About Us

Robert D. Reed - Book publisher, consultant, comedian, and "Idea Man"

Robert D. Reed (Bob) is the publisher of nearly 1,800 books and co-author of more than 50 books and resource guides on a wide range of subjects, including: environmental issues, current affairs, health, business excellence, responsible leadership, helping women to get elected to political offices, creating high-quality education, effective parenting, psychology, ending domestic violence and child abuse, homelessness, human and animal rights, healing racism, and peaceful activism. Profits from one of his cookbooks fed millions of children worldwide through the C.A.R.E. Organization in New York City. Many of his authors have been featured on television and radio programs, and in newspaper and magazine articles throughout the world.

The founder of Robert D. Reed Publishers, Bob has produced and distributed over 165 titles, including House Calls: How we can all save the world one visit at a time by Patch Adams, M.D. - the compassionate and humorous doctor portrayed by Robin Williams in Universal Picture's hit film, "Patch Adams."

For 40 years, Bob has been dedicated to producing quality books that help, inspire, and empower people, such as: RelationShift: Revolutionary Fundraising, The Joy of Selling, Preparing Heirs: Five Steps to a Successful Transition of Family Wealth and Values, and Saving The Soul of Medicine. Inspired by the book Ten Commitments, he published a Ten Commitment series: Ten Commitments to Your Success, ... for Networking, ... for Building High Performance Teams, ... to be Forever Fit, ... to be Mentally Fit, ... for Men, and Ten Commitments for Women.

Bob Reed is courageous in the topics he features in his publication picks, i.e., he has three books about ritual abuse.  The first one, Forgiveness and Child Abuse: Would YOU Forgive? includes 53 contributors, many influential well-known people, and has very wide applications to make this a better world. The second one is like an encylopedia/testbook on the subject of ritual abuse with 552 pages: Ritual Abuse in the Twenty-First Century: Psychological, Forensic, Social, and Politcal Considerations (featuring 21 contributors from eight countries and seven states), edited by Randy Noblitt and Pamela Perskin Noblitt. The newest book about ritual abuse is Fire and Water: A Safe Journey Through Multiple Personality Disorder by Anna Thomas, a personal memoir.

Bob's values are evident and reflected in the books he publishes. He has several memoirs of some very courageous people that serve as inspiration. And he is very proud how many influential people who dedicate their work to making this a better world have endorsed his authors and their books.

With authors, affiliates, movies, media appearances and endorsements such as:

Robert Muller, Patch Adams, Robin Williams,

Albert Ellis, Arun Gandhi, John Gray, Thomas Eagleton,

Oprah Winfrey, The Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS,

Kurt Waldheim, Mohammad Ali, Derrick Jensen,

Art Buchwald, Ed Asner, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter,

Mary Elizabeth King, Pat Buchanan,

Laura Davis, Daniel Quinn, Pete Seeger,

              Dr. Bernie Siegel, Ann Louise Gittleman,

Ken Blanchard, Jack Canfield, Steve Chandler

Gerry Spence, Lois Einhorn, Montel Williams,

Mike Thaler, Kenneth Wapnick, Malcolm Kushner,

Washington Post, People Magazine, CNN, Bob Brinker’s Money Talk, ABC.

Bob has experienced much satisfaction, happiness and success
being an independent publisher for over forty years.

He says often: “We love what we do!”

As the founder of Green-PR, a San Francisco-based public relations firm, Bob represented and promoted socially and environmentally responsible causes and organizations. He also has taught companies how to use more environmentally friendly products and packaging. As co-founder of a grassroots organization, CeaseFire (in San Francisco and Boston), Bob has been an advocate for ending gun violence in our communities. He is the publisher of a citizen's guide, 50 Things You Can Do About Guns, by his deceased friend and author; James M Murray, who was featured in a Bill Moyers' PBS special about violence.

Bob has lectured and has given seminars on publishing and social issues, including a publishing workshop while cruising through the Panama Canal and the Caribbean, and was featured on a panel discussion on effective ways to assist the homeless.

Bob has also produced a television show for Century Corporation in Japan on world peace. Hired the host, translators, chose the panel and managed the production at an NBC affiliate.

As an international marketing consultant, Bob has been involved with the research, development, and marketing of creative products, packaging, and services. He has also developed a unique and humorous line of greeting cards and gift items.

In 2005, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business and Marketing by Euclid University. Hundreds of articles have been written about Reed's innovative companies, projects, and ideas. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the West, Who's Who in Entertainment, and Who's Who in International Biographies.   His clients (for graphic design and printing work) have included Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Wang Computer, U.S. West Information Systems, U.S. Gypsum, and United Technologies.

