Who we are...

Upper Access, Inc., publishes books and provides business software for other publishers.

We began publishing books in the mid 1980s, a little before the picture at right was taken showing the equipment in use then and a few of our early titles. Our niche is a broad one: nonfiction books to improve the quality of life. We publish, on average, only one, two, or three new titles each year, but we take the time to be sure that each Upper Access title is the best in its field or subject area.

Early on, we learned that small presses had a hard time competing in the marketplace with the big multinational conglomerates. Small-press books were at least as good, and often far superior, but the business practices and distribution networks greatly favored the big companies.

Therefore, we established two important services for our fellow small presses. One was a book-fulfillment company, which took toll-free orders for books around the clock and also made books readily accessible to book stores. That meant that if people knew about a small-press book, they would have no difficulty obtaining it.

We also developed an industry-specific software program, now known as Publishers' Assistant, to allow small companies to function professionally in the complex book business. At the time, industry-specific business software cost $10,000 or more, making it unaffordable for most smaller and newer publishers, who were, therefore, unable to compete in the complex business climate of publishing. We created better software at a small fraction of the prices of the competition, allowing even the smallest publishers to compete with the huge multinationals.

By the year 2000, other companies had set up to handle book fulfillment, including an excellent one called Book Clearing House. We were happy to let BCH take over our accounts, because we knew they would do a good job. If you are interested in book fulfillment, click here to visit the BCH Web site.

Meanwhile, our software program has flourished, setting the standard for business software, not only among small presses but independent publishers of all sizes.For more information about it, click here to visit our main page for software descriptions.

Upper Access? What does that mean?

We're located in the woods of Vermont on the Upper Access Road to Lake Iroquois—just up a piece from the Lower Access Road, which would have been a less pretentious name for the business if only we had been located there.

What's happened to the "Big Books from Small Presses" catalog?

For more than ten years, the "Big Books" catalog was our most prominent face to the general public. At its peak, the circulation of the catalog exceeded 100,000, and a great many people looked forward to each new issue. To this day, we continue to receive copies of the old "business response envelope" with notes asking for the latest catalog. But the book business has changed, and the catalog gave way to a Web site, which was eventually folded into the Book Clearing House site. As nostalgic as we still are about that paper catalog, the Internet is a more practical place to sell books.

Criteria for Authors . . .

Okay, it's time to acknowledge that if you've read this far, you're probably an author. Our criteria for submissions are pretty informal. We are interested in well-written, solidly researched books that have unique information to improve the quality of life.

It is usually best not to mail us an entire manuscript unsolicited. If you do, we cannot guarantee its return. The ideal would be a proposal outlining your book, with a table of contents, a sample chapter, and a description of the anticipated market for the book. An initial query by email is best. But with your initial inquiry, do not attach a file. We have a strict policy of not downloading files unless we have specifically requested them.

Our contracts are conventional royalty agreements, under which the author holds the copyright and Upper Access publishes and markets the books. Like most small presses, Upper Access pays only a small advance against royalties. Therefore, virtually all remuneration to an author depends upon how well the book sells.

We are open to well-written submissions from previously unpublished writers, as well as from established authors. Please understand that in order to be effective as a small publisher, we must avoid excessive stretching of resources, and can accept only a small fraction of the proposals submitted to us. If we reject your book, that doesn't mean it's a bad book—just that we are not the appropriate publisher for it.

E-mail inquiries or mail materials to Upper Access Books, 87 Upper Access Road, Hinesburg, VT 05461. If you telephone us, call 1-802-482-2988. Do not use the toll-free numbers for inquiries about submitting book proposals, as they are directed for book orders only.