A Few Words About
Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc.

Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc. is the only audiobook publishing company whose goal is to make high quality recordings of this century's great Jewish books ­ fiction and non-fiction.

We are considering works by Nobel Laureates such as S.Y. Agnon, Saul Bellow and Isaac Bashevis Singer; great popular favorites like Bernard Malamud, Cynthia Ozick, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk; European giants like Primo Levi, Lion Feuchtwanger and Louis Golding; memoirists like Bess Myerson and Alfred Kazin.

We are motivated by a realistic appraisal of the changing book market. For the older generation, time to read is often a priceless luxury, relegated to vacation days. The younger generation is often more comfortable plugged into a Walkman or scanning the computer screen than turning pages.

For both the generation that has less time, as well as the generation that has less inclination, experiencing a book on audiotape is a perfect solution.

What interests us most are your ideas!  Which authors are your favorites?  Which books would you like to hear on tape?  Let us know.  We are eager to work with our customers to make sure that beloved books are recorded and preserved for generations to come.

 

Audiobook Market Information

The audiobook industry is currently undergoing phenomenal growth. In 1998, retail sales were $2 billion, up over 10% from 1997.

From 1990 to 1998, the cumulative sales growth of audiobooks was 360%. Over 60 million audiobooks were sold in 1998.

Today, more than 21% (19 million) of American households listen to audiobooks.

Ninety-percent of audiobook listeners listen more than five hours per week. Most of them ­ 44% ­ listen in the car, while 37% listen at home. Another eight-percent listen while exercising or jogging.

Approximately 7,000 new audiobooks and spoken-word programs were produced last year. Of all the titles, 48% of listeners prefer to listen to fiction, 21% to non-fiction, 15% to children's stories, and 8% listen to religious and inspirational spoken-word tapes.

Most audiobook customers are 45 years old and older with a higher than average income. They tend to be well-educated, highly literate print book readers.

(Sources: Audio Publishers Association surveys; R.R. Bowker Inc.)


Management

Moshe Dworkin
Chairman, President and Co-Founder

Moshe Dworkin serves Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc. as an active chairman who will establish key strategic relationships with major Jewish organizations and companies for special promotional sales.

Moshe is President and founder of M. Dworkin & Company, a specialty publishing company that since 1971 has served several institutional clients, particularly C.U.N.Y. and the World Jewish Congress. In 1981, he founded a niche international courier business serving the U.S. and Israel. It grew to 20 employees and more than $2 million in revenues, prior to its sale to Clal Ltd. of Israel and then to DHL Worldwide Express.

Moshe is extremely active in the Jewish community. He is a past President of the Jewish Book Council and serves as a board member for a number of organizations, including the United Israel Appeal, Bnai Zion, the American Zionist Movement, the Bergen County (NJ) UJA-Federation, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.


Susan Dworkin
Managing Director and Co-Founder

Susan Dworkin is a nationally-known author with 14 books published and six plays produced. She won the prestigious Peabody Award, Literary Guild Editor's Choice Award, and was a nominee for the National Book Award.

Susan serves Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc. as Managing Director, with primary responsibilities in all creative areas such as targeting the titles for which audio rights will be secured. In addition, Susan serves as the producer and director for all initial production, working closely with casting, studio and other third parties.

Susan's extensive experience with live theatre has made her an acute judge of musicality, cadence and other aspects of the spoken words. It has also given her a wide range of acquaintances among prominent actors, directors, writers and musicians.

Her most recent book, The Nazi Officer's Wife, published by William Morrow in October 1999, is the true story of one Jewish woman's fantastic escape from the Holocaust. It has already received rave pre-publishing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.


Ben Dworkin
Vice President

Prior to joining Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc., Ben Dworkin was a Vice President at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, one of the country's leading public relations and strategic marketing firms, where he worked closely with clients such as Texaco, Boeing, Livent, Hollywood Video, The Kennedy Space Center, Cendant and Maidenform.

Previously, he was Deputy Director of Research for the New Jersey Assembly Democratic office in Trenton and a protégé of the late state Senator Matthew Feldman. He has extensive supervisory and logistical experience in major marketing campaigns.

Ben's close connections with political, business, Jewish community and media leaders in New York and New Jersey are tremendous assets for the company. He is the founder and President of Democrats 2000, the leading political action committee for young Democrats in New Jersey. He was a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and is a board member of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

He was an award-winning reporter for The Jewish Standard (Teaneck, NJ) and is a frequent arts critic for the New Jersey Jewish News (Whippany, NJ). As a former National President of Young Judaea, the largest and oldest Zionist youth movement in the U.S., as an intern and campus liaison for AIPAC (America ­ Israel Public Affairs Committee), Ben is an acknowledged opinion-maker in his generation. (Recently, Miramax Films featured Ben extensively in its film about the making of Life is Beautiful.