Agate Publishing
Agate Publishing is an independent Evanston, Illinois book publisher known for culturally significant fiction, nonfiction, business, culinary, Midwest-themed, and African-American literature.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Agate Publishing is an independent American book publisher based in Evanston, Illinois. The company was incorporated in 2002 by Doug Seibold, who remains its president, and issued its first book in 2003. Agate began with a strong focus on African-American literature through its Bolden imprint. That emphasis reflected Seibold's professional background as an executive editor at Noble Press, a now-defunct African-American publisher, as well as his interest in bringing important Black voices to a broader reading public. The company subsequently developed a multi-imprint publishing structure. Bolden continued to publish African-American fiction, memoir, essays, and related nonfiction, while Bolden Lives became a memoir-focused subsidiary. B2 was established for business and management books; Surrey for cookbooks and food-related titles; Midway for books connected to Chicago and the wider Midwest; and Agate Digital for electronic books. The company also operates an educational and contract-publishing division known as Agate Development, formerly called ProBooks, which creates customized educational texts and other commissioned materials. Agate generally operates at the scale of a small independent press, publishing roughly twenty books annually according to the available reference material. Its list has nevertheless included authors and subjects that achieved national visibility. The catalog encompasses literary fiction, memoir, biography, business, culinary writing, regional nonfiction, education, and digital publishing. Notable authors associated with the company include Jabari Asim, Amy Dickinson, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Kiese Laymon, Denise Nicholas, Leonard Pitts, Mary Schmich, Jesmyn Ward, and Doug Sohn of the Chicago restaurant Hot Doug's. Several Agate books received significant critical attention and awards recognition. Denise Nicholas's Freshwater Road won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction in 2006. Leonard Pitts's Freeman won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association award for best fiction in 2013. Jesmyn Ward published her debut novel, Where the Line Bleeds, with Agate before later winning the National Book Award. Kiese Laymon's Long Division, issued through Bolden, received favorable reviews from major trade publications and literary journals and was selected for The Morning News Tournament of Books in 2014. The Midway title Hot Doug's: The Book also received notice from The A.V. Club as one of its best books of 2013 to that point. Agate's profile has extended beyond individual titles. Chicago literary publications have treated Seibold and the company as representative of the city's independent publishing community. Seibold appeared repeatedly on Newcity Lit's annual Lit 50 list, ranking at number 24 in 2009, 16 in 2011, 7 in 2013, and 6 in 2015. The Chicago Reader named Agate the winner of its 2014 “Best Use of Start-Up Mode by a Press No Longer in Start-Up Mode” distinction. These recognitions reflect Agate's positioning as a relatively small but ambitious regional publisher with a nationally oriented literary and nonfiction list.
History
Agate Publishing was incorporated in 2002 in Evanston, Illinois, by Doug Seibold, who had previously worked as an executive editor at Noble Press, an African-American publishing company that later ceased operations. Seibold's experience and interests shaped Agate's earliest identity. The company published its first book in 2003 and initially operated largely through Bolden, an imprint devoted to African-American literature. Bolden's list helped establish Agate as a small press with a distinct cultural and literary mission. Its publishing program included fiction, memoir, essays, and other works by Black authors. Over time, the company broadened its subject coverage without abandoning Bolden's original focus. Bolden Lives was introduced as a memoir-oriented subsidiary, while additional imprints addressed particular genres and audiences. B2 became Agate's business-book imprint, covering business strategy, leadership, management, and related professional subjects. Surrey was created for cookbooks and food writing. Midway concentrated on titles with Chicago or broader Midwestern themes, including local culture, regional history, personalities, and food. Agate Digital expanded the company's electronic-book activity. The company also developed a contract and educational publishing operation, originally called ProBooks and later renamed Agate Development, producing customized educational texts and commissioned materials. Although Agate remained a small publisher, its annual output was described as approximately twenty books. Its catalog gained attention through a combination of literary quality, distinctive subject matter, and author development. Denise Nicholas's Freshwater Road won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction in 2006. Jesmyn Ward published Where the Line Bleeds, her debut novel, with Agate before achieving wider recognition and later winning the National Book Award. Leonard Pitts's Freeman received the Black Caucus of the American Library Association award for best fiction in 2013. Kiese Laymon's Long Division became one of the company's most critically discussed novels. The book received favorable or strongly positive attention from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Paris Review, and the Boston Review, among others. It was later included in The Morning News Tournament of Books in 2014. Agate's Midway imprint also gained visibility through Hot Doug's: The Book, by Doug Sohn, which The A.V. Club included among its best books of 2013 to that point. The publisher's growing standing was particularly visible in Chicago literary coverage. Seibold appeared on Newcity Lit's Lit 50 list of influential figures in Chicago literature in multiple years: number 24 in 2009, number 16 in 2011, number 7 in 2013, and number 6 in 2015. The Chicago Reader's 2014 recognition of Agate for maintaining “start-up mode” energy after moving beyond the start-up phase further underscored the company's local importance. Agate's development has therefore been characterized by diversification rather than a single change in ownership or corporate scale. It evolved from a Bolden-centered African-American literary press into a multi-imprint independent publisher with programs in trade books, business, food, regional nonfiction, digital publishing, and educational development. The available reference material does not establish a later sale, public listing, or change in control; the company is treated here as an active independent publisher led by its founder.
