Who We Are

Upriver—adjective or adverb: toward or at a point nearer the source.

In a post-truth age, readers need more access to factual, thorough, in-depth research. That work is developed quietly “upriver” by scholars who devote their lives to exploring critical issues in fields such as economics, art, science, history, political science, technology, and current affairs. By publishing scholarly research in accessible and aesthetic forms, we hope to bring the best upriver ideas to broader audiences.

Upriver Press is the younger sibling of Endeavor Literary Press, which was founded a couple of decades ago. We are a traditional independent press (no hybrid publishing) based in Colorado. Upriver Press books are distributed by Independent Publishers Group (IPG). Our staff has extensive experience and education in writing, editing, book design, and publicity. We are members of PubWest, a leading association for small independent publishers in the US; the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) in New York. We reject all use of artificial intelligence at our press (see policy here).

We also support our readers (and our mission) by publishing in-depth reviews of scholarly books released by other publishers. To quickly learn about influential authors and books, you can subscribe to our weekly reviews at this link.

Learn more about our team below.

Meet the Team

  • Glenn McMahan

    PUBLISHER/EDITOR

    Glenn has three decades of experience in journalism and book publishing. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. In 2015, he graduated from the University of Denver Publishing Institute. He pivoted to book publishing after working as a wire service and newspaper reporter in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Glenn has edited and/or published more than eighty books in his career.

  • Tom McMahan

    ACQUISTIONS EDITOR / PUBLICIST

    Born and raised in Brazil, and fluent in Portuguese, Tom is completing his bachelor’s degree in Management and International Business at Colorado State University. As our acquisitions editor, he helps with the evaluation of each book’s marketability, researches audience interests; and searches for leading scholars who might publish with Upriver Press. He also manages subsidiary rights. As our lead publicist, he designs and helps implement publicity strategies for each book and author.

  • James Clarke

    GRAPHIC DESIGNER

    Based in London, James is an award-winning book designer and graphic artist. He has a gift translating a book’s concepts into visually compelling covers that capture readers’ attention. James also does the typesetting and ebook conversions for all our books.

  • Sophie Paulson

    WRITER/EDITOR

    Sophie has a bachelor’s degree in writing from Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She also graduated from the University of Denver Publishing Institute. A meticulous editor and gifted ghostwriter, Sophie has an in-depth understanding of how to transform dry academic writing into elegant and compelling nonfiction works. Her ghostwriting work includes Soldier On: A Woman’s Memoir of Resilience and Hope by Bracha Horovitz (Endeavor Literary Press, 2022).

FRank

Supervisor

He’s not our brightest member, but he’s a good source of humor. He can often be found barking at the wall (whenever it gets out of line).