New Georgia Publishing House

TACCOA-In a day and age when self-publishing and digital print-on-demand are the options to which many authors feel they must resort, a new publishing house in Georgia holds the line on traditional publication methods. Presswork Publications of Toccoa released its first book in June of this year, Alexandra: A Williams Family Journal, the historic journey of two Mennonite teenagers forced to run their family farm and take care of their younger siblings when their parents pass away.

Alexandra is just the first of several books already set for release, in a variety of genres. Drummer Danny, a fictional children's tale of a Southern drummer boy interspersed with educational teaching points about The War Between the States, will hit the shelves in September. Next will be Sautee Shadows, the carefully researched first novel in of the romantic Georgia Gold trilogy set in Clarkesville and Savannah during the mid-1800s, quickly followed by a modern series of children's books enlivening farm animals, written by eco-friendly Barb Bolen.

While the first two books have Christian overtones, the Georgia Gold trilogy, while inspirational, is a mainstream release, as the Bolen series will be. According to Presswork founder and publisher Jessica Handwork, the manuscript selection process is determined by niche marketing. Handwork, who owns Aisling Bookstore in Toccoa, added Presswork Publications to the list of American publishers a couple of years back. She was not sure at that time when she'd get Presswork rolling, but after Stephanie Ayers brought her the Alexandra manuscript in summer of 2009, Handwork says, "I kept remembering it. I decided I needed to focus on the publishing. Now, with Aisling Group our overarching company, as owner of Aisling Bookstore, I'm seeing things from two views which a normal publisher wouldn't. I'm able to say, 'what causes me to buy a book?'"

Presswork is already staffed with an acquisitions editor and a substantive/layout editor. Substantive editor Denise Weimer says of the company, "Both Jessica and I feel that while self-publishing and print-on-demand are viable options for many authors, there are sometimes drawbacks or pitfalls involved. Some publishers out there do not offer full support for their clients. We want to create a company where writers can feel confident that if their material is selected for publication, their publishing process will be respectful, traditional, and comprehensive."

Presswork offers authors publicity tours for book signings, national print and electronic publicity campaigns, and social media promotion including Facebook, LinkedIn, Scribd, and Twitter. The company's releases, including pre-orders, are available to those with a wholesale license through Baker & Taylor and Ingram, and to the public through Amazon.com and at Presswork's web site at www.pressworkpublications.com