For the past four decades, Ulysses Press has been reshaping the independent publishing landscape, working to connect readers and authors in a rapidly-evolving, interconnected, data-driven world. Having published a wide range of successful books across a variety of genres, including MuggleNet.com’s What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7? and CATAN®: The Official Cookbook, the press has also expanded into new categories iinto new categories, such as children’s books and true crime.
With offices in Berkeley, Calif., and Brooklyn, NY, the company has displayed an ability to pivot through industry changes, and address the needs of highly targeted niche groups. On the occasion of the press' 40th anniversary, PW spoke to the CEO, Keith Riegert, about the press' rich history, its innovative use of data to publish smarter, and how the company gives back.
Ulysses Press has a rich history that dates back to 1983 and the publication of its first title, the travel book Hidden Hawaii. How did the press start?
Keith Riegert: It’s a great origin story. It’s also my origin story. Ray Riegert was your classic hippie and editor-in-chief of the radical newspaper the Berkeley Barb. When he left the Barb, he went to And/Or Press and told the publisher that he wanted to tap into his expertise to write the ultimate adventurer’s guide to the Hawaiian Islands. They sent him off with a very nice advance despite one big problem—he’d never actually been to Hawaii. He moved to the islands for six months without knowing that, if you’re a travel writer covering a hotel, the hotel would comp a room. So he reviewed hotels, restaurants, and beaches by day and camped by night. While he was covering Oahu, he met a University of Hawaii at Manoa student named Leslie Henriques, my mom, who was pursuing her master's degree in public health. Shortly after, Hidden Hawaii was published, And/Or went out of business, and the rights to the book reverted. My parents co-founded Ulysses Press with Hidden Hawaii as its debut title a few months after I was born.
Since its inception, the press has expanded to include many genres and categories, from health and fitness to pop culture and true crime. How has the press evolved over the years?
Keith Riegert: The internet did a lot of damage to the travel publishing industry and forced a transition to survive. Ulysses initially pivoted to publishing in spirituality and health and slowly tried out new genres each year. Then, in 2001, BookScan was released and ushered in our data-driven strategy. As Ray tells it, he was waiting for years for a tool like BookScan. Before it was released, he would do market research by browsing the bookstore and flipping to the copyright pages of books to see what printing they were on. BookScan was a revolution.
What can you share about Ulysses Press’s data-driven approach to publishing, and how has that approach made the press unique?
Keith Riegert: We do our acquisitions in reverse. We use large datasets to look for under-published topics that have built-in, engaged audiences and then find the expert author to write the book on the topic. But the real key is that we have an incredibly creative and innovative editorial team that makes it happen. However, while data-driven publishing has been a huge driver of our growth, we believe it is just going to get more difficult in the future and creativity is the real key to success. After all, if everyone is publishing based on the same data then the data erodes very quickly. Moneyball only works if you’re the only team doing it. Just ask my hometown A’s. They still haven’t won the World Series since 1989.
As a CEO, you’re known as an innovator. What is your publishing background, and how has out-of-the-box thinking contributed to the press’s success?
Keith Riegert: I have a background in English literature, just like everyone else here, and started as an acquisitions editor for Ulysses in 2008 and had to learn to live in numbers as much as letters. Eventually, I caught the data bug and I ended up going to NYU Stern School of Business and getting an MBA focused on statistics. It was the best decision of my career. And getting to be at Ulysses in those early, transitional years taught me that you never know where your next big hit will come from, so be wide open to any possibility, be scrappy, know that you know nothing, and, instead, listen intently to the market.
In 2022, Ulysses Press launched Bloom Books for Young Readers. Why did you want to start a children’s imprint?
Keith Riegert: Children’s publishing had long felt off-limits to us. The margins are, well, different, and the barriers to entry are more difficult, but there are so many opportunities for listening to what kids and parents are looking for but cannot find. That’s what we are targeting with Bloom.
What have been some of the press’s most notable books, and what are some forthcoming titles that you’re most excited about?
Keith Riegert: The title that really changed the trajectory of the company was MuggleNet.com’s What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7. It was our first New York Times bestseller and really let us understand just what was possible as a small indie if we paid attention to what the market was hungry for. The title that optimizes the joy of how we approach publishing for me was The Growth Mindset Coach. That book came from a combination of market research and editorial creativity from our VP, Publisher, Casie Vogel. She signed two teachers from Kansas to write that book and it went on to sell over 250,000 copies. I mean, that's the dream, right?
As for new titles, I am over the moon about CATAN®: The Official Cookbook that just came out. We are all huge CATAN fans at Ulysses. As well as the official Ticket to Ride™ cookbook, which will be out in 2024. I think they are such great iterations on the pop-culture cookbook trend for us.
How does Ulysses Press fit in the market, and what are its strengths?
Keith Riegert: Our goal is always to serve under-published niches and the built-in audience looking for the book that doesn’t yet exist. That’s why we’ve published everything from The Metal Detecting Bible and African American Herbalism to Complete Krav Maga and Shukr. Each season our list looks insanely random—but it's random on purpose.
Has the press’s mission changed over time?
Keith Riegert: I see us as having three main pillars to our press: Work with a wide and diverse range of voices and treat those authors as full partners; produce books that we are proud to put into the market; and foster the careers of our team here so that they can thrive wherever their path takes them, even if it’s not Ulysses.
Which of the press’s initiatives are you most proud of?
Keith Riegert: A few years ago we set up the Ulysses Press Scholarship at the NYU School for Professional Studies with the aim of promoting diversity in the industry. The students who have received the scholarship have totally blown me away. They’re some of the most intelligent, thoughtful people I’ve met in the business. The other initiative that I’m most proud of is our in-house Employee Author Program, where any employee, regardless of department, can sign on to write a book each year and receive a standard advance and royalties. I believe that we are in this industry because we love books and are inherently creative people, and I love seeing what they choose to craft. And you never know, they might even become a USA Today bestselling author, like our VP of Operations, Bridget Thoreson.
Ulysses Press is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. How does it feel?
Keith Riegert: I’m really proud of what my mom, Leslie Henriques, and dad, Ray Riegert, built. They created a vibrant, trend-setting publishing company from a single book while raising two kids. And I’m very honored and humbled to be involved in setting the track ahead for, hopefully, the next 40 years and beyond.
