"We love collaborating with like-minded and passionate organizations," says this publisher of books engineered to inspire and enlighten:

You're located in Maui, so I'm curious how being a Hawaiian publisher impacts both the books you publish and how you do business. Do you cultivate local authors/projects? There are pros and cons with paradise. On the plus side, we have the clarity and perspective that comes from not being stuck in the fray. When you are jumping in the ocean regularly, you are more in touch with your own creativity, balance, and inspired to make work count. We have the great good fortune, as they say, to focus intently on building relationships with meaning, working on books that have a positive impact on the world, and loving what we do. And I always promise my authors (who can travel to Maui) editorial meetings on the beach, with or without mai tais. Manhattan publishers certainly cannot deliver that.

Because there are many wonderful Hawaii-specific publishers, such as the University of Hawaii or Kamehameha Press, who have Native Hawaiian and cultural expertise, we do not publish Hawaii-specific books and most of our authors come from the mainland. That said, we want to part of our Island community 3/4 and to that end, we just launched a company called Brilliant Voices, offering Hawaii enrichment programs to raise cultural and environmental awareness by connecting nonprofit groups with corporate travelers .

More from Rachel Kramer Bussel's interview here.