Our Mission
We aim to empower independent authors.
We empower them by offering an unmatched publishing experience that combines decades of experience in publishing and a passionate team of world-class designers, editors, and illustrators who bring your book to life.
Our Origins
Books are in our DNA.
Our family legacy of books stretches back four generations to 1950s South Africa, where the grandparents of our CEO, Jack Joseph (parents of our co-owner, Richard Joseph), founded a prominent chain of bookstores named Exclusive Books. Exclusive Books remains South Africa’s number one bookstore brand to this day and earned great acclaim for fighting back against Apartheid-era censorship, importing books that incurred the wrath of South Africa’s government of the time.
Richard and his father moved on to open bookstores in the UK, seeing great success for years and turning their new chain, Bookes Etc., into a beloved brand. After selling Books Etc. to Borders Books, Richard purchased Arcadia Publishing and moved to the United States in 2002. Jack joined the family business in 2012, helping his father grow the traditional publishing company for the next six years.
By 2018, Jack and Richard saw self-publishing as the future of book publishing. Where traditional publishers have to turn down far more books than they can accept, independent publishers shift power to writers so that every author has the opportunity to publish their work.
Palmetto Publishing focuses on providing authors with an unmatched self-publishing experience. In 2022, Palmetto Publishing proudly published thousands of new titles without ever compromising on our unique vision to ensure that the publishing process focuses on the author, allowing for the best possible book.
Our Values
Transparency
We strive to be open and honest with our authors about our processes, the services we provide, and what to expect. That way, you can make an informed decision about working with us.
Quality
Putting something down on the page is a big commitment, so we strive to help you craft your masterpiece.
100% Satisfaction
This is your book, so we want you to be happy with how it turns out. We’ll continue working with you to ensure your book is exactly what you expected and more.
Empowering Authors
We are passionate about helping authors succeed. Our goal is always to publish your words, your way. We’ll continue working with you to ensure your book is exactly what you expected and more, providing all the tools and resources you need to be successful.
Accountability
We hold ourselves accountable to our authors by providing timely updates, responding to questions and concerns, and delivering on our promises. We aim to create an environment where success and failures are shared and become a learning experience.
Improvement
We strive to constantly raise the bar and redefine what it means to be an independent publisher that puts authors first.
People First
We thrive on a culture of respect, inclusion, and collaboration. People, their dreams, and the amazing stories they have to tell are what bring us life, and that gives us the responsibility to protect and foster their creativity and innovation.
Our Culture
500 Books
Palmetto employees collectively read in 2022
50%
of Palmetto employees are dog parents
33%
of Palmetto employees are cat parents
150+
collective years in the book, print, and publishing industry
30%
of Palmetto employees have their own website
- Writers61%
- Musicians39%
- Artists/Designers56%
- Athletes22%
Outside of work our employees are…
Our Journey
1951
Pam and Phillip Joseph founded Exclusive Books in South Africa. The burgeoning brand grew to become South Africa’s #1 bookstore and a prominent voice against Apartheid-era censorship.
Year
Philip and Richard launch Books Etc. in the UK. Like its predecessor, Books Etc. grew into a beloved brand and one of the most popular bookstores in the country.
2002
After selling Books Etc. to Borders Books, Richard took his publishing expertise to the United States where he purchased Arcadia Publishing, a traditional publishing company.
2012
Jack joined the family business, helping his father grow Arcadia Publishing for the next six years.
2018
After witnessing too many authors and manuscripts go unpublished due to the bounds of traditional publishing, Jack and Richard sell Arcadia Publishing and begin building an independent publishing company to empower all authors who dream of publishing.
Later that year, The Better Business Bureau awarded Palmetto Publishing with the Torch Award for Ethics.
2019
Palmetto published 249 books in 2019, a monumental achievement that gave credence to Jack and Richard’s vision of empowering independent authors to publish their work outside the restrictions of traditional publishing.
2019 wasn’t just about volume, though. Palmetto launched a proprietary internal publishing management software that served as the first building block in developing the company’s industry-leading author-driven publishing process.
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic drove more authors than ever to write and finish manuscripts, and Palmetto Publishing rose to the occasion to help them get published. We more than doubled the previous year’s volume, proudly publishing over 500 new books by the end of 2020.
2021
Palmetto Publishing moved into our Charleston, SC headquarters in 2021, giving our growing team room to expand and scale up to serve more authors. As a nod to our family legacy in bookstores and publishing, our office walls are decorated with the same paintings of famous authors that adorned the walls of Books Etc. in the UK.
Continuing our explosive growth, Palmetto proudly published more than 800 new books by the end of 2021.
2022
In 2022, Palmetto launched our proprietary print-on-demand distribution system to replace popular POD solutions that often lead to poor author experiences. By the end of 2022, we published more than 1200 new books.
2023
Recognizing how much Palmetto Publishing had grown and evolved since its inception, the company launched a new logo to represent our premium, gold-standard quality, and rich history in the beautiful Palmetto state of South Carolina.
Palmetto Publishing
In The Media
2018 BBB Torch Award
Recommended Publisher with
the Alliance of Independent
Authors (ALLi)