Marble Publishing is the professional home of Fred Sandsmark. Marblepub.com is the online home of Marble Publishing.

About me.

I've worked in publishing for my entire professional life. I've run Marble Publishing since 1997. Prior to that I spent ten years on staff at Sunset magazine, spent a couple of years as a typesetter (back when there was such a job), and wrote software manuals.

Through Marble Publishing I provide a variety of services. Primarily, I'm a writer and editor working in technology and business, but I've also written about the arts, travel, pets, and real estate. I've also helped people write and publish their own books, make websites, create and use digital asset managment, and establish computer backup strategies.

For fun, I read, garden, kayak, swim, cycle, sing in a semiprofessional chorus, and play bari sax in a concert band. (Most of these, especially the athletic endeavors, I do just for fun.) At left you can see my  musical genius asserting itself early on.

Why work with Fred Sandsmark?

The answer is twofold: breadth and depth.

When you hire me, you get twenty years of broad publishing experience -- everything from writing software manuals (my first job out of college) to assembling and packaging complicated book projects (such as the Natural History of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve) to writing clearly about complicated business and technology topics.

You also get the depth that comes with my hands-on experience with many aspects of the publishing process -- writing, editing, prepress, production, and printing. I like to put my work in context, and I think it results in a superior product. I try to ask lots of questions before and during a project to make sure it gets done right the first time.

Where did the name Marble Publishing come from?

When I started freelancing, I wanted to go through the process of starting a company. I wanted to learn about business structures, learn how to complete the necessary papers to get a business license, learn how to file for a "fictitious business name" (which always sounded weird to me; my business isn't fictitious!) -- all those things that are a part of having a business, even a one-person enterprise.

I lived in Roseville, California at the time. I went to the Placer County Small Business Development Center, which proved to be very helpful. I read Working Solo  by Terri Lonier (Portico Press), which was inspiring and informative. I also read Wage Slave No More by Stephen Fishman (Nolo Press), which was a great introduction to contracts, invoices, and all that jazz. (This book has since been renamed Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants. Much less catchy.)

Lonier's book convinced me that I needed a company name. In the time-honored writerly tradition I stared out the window, but found nothing. So I looked at my desk for inspiration. Rubber bands? Paper clips? Balky pens? My eyes fell on the big bowl of marbles that I've had since I was a kid. Why not Marble Publishing? I did a name search, and found there are hundreds upon hundreds of companies with "Marble" in their names -- mostly companies that install countertops and shower surrounds. But I found no Marble Publishing. I filed with the Clerk of Placer County (for both Marble Publishing and Marble Communications) and got a business license (#15084) from the City of Roseville. I also purchased the domain name marblepub.com.

In 2001 I returned to my hometown of Castro Valley, and now have my business license (#116762) through Alameda County.

Copyright © 1997 - 2006 Fred Sandsmark / Marble Publishing