Upper Access

We have been publishing books since 1986. Early on, we learned that small presses had a hard time competing in the marketplace. We did what we could, providing services to other small publishers. We set up a book fulfillment company, stocking books from over 100 other small presses, to make their books more readily available to the public. For several years we published a mail-order catalog called Big Books from Small Presses, with circulation of about 100,000 copies per year. These activities ended as the nature of the book industry changed, other good service providers emerged, and as the Internet made mail order obsolete.
We also developed an industry-specific business software program, now known as Publishers’ Assistant, to allow small companies to function professionally. It is still the most affordable software of its type, used by hundreds of publishers.
The founders of Upper Access, Steve and Lisa Carlson, are still the owners, with Steve serving as publisher. Steve has been active in the small-press movement, serving four years on the board of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and holding various leadership positions with regional groups–Independent Publishers of New England and Publishers North. Small publishers do not compete with each other–we help each other to succeed.
Like all successful book publishers, we have constantly adapted to the changing nature of books, and of the book marketplace. We cherish books, but also try to deliver information to readers in the forms they prefer. Of course, we offer e-book versions of all of our newer titles. We even publish a commercial blog, written by one of our celebrated authors, Henri de Marne.
Our books are distributed to the trade by Midpoint Trade Books, so if you are ordering books for a store or library, you can do so through your preferred wholesalers. If you are an individual reader and have a hard time finding one of our books in your preferred store, we make it convenient for you to order on this Web site.
If you are curious about our name, it’s not as pretentious as it may sound. We’re located on the Upper Access road to Lake Iroquois in Hinesburg, Vermont. In the beginning, it was a true “cottage industry” as you can see from the photo of our original office. Our offices are not much fancier today. You won’t find a sign here, and we have no walk-in business hours, but it’s still a very pleasant place to spend time creating great books.