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Bess Press
View on WikipediaBess Press is an American publisher, based in Hawaii, that issues various books on Hawaiian and Pacific history and culture.[1] It was founded in 1979[2] by Benjamin "Buddy" Bess and his wife Ann Rayson[3] who came to Hawaii in 1976 from New York.
Key Information
History
[edit]The company was created after the 1978 Constitutional Convention which mandated all schools to teach the history of Hawaii, creating an instant nationwide demand for history books.[3]
Bess bought the rights to two out-of-print textbooks on Hawaiian language, Hawaii: The Aloha State and Hawaii: Our Island State that local schools asked about when he was a sales representative for mainland publishers. He reprinted both volumes for $15,000, and pre-sold the copies, thus making a profit.
The publishing house has been an Amazon first-party vendor since the 1990s.[4] In the late 2000s, Bess Press lost 20% of its distribution network when Borders went under.[4]
Bess Press has 5 publishing divisions and a store in Kaimuki.[3] In 2011, it acquired the local publishing company Editions Limited.[5] David DeLuca was named director of publishing in 2012.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Nilsen, Robert (2007). Moon O'ahu. Avalon Travel. p. 368. ISBN 978-1-56691-958-6. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
- ^ "About". Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c Mendoza, Jim (2021-06-11). "42 years young, a family-owned publishing company looks forward to the next chapter". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ a b c McInnis, Brian (24 June 2021). "David DeLuca of Bess Press Inc. on the evolving publishing industry". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ Alex (2011-02-09). "Bess Press acquires Editions Limited - Hawaii Book Blog". Retrieved 2025-08-22.
External links
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