Blue Star Press
Blue Star Press is an American publisher of nonfiction, children's books, games, and gift products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Blue Star Press is an American independent publishing company based in Bend, Oregon. The business began in March 2015 under the name Blue Star Coloring, founded by Peter Licalzi and Camden Hendricks. Although its original identity emphasized coloring books, the company expanded into a broader publishing and product-development operation covering adult nonfiction, creative how-to, arts and crafts, health and wellness, children's books, gift books, games, and custom products for commercial partners. The company publishes through the Blue Star Press and Paige Tate & Co. imprints. Its catalog is organized around visually distinctive, accessible, and often highly giftable products, with a particular emphasis on developing repeatable author-led brands and series. Examples include children's titles by Tabitha Paige, memory-journal books by Korie Herold, watercolor instruction by Sarah Simon, and cocktail and mocktail books by Diana Licalzi and collaborators. The company also publishes commercially oriented games such as Millennial Lotería, Tragos, and Get Loud, extending its business beyond conventional books into tabletop and party products. Blue Star Press reported publishing more than 200 books since its formation and has produced titles that reached New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. In 2019, it entered a multi-year sales and distribution arrangement with Penguin Random House Publisher Services covering its frontlist and backlist titles. Publishers Weekly subsequently recognized the company as one of the industry's fastest-growing publishers in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The company has developed a portfolio approach in which publishing, licensing, author relationships, and custom product work reinforce one another. It has created products for brands including Whataburger, Mosh, and Canon, and has worked with authors and public figures including Maria Shriver and Kara Goucher. Its creative network has included approximately 45 independent artists. The company also expanded through the 2024 acquisition of Sasquatch Books and its children's imprint Little Bigfoot from Penguin Random House, adding a Pacific Northwest publishing operation to its existing imprints. Blue Star Press titles have received trade and design recognition, including PubWest awards for books such as The Artist's Drawing Book, Watercolor Workbook, and You Stole My Name. The company has also received media exposure through outlets including The Today Show, ABC News, The New York Times, and USA Today. Its present business combines book publishing with games, gift products, branded custom work, and ownership of additional publishing assets.
History
Blue Star Press originated in March 2015 as Blue Star Coloring, a company founded by Peter Licalzi and Camden Hendricks. Its initial identity was associated with coloring and creative activity books, but the business soon broadened its publishing ambitions. It developed a catalog spanning creative how-to, arts and crafts, health and wellness, witty nonfiction, children's books, and gift products. This expansion allowed the company to work across both traditional book categories and visually oriented products suited to gifting and retail discovery. A central part of the company's development has been its emphasis on building author platforms, brands, and series rather than treating every book as an isolated publication. The catalog includes Tabitha Paige's Our Big Book of Words and Our Little Adventures, Korie Herold's Mom's Story and Dad's Story, Sarah Simon's Watercolor Workbook, and Diana Licalzi and Kerry Benson's Mocktail Party. Blue Star Press has also built a games business around products such as Millennial Lotería, a contemporary interpretation of the Mexican bingo game; Tragos, a Latino party card game; and Get Loud, a competitive bilingual guessing game. The company grew rapidly enough to attract major distribution support. In 2019, it announced a multi-year partnership with Penguin Random House Publisher Services to sell and distribute its frontlist and backlist titles. Publishers Weekly subsequently identified Blue Star Press as one of the publishing industry's fastest-growing publishers in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The company stated that it had published more than 200 books since its formation and had produced multiple New York Times bestsellers as well as a USA Today bestseller. Blue Star Press's activities extend beyond its own imprints. It has produced custom products for commercial partners including Whataburger, Mosh, and Canon. It has also worked with notable contributors such as NBC News Special Anchor Maria Shriver and Olympian Kara Goucher, while maintaining a network of approximately 45 independent artists. This combination of publishing, licensing, custom production, and creator relationships has become part of its operating model. The company publishes under the Blue Star Press and Paige Tate & Co. imprints. In 2023, its children's book You Stole My Name, written by Dennis McGregor, was recognized by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best independent books of the year. Several Blue Star Press titles also received 2023 PubWest Design Awards, including gold for The Artist's Drawing Book and bronze awards for Watercolor Workbook and You Stole My Name. In 2024, Blue Star Press expanded through the acquisition of Sasquatch Books and the children's imprint Little Bigfoot from Penguin Random House. Sasquatch's titles subsequently received PubWest recognition, including a gold award for Field Notes From a Fungi Forager and a bronze award for Feasts of Good Fortune. The company's broader portfolio also includes cultural and regional publishing; The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City, by Eva Walker and Jacob Uitti, received a 2025 nomination from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections for excellence in historical recorded sound research. Blue Star Press therefore evolved from a coloring-focused startup into a diversified independent publisher with book imprints, games, custom products, and an expanded house of publishing assets.
