Keith Whittles points out that the Whittles Publishing name is ‘not disappearing overnight’.
Publisher Keith Whittles has confirmed that it is “the end of a chapter” after the assets of his Caithness-based company were bought out by another business.
Whittles Publishing, which has published hundreds of books over the past two decades, will now become an imprint of Porto Press, based in St Albans in Hertfordshire.
Dr Whittles (73) plans to retire in 2026 and he has been working closely with Diane Page, managing director at Porto Press, on the handover.
Dr Whittles gave an assurance that the Whittles Publishing name is “not disappearing overnight”.
His company is renowned for its range of academic and professional works as well as non-fiction titles, many of which are now available in e-book format.
“It’s the end of a chapter but not the end of a book,” Dr Whittles explained.
“The publishing has gone to Porto, a really nice bunch of people. They know what they’re doing and the Whittles name will remain on the books, which is nice.
“Porto Press is a new company but it’s formed by Diane Page, who has been in publishing for almost as long as I have. Whittles Publishing books will become simply an imprint of Porto Press.
“We’ve got a pile of projects in progress so they’ve got a lot to go on for the next year or more, both general non-fiction and also the more technical/engineering books.
“For me it is something that could have happened many times over the past few years but it has never been the right approach. This is the correct person to take it on.
“I’ll be here for that time period, helping local folk get their books produced. If we get queries from past authors or new authors, I will pass them on to Diane at Porto Press with my recommendation.
“So there is still a route through Whittles Publishing to getting books published.”
Originally from Sheffield, Dr Whittles spent more than eight years with a publishing company in Glasgow before deciding to go it alone.
He and his wife Cath moved to Caithness in 1986.
Whittles Publishing has published around 400 titles over the past 22 years.
“It’s a sizeable inheritance for Diane to take on and a good basis from which she can build,” Dr Whittles said.
The business operates from Dunbeath Mill. The only staff member now is sales manager Sue Steven, as production work has been carried out by freelance designers and editors.
“It has worked really well because it meant we could handle more projects rather than one person being overloaded with all the design and all the editing,” Dr Whittles said.
“We’ll be here for as much as people need us and we’ll just take things as they come.”
Cover design for Ken Crossan’s book Life at the Edge: The Natural History of the Caithness Coast (Whittles Publishing).
Recent projects by Whittles Publishing have included Life at the Edge: The Natural History of the Caithness Coast, by Ken Crossan, and The Dummy Drome: Stories from a WW2 Decoy Aerodrome in the North of Scotland, by Rob More.
“I felt an obligation, almost, to see those through – and we did,” Dr Whittles said. “They are both lovely books, so it’s nice to have that local presence.”
He added: “We won international prizes for our technical books in competition with global, £1 billion turnover publishers, and that’s a small company in Caithness. That’s pretty good.”
An announcement on the Porto Press website says: “We are delighted to have acquired the publishing assets of Whittles Publishing: a well-established publisher set up by Dr Keith Whittles and based in the beautiful far north of Scotland.
“Whittles has a well-regarded academic and professional list with a focus on subjects particularly relevant to those working and researching within the fields of landscape and the built environment. It also has a broad and lively non-fiction list which covers a variety of subjects including history, wildlife, Scottish interest and adventure.
“Whittles now becomes an imprint of Porto Press and its books continue to be available from retailers and via the usual website.”
Keith Whittles at a conference when he was chairman of Publishing Scotland. Picture: Sandy Young
In a message to authors, Dr Whittles wrote: “After a very long time in publishing, the time has come to pass our publishing lists on to someone new. Over recent years we have had several approaches from individuals and companies wishing to buy our lists but I felt none were suitable, or had sufficient publishing experience and knowledge.
“The quality of content and production has always been important to us and I was not prepared to risk the books and you as authors to someone I considered unsuitable.
“Now, however, we are in an entirely different situation, having accepted an offer from an experienced publisher with similar perspectives on the industry.”
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