10anniver

This is the first of a series of articles honoring the 10th anniversary of Sunbury Press, Inc., the trade publisher. This article recounts the year 2004, the year of the founding.

msh2edMECHANICSBURG, PA -- Ten years ago today, April 1, 2004, Sunbury Press was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania. The founder, Lawrence Knorr, initially intended to reprint some family histories he had written, but did not want to pay someone else to do so. Like many entrepreneurs, he had no idea what all he was getting into, or where his little idea would lead. Within a few months, the first book, a 1787 page three-volume set, 71 Years of Marriage : The Ancestors, Descendants and Relations of George and Alice Knorr of Reading, PA, was published for the benefit of the extended Knorr family. The first sale was recorded on September 15 to Cathy Krall, of Elizabethtown, PA. It was one of 24 orders to be placed through the end of the year. A second book, The Relations of Milton Snavely Hershey, 1st Edition, was published that month. By the end of the year, the Hershey book sold more copies, outselling the Knorr book 13 to 12. However, due to the size and price of the 3 volume Knorr set, revenue from it more than doubled the Hershey book. Regardless, total sales fell just shy of $1000, and the company recorded a $54 loss. In honor of this first sale in September of 2004, Sunbury Press will be announcing events for the month of September 2014. Stay tuned.