Skip to content 
Six centuries ago, Gutenberg invented the printing press and launched a publishing revolution across the world. Affordable books turned people into ‘readers’. Presently, in the early twenty-first century, publishers across the world are going out of business, slowly closing their doors due to little demand for paper-based literary products from avid readers. Is it possible that the book, a symbol for knowledge and reflection of culture, is doomed?
“Don’t rush to bury a book!”
“Don’t rush to bury a book,” says Yuri Mezenko, the founder of Chicago-based digital production and publishing company, Windy Press, and whose products for children have been highlighted by Forbes, Chip Magazine, Kirkus, as well as other prestigious publications. Yuri says, “Yes, in its traditional existence, the paper-printed book is becoming less popular. The content of books, however, can not only be saved, but transformed into something quite extraordinary.”
The electronic chip has come to replace paper and ink. Printing press machines are almost obsolete and the massive warehouses that stored millions of books are becoming hauntingly empty, holding the memories of what once was a vibrant industry. Yet with technology came affordability. The number of users is exceeding five billion. Yuri calls this rapid expansion, “The second publishing revolution.”
Yuri explains, “When Apple launched its first iPad on the market, I perceived this as a unique opportunity for me as a publisher. The one question I struggled with was how do I create opportunity with this new technology? At the time, I was a traditional publisher, writer and poet, and I knew my profession would never be the same. I felt it. I remember waking up one night suddenly realizing my next step in life. I had to take a different path. Publishing books electronically was the road I had to take.“
“During my last meeting with the Director of the Library of Congress, Dr. James Billington, I shared my vision with him,” recalls Yuri Mezenko. “Don’t be afraid to go ahead,” encouregeded me Dr. Billington.
The electronic chip has come to replace paper and ink. Printing press machines are almost obsolete and the massive warehouses that stored millions of books are becoming hauntingly empty, holding the memories of what once was a vibrant industry. Yet with technology came affordability. The number of users is exceeding five billion. Yuri calls this rapid expansion, “The second publishing revolution.”
Yuri explains, “When Apple launched its first iPad on the market, I perceived this as a unique opportunity for me as a publisher. The one question I struggled with was how do I create opportunity with this new technology? At the time, I was a traditional publisher, writer and poet, and I knew my profession would never be the same. I felt it. I remember waking up one night suddenly realizing my next step in life. I had to take a different path. Publishing books electronically was the road I had to take.“
“However,” he added, “any technological innovation in publishing is welcome if the book’s leading role in the upbringing and education of the younger generation preserves. Because the most important thing for the future of any society is to keep times connected.
Quality as style
Billington’s parting word was like first push towards the creation of a synergistic system of developmental reading, which will form the basis of Windy Press future projects. In the meantime, Yuri contacted Vlad Gerasimov, the artist, another his friends who were writers, artists, musicians and programmers from all over the world. “My soon to be colleagues resided in England, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Australia and, of course, all across the United States.” His enthusiasm infected them.
“The goal for us became quite simple. We would publish the best digital books in the world!” Yuri smiles as he recalls this. “We all agreed that children’s books should be created with a multidimensional approach, including adults as potential co-readers. The robust technology made it possible. The sky was the limit.”
Brian LaVoy, vice-president of Windy Press, explains, “The new market was instantly flooded. Most e-books, however, were hastily put together, with poor graphics and very little options in terms of interactive reading.” At the time, the goal of electronic publishers was to make a quick profit on fairly generic products. The Windy Press team knew that profit was the goal of every business. “But if done right,” Yuri says smiling but seriosly, “Windy Press could become a brand lasting as long as the Swiss Publishing House Schwabe Verlag that was founded in the 15th century. Quality is a key. No wonder we have chosen these words for our vision: ‘Quality as style’.“
“Instant children’s classic”
Windy Press’ first published book-app was Who Stole the Moon? Presently, it has only had one million downloads. Not too many, if compare to popular games. But the book quickly won prestigious awards and made the list of the ten best children’s applications for Apple gadgets, according to Forbes. Original Who Stole the Moon? was written by a British writer Helen Stratton-Would.
Its colorful illustrations were created by a world-known digital artist, co-founder of the company Vlad Gerasimov. The story introduces kids to little Bertie, a real boy who dreams of becoming an astronaut. Before going to sleep, Bertie loves observing the moon through his skylight. Bertie’s adventure begins when he discovers that the moon had disappeared which compels him to solve the mystery of the stolen moon. Bertie embarks on a journey asking friendly creatures like Mr. Fox, Badger and Mole about its disappearance. As Bertie’s investigation comes to an end, only the wise Owl reveals the answer to the missing moon.
“I had the fresh illustrations. Yuri had a deep knowledge in the world of publishing, and the contacts necessary to start a business,” recalls Vlad Gerasimov, the artist.
