Solimar Books is a small publisher specializing in nonfiction books about cities and urban planning, especially in California. We operate through Lulu on a print-on-demand basis and sell the book primarily through the marketing channels of our sister organization, California Planning & Development Report, a publication and web site that covers land-use planning and local government primarily in California. Sales expectations are modest.

The books we have published so far are best described as essayistic treatments of the subject. Josh Stephens’ book The Urban Mystique is a good example. The Urban Mystique is a series of essays about urban development and planning issues in Los Angeles, California, and beyond written over a period of 10 years. The book is meant for a reader interested in cities and urban issues generally, rather than a reader looking for technical information.

We are open to publishing books designed to provide technical information to urban planning specialists, though generally we view that as a niche filled by other publishers. We have no plans to publish fiction.

If you have a book idea you think might be appropriate for us, send an outline and a sample chapter to Talon Klipp at admin@solimarbooks.com