The Laurus Company is owned and operated by Nancy E. Williams, a businesswoman, graphic designer, and book editor whose career spans three decades.
In 1980, Nancy opened Graphic Professionals, Inc., a commercial graphics and design studio in Atlanta, Georgia. Her 100+ clients appreciated the benefits of her editing and writing skills as she corrected and improved their printed materials. Many of them stayed with the company for over a decade. In the mid ’90s, after personal computers and desktop publishing took a huge bite out of commercial graphics businesses, Nancy closed shop but continued to work at home. She was still producing a magazine for one of her clients 25 years later. It was this client who encouraged her to learn web development in order to have the magazine online. Their first website contained over 50 artistically designed and unique pages.
During that time, Nancy landed a contract to edit and produce Christian books. She knew she had found her niche. After closing the graphics company, she continued her work as a freelance book editor and web developer.
With a heart for helping people, she was grieved when she saw authors struggling to find the right resources for publishing and/or printing their books. She saw some of them make unwise decisions and others fall prey to unscrupulous vendors. She knew she had knowledge and experience that could help guide them. She has stated that most first-time authors are like fish out of water, struggling to survive on a beach full of cats.
Nancy’s decision was made. In May 2009, she incorporated and with the help of her daughter, Diana Meadows, hung out her shingle as The Laurus Company, a full-service publisher. In addition to editorial and design services, she now provides book printing as a small publisher with the Ingram Group, providing economical Print-On-Demand (POD) printing, as well as traditional offset printing as needed. Her affiliation with Ingram Books means the books she publishes are affordable to print in small quantities and are available for retail sales through the major booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, Spring Arbor, etc. In addition to the U.S. market, Laurus Books are also available in Canada, the United Kingdom, the countries of the European Union and Australia. By the end of 2011, Brazil and the Far East will be added to this line-up of countries. E-books are in markets worldwide. The Laurus Company is one of the few publishers who also offers distribution and fulfillment services. As the company grows, watch for more exciting news from The Laurus Company.
Nancy is married with four grown children and a wallet full of grand-pics.