The app got prestigious awards and was called “an instant children’s classics” by the media, but in business, success must be reaffirmed regularly. However, the publishers did not want to simply replicate what they found once. “I acutely felt that our venture was not just for making money, but a kind of service,” says Yuri. “But what is our mission?” There was no exact answer. It was only clear that the publishing rules that had been developed over six centuries were not applicable to the new digital world.
The search for the new approach took not only considerable time, but influenced Windy Press to successfully look for additional investments and talents.
Go beyond the written story
Brand creation was not an easy process. “I saw in my mind that I needed to make it tangible, so I did the research.” Yuri continues, “A busy parent can give a child a tablet, and with all the game applications available, the child could be busy for hours, allowing the parent to engage undisturbed in his or her adult life.
Now the child is busy from morning until night. But what do they learn by pressing fingers on the touch screen? Jump, jump, jump — from level to level. Or, collect, collect, collect — objects, puzzles. And kill, kill, kill — in the best case, the monsters. Is this all you should expect from occupying your kids’ time with endless gameplay?
Then there were the educational apps. I loved them. I still loved them. Kids could spend hours mastering math, reading, social studies, etc. Yet, the benefits of wonder, imagination, timeless characters, moral lessons and universal themes about life were missing in educational apps.
What path should we select? Entertainment? Education? If both, then what kind of mix should it be? How to entertain by teaching and vice versa? Of course, I wanted to push the book-app concept as far as possible.”
“Besides, it’s a great creative stimulus,” Yuri stressed in an interview with Elle Magazine, “the feeling that you can make something that never existed before.
The new project from Windy Press Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery partially keeps the same title but it is much more than just an extended addition of the original story. Actually, it’s completely new book, first of its kind, which was built with SERS — the synergistic educational reading system, developed by the company. It appeals to both parents and children due to its multidimensional properties.
This publication incorporates text, art, hours of animation and a full theatrical performance of the story with 18 original songs. All this is performed by stars of stage and screen. “I wanted Windy Press’ published book-apps to go above and beyond the printed word,” Yuri says. “Children instantly fell in love with the enchanting characters, and parents loved the nostalgic feeling of hearing a fairy tale as an audio drama.” To bring the children of the world closer together, Yuri insisted that Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery be narrated in more than twenty different languages.
“It was not easy to combine them into one artistic unit,” notes Daniel Babich, Windy’s Las Vegas based supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer.
Go beyond the written story
“Yuri is a visionary who has the talent to ignite people,” says Los Angeles songwriter, Harriet Schock, Grammy Award nominee, also famed for her work in cinema and television. “At the same time, he did not consider it shameful to ask for advice. So, at the outset of our acquaintance, he was hoping that I would help Windy engage in direct contact with the ‘A-Listers’ of film and theater, as my songs are performed by Smokey Robinson, Jodi Benson, Mireille Mathieu and many other stars. Yes, connections are important, I told him, but that is not the path to success. Make your project without celebrities, just good singers and actors, but make it so cool that stars themselves will want to work with you. This way, I will assist with the project. Some might become hesitant after such advice. Yuri, on the other hand, did exactly as I suggested. As a result, a completely new musical book-app Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery is coming out with participation from celebrities of the first magnitude.”
“Everything changed when Jim Dale came aboard,” Yuri recounts. Early in his career, Mr. Dale accepted an invitation from Sir Laurence Olivier to perform at the British Royal National Theater along with such greats as Anthony Hopkins. Several years later, Jim moved to New York to become a star on Broadway, securing numerous leading roles. His name is known throughout the world of television and film as an actor, comedian and singer. Millions of children know him via his work on the Harry Potter audiobooks which landed Mr. Dale two Grammy Awards. His many achievements include an Oscar nomination, an induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame, a Tony Award and ten Audie Awards, counted as the Oscars of the audio recording world.
“I did not expect the famous Jim Dale to be interested,” Yuri states. “I simply gave the script to his agent. A month later, I got a call from him. He told me that Jim Dale, this living legend of musical theater, was waiting in one of New York’s recording studios for us. I couldn’t believe it! I felt honored and blessed.”
“I liked the Windy Press projects,” says Jim Dale. “It’s always a great feeling to be involved in something really fresh and new.
“The book-app, Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery, is a beautiful bedside story written in a classical style,” continues Mr. Dale. “At the same time, it uses the most up-to-date multimedia technologies. The e-musical genre, created by Windy Press, is an innovative, original idea. The fact that a child can easily switch over from language to language provides them with an excellent educational opportunity. Windy has done its best to allow children to understand one another’s language and realize that we all live on one planet where cherished dreams may come true”.
“Jim’s words were the greatest gift I had ever received,” Yuri said when I interviewed him.
In a magical way
“While we have music, original songs and Broadway caliber performances” editor Mary Anderson Glenn says, “we still preserved the main theme of the book.” Creating musicals out of children’s stories in so many languages was a real challenge. “We learned a lot about other cultures,” Mary remembers. “It was funny. When we worked on Puss in Boots [Windy Press’ upcoming second musical release], the Chinese interpreter had titled it ‘The Cat in Red Slippers.’ We wouldn’t have caught the mistake if it had not been for Dr. Shi, our language guru,” Mary laughs.
