Sun Hill Books

Sun Hill Books

Publisher of John Schwartz



John created Sun Hill Books to fill a gap in publishing and preserving his books. His original publisher, Willow Manor Publishing (Fredericksburg, Virginia), designed and published Some Women I Have Known, including the short stories leading up to it, as well as the two non-fiction books entitled Maarten Maartens Rediscovered. But they discontinued their publishing services to concentrate on illustration and design. Koehlerbooks.com, which published Enchanting The Swan, discontinued several books on their booklist, including Swan. As a consequence, John had to find a new home for his books.He named this new home ‘Sun Hill,’ after the splendid Dutch residence of his great-uncle Jozua Marius Willem van der Poorten Schwartz, called ‘Zonheuvel,’ which means ’Sun Hill’ in English (see photographs below). ‘Uncle Joost’ published thirteen novels and four volumes of short stories in English under the pseudonym ‘Maarten Maartens’ around the 19th and 20th centuries and became famous in his time. ‘Zonheuvel’ is located in Doorn, Utrecht, the central province of The Netherlands. It is now a foundation for business training, which keeps Maarten Maartens’ library where he worked, in the original state. The residence is still used for family reunions. Printing of Some Women is now handled through KDP (formerly Create Space), and the two Maarten Maartens Rediscovered-books are printed by IngramSpark / Lightning Source. Sun Hill Books has reissued Swan through KDP with a new cover design by Melanie Stephens’ Illustration. This way, Fiona and Paul will also move safely to Sun Hill. So, all of John’s books will have their own home. Sun Hill Books will continue to use Willow Manor’s design and layout services.
The Logo of Sun Hill Books is the family crest of John’s great-uncle. He designed the crest in the 19th century, based on the Polish town of Meseritz where his father Carl Schwartz, who became a popular reverend in Amsterdam, was born. The little ‘hill’ at the bottom of the crest represents Uncle Joost’s Dutch residence, ‘Sun Hill.’Sun Hill Books began with publishing ‘Audrey – A Cherished Memory‘ in November 2017, which is an updated print edition of ‘Audrey,’ a short story published as an e-book, in 2014. This print edition was issued in support of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, which receives the net proceeds. End 2017, Sun Hill Books published Francine – Dazzling Daughter of the Mountain State. This was reissued in 2018 with the title Francine – The Coalminers’ Dragon, In November 2019, Sun Hill Books published Shiver Snicker Schmooze, a collection of Twelve Short Stories.See All Books