[Scmusenet] Local History Publishing with The History Press

[Alessandra Bosco]

Dear South Carolina Museum Professionals:

I wanted to introduce myself and my company to your community in advance of
the South Carolina Federation of Museums Conference later this month. My
name is Magan Lyons, and I am Senior Commissioning Editor at The History
Press, where I manage acquisitions and project development for books
published on the Palmetto state, as well as several other regions.

Publishing can be a highly effective means of preserving and conveying
heritage. We feel strongly that there is a large and growing audience for
titles on regional history but only a limited number of books available in
this genre, and we hope to help fill this gap with well-regarded and
accessible regional histories.

As such, we are continually reviewing proposals on a wide variety of
historical subjects. In 2008, we are also developing defined series that
enable us both to guide our authors and to establish familiarity with
readers. These include:

·	A Brief History – Accessible introductions to the history of a town,
region, or neighborhood comprising 30,000-35,000 words and 60-85 historic
images;
·	American Chronicles – Collections of historical vignettes (columns,
articles, essays, etc.) culled from newspapers and organizational
newsletters comprising 30,000-35,000 words and 30-40 vintage images;
·	Lost
  and 101 Glimpses of
 – Image-centered books that document a
community’s “lost” or otherwise nostalgic landscape through 140-200
historical photos.

We will be attending the SCFM Conference in Beaufort on Friday, February 29
with the objective of finding new authors and potential titles. If you think
this opportunity to publish might be of interest, feel free to visit our
website in the meantime at www.historypress.net; our Publication Proposal
form can be found under the “Publishing” heading.

We would be delighted to discuss your ideas and provide additional
information about The History Press. Please be sure to visit our exhibitor
table at the conference—I look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Magan Lyons

Senior Commissioning Editor/Publisher
The History Press
18 Percy Street
Charleston, SC 29403
843-577-5971
www.historypress.net