Based in historic Charleston, South Carolina, The History Press publishes high-quality history and heritage titles that bring the past to life in a variety of areas across the United States. Through publishing, The History Press strives to preserve and celebrate the rich history of these areas, making their intriguing stories available to a wide audience.
In 2004, Kirsten Sutton, a career executive in the field who had previously helped found Arcadia Publishing, opened The History Press. Affectionately dubbing the company the “kitchen table press” in honor of their makeshift conference room, the four original staff members nevertheless turned out twenty books in their first year. The HP subsequently doubled its new titles each of the succeeding three years for a total catalogue exceeding five hundred books with an ever-expanding geographic focus. Twenty-two employees work from the company’s headquarters in a historic downtown Charleston home, and seven more operate the Salem, Massachusetts office.
Despite a burgeoning nationwide interest in history, changes in the book trade over the past decade have left many areas severely underserved by books that can help make history understandable and meaningful. At the same time, local historians who are also potential authors have suffered from a dearth of alternatives to the traditional two realms of nonfiction publishing: large national houses and university presses. In capturing the intrinsic charm that distinguishes so many American towns and cities and providing local historians the opportunity to see their work in print, The History Press addresses these deficiencies within the industry and helps to bring publishing back, albeit in a small way, to its roots.
“Thomson-Shore helps us accomplish our mission by producing high-quality books in a timely fashion,” says Julie Foster, managing editor at The History Press. “I’m also impressed with the level of customer service we’ve received. Our reps do everything they can to make our relationship as comfortable and pleasant as possible. We know they care about the quality of our books as much as we do, and it shows in their careful attention to detail. We have come to learn that any book published at Thomson-Shore is in good hands!”
For more information about The History Press, please visit www.historypress.net
