Summer is a busy time for the MODG bookstore, and our bookstore crew is happy to give an inside look at the process!
“The six weeks from mid-July to the end of August tend to be the bookstore’s busiest season!” shares Cecilia Bockrath, the bookstore manager. “We have a lovely team of eight ‘packers’ helping us this summer! It's always a busy process getting the books out, but we try to ship packages within a day of receiving the order.”
Bockrath tracks the popularity of each item and adjusts the bookstore’s supply as necessary. Inventory is kept on handmade shelves built by the MODG office team themselves!
“When I began working as the bookstore manager I was surprised to find that the grade school geography books are some of MODG’s most popular items,” she says. “We even have schools that will reach out to us about using those books! The Beginning Latin series, the grade school art books and Our Catholic Hymns are also popular sellers.”
In addition to carrying books that we purchase from suppliers, the MODG bookstore also publishes some of its own titles each year.
“The number of books we publish each year can be anywhere from four to eight titles!” says Elizabeth Yanoschik, publications manager. “Sometimes it’s a brand new book like an art book or elementary workbook. Other times it's a reprint of a title we've obtained the copyright for.”
Yanoschik is deeply involved in the preparation process for MODG-published books, from the initial stages of organizing material and obtaining quotes from printers down to the final steps of formatting and finalizing the text.
“This can take weeks to a few months,” she says, “depending on the length of the book and whether it has images and more involved formatting, or if it is just a simple black and white text inside. The printing process can take up to two months.”
One of the MODG bookstore’s most recently-published titles is Fifth Grade Art, a collection of Biblical paintings accompanied by study questions designed to strengthen observation and memorization skills.
“I'm most excited about our new art book!” says Yanoschik. “This one is a bit different because it’s all sacred art and that makes it unique compared to the other art books that have a mix of sacred and non-sacred. When reading the Bible or listening to Scripture at Mass, having beautiful images like these pop to mind for meditation is really wonderful.”
The MODG bookstore exists to serve our families and to make it easier for them to obtain the materials for their children’s education. We are honored and encouraged to be able to assist so many families in their mission of homeschooling!
“I think we’ve shipped approximately 2.5 million pages this year!” says Bockrath.
(Photos courtesy of Cecilia Bockrath.)