- 2025
The Sound of Seattle award nomination
[1]The Sound of Seattle was nominated for an Association for Recorded Sound Collections award for historical recorded sound research.
- 2024
Sasquatch Books acquisition
[1]Blue Star Press acquired Sasquatch Books and its children's imprint Little Bigfoot from Penguin Random House.
- 2023
Kirkus and PubWest recognition
[1]You Stole My Name received Kirkus recognition, while three Blue Star Press titles won PubWest Design Awards.
- 2022
Third reported fastest-growing publisher recognition
[1]Publishers Weekly named Blue Star Press among the industry's fastest-growing publishers for a third reported year.
- 2021
Second reported fastest-growing publisher recognition
[1]Publishers Weekly again recognized Blue Star Press among the industry's fastest-growing publishers.
- 2020
Fastest-growing publisher recognition
[1]Publishers Weekly included Blue Star Press among the industry's fastest-growing publishers.
- 2019
Penguin Random House distribution partnership announced
[1]Penguin Random House Publisher Services agreed to sell and distribute Blue Star Press frontlist and backlist titles under a multi-year arrangement.
- 2015
Blue Star Coloring is founded
[1]Peter Licalzi and Camden Hendricks founded the company in March 2015 under the Blue Star Coloring name.
Products and positioning
A design-led independent publisher and product creator focused on accessible nonfiction, children's content, creative learning, giftable books, games, and author- or brand-led product lines.
Adult nonfiction
Creative how-to and arts-and-crafts books
Blue Star Press publishes visually guided books about drawing, watercolor, coloring, and other creative practices. These products are designed to make hands-on learning approachable and giftable, often combining instructional content with workbook-style exercises. Watercolor Workbook and The Artist's Drawing Book illustrate the company's focus on practical creative education and strong visual presentation.
Children's publishing
Children's books
The children's list includes early-learning, activity, picture-book, and family-oriented titles. Our Big Book of Words, Our Little Adventures, and You Stole My Name show the company's interest in interactive or visually distinctive formats that can support both reading and gifting. The acquisition of Little Bigfoot broadened the company's children's publishing portfolio.
Gift books
Memory and family journals
Mom's Story and Dad's Story are guided journal products that invite parents or family members to record memories, experiences, and personal reflections. This line reflects Blue Star Press's focus on keepsake products that combine publishing with personal participation and that can function as occasion-based gifts.
Food and beverage nonfiction
Mocktail Party
Mocktail Party is a non-alcoholic drinks title by Diana Licalzi and Kerry Benson. It represents the company's expansion into lifestyle and entertaining content, using recipe-driven publishing to address wellness-conscious and social hosting audiences.
Tabletop game
Millennial Lotería
Millennial Lotería is a contemporary adaptation of the Mexican bingo-style game lotería. Its updated concept places a familiar game structure into a modern gift and party-game format, illustrating Blue Star Press's strategy of translating cultural or nostalgic formats into accessible commercial products.
Party card game
Tragos
Tragos is a Latino party card game published by Blue Star Press. It extends the company's games portfolio into socially oriented entertainment and reflects its interest in products designed for group play and cultural identity.
Bilingual guessing game
Get Loud
Get Loud is a competitive bilingual guessing game. The product combines party-game mechanics with English- and Spanish-language play, broadening the company's games offering and its appeal to multilingual households and social groups.
Brand partnerships
Custom branded products
In addition to publishing its own catalog, Blue Star Press develops custom products for outside brands. Reported partners include Whataburger, Mosh, and Canon. The work allows the company to apply its editorial, design, and production capabilities to commissioned merchandise and branded publishing projects.
Publishing imprints · 2024
Sasquatch Books and Little Bigfoot
Sasquatch Books is a Pacific Northwest publishing house acquired by Blue Star Press in 2024, together with its children's imprint Little Bigfoot. The acquisition added established regional, nonfiction, gift, and children's publishing capabilities to Blue Star Press's existing imprints.
Brand decisions
2024
Acquire Sasquatch Books and Little BigfootM&ABackground
Blue Star Press sought to expand its publishing house and add established Pacific Northwest and children's publishing assets.
Action taken
The company acquired Sasquatch Books and its children's imprint Little Bigfoot from Penguin Random House.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Blue Star Press's imprint portfolio and brought additional award-recognized titles and regional publishing capabilities into the group.
2019
Outsource sales and distribution through Penguin Random House Publisher ServicesStrategyBackground
Blue Star Press was expanding its catalog and needed broader commercial distribution for both new and previously published books.
Action taken
The company entered a multi-year agreement for Penguin Random House Publisher Services to sell and distribute its frontlist and backlist titles.
Aftermath
The agreement provided access to the infrastructure of a major publishing-services provider while Blue Star Press continued operating its own publishing imprints.
Sources2 sources
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