Born in Pennsylvania, Bob moved with his parents to California as a young boy. At age 18, he joined the U.S. Army and served for three years in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in Germany. He has three married children and six grandchildren. He now lives and works on the beautiful Southern Oregon Coast. He enjoys watching high-quality and humorous films, plays and musicals, listening to great music, collects books, painting, taking walks on the beach, dancing, and traveling with his wife, Cleone.

A man with a wide range of close friendships and a wonderful relationship with his family, he also loves and maintains friendships with many of his authors. His contract with his authors has the word FUN in it, and FUN is how he creates his life, personally and professionally.

Bob’s distribution partners include: National distribution and sales representation by Midpoint Trade Books in New York, European sales by Gazell of London, John Reed Distribution of Australia/New Zealand, and foreign rights sales by Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency.

BOB'S STAFF, past and present:

CURRENT STAFF:

Cleone L. Reed, MSE - Cover and promotional materials designer, photographer, book production supervisor
Before joining RDR Publishers in 2004,Cleone was a mental health counselor, a writer, and a professional clown. She has a Masters in Education, Community Counseling from the University of Wisconsin. She married Bob September 13, 2008. Working with authors, she brings her counseling background and writing skills into her editorial work. A cover designer, she is also an avid photographer, does photo layouts for inside the books, and periodically contributes one of her own photos to a book cover. She works passionately to please her authors so they are very proud to promote their books. Cleone also creates the postcards and sell sheets for promoting the authors and their books, gets the ISBNs and LC numbers for the books, and she launches them onto the distributor's website so the books can be available wherever books are sold, onto Bowker Book's in Print, and on this website. She is a passionate cheerleader for all of her authors to market their books widely with courage and confidence, often feeding them ideas and assistance.

Comments authors have made about Cleone:

Dear Cleone: Thank you for making my dreams come true. It’s truly a spectacular cover. You were able to capture and create the vision I had for the book. The aesthetics of the cover is so captivating that it will only make my job of selling the book that much easier. It is said, "A picture says a thousand words," and this picture says it all. You are a truly a complete pleasure and blessing to work with. - Elizabeth Scott, author of Raindrops on Roman: Overcoming Autism: A Message of Hope

"Thank you, Cleone, for all your professional help, your support of my
little project, and the enthusiasm you brought to the table. I wish I
had another book in me, just so I could go through that experience
again." - Sara Burns, author of You're a Medical Whata?! A Lighthearted Peak into the World of a Medical Transcriptionist

"My very special thanks to Cleone Lyvonne who helped me co-write this book. Her ability to make clinical material sound very user-friendly and understandable is outstanding." - Dr. Machiel Kennedy, author of Ten Commitments to Be Forever Fit

"Cleone Lyvonne, Editor, always pleasant and helpful, stayed focused to help us present, in the most interesting manner, a story that begged to be told." - Judge Rohulamin Quander, author of The Quander Quality: The True Story of a Black Trailblazing Diabetic

Barbara Kruger - Typesetter, proof reader, book designer
For 15 years, Barbara worked for various graphics houses, and she worked in the software manual department of a computer manufacturer for 13 years. Literally, she has done it all: inputting, editing, writing, designing, cutting, pasting, proofreading, and managing other typesetters and editors. Barbara lives in the mountains in California.

Amy Cole - Book designer, typesetter, and cover designer
Living in Michigan, Amy works part-time for us while holding down a full-time job during the day. (More to come about Amy. Stay tuned.)

Dear Amy: So much goes into the writing of a book that many other parts may be overlooked. The production of a book includes more than just the author, illustrator, and editor; there are so many unsung heroes. Thank you for being one of mine. You provide the all-important finishing touches of a book. I am so fortunate to have your loving touch. - Elizabeth Scott, author of Raindrops on Roman: Overcoming Autism: A Message of Hope

Debby Gwaltney - Book designer, typesetter and cover designer

Debby has worked in the field of graphic design for 20+ years, as a marketing artist for major newspaper Sun-Sentinel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and as a composing manager for a smaller newspaper in Arkansas. Debby has also done freelance work designing pages for magazines and newsletters. Debby is also a glass beadmaker and jewelry designer of Starlight Designs Lampwork Beads and Jewelry and author of The Beader's Handbook on Lampwork: A Introduction to Working with Art Glass Beads. Debby lives with her family in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.

Malcolm Kushner - Creative and humor consultant
Malcolm is an internationally acclaimed expert on humor and communication, and one clever guy. A co-creator of the humor exhibit at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, he is the author of The Light Touch: How to Use Humor for Business Success and Public Speaking For Dummies. His radio and TV appearances include "The Larry King Show," Voice of America, C-SPAN, CNBC, and CNN. Malcolm was profiled in Time Magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal has called him "Irrepressible." Prior to becoming "America's Favorite Humor Consultant," Malcolm practiced law with a major firm in San Francisco.
His latest book, California Squizine, was published by our company. But our favorite latest coup for this brilliant man is that he officiated at Bob and Cleone's wedding with absolute rave reviews! Will he do more weddings now? We are watching and waiting to see!

