In 1988 after ten successful years, Watermark Books decided to establish a publishing imprint to bring to the market under-recognized literary fiction and regional Kansas books of national significance. With local Wichita author and lawyer Gaylord Dold as Managing Editor, Watermark Press launched with five titles in spring of 1989. Right from the start, the Watermark reputation generated enough industry interest for its books to receive review attention in Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and other prestigious book periodicals.
However, despite strong industry recognition, the Press suspended publication of new titles in 1992. The need to support the growth of Watermark Books prohibited further investments in Watermark Press. Nonetheless, sales of the seventeen titles published by the Press continued through Watermark Books, led by the most successful books Leaving Las Vegas, Cows Are Freaky When They Look at You, and The Watermark Guide to Fishing in Kansas.
Watermark Press is now pleased to offer its first new title in twenty years: Radiating Like a Stone. True to the original objectives of the Press, this is truly a "regional" book with national reach. These stories of Wichita women quietly persevering to promote the equitable recognition of all women are at the heart of what an independent publisher is all about.