- 2015
Seibold reaches number six on Lit 50
[1]Seibold was ranked number six on Newcity Lit's annual list.
- 2014
Long Division enters The Morning News Tournament of Books
[1]Kiese Laymon's Bolden novel was selected for the 2014 Tournament of Books.
- 2014
Chicago Reader honors Agate
[1]The Chicago Reader recognized Agate for retaining start-up energy after moving beyond its start-up phase.
- 2013
Freeman wins a literary award
[1]Leonard Pitts's Freeman won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association award for best fiction.
- 2013
Seibold reaches number seven on Lit 50
[1]Newcity Lit ranked Seibold number seven among influential figures in Chicago literature.
- 2011
Seibold's Lit 50 ranking rises
[1]Seibold was ranked number 16 on Newcity Lit's Chicago literary influence list.
- 2009
Doug Seibold appears on the Newcity Lit 50
[1]Seibold was ranked number 24 on Newcity Lit's list of influential Chicago literary figures.
- 2006
Freshwater Road receives a major debut-fiction award
[1]Denise Nicholas's Freshwater Road won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction.
- 2003
First book published
[1]Agate released its first book, beginning its publishing operations.
- 2002
Agate Publishing is incorporated
[1]Doug Seibold founded and incorporated the independent publisher in Evanston, Illinois.
Products and positioning
An independent, culturally engaged book publisher combining literary and commercial nonfiction programs with specialized imprints focused on African-American writing, business, food, regional subjects, digital publishing, and educational content.
Literary imprint · 2003
Bolden
Agate's foundational imprint, Bolden publishes African-American literature and related literary nonfiction. Its list has included novels, memoirs, essays, and works by authors such as Kiese Laymon, Jesmyn Ward, and Denise Nicholas. Bolden provided the original cultural identity of the company and remains central to its reputation as an independent publisher committed to Black writers and stories.
Memoir imprint
Bolden Lives
Bolden Lives is a memoir-focused subsidiary associated with Agate's Bolden publishing program. It extends the company's interest in personal narrative and African-American experience into life writing and autobiographical work. The available reference material identifies the imprint's role but does not provide a complete list of titles or a separate launch date.
Business publishing
B2
B2 is Agate's imprint for business books. Its remit covers professional, organizational, leadership, and management subjects, broadening the publisher's catalog beyond literary and regional trade books into practical nonfiction for business readers.
Cookbooks and food writing
Surrey
Surrey publishes cookbooks and food-related books. The imprint gives Agate a dedicated home for culinary instruction, food culture, and related nonfiction, complementing the publisher's regional and lifestyle publishing programs.
Regional nonfiction
Midway
Midway focuses on books connected to Chicago and the Midwest. Its subjects can include local personalities, regional culture, food, history, and place-based nonfiction. Hot Doug's: The Book, about the Chicago restaurant operated by Doug Sohn, is an example of the imprint's regional and food-centered approach.
Electronic publishing
Agate Digital
Agate Digital is the company's electronic-book imprint. It represents Agate's expansion from conventional print publishing into digital formats, although the available sources do not specify its launch date, distribution arrangements, or complete catalog.
Educational and contract publishing
Agate Development
Agate Development produces customized educational texts and other contract-publishing projects. The division was formerly known as ProBooks and operates separately from the company's trade imprints by developing materials to meet commissioned educational or institutional requirements.
Brand decisions
- Expansion from a Bolden-centered press to a multi-imprint publisherStrategy
Background
Agate began with Bolden as its defining imprint and later broadened its business into business books, cookbooks, Chicago and Midwest subjects, electronic books, and educational contract publishing.
Action taken
The company added B2, Surrey, Midway, Agate Digital, and the memoir-oriented Bolden Lives, while renaming its educational and contract operation from ProBooks to Agate Development.
Aftermath
The expansion gave Agate a diversified publishing portfolio while preserving Bolden's role in African-American literature.
Recent events
- 2014
The Chicago Reader recognizes Agate's independent-press growth[1]
Other
The Chicago Reader named Agate the winner of its “Best Use of Start-Up Mode by a Press No Longer in Start-Up Mode” distinction.
- 2013
Leonard Pitts's Freeman receives a Black Caucus of the American Library Association award[1]
Other
Freeman, written by Leonard Pitts and published by Agate, won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association award for best fiction.
- 2006
Freshwater Road wins the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award[1]
Other
Denise Nicholas's Agate title Freshwater Road received the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction.
- 2003
Agate publishes its first book[1]
Product launch
The company released its first title and began operating as a book publisher, initially with Bolden as its central imprint.
- 2002
Agate Publishing is incorporated and begins building an independent publishing list[1]
Other
Doug Seibold incorporated Agate Publishing in Evanston, Illinois, establishing the independent press that would publish its first book the following year.
Sources2 sources
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