Dorrance Publishing Company

Dorrance Publishing Company
StatusActive
Founded1920
FounderJohn Gordon Dorrance (1890-1957)
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Publication typesBooks, ebooks, audiobooks
Fiction genresFiction, non-fiction, poetry, how-to, business, children’s literature, coffee table books
ImprintsI-Proclaim Books
Red Lead Press
RoseDog Books
Whitmore Publishing Company[1]
No. of employees73
Official websitewww.dorrancepublishing.com

Dorrance Publishing Company, Inc. is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States–based book publishing company. The company publishes both traditional printed books as well as ebooks.

History

Dorrance Publishing was founded by Gordon Dorrance in 1920. The Catalogue of Copyright Entries for that year lists "Dorrance & company, inc." publishing works The Pocket Chesterfield and Broken Shackles.[2] Dorrance set up the company after a work he was editing did not complete publication with Scribners.[3]

The company was established in Philadelphia and periodically changed address within Philadelphia and environs. By 1989 it was located in Monroeville, outside Pittsburgh. By 1991, the company's address was in Pittsburgh.[4]

They have been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 1995.[1] The BBB lists them as having started in June 1989, and also operating under the alternate publishing imprint names I-Proclaim Books, Red Lead Press, RoseDog Books, and Whitmore Publishing Company.[1]

Gordon Dorrance, the founder of Dorrance Publishing, was portrayed by actor Pierre Watkin in an episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Lucy Writes A Novel."[5]

Publications

A total of thirteen Dorrance Publishing titles have become bestsellers on Amazon Kindle.[6]

In 1930, Dorrance published Prohibition Punches: A Book of Beverages by Roxana B. Doran, member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union.[7]

In 1947, Dorrance published Away From the Here and Now by Clare Winger Harris, who is credited with being the first woman science fiction writer to use her given name in their publications.[8]

Self-publishing contract and Better Business Bureau reviews

Dorrance Publishing does not attempt to hide its charges and makes no claims of selecting clients based on potential for commercial success.[9][10]

As of May 2022, Dorrance Publishing has an A− rating with the Better Business Bureau with 70 complaints filed against them.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Dorrance Publishing Company Inc Review". Better Business Bureau Accredited Business Directory. Better Business Bureau. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Catalogue of Copyright Entries 1920". Library of Congress. 1920. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  3. ^ "Dorrance Publishing - Reviewed". The Independent Publishing Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  4. ^ Survey of classified ads and book reviews in historical newspapers.
  5. ^ Asher, William (April 5, 1954), Lucy Writes a Novel, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, retrieved January 29, 2018
  6. ^ "Amazon Bestsellers - Page 1 - Dorrance Bookstore". bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Prohibition Era Dorrance Book of Mocktail Recipes". Dorrance Publishing Company. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "Blast from the Past: Science Fiction Pioneer Clare Winger Harris". Dorrance Publishing Company. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. :: FAQ". Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  10. ^ "Blurred Distinctions: Vanity Publishing vs. Self-Publishing". Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "Dorrance Publishing Company Inc | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Retrieved May 9, 2022.