ABOUT US
The Workman Speakers Bureau is part of Workman Publishing, a group of five publishers: Workman, Algonquin Books, Artisan, Storey Publishing, and Timber Press. For decades, these imprints have been publishing eclectic, creative, and highly successful books, written by experts in their fields. The company’s authors are creative and passionate about what they do, which is why so many of them are proven and lively speakers. The Workman Speakers Bureau was created to showcase these authors, who will entertain, inform, and inspire audiences on a wide range of subjects.
Workman’s first title, Richard Hittleman’s Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan, appeared in l972 and is still in print. Since it opened its doors over 40 years ago, Workman has published 52 titles that have sold more than 1 million copies. Early successes included B. Kliban’s Cat, The Official Preppy Handbook, the Page-A-Day Calendars, the Brain Quest learning game for children, The Silver Palate Cookbook, and What To Expect When You’re Expecting, which has sold over 17 million copies in all editions since its publication in 1984.
Workman’s original philosophy still guides this independent company today, with small, very selective lists; intensive marketing and publicity campaigns; and a resolve to promote its backlist as energetically as it launches new titles. Recent best sellers include Patricia Schultz’s 1000 Places To See Before You Die, Bob Nelson’s 1501 Ways to Reward Your Employees, Rufus Seder’s Scanimation series, Sandra Boynton’s children’s books (more than 15 million in print), Bad Cat and Bad Dog, and Jennifer Holland’s Unlikely Friendships.
Algonquin Books was acquired by Workman in 1989. Founded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1983, as a small Southern press devoted to publishing literary fiction and nonfiction by young unpublished writers, it soon garnered national attention for many now-renowned authors, including Julia Alvarez, Kaye Gibbons, Robert Morgan, and Lee Smith. Today Algonquin is recognized internationally as a literary house with numerous best sellers, from Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants to Robert Goolrick’s A Reliable Wife, and from Ilene Beckerman’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore to Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods. As an imprint that publishes only 20 new titles a year, it’s notable that seven Algonquin books made the New York Times best-seller list in 2011.
Artisan, founded in 1994 and based in New York City, is the illustrated books division of Workman Publishing. Specializing in cooking, design, and popular culture, the house receives national attention for books such as Medal of Honor, Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, and Grace Bonney’s Design Sponge at Home. Artisan’s cookbooks are frequently honored with IACP and James Beard Foundation Awards. Its authors also include Jeni Britton Bauer, Alain Ducasse, Alice Medrich, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Frank Stitt, and David Tanis.
Storey Publishing, founded in 1983, joined the Workman family in 2001 and is based in North Adams, Massachusetts. It has become the voice of sustainable lifestyles, specializing in do-it-yourself books about gardening, cooking, knitting and other crafts, backyard building, animal care, farming, and home improvement. Storey's authors include Kari Chapin (The Handmade Marketplace), Rosemary Gladstar (Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health), Allan J. Hamilton, M.D. (Zen Mind, Zen Horse), Jennifer Trainer Thompson (Hot Sauce!),and Paul Tukey (The Organic Lawn Manual).
Timber Press, based in Portland, Oregon, is a publisher of books for the serious gardener, on gardening, horticulture, and natural history. Many of its titles are recognized as classics and have received numerous horticultural awards, such as Michael Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs, Allan Armitage’s Garden Perennials, and Rick Darke’s The American Woodland Garden. In addition, Timber publishes general how-to books including The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, Free Range Chicken Gardens, What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?), and Bringing Nature Home. Timber was founded in 1978 and acquired by Workman Publishing in 2006.
