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
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster was founded in 1924 by Dick Simon and Max Schuster. Their initial project was a crossword puzzle book, the first ever produced, which was a runaway bestseller. From that, the company has grown to publish more than 2000 titles annually.
Piatkus Books
Piatkus Books are one of the UK's leading independent publishers. Established 28 years ago Piatkus are still owned by the founder, Judy Piatkus. They have a staff of 28 and everyone who works in the company is involved with every book they publish.
Harper Press Fiction
Clare Smith is the Publishing Director of a new list at Harper Press Books, Harper Press Fiction. The first of their books was Suzannah Dunn's The Sixth Wife, published early in 2007.
Perseus Books Group
The Perseus Books Group is one of America's largest independent publishers. Perseus publish books under a range of imprints including Basic Books, PublicAffairs, Da Capo Press, Westview and Running Press.
Flambard Press
Flambard is an independent press publishing poetry and fiction. Established in 1990, Flambard has a history of nurturing new and neglected writers from Britain and beyond. The Flambard Modern Classics series demonstrates our commitment to the rediscovery of overlooked books.
Tangent Books
Tangent Books / Naked Guides are an independent Bath and Bristol-based publishers formed in April 2004 when they published the Naked Guide to Bristol by Gil Gillespie. Their mission statement is to produce "fantastic books about interesting stuff."
Zed Books
Zed Books was founded 30 years ago in 1977 as an independent, democratically run publisher with an ethical mission to publish books that envisage a just, peaceful and environmentally responsible world.
Marion Boyars
In February 1999 with the death of Marion Boyars, independent publishing lost one of its most enduring exponents. In a thirty-year career, Marion constantly sought out and championed the new, the unusual and the unexpected. The publishing house which she founded remains committed her ideals.
Inkermen Press
InkerMen Press is an independent publisher specializing in works of supernatural and alternative fiction, plays and poems. IMP also publishes innovative critical and theoretical texts in The Axis Series.
Legend Press
Legend Press is the UK's youngest-run mainstream fiction publisher, specialising in cutting-edge contemporary work, including both literary and commercial ranges. Set up in 2005 by Tom Chalmers, the company's profile is rapidly growing.
