Publisher of the week - MIRA Books
MIRA Books
MIRA Books is a young up-and-coming publisher focusing on the very best voices in fiction. With a small but passionate team we publish books we love and that we are sure will entertain -- from criminally good crime and thrillers to fantastically realised fantasy and utterly compelling women's fiction. We are always looking for outstanding new books and writers to introduce to readers.
The Book Depository: What/who do you see as your primary market?
MIRA Books: MIRA publishes books for everyone who enjoys being entertained by a great story. We publish in a wide variety of genres and aim to have something that appeals to every kind of general fiction reader.
The Book Depository: What are the principal challenges/opportunities you see at the moment in the business of publishing books?
MIRA Books: Publishing debut or still-new authors can be challenging -- just competing with the big brand names can be tough -- but is so incredibly rewarding when an author we all absolutely love at MIRA really breaks out to new readers. Another area we are focussed on are ebooks and the role of digital publishing as it works alongside traditional publishing. However, our aim at MIRA is to deliver a great story to readers, no matter what format they choose to read it in.
The Book Depository: What brings you to the decision to publish a particular title/author?
MIRA Books: The MIRA editors are looking to be dazzled by a great book. As we publish in many genres, the editors are open to anything that delivers that magical compulsion factor -- the type of story that keeps you up all night reading or makes you miss your stop on the bus -- that's what makes great entertaining fiction for us, no matter the genre. Once the editors love it, they encourage the Sales and Marketing teams to take a look and choosing to publish a book is a decision the entire team makes together.
The Book Depository: What books are you most proud of having published?
MIRA Books: Highlights include the second-world war romantic thriller, Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff; the unputdownable The Lost Daughter by Diane Chamberlain and the outrageously addictive Study and Glass series of fantasy books by Maria V. Snyder, whose brand-new title, Sea Glass, is out now.
The Book Depository: What books are you working on right now?
MIRA Books: We are vampire mad at MIRA right now and are introducing some sizzling new stories in the paranormal genre throughout 2010, including books from Jennifer Armintrout, Gena Showalter and Maggie Shayne. But the book everyone at the office is talking about is our May title, Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien. Set during the War of the Roses, Virgin Widow follows the fortunes of Anne Neville, Richard III's forgotten queen. It's a magnificent novel and is the most fantastic companion book to Philippa Gregory's The White Queen.
Selected titles
Previous publishers of the week
Crombie Jardine
Crombie Jardine are a small company that tries to catch the latest trends in the media with books such as 'Twitter: A Pocket Guide'. Many of their titles are aimed at a young market (e.g. '101 Things To Do At University'), although they have been developing a gift range for the older market (e.g. 'Stumped! The World's Funniest Cricket Quotes') and have a Scottish list which is aimed at tourists (e.g. 'No' Rabbie Burns').
Duckworth
Based in Farringdon, Duckworth is an independent publisher with a general trade list and an academic list. Founded in 1898 by Gerald Duckworth, Virginia Woolf's half-brother, Duckworth publishes literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction, including history, biography and memoir, by authors including Beryl Bainbridge, John Bayley, Nigel Lawson, Max Brooks and Arthur Phillips.
National Geographic
National Geographic Books publishes books for adults and children in support of the National Geographic Society's mission: "to inspire others to care about the planet." It is an acknowledged leader in illustrated reference books, atlases, travel books and travel collections and monographs, as well as narrative non-fiction for all ages.
Hay House
Louise L. Hay set up Hay House over 20 years ago when she was 60 years of age. She originally wanted to be able to publish her own book 'You Can Heal Your Life' in the way that she believed it should be published. The company is now the world's leading independent self-help publisher with offices on the west and east coast of the USA, in Australia, South Africa, India and the UK.
New Holland Publishers Ltd
New Holland publish for the passionate. Many of their books are directed at a wide range of specialist niches. If you're a birder, a cook, a globetrotter, a gardener, a diver, a crafter or a sports enthusiast, you could well have a well thumbed New Holland book on your bookshelves.
Smith/Doorstop Books
The Poetry Business was founded in 1986 in Huddersfield, and became a limited company in 1991. Now based in Sheffield, the directors and editors are Peter and Ann Sansom. The Poetry Business publishes books, pamphlets and audio under the Smith/Doorstop imprint, and publishes literary magazine 'The North'.
New World Library
New World Library creates books, audio programs, and gift products that inspire and challenge us to improve the quality of our lives and our world. Our key publishing categories are Personal Growth, Spirituality, Creativity, Women's Interests, Religion, Sustainable Business, Human-Animal Relationships, Native American Interests, and other areas of emerging importance. We are a socially and environmentally aware company and we strive to embody the ideals presented in our publications.
