New York City, 14 September 2022
10-year Anniversary of Europe’s Premier Holocaust Publisher
Amsterdam Publishers celebrates in New York its ongoing efforts to preserve Holocaust memories.
Amsterdam Publishers focuses on Holocaust memoirs written by Jewish survivors and their descendants.
Founded by Liesbeth Heenk in 2012, it started as a general publisher, but gradually turned into the niche publisher it is today, having built a reservoir of over 60 books in English, and now releasing circa 27 books on the subject per year.
Its 10th anniversary was celebrated in New York with a drinks party for US authors on 12 September at the Dutch Consulate, to which 4 survivors were able to attend, and at Studio Libeskind (for press and organisations) the day after.
Liesbeth Heenk runs the publishing house single-handedly: “I believe in the power of first-person accounts told by survivors. These important narratives must be told so we do not forget. I focus on stories of individuals because they can make the most impact and create empathy. Holocaust history needs to be preserved at all cost to fight antisemitism and Holocaust denial.”
Amsterdam Publishers’ books have been translated into 15 languages. Over 74% of the readers market is based in the US, and a total of 42 million Kindle pages have been read. Amsterdam Publishers’ books can be ordered in bookshops around the world. Many of its award-winning titles have become bestsellers in their genre, notably Manny Steinberg’s Outcry (2014), Tammy Bottner’s Among the Reeds (2017), and Nechama Birnbaum’s The Redhead of Auschwitz (2021) of which more than 30.000 copies were sold in the first 6 months.
“Liesbeth Heenk deserves recognition and a huge thank you from all of us for her devotion to bringing to light stories of Holocaust survivors, especially those written by their descendants. Holocaust survivors are passing on but their stories will survive thanks to the work of Amsterdam Publishers. Many of the large American publishers have stopped publishing Holocaust memoirs, which are apparently no longer in vogue. Thanks to Liesbeth Heenk and Amsterdam Publishers, these stories will remain alive and relevant.” Kenneth P Price PhD, author of Separated Together (Amsterdam Publishers, 2020).
Amsterdam Publishers, Liesbeth Heenk, Lange Voort 223, 2343 CD Oegstgeest, The Netherlands, tel (00 1) +31 6 518 58260, info@amsterdampublishers.com
