South Carolina's publishing industry is home to a diverse mix of companies contributing immensely to the literary climate. These companies typically operate in a variety of niches, with offerings ranging from academic-oriented publications to books deeply rooted in local history and culture. This comprehensive list of the top 20 publishing companies in South Carolina provides a glimpse into the vibrant literary community and their efforts to shape, preserve, and disseminate a diverse array of narratives and ideas. As digital landscapes transform, these companies embrace innovation, demonstrating a unique ability to evolve and thrive.


Top 20 publishing companies in South Carolina

1. Arcadia Publishing

Arcadia Publishing is a company that specializes in publishing books about the history and culture of local communities in America. They offer a wide range of titles that cover various subjects, including military, architecture, ethnic history, haunted places, and more. With their Images of America book series and other publications, they provide readers with an immersive experience of the past and present of their towns and cities.


2. Martin Printing Company, Inc.

Martin Printing Company is an award-winning leader in the production of niche publications, direct mail, and custom marketing collateral. They serve clients nationwide, delivering quality products quickly and efficiently. Their knowledgeable team helps clients differentiate themselves and achieve maximum ROI. They offer services such as file upload, custom collateral, fulfillment, digital publishing, and satellite post office.


3. The University of South Carolina Press

The website belongs to the University of South Carolina Press, which is a publisher of books covering topics such as Southern history, cooking, memoirs, politics, and Indigenous North America.


4. Joggling Board Press

Joggling Board Press is a full-service independent publishing company in Summerville, SC. They publish non-fiction books that capture the history, culture, and spirit of the South and offer editorial reviews and mentorships for writers.


5. Best Chefs America

Best Chefs America is a national guide to chefs, featuring peer-reviewed ratings of over 4,600 chefs and their teams across nearly 9,000 restaurants in the US. Only the top 1% of chefs are selected. The company aims to honor, serve and promote the work of culinary leaders.


6. Charleston Hub

Charleston Hub is a publishing house that provides professional development publications, blogs, podcasts, and seminars for librarians, publishers, and vendors across various disciplines.


7. Carolyn Howard-Johnson

HowToDoItFrugally.com is a website offering a series of books and services for writers, including editing, marketing, and publishing advice. The site focuses on helping writers succeed in the industry while being mindful of their budget.


8. Audio Bible

  • Website: audiobible.com
  • Headquarters: Summerville, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 11-50

AudioBible.com offers a wide range of Bible audio products in various formats, languages and versions. They have a large collection of audio Bibles that are easy to use and suitable for all types of users.


9. Charleston Magazine

Charleston Magazine is a publication that focuses on various aspects of the Charleston lifestyle, including food and drink, arts and events, style and shopping, weddings, and travel. It offers editorial content, photo galleries, and special sections.


10. Advantage Media

Advantage|ForbesBooks is The Authority Marketing Company™. We help entrepreneurs, CEOs, professionals, and companies become the #1 authority in their field. Thought leadership is the new digital currency. Consumer tastes, preferences, and buying decisions are shaped by authorities that share their knowledge and wisdom with the world. Advantage|ForbesBooks helps leaders amplify their message with our turnkey book writing, book publishing, PR + media, podcast, and Authority Marketing solutions that position individuals and brands as the most sought-out experts. Advantage|ForbesBooks actively supports 2,000+ authority leaders in 47 U.S. states and 22 countries with two marquee publishing imprints, Advantage and ForbesBooks. Launched in 2016, ForbesBooks represents The Best in Business by sharing our authors unique content with Forbes 94M+ monthly readers. Our titles are found in major bookstores, Hudson Airport Stores, and anywhere fine books are sold. Our authorities are interviewed on TV, radio, and in newsprint hundreds of times each month. Learn more at advantagefamily.com or authoritynow.com.


11. Pressque

  • Website: pressque.com
  • Headquarters: Charleston, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Pressque got its start in 2004 with an aim to help authors and publishers create exciting books and to ensure fair wages for professional editors, writers, and designers. Pressque has a fantastic team of four ghostwriters, three screenwriters, eighteen editors, and three designers. As the landscape of the publishing world continues to evolve, we're committed to keeping it simple. Making good books matter. We're familiar with the art of storytelling, and we know how to help you engage readers. With every single book project, our goal-whether the author is with an indie publisher or a traditional one-is to have a global mindset. Better yet, we know what it takes to get one's message into the marketplace. We've worked with authors who've transitioned from traditional publishing houses to indie or self-publishers and from self-publishers to traditional publishing houses. We've worked with authors who've published with: IngramSpark, Lulu, CreateSpace, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Evening Post Books, Globe Pequot Press, Joggling Board Press, among others. So, whether you need a ghostwriter to help articulate your business acumen, a copywriter to craft winning cover text for your debut novel, an editor to finesse your prose, or a designer to put your whole book package together-interior layout as well as cover design-Pressque has the talent to take your project from concept to best seller.


