Who We Are

Upriver—adjective or adverb: toward or at a point nearer the source.

In a post-truth age, readers need more access to factual, in-depth research. That work is developed quietly “upriver” by scholars who devote their lives to exploring critical issues in fields such as economics, art, science, history, political science, technology, and current affairs. By publishing scholarly books in accessible and aesthetic forms, we hope to bring the best upriver ideas to broader audiences.

Upriver Press is a traditional independent press (no hybrid publishing) based in Colorado Springs and São Paulo, Brazil.

Distribution

Upriver Press books are distributed by the renowned Independent Publishers Group (IPG), based in Chicago. As our full-service distributor, IPG provides us with extensive book marketing and sales support designed to deliver our books to international audiences.

Memberships

We are active members of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) in New York.

Community

We believe that publishers can and should work together rather than compete. We support our readers (and our mission) by writing in-depth reviews of scholarly books released by other publishers. To quickly learn about influential authors and books, you can subscribe to our reviews at this link.‍ ‍

AI Policy

Upriver Press does not publish any manuscripts written with AI, and we never use AI for any aspect of the editing, book design, or marketing work. Learn more about our policy here.

Meet the Team

  • Glenn McMahan

    Publisher and Editor

    Glenn has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the University of Denver Publishing Institute (DPI). After working as a newspaper and wire service reporter in Washington, DC, he switched to book publishing while working in Brazil. During his career, he’s edited and/or published more than eighty books, plus countless scholarly articles for academic journals and digital magazines.

  • James Clarke

    Graphic Designer

    James, based in England, is an award-winning book designer who knows how to integrate cover aesthetics, typesetting readability, and book promotion. He works to visually convey each book’s central message in ways that are beautiful and compelling.

  • Valerie Palacios

    Assistant Editor and Publicity Director

    Valerie, based near Los Angeles, has a master’s degree in creative nonfiction writing from the University of New Orleans. She has extensive experience with book publicity and marketing strategies.