About Curties-Overzet Publications

Mission Statement

Curties-Overzet's mission is to provide educational texts and materials for the manual therapy professions
that set a high standard for content and innovation, make a contribution to the expansion of the available
catalogue of materials, and are accessible to students and practicing therapists alike.

Our History

Curties-Overzet started from conversations between Debra Curties and Johan Overzet, who were friends
and co-owners at Sutherland-Chan School. As massage therapy educators they had an awareness of the
dearth of textbooks and other educational materials available to our profession at that time. Their idea
of becoming active in publishing was galvanized by difficulties Debra experienced in 1997 in interesting
publishers in a book she was writing about breast massage. Discussions with colleagues led her to believe
that she was not the only one finding it difficult to work with mainstream publishers on projects on the
frontier of massage therapy education. "I guess I'm going to have to consider self-publishing," progressed
to thoughts of starting a massage therapy textbook publishing company.

Curties-Overzet Publications came into existence in 1998. Our initial activities involved publishing two books
of Debra's: Breast Massage and Massage Therapy and Cancer. Johan organized the business office and
sales system while Debra worked on editing, book production, and advertising.

Meanwhile, in her role as editor Debra had begun approaching high quality potential authors from her
far-ranging contacts in the massage profession in North America. Consistent with its mission of publishing
cutting edge massage therapy education materials, Curties-Overzet has specialized in helping new authors
with solid credentials and teaching backgrounds to publish their first textbooks. This has resulted in the
highly respected Heat & Cold as Therapy by Laurel Fowlie, Making Sense of Research by Martha Brown Menard,
and Massage Therapy & Medications by Randal Persad. Debra also worked with John Yates to produce the third
edition of his Physician’s Guide to Therapeutic Massage. Currently, new editions of most Curties-Overzet texts
have been created or are in process, and other new titles are in manuscript production. While the massage
therapy profession is our primary base, we also want to serve the broader integrative therapy context wherever
possible, and our newer products often demonstrate that intent.

In addition to being a primary publisher, Curties-Overzet has also expanded our business to include distribution
of other producers’ textbooks, DVDs and other educational materials. Because we have a good perspective
of needs and resources on both sides of the border, we have been able to bring excellent educational products
available in one country to the attention of schools, practitioners and vendors in the other. For example,
Curties-Overzet is the Canadian distributor of the much respected Trail Guide to the Body series. We have also
continued to seek out high quality new products from beginning or little known individuals and help bring
them broader awareness and access to sales. Although the greater part of our business is conducted in Canada,
we have a substantial U.S. customer list, mail our catalogues and other promotional materials to a large
international list, and have a strong presence at conferences and trade shows throughout North America.

Debra Curties
Editor