Charlie de la Bedoyere - granddaughter of Countess Charlotte de la Bedoyere, her namesake and the founder of Search Press - has joined the company as Sales and Marketing Director.
Charlie joins the company on the retirement of David Grant, who has successfully led the Sales and Marketing team for the last 10 years and is leaving to travel, focus on his writing and spend more time with his growing collection of grandchildren.
Charlie first learnt the ropes on sales trips as a child and went on to hone her skills working at Hachette, Macmillan and Walker books. As she says,
“I have been in training to join the business since I was a toddler.”
She joins a thriving, creative business. Still 100% independent and family-owned, Search Press has published art and craft books since 1970 and is now arguably the biggest specialist publisher of practical art and craft books in the world. Based in Tunbridge Wells, Search Press employs 37 people and is enjoying 22% growth this year, with 50% growth over the last 10 years.
Its increasingly large list of home-grown art and craft titles is supplemented by exclusive UK distribution for some of America and Australia’s largest specialist publishers in knitting, beading and embroidery, plus a vibrant wholesaling business into the art and craft trade.
Search Press is known for art and craft titles that have gone on to sell in their hundreds of thousands around the globe, and many authors’ careers have been established by
the Search Press books they have published. More recently, the company has also diversified with new formats, including card decks and kits, as well as an online club: The.Granny.Square.Card.Decks have been a global sensation, selling over 300,000 copies, while the online sewing subscription platform, Debbie Shore’s Half Yard Sewing Club, has over 4,000 paying members.
Over the last 55 years Search Press has grown dramatically but has kept its family ethos at its heart. Charlotte de la Bedoyere (Lotti) retired in 1997, and the company was taken over by her son Martin and his wife Caroline; many staff members have been with the company for over ten years, and some have worked with Lotti, Martin and now Charlie. Lotti sadly passed away in November 2024 but would be thrilled that her legacy lives on in the next generation.
Employees both new and old (and their dogs!) take enormous pride in working for the publisher of "The World’s Finest Art and Craft Books".
For further information please contact:
HannahP@Searchpress.com - Publicist, or Charlie de la Bedoyere
Charliedlb@Seachpress.com
