By Chris
Lewis, clewis@nashvillecitypaper.com July 26,
2005
A construction
contractor's foray into book publishing to address the
language barrier between Anglo and Hispanic construction
workers has caught the attention of the world's largest
book distributor.
Ingram Book Co., based in La
Vergne, has picked up The Lingo Guide for
Builders for world-wide distribution into its
network of 30,000 retail accounts.
Ed and Tina
White wrote and self-published the English/Spanish
translation guide as a way to help Ed communicate with
Hispanic members on his crews. The book contains phrases
specific to construction, culled from White's 15 years
of doing remodeling projects in Nashville.
The
Whites didn't seek out Ingram; the wholesaler approached
them after reading about the guide in the June 8 edition
of The City Paper.
Within a week after
submitting the book for review, the Whites were informed
that Ingram's supplier relations department had welcomed
the book into the Ingram family. Now, the Whites will
work with an Ingram buyer to market the book to Ingram's
vast network of retail accounts, Tina White
said.
"This is all uncharted water for us. We
build houses. This has just been a wonderful
experience," she said.
White said Ingram will
purchase the books as demand dictates. Meanwhile, word
of the book has spread fast among Nashville-area
contractors and the Hispanic community, who have
embraced the product with a rush of orders since its
mid-June debut.
The book is already carried in some
Nashville-area stores, including Borders Books and
Puckett's Grocery in Leiper's Fork, where the Whites
reside.
