Dorrance Publishing Co.

Dorrance Publishing Co. is a privately held American book-publishing company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its publishing program includes conventionally printed books and electronic books, and the company is commonly described in reference material as operating in the subsidy or author-funded publishing sector. Rather than presenting itself as a publisher that selects only manuscripts with established commercial potential, Dorrance has stated that it does not conceal its charges and does not claim to accept clients solely on the basis of anticipated market success. This distinguishes its model from the traditional trade-publishing model, in which the publisher generally finances production and assumes the principal commercial risk. The company traces its origins to 1920, when Gordon Dorrance established the business after a work he had been editing failed to reach publication through Scribner's. A copyright catalogue from that year records the name Dorrance & Company, Inc. and identifies two early publications, The Pocket Chesterfield and Broken Shackles. The company was initially established in Philadelphia and subsequently moved between addresses in Philadelphia and nearby communities. By 1989 it was based in Monroeville, outside Pittsburgh, and by 1991 its address was in Pittsburgh, the location associated with the company in later reference material. Dorrance's historical list includes works from different categories and periods. Among the titles identified in reference sources are Prohibition Punches: A Book of Beverages, published in 1930 and written by Roxana B. Doran, and Away From the Here and Now, published in 1947 by Clare Winger Harris. Harris is recognized in connection with the history of science fiction as an early woman writer who published under her own given name. In the digital era, reference material reports that thirteen Dorrance titles have reached bestseller status on Amazon Kindle, although no complete list or sales figures are provided. The company has also maintained several alternate publishing imprints or operating names. Better Business Bureau material identifies I-Proclaim Books, Red Lead Press, RoseDog Books, and Whitmore Publishing Company as names under which the business has operated. Dorrance has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 1995 according to the supplied reference material, while the bureau's profile lists a business start date in June 1989. These dates describe different aspects of the company's documented history: the company's historical origin is traced to 1920, whereas the BBB profile records a later start date for its listed business operation. Public discussion of Dorrance has focused in part on its author contracts, fees, and customer experience. As of May 2022, the BBB profile cited an A− rating and 70 complaints. The existence of complaints does not by itself establish wrongdoing, and the available reference material does not document a formal finding that the company committed a legal violation. Dorrance also has a place in popular culture: its founder, Gordon Dorrance, was portrayed by Pierre Watkin in the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Writes a Novel." The company remains associated with book production and author services across print and electronic formats.

Dorrance Publishing Company was founded by Gordon Dorrance in 1920. The immediate reason for its creation was personal and practical: Dorrance had been editing a manuscript that did not complete publication through Scribner's, prompting him to establish a publishing business of his own. The 1920 Catalogue of Copyright Entries records the company under the name Dorrance & Company, Inc. and lists The Pocket Chesterfield and Broken Shackles among its early publications. The business began in Philadelphia. During the following decades it changed premises within Philadelphia and the surrounding area. By 1989, reference material placed the company in Monroeville, a municipality outside Pittsburgh. By 1991, its address was in Pittsburgh, where the company has subsequently been identified as based. The relocation history reflects the development of a regional publishing business rather than the creation of a separate company; the available sources continue to treat the later Pittsburgh operation as the successor to the organization founded by Dorrance. The catalogue associated with Dorrance has included books in varied subject areas. In 1930 the company published Prohibition Punches: A Book of Beverages by Roxana B. Doran, who was associated with the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In 1947 it published Away From the Here and Now by Clare Winger Harris. Harris is notable in science-fiction history as an early woman writer to use her given name in publications. These examples show that the company's historical output was not confined to a single genre. In its modern business model, Dorrance has been associated with subsidy or author-funded publishing. The company publishes physical books and ebooks and has explained that it does not hide its charges. It also does not claim to choose clients only according to a manuscript's presumed commercial prospects. This approach differs from conventional trade publishing, where publishers normally acquire a limited list of projects, pay the costs of production, and rely on retail sales to recover those costs. The supplied reference material does not provide a complete description of Dorrance's current contract terms, fee schedule, distribution arrangements, or author-selection procedures, so those details should not be inferred. Dorrance has operated under additional imprint names identified by the Better Business Bureau, including I-Proclaim Books, Red Lead Press, RoseDog Books, and Whitmore Publishing Company. The company has been BBB-accredited since 1995 according to the supplied reference material. The BBB profile gives a June 1989 start date, which is later than the documented 1920 founding date and should be understood as a profile or operating-history date rather than a replacement for the company's historical origin. The company has received some visibility through individual titles and popular culture. Reference material states that thirteen Dorrance titles became bestsellers on Amazon Kindle, but it does not identify all of them or provide sales data. Gordon Dorrance was also portrayed by actor Pierre Watkin in the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Writes a Novel," giving the founder a fictionalized appearance in a television story about writing and publishing. Public scrutiny has centered on the economics and customer experience of author-funded publishing. As of May 2022, the BBB profile cited an A− rating and 70 complaints. The supplied sources do not establish that these complaints resulted in a court judgment, government sanction, or finding of misconduct. Dorrance therefore remains best characterized, on the available evidence, as an active independent publisher and publishing-services company with a long historical record, print and ebook capabilities, and a business model distinct from conventional royalty-funded trade publishing.

• 1995

  Better Business Bureau accreditation

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company is reported to have received Better Business Bureau accreditation beginning in 1995.

• 1991

  Pittsburgh address documented

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  By 1991, the company's address was listed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

• 1989

  Operation documented in Monroeville

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material places the company in Monroeville, outside Pittsburgh, by 1989.

• 1947

  Publication of Away From the Here and Now

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Dorrance published Clare Winger Harris's Away From the Here and Now, a work associated with an important early woman science-fiction writer.

• 1930

  Publication of Prohibition Punches

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Dorrance published Prohibition Punches: A Book of Beverages by Roxana B. Doran.

• 1920

  Company founded in Philadelphia

  [1]Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Gordon Dorrance founded the publishing company after an editing project failed to reach publication through Scribner's. A 1920 copyright catalogue records Dorrance & Company, Inc. and lists The Pocket Chesterfield and Broken Shackles.

A long-established independent publishing services company positioned around making print and electronic book publication available to authors, including authors using a subsidy or author-funded publishing model. The company emphasizes transparency about charges rather than claiming that every accepted project is selected for expected commercial success.

• Books · 1920

  Printed books

  Dorrance's traditional physical-book publishing output spans titles in multiple subject areas and genres. Historical examples include a beverage book published during the Prohibition era and a science-fiction work published in the 1940s. The available reference material does not provide a current catalogue breakdown, print-run information, or detailed distribution data.

• Electronic books

  Ebooks

  The company publishes electronic books in addition to physical editions. Reference material reports that thirteen Dorrance titles have become bestsellers on Amazon Kindle, but it does not provide the titles, dates, rankings, or sales figures needed to assess the scale of this activity.

• Publishing services

  Author-funded publishing services

  Dorrance is associated with a subsidy or author-funded publishing model in which authors may pay charges connected with publication. The company states that its charges are disclosed and does not represent that clients are accepted exclusively according to projected commercial success. Specific current services and contractual terms are not detailed in the supplied sources.

1. 1Dorrance Publishing Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Dorrance Publishing official websitedorrancepublishing.com