FORMER STAFF (Bob is a great reference for all the following:)

Marilyn Yasmine Nadel - Book designer
Yasmine has worked as a book designer, writer, illustrator, and graphics production coordinator for over a decade. She earned a B.A. degree in Fine Arts from the University of Washington and a Graphic Design degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz Extension. Yasmine is a dedicated, talented, and hard-working freelance contractor for Robert D. Reed Publishers. She also works on books directly with some of the publishers' authors.

Kate Rakini - Editor
Kate is our newest editor and is Cleone's brilliant sister. She "happened into editing" while staying with Bob and Cleone and so totally amazed us with her observations and attention to detail and content that we now recommend her for some of our books. A spiritual mystic living with and caring for her elderly mother in Wisconsin, she finds it rewarding to help authors fine-tune their book for publication.

Dear Kate: What an insightful and fluent writer and editor you are. You were so thoughtful and compassionate in editing Roman’s story. It was a tremendous pleasure to work with someone who valued my words as much as I do. Thank you for finding the smallest of errors, for editing my sentences, and allowing me the freedom to express myself and maintain Roman’s story. Thank you for seeing the story for what it is; as you expressed to me in your own words, “a true love story.”

How blessed I am to find a true friend using only our words. Thank you. - Elizabeth Scott, author of Raindrops on Roman: Overcoming Autism: A Message of Hope

Jessica Bryan - EditorJessica Bryan - Editor, writer, proofreader
After 25 years of working with attorneys as a legal secretary, paralegal, and an office manager, Jessica decided that she would rather read books than legal documents. She has been editing manuscripts and writing marketing materials for Robert D. Reed Publishers. One author, Lloyd Wright, praised Jessica as being "a light at the end of the book production tunnel!" Another author, Richard Bellush, Jr., wrote this glowing endorsement: "Jessica has improved my book substantially!"

Grant Prescott - Creative Director, Graphic Designer, IS Manager
Grant has more than twenty-five years of experience in Data/Telecommunications and business management. Fifteen years were spent working in the Silicon Valley with such companies as Adobe Systems, Novell Inc., Netscape Communications, NASA Ames Research Center, Acuson, Excelan and Harman Interactive. He has worked for the US military, government contractor, non-profit and for-profit companies. He has worked in the radio communications, data communications, telecommunications, Cable TV installation, Broadband modem installation, newspaper publishing and book publishing industries in his very varied career. As owner of Coast Computer Consulting and Photography for the past ten years, he has worked as a Business Consultant, web designer, search engine consultant, graphic designer, and commercial photographer.
Before Grant left RDR for other professional pursuits, he patiently and skillfully taught Cleone Photoshop skills, for which she remains eternally grateful.

Leslie Shelton, Ph.D. - Editor, graphic artist, and administrator
Leslie recently completed her Ph.D. in Transformative Learning and Educational Psychology from Union Institute and University. She holds a Graphics Design certificate from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Her M.A. degree is in Student Personnel and Counseling and her B.S. degree is in Health and Physical Education. Leslie has worked as an educator, administrator, graphic artist, and counselor for 30 years. She was the Director of Project Read (an adult literacy program in the South San Francisco Public Library) for 14 years. Leslie now wears a variety of hats, providing administrative support; design, editorial, and marketing services; and project coordination for Robert D. Reed Publishers. She has illustrated a children's book, The Tree Deva: A Legend from India, and written several books on effective learning strategies, leadership development, making learning fun, and improving literacy instruction for adults. Leslie is listed in Who's Who in Education and Who's Who in America.

Lawrence Cleenewerck - Designer, and MIS director
Lawrence has worked as a Manager of Information Systems (MIS) Director and a Senior Systems Engineer for several major corporations. He has experience in Software Localization and Quality Control. He is an expert contributor to Europe's number one magazine for networking professionals, 01Networks, and he is an expert in Internet security and database systems.

He earned an A.A. degree in Accounting, an A.A. in International Trade, an A.A. in Computer Science, and a B.S. degree in Technological Marketing. He is one of the few computer professionals to hold the highest level of certification from Novell and Microsoft. His professional certifications are: Master Certified Network Engineer; Certified Novell Instructor Level I and II; Unix System V Certified Engineer; Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer; and Microsoft Certified Trainer.
Lawrence was born in Montpellier, France, and he grew up in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. His most recent achievement was to become ordained as a minister, and he and his wife currently reside and work in Southern Oregon.

Katherine Hyde - Book editor and designer
With over 20 years experience in book publishing, Katherine has worked as an editor, copyeditor, proofreader, book designer, and typesetter. For several years, she has been involved in book production as a freelance contractor with Robert D. Reed Publishers. She is a member of Bookbuilders West and Bay Area Editors' Forum.