USC Press Welcomes Chris Johns as Sales and Marketing Director

July 14, 2026 | by uscpress

Columbia, SC – July 14, 2026

University of South Carolina Press is pleased to share that Chris Johns joined our team as Sales and Marketing Director on July 8, 2026.

Johns brings 28 years of senior-level book publishing experience to USC Press, including 18 years as Director of Sales and Marketing at Tuttle Publishing, an Asian-culture book publisher. At Tuttle, he handled national accounts and international rights, led a national and international sales force, managed distribution partners, and oversaw strategic marketing and acquisitions. Prior to Tuttle, Johns directed sales and marketing as Director of Specialty Retail at Abrams. Over the past three years he has worked as a publishing consultant while focusing on his writing, attending the Iowa Writers’ Summer Workshop at the University of Iowa and completing a family memoir.

At USC Press, Johns will oversee marketing, sales, and publicity efforts and work closely with booksellers and sales representatives to ensure USC Press books are well-positioned in the marketplace. A key member of the Press’s leadership team, he will contribute to strategic planning and supervise two staff members.

“Chris is a true publishing professional—one who appreciates authors, values books in all formats, and loves to get the right book into the hands of the reader who has been waiting for just that title,” said Michael J. McGandy, director of USC Press. “All of us are looking forward to working with Chris, and I know we will benefit from his experience and energy.”

“I'm excited to join the friendly and talented folks at USC Press and add my publishing acumen to their important work,” Johns said. “I admire the press’s broad range of books on Southern cuisine, culture and history, which strives to tell an accurate and ongoing story of who we are.”

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About the University of South Carolina Press

University of South Carolina Press, established in 1944, is one of the oldest, most distinguished publishers in the American South. Through its publications, USC Press extends the mission of its university by publishing premier scholarship and authentic stories that initiate important conversations and positively impact communities. For more information, visit uscpress.com.