A New Chapter for Texas Monthly’s Publishing Legacy

If you love Texas and you love books this is the kind of news that makes you want to clear some shelf space. Texas Monthly and Penguin Random House just announced they are bringing back Texas Monthly Press after nearly three decades away.

The first new titles are set to arrive in 2027 and based on the lineup already announced this revival has a lot to be excited about.

What Books Are Coming From the Relaunched Press

A Lineup Built Around Texas Itself

The press has already revealed several titles that give a real sense of what this imprint is going to be about.

The Texas Monthly Barbecue Book comes from Daniel Vaughn Paula Forbes and the Texas Monthly editorial team. It promises to cover everything worth knowing about Texas barbecue including the people behind it and the techniques that make it what it is.

True to the Union by Stephen Harrigan continues the story he began with The Gates of the Alamo. This new book is a love story set during the turbulent years between the 1840s and the Civil War.

Stories That Stretch Far Beyond Texas Borders

The Bowie Knife That Killed Dracula by William Broyles and Stephen Harrigan takes one of the most unusual approaches on the list. It follows Quincey Morris the Texan who kills Dracula at the end of Bram Stoker’s original novel and traces his journey from the pyramids of Tenochtitlan to the walls of the Alamo all the way to the court of Queen Victoria and finally into the dark forests of Transylvania.

Elizabeth Crook is closing out her Which Way Tree trilogy with a third book that finishes the story of Benjamin Shreve. Readers who followed him through The Which Way Tree and The Madstone will see him now as an old rancher on the Texas Mexico border looking back on his life and finally learning what happened to his half sister.

And Where the River Took Us by Aaron Parsley draws from his Pulitzer Prize winning reporting on the Guadalupe River flood. The book explores how our personal histories shape the way we process tragedy and offers what is described as a guide for surviving disaster grief and the aftermath of survival itself.

These books cover wildly different genres and time periods but they share one connecting thread. Each one captures something true about the spirit and mythology of Texas.

Why This Is a Real Partnership and Not Just a Brand Deal

Texas Monthly Will Lead the Work

Ross McCammon the editor in chief of Texas Monthly wants to be clear about how this partnership actually works. Even though Penguin Random House is involved, the operation itself is staying entirely in Texas.

He made a point of saying the people running this press are Texans. This is not an outside company borrowing a respected name for credibility. Texas Monthly is the actual publisher behind every book on this list.

Combining Storytelling With Industry Infrastructure

McCammon explained that the partnership is designed to combine what each side does best. Texas Monthly brings its storytelling tradition, its editorial standards and decades of dedication to covering the state in depth. Penguin Random House brings the infrastructure and industry muscle needed to get books produced and distributed at a national level.

This is a genuine business partnership built around what each company is uniquely positioned to provide.

The Press Is Returning at an Interesting Moment for Publishing

A History That Goes Back to the 1970s

Texas Monthly Press is not a brand new idea. It originally ran from the late 1970s through the 1990s before going quiet. Now decades later the press is coming back to life with new ambition behind it.

Why McCammon Believes Now Is the Right Time

McCammon pointed to something happening across the book industry as a whole right now. He described the business as having gone through plenty of ups and downs over the years but said it is genuinely up at the moment. People are reading more. People are listening to audiobooks more. Even Barnes and Noble is opening new physical stores for the first time in years.

He called it a great time to be in the book business and the timing of this relaunch reflects that confidence.

What This Means for Readers Beyond Texas

Local Stories With a National Audience in Mind

McCammon hopes this press becomes something bigger than a regional publishing project. While Texas inspires the stories, he emphasized that Texas Monthly writes for a broad audience, not just Texans.

He said that Texas Monthly tells stories about Texas but does not limit its audience to Texans alone. The plan is for these books to find readers well beyond the state’s borders.

How Authors Can Get Involved

Readers interested in learning more about the relaunched press can visit press.texasmonthly.com. Writers who want to submit a manuscript for consideration can reach out directly through the email listed on the site.

What This Relaunch Signals for the Publishing World

A respected regional brand partnering with one of the largest publishing companies in the world to bring back a beloved press says something important about where the industry is heading in 2026. Strong storytelling rooted in a real sense of place still has enormous value. Readers want stories that feel specific and true rather than generic.

Every author working on a book right now can apply that lesson, regardless of where the story takes place. The most successful books connect to something real, whether that is a place, a culture or a deeply personal experience.

At Rockefeller Publishing we work with authors across the United States who are telling stories rooted in real places and real experiences. We help bring those stories to readers with the same care and attention that a project like this deserves.

Your story deserves professional publishing support. Reach out to our team and get started.