Cedar Fort, Inc.

Cedar Fort, Inc. is a mid-sized publisher based in Utah, USA. Founded in 1986 by Lyle Mortimer and Lee Nelson,[1] Cedar Fort has evolved from a niche Latter-day Saints book publisher, to a national multimedia company, with offerings in film, audiobooks, art and gifts alongside its book catalog. In 2015, Publishers Weekly named Cedar Fort one of its top ten fastest growing publishers.[2]

Cedar Fort, Inc.
StatusActive
Founded1986
FoundersLee Nelson, Lyle Mortimer
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters location2373 W. 700 S. Springville, UT.
DistributionWorldwide
ImprintsFront Table Books, Bonneville Books, Sweetwater Books, Hobble Creek Press, CFI, Plain Sight Publishing, Council Press, Pioneer Plus, Horizon Publishers
Official websitewww.cedarfortbooks.com

Imprints
  • Front Table Books - cookbooks and outdoors. Titles include:
    • Artisan Caramels[3]
    • A to Z Cookbook for Kids[4]
  • Bonneville Books - Latter-Day Saint themed fiction, including romance and young adult fantasy. Titles include:
    • Mile 21[5]
    • My Loving Vigil Keeping[6]
  • Sweetwater Books
    • Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand[7]
  • Hobble Creek Press - outdoors, preparedness and gardening.
  • CFI - LDS doctrinal titles for youth and adults.
  • Plain Sight Publishing - national non-fiction.
  • Council Press - one of the oldest imprints of Cedar Fort; primarily historical fiction, near death experiences and the works of Lee Nelson.
  • Pioneer Plus - gifts and journals.
  • Horizon Publishers - titles from the acquisition of the former publishing house of the same name; primarily LDS-themed imprint. Titles:
    • Prophecy: Key to the Future

History

Founding

Cedar Fort, Inc was founded in May 1986 and initially produced LDS Books for other publishers.[1] The company's first book, Beyond the Veil by Lee Nelson (author of the Storm Testament Series), was published in September 1987. Beyond the Veil became an instant bestseller leading to an extended series which has sold more than 250,000 books.[1]

Merges/acquisitions

Over the years, Cedar Fort has merged with companies and acquired others. Most notable of these are Lee Nelson's Council Press (1998), Horizon Publishers (2004), Pioneer Plus (2004) and Books & Things Catalog (2012) [1]

Pioneer Plus

Pioneer Plus created and sold LDS products for over 30 years before becoming a part of Cedar Fort, Inc. Cedar Fort continues to produce over 150 Pioneer Plus products every year.

Current operations

Cedar Fort began publishing for a national audience in 1998. The company currently produces and sells around 165 books, various CDs, DVDs and ebooks every year.

In recent years, it has increased distribution with distributors and national chains such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Books a Million, Anderson, Costco, Barnes & Noble, Sam's Club and Brodart.

Film distribution

The Saratov Approach

In 2014, Cedar Fort launched its LDS DVD & Blu-ray distribution with the film The Saratov Approach. The movie grossed more than $2.1 million at the box office. The DVD and Blu-ray distribution began on March 11, 2015.[8]

Wayward

The only other film project that Cedar Fort has taken on was Wayward, which re-tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible set in modern times.

The film was released in theatres on November 7, 2015, and is available on DVD.[9]

