Park City publisher Lucky Penny Press gets Children’s Book Council boost

Melissa Marsted’s Lucky Penny Press got a lift from the Children’s Book Council, a recognition that could push the Park City publisher beyond a hometown niche and into the national channels that matter in children’s books. For a small press, that kind of nod can improve credibility with librarians, educators, parents and booksellers, the buyers who decide whether a title gets ordered, reviewed and stocked.

Made in Park City lists Melissa C. Marsted as the founder of Lucky Penny Publications, which publishes children’s books along with nonfiction, memoirs and autobiographies. The company presents itself as part of Park City’s maker and business community, but its growth depends on a market far bigger than Summit County. In children’s publishing, discoverability and trust often drive sales as much as the book itself, and a Children’s Book Council connection can help a small house get a seat at that table.

Marsted’s path to publishing began far from Park City. Lucky Penny Publications says she moved to Utah after losing her house in the 2008 Santa Barbara wildfire, and a 2013 Women 2.0 profile said she started the company after losing everything and coming to Park City for a fresh start. The publisher also says Marsted comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, including a great-grandfather who invented the Erector Set and a grandmother who owned a children’s toy store.

Her catalog already shows the kind of focused niche that can travel. Marsted’s LinkedIn page lists Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons, published May 1, 2016, and Casey Cruises California, published Oct. 1, 2016. The Park Record ran a story on May 24, 2016, about Buzzy taking readers on a national park tour, evidence that her books had already drawn attention beyond a single retail channel.

For Summit County, the significance is less about a ribbon-cutting moment than about a business model. Park City is better known for skiing, tourism and real estate than for publishing, but Lucky Penny Press shows how a creative company can build an asset around intellectual property and distribution rather than seasonal foot traffic. If the Children’s Book Council recognition translates into more orders, stronger library visibility or broader wholesale access, Marsted’s press could become a small but durable example for other local entrepreneurs trying to scale from Park City into a national market.