12. Lydia Inglett

  • Website: lydiainglett.com
  • Headquarters: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Lydia Inglett Publishing and Starbooks is one of the Souths most award-winning boutique publishers. We are known for our lush, beautiful, coffee table books on a variety of subjects nationally and specifically in the South and Coastal Southeast. Whether local or just visiting, people enjoy buying and giving our books. Our books are sold wholesale to gift stores, design stores, bookstores and other retail outlets. We also offer group sales to corporations and organizations. Please view our web sites to learn more about us.www.lydiainglett.com and www.starbooks.biz We provide industry standard publishing for all types of books to authors, artists, galleries and museums. Our for 40 years in the business with our unique approach to publishing is proof of our passion and our quality. We begin by reviewing your content and listening to your goals for the book project. From concept, to budget, to timeline, we carefully consider all aspects of your book. Then, we work with you to recommend publishing equation for your institution and project. Each project is different, ALL of our expertise in the industry is available to you. Whether hard cover or soft cover, no matter what type of paper or binding, regardless of subject matter, our team of book publishing designers and managers will approach your book with not only a high degree of skill, but an eye to project profitability.


13. Palmetto Reader

  • Website: palmettoreader.com
  • Headquarters: Columbia, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

South Carolina book publishing company Palmetto Reader in Columbia South Carolina is seeking new authors.


14. International Publishing House

  • Website: iphouseindia.com
  • Headquarters: North Charleston, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

""INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSE"" has been started in November-2014 as a Individual Entity as per Indian Government Law. It publishes the book on any branch/decipline such as commerce, Economics, Humanities, Accountancy, Management, Medical science, Engineering, Science, statistics etc. of those author who is very needy which do not have strong financial condition. All books published in ""INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSE"", especially editorials, opinions and commentaries, letters and book reviews, are deemed to reflect the individual views of the authors and not the official points of view, either of the Organization. Mission: ""THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSE"" wants to provide book publishing at minimum cost to our new author in India.


15. CreateSpace

  • Website: createspace.com
  • Headquarters: North Charleston, South Carolina, United States
  • Founded: 2002
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

CreateSpace is a printing services company that allows enterprise publishers to conveniently produce and distribute their content. They offer specialized publishing options and enable authors to seamlessly manage their content through Amazon's improved publishing services.


16. Simon Teakettle

  • Website: simonteakettle.com
  • Headquarters: Surfside Beach, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Simon Teakettle Ink has been serving clients in Canada and the US since 1981. Offering expert online training, mentoring, books, and special projects.


17. Muddy Ford Press

  • Website: muddyfordpress.com
  • Headquarters: Columbia, South Carolina, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

Muddy Ford Press announces a new series of books, The Laureate Series, with the publication of Theologies of Terrain by Tim Conroy, edited by Columbia, SC poet laureate, Ed Madden. The purpose of The Laureate Series is to celebrate the tradition of poetry that is born to South Carolinians and to promote and honor the relationship between mentor and protégé, advocate and postulant, poet and poet. There will be a launch party for the book on Tuesday, October 10 th at 6 pm at Immaculate Consumption at 933 Main Street in Columbia, behind the SC State House, at which Conroy will read from the publication. The event is free and open to the public. In this petite and exquisite collection, author Matthew OLeary creates a literary pathway in and out of the pain of loss and the maddening frustration and lack of control human disease can visit upon us, both as patients and as witnesses to its destruction. Wry and vulnerable, OLearys prose seem to empower the reader with the upper hand by offering the illusion of detached cynicism in what he calls, the biopsy of my mutation. OLearys prose will both intensify and lighten you.


18. Majesty Music

Majesty Music is a company that offers a wide range of music-related products and services. They provide cantatas, musicals, instrumental music, sheet music, and CDs for various occasions like Christmas. They also offer piano solos, choral books, hymn-playing instruction, and children's music.


19. Grand Strand Magazine

Grand Strand Magazine is a regional magazine featuring articles on events, news, style and fashion, restaurants, and weddings in Horry and Georgetown counties in South Carolina, or Brunswick County in North Carolina.


20. True Potential Media

Share your story with the world. Making your voice heard in a world of noise has become an epidemic challenge. We’ve got the cure. In 2011 True Potential Media merged with its sister company, True Potential Publishing to form True Potential, Inc. Our realization was that 'publishing' and 'media' have become so converged through the reach and mediums 21st century technology continues to allow that 'publishing' and 'media' if done right, are inseparable. Our commodity isn't books, websites or Social Media. Our commodity is your message. We are stewards of sharing your story with the world through any and every channel your audience is ready to receive it. Early in our publishing company history we learned a few critical lessons: * Bookstores don’t buy books – they just sell them. * Distributors don’t buy books – they just send them to bookstores. * Readers buy books – Our mission is to reach our readers. ‘Professional’ media companies and traditional marketing schemes didn’t solve our problems. Spending a lot of money didn’t necessarily mean reaching a lot of people. Sometimes ‘free’ advertising worked much better. Nothing we did was more effective than our raving fans sharing our stories with their friends. Whatever your message is, these principles apply. Discover how we can help you reach the world and create raving fans.


Want to find more publishing companies?


If you want to find more companies that offer a myriad of services ranging from book publishing to custom marketing collateral you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


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...and a lot more!