Controversy

Gay author biography dispute

In August 2013, Cedar Fort was involved in a dispute over the content of the author biography for the book Woven, a young adult fantasy novel. The author, Michael Jensen, wanted his biography to include the fact that he lived "in Salt Lake City with his boyfriend" — just as his co-author's biography included reference to the co-author's wife.[10] Cedar Fort's acquisitions editor, Angie Workman, sent Jensen an email citing concerns that including the reference would harm Cedar Fort's relationship with LDS-owned bookstores,[11] an assertion that Seagull Book officials said was "speculation".[12] Jensen offered to change "boyfriend" to the non-gender-specific "partner", but Cedar Fort declined. When Jensen persisted with his biography request, Cedar Fort's founder and publisher Lyle Mortimer refused and, according to Jensen, became belligerent and offensive, allegedly accusing Jensen of trying to destroy families and telling him that "God gave you a penis for a reason".[10][11][12][13] In a media interview about the controversy, Cedar Fort's then-president, Bryce Mortimer, did not address Jensen's allegations about Lyle Mortimer's behavior, but did say that Jensen was merely using "our company as a springboard for supporting [homosexuality]".[12] There are always two sides to a controversy. The references mainly point to input from only one side. The fact that the publishers have printed other books by gay authors seems to support Mortimer's claims. Its 2019 book, Is He Nuts?: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ (hardcover, August 30, 2019) written by a gay Mormon author Dennis Schleicher, would testify to that.

The ensuing media furore eventually resulted in Cedar Fort returning publishing rights to Jensen and his co-author, who, thanks to the international attention, sold Woven at auction to Scholastic Press.[14] The controversy also triggered a petition from Utah authors (including Carla Kelly and Jeffrey Scott Savage), most of them LDS and many signed by Cedar Fort, criticizing Mortimer for his alleged actions. Further confusing the issue, Cedar Fort had just published The Reluctant Blogger, which includes a sympathetic gay supporting character, leading several of the authors to complain about Cedar Fort's inconsistent approach to homosexuality.[15]

Religious book

In 2014, Cedar Fort published The Lost Teachings of Jesus on the Sacred Place of Women by the Brigham Young University professor Alonzo L. Gaskill. The book is based on the findings of the late 19th century Russian scholar Nicholas Notovitch, which contain the purported "lost teachings of Jesus Christ" from an ancient manuscript housed at a Buddhist monastery in India. Both Notovitch's and Alonzo's works have been challenged over the veracity of the source material.[16] "It's absolutely fraudulent," said University of Utah professor Dr. David Bokovoy in his opinion as to the book's source or accuracy.

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References
  1. "Cedar Fort, Inc.: History". Cedar Fort, Inc. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  2. Milliot, Jim (March 6, 2015). "Fast-Growing Independent Publishers, 2015". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. Habuda, Meaghan (October 16, 2014). "A taste of fall: Apple Pie Caramels". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. "Good Morning Arizona: Kids in the kitchen". AZFamily.com. October 12, 2013. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  5. "Whitney Awards 2013 Winners". Whitney Awards. 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  6. "Whitney Awards 2012 Winners". Whitney Awards. 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. "Rita Winners". RITA Award. 1995. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  8. http://universe.byu.edu/2014/04/02/the-saratov-approach-shatters-box-office-records-of-previous-mormon-films1/
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2015-07-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Piper, Matthew (August 22, 2013). "Author says Utah publisher refused to include gay partner in bio". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  11. Zara, Christopher (August 20, 2013). "Publisher Cancels Novel Because Author Is Gay? Michael Jensen Says Cedar Fort Publishing Axed Project Following Boyfriend Reference". International Business Times. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  12. Connolly, Caroline (August 21, 2013). "Author says company canceled plans to publish his book because he is gay". KSTU. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  13. Walters, Christian (August 21, 2013). "Utah Publisher Cancels Novel Because Author Is Gay". Towleroad. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
    - Nichols, James (August 22, 2013). "Michael Jensen, Gay Author Of 'Woven,' Claims He Lost Book Deal Because Of His Sexuality". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
    - Beschizza, Rob (August 21, 2013). ""God gave you a penis for a reason" – publisher cancels gay author's novel". BoingBoing. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  14. "Rights Report: Week of January 20, 2014". Publishers Weekly. January 23, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  15. Piper, Matthew (August 26, 2013). "Mormon authors back gay writer in squabble with Cedar Fort". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  16. Whitmer, Mike (May 11, 2014). "Book review: The Lost Teachings of Jesus on the Sacred Place of Women uses manuscripts which were claimed to contain Christ's words". Deseret News. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
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