Founded in March 1989 by author, attorney, and artists' rights advocate Tad Crawford, the press began as a one-man operation with the publication of a revised edition of Crawford's classic Legal Guide for the Visual Artist in fall 1989. Crawford saw the need for a publishing company that would provide practical information to creative professionals such as artists, photographers, designers, and au
thors. Based on his experience as chairman of the board for the Foundation of the Community of Artists in New York City, general counsel to the Graphic Artists Guild, and lobbyist for the Coalition of Visual Arts organizations, he knew first-hand the issues faced every day by creative people and the publishing program covered topics such as marketing, promotion, pricing, copyright, contracts, health and safety, and much more. In 1994 the press received Quality Books' 1994 Small Press Publisher of the Year Award during the annual American Booksellers Association show (now Book Expo). Recipients of the award "exemplify the standards of quality in independent publishing. To be considered for the award, a publisher must have distinguished itself by producing timely, topical, and salable titles suitable for libraries, demonstrating networking skills, and supporting their distributor's efforts." In making its announcement, Quality Books stated: "Allworth Press provides practical, accessible information books for a creative community of specialists such as artists, photographers, designers, and authors, as well as an expanding line of legal and financial how-to books for the general public. Their titles have received numerous recommendations from the review media." Steady growth built the Allworth Press list to more than 300 titles by 2011 when the press merged with the much larger Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Tad Crawford, a partner and now vice president of Skyhorse Publishing, continues as the publisher for Allworth Press. The Allworth staff is now located at the Skyhorse Publishing offices at 307 West 36th Street in New York City. The location of Allworth Press in New York City makes a great deal of sense since so many of its books offer practical business and self-help information for artists, designers, photographers, writers, and film and performing artists. Allworth Press shares worldwide distribution with Skyhorse Publishing, using Perseus Distribution in the United States. Books from Allworth Press have been translated into many languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Japanese. Rights to titles from Allworth Press are licensed for translation by the Jean V. Naggar Agency. Allworth Press enjoys excellent relationships with a select group of publishing partners. Many of its titles have been co-published with the School of Visual Arts. Other important organizations that have joined to co-publish certain titles include the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the American Society of Media Photographers, the Authors Guild, Communication Arts magazine, the Design Management Institute, the Graphic Artists Guild, and Interior Design magazine. This association with leading educational and professional institutions is a sign of the respect given to the Allworth Press publishing program by the leaders of the creative community. Allworth Press has continued to grow and now has 400 titles in print while publishing 20-25 titles each year. Allworth Press is constantly seeking to publish books that meet the needs of creative professionals in its niche areas. Suggestions and insights from readers and the community are welcomed as an aid in determining the best books and authors for the future.
