred to me that it’s people’s solutions to their problems that interest me most.’"

"The biggest obstacle in publishing is that everyone wants to write a book but not everyone wants to buy books." Semken says. "I am glad to be noticed for the publishing of books that people are reading. My mantra is that to best live in the area you need to know the stories of the area."

When he looks at the stack of books he’s published, he says he’s surprised. "Even though I’ve been doing this for 15 years now, it’s not seemed all that long. I guess that’s what happens when you’re constantly learning and having to reinvent yourself. There are new and exciting challenges all the time. I can never hope to keep up."

Visit Ice Cube Press online at icecubepress.com.

Books published by Ice Cube Press in 2008

"A Cook's Journey: Slow Food In The Heartland," Kurt Michael Friese

"Desert Pilgrim," Mary Swander

"Under A Midland Sky," Thomas Dean

"Liberation of the Concentration Camps: Des Moines, Iowa Survivors," Adele Anolik

Coming in 2009

"The Sky Begins at Your Feet," Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

"Reruns," Patrick Irelan

"Ladybug Waltz" (children's book), Jeanette Hopkins

"Iowa Classics Reader," Zachary Michael Jack

Ann Scholl Rinehart is a frequent contributor to Radish.