Deep Vellum Publishing Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, Deep Vellum published 54 new books, distributed 250 free books to underserved communities in Texas and New York, and hosted over 100 events throughout Dallas, featuring bilingual readings, poetry festivals, and community conversations that strengthened the city's reputation as a literary and cultural hub.In spring 2024, our founder and publisher, Will Evans, was knighted by France as a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters, in recognition for his role in promoting French literature, language, and culture internationally through Deep Vellums translated Francophone titles and French cultural programming in Dallas. Deep Vellums publishing program earned global acclaim in 2024:--Solenoid by Mircea Cartarescu, translated by Sean Cotter, was awarded the 100,000 Dublin Literary Award as the best book published in English anywhere in the world in the prior year;--The Villain's Dance by Fiston Mwanza Mujila, translated by Roland Glasser, was a finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature;--Recital of the Dark Verses, translated by Heather Cleary, won the Queen Sofa Spanish Institute Translation Prize as best book translated from Spanish in the previous year;--Little Seed by Wei Tchou was named one of the New Yorker's Best Books of 2024 and shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award;--Deep Vellums work gained national attention this year with an April feature profile in the New York Times, recognizing our role in establishing Dallas as a global literary capital, alongside statewide and national profiles of Deep Vellum in Texas Highways and Duke Magazine; --Our literary arts center was named Best Bookstore for Local Authors by D Magazine.--Deep Vellum presented its authors, books, and mission with events and tabling at literary festivals and conferences in Dallas, Austin, Brooklyn, Kansas City, and Santa Fe. --Deep Vellum organized a series of four discussions with authors and civic leaders around books we have published, entitled We Are One City: Elevating the Story of Dallas, supported by an ArtsActivate grant from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, hosted by Communities Foundation of Texas. --Deep Vellum founder and publisher Will Evans gave keynote presentations on the importance of publishing international literature at the Atelier des Auteurs conference hosted by the Economic Development Board of Mauritius; at Princeton University; at the College of Charleston; and at SMUs Gartner Lecture Series. In Fall 2024, Deep Vellum bolstered its list as the largest publisher of translated literature in English and acquired renowned small press publisher Fum dEstampa, bringing its list of 30 extraordinary translated books, primarily from the Catalan language, into our inventory, and continuing to work with its founder, Douglas Suttle, as an editor and book designer.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -12.3%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.38; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.79; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 25.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 26.5% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 33.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings