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.

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 an international audience.

Memberships

We are members of PubWest, a leading association for small independent publishers in the US, 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 weekly reviews at this link.

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. During his career, he’s edited and/or published more than seventy 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

    Publicity and Marketing 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.

  • Sophie Paulson

    Assistant Editor

    Sophie has a degree in English from Colorado College and is also a graduate of the University of Denver Publishing Institute. In addition to her editing talent, she is an excellent ghostwriter, as demonstrated by the book Soldier On.

  • Tom McMahan

    Business Assistant

    Tom has a degree in international business and management from Colorado State University. His work for Upriver Press includes market analysis, website design, and publicity planning.

FRank

We lost our office friend, Frank, in 2023. He wasn’t our brightest member, and he needed to bathe more often, but he was a good source of humor and companionship.