Critically-acclaimed actress, Sasha Kerbel, who played the role of The Sleep Fairy in Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery, recalls the fun she had recording it. “I love my profession, because it gives me the opportunity to take the untrodden path. Working on the same project with Jim Dale, I was re-convinced of how crucial it is to experiment with different roles. Jim showed me, how even a small fairy tale could become a step in an actor’s self-discovery. I was completely enchanted by his voice, his performance, his ability to deliver the printed word in such a magical way.”
“Polish celebrity Pawel Delag (”Schindler’s List”) says, “I wish that I had had musical book-apps while growing up. After seeing the sheer amount of creativity, hard work and all the talent involved, I know Windy will bring many children together. I felt fortunate to work with so many caring people.
It is symbolic that, together with celebrities, many still unknown but talented actors, singers were involved in the project. “It was like miracle,” says Ada Romanoff, the actress, “when I received an invitation to audition. And when I found out that I would play with so great stars of theater and cinema, I was so proud… and scared to death.”
When obtaining the book-app, children receive the electronic book, the musical performed by award-winning actors, magnificent artwork, games, and the option to listen to the tale in different languages. But, the creators of this app did not plan to stop there.
“We wanted to bring parents and children closer together”, says Yuri. “I’m fortunate to have found Eugene Roginsky, licensed child and family psychotherapist, writer and well-known wellness speaker, who frequently lectures on methods of generating creativity. Most important, he is a big believer in interactive and empathetic reading. Eugene has created engaging questions and activities for parents and their children to enjoy together based on the story. The activities are designed to generate creativity in children, promote empathy and help the child connect to his or her parent.
It was with Eugene and his colleagues, as well as educators and writers, that we developed a synergistic educational reading system that became the core of our new books.”
Yuri Mezenko seeks to optimize the publications created by Windy. “I always research what others are doing. I am often in awe of people’s creativity and ingenuity. I am frequently humbled. Yes, we have competitors, but I see them as distant colleagues who want to help children. Even competitors can be a source of energy”.
To create the Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery book-app, a task force of over two hundred people with fifty actors and singers were assembled. The hard work paid off.
Initially, the founders attempted to self fund the company. To launch Windy, Yuri sold personal property. As the publishing house became more robust, the team began to search out and continue to seek investors for future projects.
When asked about upcoming projects, Yuri smiles. “We are about to release Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery. This book-app, which incorporates a multi-lingual, star studded musical plus games, will soon premier worldwide on all mobile platforms. I am also extremely excited to announce that the fairy tale Puss in Boots, a book and musical with 25 original songs, is in post-production. Puss in Boots also stars Jim Dale and many other talented performers from all over the world.“
Yuri is a tall, soft spoken man who enjoys quoting writers and poets. He is an encyclopedia of knowledge about the world of publishing, music, art and poetry. Though he appears stoic, his serious demeanor quickly disappears when asked about his own dreams. “My dream is to help kids read more quality books. I’m not sure how long Windy Press will survive. Hopefully, at least two centuries. But even if we last only two decades, I want Windy Press to be known for its quality. We want to build strong values, empathy and curiosity in our readers. A good book can do that.”
As we ended our interview, I asked Yuri about the message he wanted little readers to take away after reading and listening to Who Stole the Moon? Puzzles of Mystery. Yuri said, “Our slogan for this book: ‘Darkness, I’m not afraid of you!’ The moral of the story is, ‘One cannot appreciate the beauty of a clear sky when one’s thoughts are cloudy.’”
WINDY PRESS. QUALITY AS A STYLE
in Chicago, Illinois. Its books are based on the company’s innovative educational reading system (EduSIRS) for 21st century digital children’s literature. The system combines creative texts voiced by renowned actors with animated interactive illustrations, original songs and educational games. These diverse components have independent value and are combined into a synergistic whole.
Windy Press app books are award-winning and available in many languages worldwide. They foster empathy in children, develop creativity, strengthen family bonds, and promote peer communication. The publisher’s mission is to instill a lifelong love of reading in children. As the creator of EduSIRS and the e-musical genre, Windy Press holds a special place among the pioneers of the digital publishing industry
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
WINDY PRESS. QUALITY AS A STYLE
in Chicago, Illinois. Its books are based on the company’s innovative educational reading system (EduSIRS) for 21st century digital children’s literature. The system combines creative texts voiced by renowned actors with animated interactive illustrations, original songs and educational games. These diverse components have independent value and are combined into a synergistic whole.
Windy Press app books are award-winning and available in many languages worldwide. They foster empathy in children, develop creativity, strengthen family bonds, and promote peer communication. The publisher’s mission is to instill a lifelong love of reading in children. As the creator of EduSIRS and the e-musical genre, Windy Press holds a special place among the pioneers of the digital publishing industry
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP