Why We Started a Publishing Company in 2026
There’s a common reaction when you tell people you’re starting a publishing company: a kind of polite concern, like you’ve announced you’re opening a video rental store.
We get it. But here’s the thing: the people who think publishing is dying are confusing the old infrastructure with the underlying demand. People read more than ever. They just find books differently, buy books differently, and consume them differently.
Leyden Press exists because we believe the best version of a publishing company in 2026 looks very different from what most people picture. It’s digital-first. It’s data-informed. It’s lean and fast and obsessive about getting the right book in front of the right reader.
We’re based in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is kind of poetically perfect. Leyden Street—the first street in Plymouth Colony—was named after the Dutch city where William Brewster ran an illegal printing press before the Mayflower voyage. The first American publisher was a guy using bleeding-edge technology to get radical ideas past the gatekeepers. We like that energy.
This blog will be where we share what we’re learning as we build this thing. If you’re interested in the future of book publishing—or just curious what two people in Plymouth are up to—follow along.
— Jen