If you’ve written a book about railways and need a publishing house, take a look at the following 10 top train book publishers.
1. Arcadia Publishing
Arcadia Publishing is a book publisher based in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. It has over twenty years of experience operating as a publishing house, producing books about different aspects of American states, including their trains, architecture, aviation, schools and entertainment.
Arcadia Publishing organizes their books by both areas of interest, as well as by the state in question; their books present information about states such as New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Arizona and others. Take a look at some of their offerings “Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train” by Dominick J. Cirincione and J’Nell L. Pate, “Reading Trains and Trolleys” by Philip K. Smith, and “Virginia’s Legendary Santa Trains” by Donna Strother Deekens and Doug Riddell.
Arcadia Publishing is happy to consider any submissions on non-fiction books, including books on trains. They request that authors fill out their author form on their website, and attach their manuscript.
2. Astragal Press
Situated in Apple Valley, Minnesota, in the United States, Astragal Press is a published house that was established in 1983. They have been operating as an imprint of Globe Pequot since 2019, and continue to create books about crafts, technology, hand and power tools, and antiques.
Among the different books on technology they have published are a number of books on trains. Some of their train books include “Japan By Rail” by Ramsey Zarifeh, “Scotland From The Rails” by Benedict Ie Vay, and “The Slow Train: A Railway Miscellany” by Peter Ashley.
The company is accepting book manuscripts about trains. Writers are asked to submit their book description, a table of contents and an analysis about their target market.
3. Crecy Publishing
For books on transportation and the military, go to Crecy Publishing. The publishing house, located in Manchester, in the United Kingdom, has been behind the publication of books on aviation, trains, and the military.
Today, Crecy Publishing is considered one of the world’s top train book publishers. Their portfolio includes “GWR Goods Train Working Volume 1” by Tony Atkins, “Yellow Trains” by Andrew Royle, and “The Hornby Book Of Trains: The First One Hundred Years” by Pat Hammond.
For writers who have a work in progress on trains, reach out to Crecy Publishing. They welcome submissions and ask that writers send their submissions by mail to their address, which is on their website, as well as postage for return included.
4. Depot Square Publishing
Depot Square Publishing is a book publisher that was founded in 1994 in Loveland, Ohio, in the United States. They specialize in publishing railroad and train books, with a particular focus on the history of American trains and railroad lines.
The publisher is well known for some of their beautiful photobooks showing the views around some of the more famous railroads in the country, as well as books about the history behind them. Some of their published books are “Metro-North’s Hudson Line: Poughkeepsie to Oscawana” by Thomas V. Panettiere, “Scenes Along The Rails: The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad’s Syracuse Division” by John W. Hudson and Suzanne C. Hudson, and “Roads, Rivers, and Rails: The Delaware & Hudson’s Susquehanna Division Heritage Trail” by John Taibi.
The book publisher is interested in taking a look at any train book manuscripts that are in the works. Authors should email their book submissions directly to the company by email for consideration.
5. Golden West Books
Since it was founded in 1960 by owner Donald Duke in San Marino, California, in the United States, Golden West Books has continued to live up to its reputation as one of the best publishers of train books in the country. Although Donald Duke passed away in 2010, the company that he helped form carries on his vision for publishing quality literature, and today produces numerous titles about railroading, electric railways, railcars and train stations.
With rail-related books from the Southern Pacific to Eastern Railroads, train enthusiasts are sure to find something of interest in Golden West Books’ list of published books. Among them include titles like “The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Company: The Historic Union Pacific Salt Lake Route” by John R. Signor, “Huntington Tracks” by Paul A. Smedley, and “Piggyback and Containers: A History of Rail Intermodal on America’s Steel Highway” by David J. DeBoer.
The publishing house continues to look out for submissions that meet their literary standards and present new perspectives on trains. Their website includes a contact form that allows authors to submit a query letter and contact information to the company.
6. Middleton Press
Surrey, in the United Kingdom, is home to Middleton Press, a book press that has made trains and other modes of transportation its topic of interest. The publisher opened its doors in 1978 and, in addition to books, offers maps, gifts and DVDs about trains.
Look to Middleton Press for books on all manner of transportation— whether you are looking for something about trains, railways, waterways, or military, Middleton Press is bound to have it. “Carlisle to Beattock” by Roger Darsley and Dennis Lovett, “Newmarket to Haughley and Laxfield” by Richard Adderson, and Bath Green Park to Bristol” by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith are a number of train books that Middleton Press has created.
Those who are interested in submitting a train book manuscript to Middleton Press should reach out to the company via their contact form on their website. Writers should include contact information and a query letter.
7. Minnesota Historical Society Press
Minnesota Historical Society Press is the publishing arm of the Minnesota Historical Society, an establishment focused on the preservation of culture about the local community of St. Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The organization does research on the history of the area, promotes educational initiatives and publishes literature that explores key topics that were influential in the establishment of the society in the area.
Minnesota Historical Society Press produces books on ethnic studies, frontier history, travel, as well as books on transportation and railroads. Look at some of the train books that they have published in the past, including “The Missabe Road: The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway” and “Minnesota Logging Railroads” by Frank A. King and “Great Northern Railway: A History” by Ralph W. Hidy, et al.
The publishing house is happy to consider book submissions. They ask that writers submit between 15 to 20 sample pages that reflect the style and content of the book, as well as your estimated completion date of the manuscript, and a description of the book content.
8. Schiffer Publishing
Based in Atglen, Pennsylvania, in the United States, Schiffer Publishing is a book publisher founded by Margaret Schiffer in 1973. Over the years, the publisher has produced books in a wide range of genres, including architecture, the American Civil War, lifestyle, and transportation.
Schiffer Publishing’s transportation books include a selection of books on trains and railways. They have published books about trains like “Trains: Photography of A. Aubrey Bodine” by Jennifer B Bodine, “German Armored Trains” by Wolfgang Sawodny, and “Fast Trains Worldwide” by Thomas Estler.
Authors who have a manuscript of a train book for Schiffer Publishing to consider should reach out to them with a query letter and contact information through their website.
9. Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press
Created in 1994 by Neil Parkhouse and Ian Pope, Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press is a book publisher that is dedicated to creating new reading material about railroads and trains. Situated in Witney, in the United Kingdom, the publishing house’s offerings include a number of train books about locomotives, rolling stock, military railways, and books on regional trains, including Scotland, English and Wales.
Their collection of publishing books on trains includes “The Brighton Line: Brighton to Coulsdon North; A Signalling Perspective” by Chris Durrant, “The Tyseley Story: Seventy Years of Railway Pioneering in Birmingham” by Michael Whitehouse, and “Warwickshire Western Region Lines: Part I: Fenny Compton to Snow Hill” by Andrew Britton.
Writers who want to publish through Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press should contact them at either their Lydney or Witney offices by email, including a query letter and a sample of your manuscript.
10. Branch Line Press
Working out of their location in Pepperell, Massachusetts, in the United States, Branch Line Press is a reputable publisher of books on trains and train culture. Founder Ronald Karr set up the publishing house in 1986 in order to create more literature about the joy and pride of New England rail.
To this day, the publishing house focuses its efforts on creating train books surrounding the regional railways and trains of New England. They have produced train books such as “The Rail Lines of Southern New England” and “Lost Railroads of New England” by Ronald Dale Karr and “The Turnpikes of New England” by Frederic J. Wood.
Authors wanting to publish through Branch Line Press should reach out to the company through the contact form on their form to start a conversation. Writers should prepare a query letter indicating what sort of book they are writing, and also include their contact information.