After too many rejections of her manuscripts by mainstream publishers, aspiring writer Deborah Karper of Voorhees, NJ was toying with the idea of self-publishing her fiction when she met Gary La Forest. 
 
LaForest, a Philadelphia resident . . . had been managing the speaking tours of Dave Goerlitz, who was RJ Reynolds' leading Winston Man between 1980 and 1986 and is now an anti-tobacco activist. He had been trying without success to get publishers interested in a book on Goerlitz, the "golden boy" in those ubiquitous billboard ads. 
 
Karper found Goerlitz' story so compelling that she promptly launched Gladstone Publishing. . . 

"My intention was to go off and write and publish my own stories, but it was an opportunity to help Gary and Dave get their book out," Karper said. 
 
Karper has not stopped there. 
 
. . . She was back at the printer, going over proofs of a second manuscript, NO NONSENSE, NATHAN!, a children's book by a business associate, Paula Nolte. Like LaForest, Nolte had shopped around her book to publishers, but received no takers. Karper liked the story and the illustrations, and a first run of 2,000 copies is set. . . 
 
. . ."I want to do about 10 books a year, all children's books," Karper said. "Where would I find my writers? In supermarkets, daycare centers, on the bus, the Web . . . I've gotten 5 manuscripts from people who have seen our website. . ." 
 
. . . Future books will be edited by LaForest, who has helped a number of public fugures, including the Winston Man, write and sell their stories, and Karper will hire other professional editors. 
 
. . . She has the full backing of her husband Donald, who is an engineer. In fact, it was Donald who landed her next writer -- Iris Calaci, formerly of Voorhees, now of Florida. 
 
The book, MATTHEW MOUSE, is one of the 10 books she plans to publish next year. It is a "diversity story" about a church mouse who learns to get along with Christian, the cat. A sequel, in which Matthew and Christian take off for the big city, is planned. 
 
Karper, who is African American, said she also hoped to team up with LaForest to nurture and publish young African American writers in this region. 
 
The market for books about African Americans is estimated at $320 million annually in retail sales. 
 
This, LaForest said, is something he is looking forward to. 
 
"I know there is poetry out there," he said, referring to the quality, not the type of writing. "They are trying to get stuff done, and they don't have many outlets." 
 
Karper works full time at both Gladstone and Direct Konnections (her computer consulting firm she founded 15 years ago.) She said she hoped to get Gladstone to a point, conceivably in 2 years, where she would not need the income from Direct Konnections to support it. 
 
At that time, Karper hopes, she will be able to go back to her postponed dream of becoming a published author.