Charleston book publisher finds success in niche history topics

A publishing firm working out of a quaint, red-roofed former grocery store at the corner of Percy and Bogard streets in old Charleston churns out best-sellers.

The History PressThe History Press has dozens of books on niche South Carolina topics alone.You might not find any titles from The History Press on The New York Times’ Sunday list. But the five-year-old company sells books at places like Bert’s Market on Folly Beach or the visitors center at Ninety Six National Historic Site.

Don’t scoff. Those nontraditional sites for book sales have helped The History Press buck the recent economic downturn. The company published 20 titles in 2004. The five-year list of titles now tops 500.

That's The State's Joey Holleman on how Charleston-publisher The History Press is finding success marketing to niche interests.

If you have an interest in business, publishing, or history, it's an interesting read. Go check it out.

The company was founded by Kirsty Sutton, who was the founding editor of Arcadia Publishing.