Orchard House Press Tour

We're a family that loves words... so here are a whole lot of them.

This is where we began and who we are. Read on or, if you'd rather,

jump right to our tour in photos by clicking here

It began in 1989, on the streets in Seattle, Washington. Specifically, on Interstate 5. It was on this highway, passing the city of her birth at just a bit past midnight, that our founder and CEO had a fantastic vision of wind-riders and a future world that led her to write a science fiction trilogy. A trilogy that rode the Seattle Times Bestseller List and other national lists to cult-classic status, earning enough to launch a publishing house dedicated to authors.

Many people have heard this story -- and its details -- or heard of this child-prodigy Jennifer DiMarco, who published a dozen books before she was nineteen and then disappeared from the corporate publishing nightmare she'd found herself entrenched in. It was only after her firsthand experiences having her rights and author-control stripped from her own novels and characters, having to fight to regain the rights to her books and her own name, that Jennifer realized the need for an independent press staffed by authors and artists. Her fierce sensibilities shaped Orchard House Press and drive it to this day. Jennifer has final say. There's no Board of Directors. No shareholders. OHP is nimble, and sharp as lightning -- an icon the media has often used to describe Jennifer.

English professor, national book reviewer and author Cris K.A. DiMarco became OHP's first full-time Senior Editor in 1994. Cris holds a Bachelors in English and Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a Masters in Teaching from Tufts University, graduating summa cum laude from both institutions.

Cris' publishing experiences were with under-capitalized and under-staffed small presses -- experiences that were equally as disheartening as Jennifer's corporate ones. Cris brought greater organization and a strict professionalism to OHP. She proved quickly that a good editor does not rewrite books; Cris protected every author's unique voice even when that voice was vastly different from her own. It was Cris that, out of loyalty to the city that birthed OHP, brought the company back to the American Pacific Northwest after a four year hiatus on the East Coast.

The Publisher and Senior Editor at any press are cornerstones, but it is the staff that execute that vision and refine it. Meet talented Associate Publishers Launa Sorensen and Brianne DiMarco, and impassioned Artist Director Eliza Jean Angel by jumping to the tour

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Jennifer instituted "The News" on October 11, 2004, as a single daily email sent to every author and artist under contract with OHP. "The News" contained lists of completed tasks broken out by staff member. Detailed accountings of every moment gave recipients an invaluable glimpse into the real lives of the people who are their publishers.

After two months, "The News" metamorphosed into a daily, single-topic informative or thought-provoking essay written by a staff member or author. After several more months, "The News" changed again to meet the needs of its recipients. It became a multi-topic, multi-columnist weekly newsletter complete with links and information. "The News" is just one of the ways that we remember the human beings on both sides of the desk. Staff and authors connect and share not only vital facts but ideas, take part in polls, comment on guest opinions and much more.

Today, "The News" is quite lengthy and published the first Monday of every month. It educates authors, artists and staff and celebrates a company built on transparency and full-disclosure.

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"When they called me back I could actually hear... kids!"

As all our contracted authors know, we offer a 15% royalty. That's about 7% higher than other presses. How do we do it? We don't keep a New York or Los Angeles office space, for starters. We don't hire "general" staff--we answer our own phones and our own email. We don't pay advances until an author has reached an established sales milestone. We process our own mail and submissions. We don't pay for personal assistants for our executives--or supply cars, planes or Christmas bonuses.

What do we do? We stay real. We don't forget that family means everyone--our children, our authors, each other. We offer that nice, high royalty. We keep books in print and we never treat anyone like a backlist or midlist author. We work eighteen hour days, six days a week. Staff live together on campus and Jennifer makes everyone lunch and dinner every day. Our fiercely dedicated owner and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer DiMarco, has worked at OHP since she was sixteen years old. Our Senior Editor, Cris K.A. DiMarco, is a widely published author, photographer, and essayist. She's tough, she's blunt, and she shoots from the hip. Our Associate Publishers, Launa Sorensen and Brianne DiMarco, are both published authors and comic designers as well as side-lining as primary school educators. Our Artist Director Eliza Jean Angel holds dual MFA degrees and is the designer of the Mardi Gras 3000 brand and an accomplished pastor.

What do we do? We refund customers with no questions asked and never deduct the processing fees charged to us. We encourage authors to write both in and out of their regular genre. Labels and pigeon holes don't work with us. We have a sense of humor. Jennifer has even been known burst into song--when she isn't IMing authors, growing the company, or negotiating deals with charm, wit, and almost eerie industry savvy.

What do we do? We make and take calls in our living room. And our yard. And even, once, on our roof when an important vendor called but we were trying to rescue the neighbor's cat. We have dinner with our authors. We home-school our kids. We value family. We think creativity can change the world.

Want to take a visual tour of OHP campus? Want to meet our staff? Come on!

Take the tour