Historic England's Hudson sets up own publishing company

John Hudson, formerly head of publishing at Historic England, has set up his own publishing company, focused on architectural and landscape history.

The press, John Hudson Publishing, will be based in London and aims to publish a maximum of six titles a year. Hudson will be the only employee, but there will be a team of five or six freelance associates. Marketing and distribution activities will be spearheaded by Boydell & Brewer.

Hudson said: "Although I’ve worked with a number of publishers during my career it was a long-held ambition to develop my own list. I welcome the opportunity to celebrate the historic environment and to include subjects which may be anticipated and others which are less celebrated and seen as quirky perhaps. In retrospect, lockdown wasn’t the best time to start this venture, and Zoom can’t replicate direct contact when it comes to forging relationships with authors. But it’s great to be working in association with Boydell & Brewer, whose prowess in addressing specialist audiences internationally — in print and digital formats — is unrivalled. As an independent and employee-owned company, their ethos chimes well with my own values and they will reach many customers it would be hard for me to approach as a niche player in the field."

Antje King, sales and marketing director at Boydell & Brewer, said: "We look forward to working with John Hudson, his titles are a great fit with our own lists and this partnership is a welcome addition to the growing distribution side of our business. We are particular excited that the first book to be published (in June) will be a beautifully illustrated study of late-Georgian church-building, called Late Georgian Churches."