Take 3: Eponymous Imprints
Take 3: Eponymous Imprints
David Fickling Books
Namesake
When David told Arthur Levine (the US publisher of Harry Potter), ‘Arthur, they’ve made me an Imprint and I’ve got a Logo.’, the response was ‘Welcome to La La Land’. Because of course the imprint is really the stories and the storytellers.
Genesis
The imprint was conceived in David’s kitchen. Illustrator Ted Dewan believes that the moment ‘the sperm hit the egg’ was when he saw the manuscript of Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass surrounded by butter, toast, marmalade and unpaid parking tickets on the kitchen table.
Claim to Fame
The Amber Spyglass – Philip Pullman; The Curious Incident – Mark Haddon; The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne; Set in Stone – Linda Newbery; A Swift Pure Cry – Siobhan Dowd; The Lightstep – John Dickinson (future claim to fame!); Charlie Small – Nick Ward (f.c.f!)
Credo
Says David: ‘“What sort of publishing do you do?” a Japanese lady once asked me in perfect English. I remembered the word in Japanese for ‘story’. “Hanishi!” I announced triumphantly, “Hanishi!” I said a little louder. “HANISHI!” The Japanese lady backed away looking scared.’
Jane Nissen Books
Namesake
Jane has been reading children’s books for a lifetime, and publishing them (passionately) for half of it – at Puffin under Kaye Webb, then Methuen, Hamish Hamilton, and finally full circle back to Puffin. She launched her own imprint in 2000.
Genesis
Jane Nissen Books publishes ‘forgotten’ children’s classics – with a ‘welcome back’ factor. Nostalgia, humour, quirkiness, all make a good selling mix and she welcomes suggestions, but sometimes Jane will gamble on a book that she alone remembers – and loves.
Claim to Fame
Three Carnegie winners: Circus Shoes (Noel Streatfeild 1939), The Wind on the Moon (Eric Linklater 1944 – fifth printing), The Twelve and the Genii (Pauline Clarke 1962). The list boasts Penelope Lively, Arthur Ransome, Charles Causley, T H White, Alison Uttley…
Credo
Says Jane: ‘Hands across the centuries – I wanted to bring the best of the 20th with me when I launched Jane Nissen Books in the Millennium. I continue to look for timeless titles – titles that should never be lost.’
Marion Lloyd Books
Namesake
Marion wanted to work in television but got a job in publishing as a shorthand-typist by accident. Editing hundreds of pony and joke books eventually evolved into a career in which she has published many favourite and award-winning writers.
Genesis
MLB is a fiction imprint within Scholastic, launched in 2006. It publishes only a handful of novels each year, for readers young and old. Each aims to be an inspirational, never-forgotten read that will engage children and teenagers the world over.
Claim to Fame
Marion has previously worked with some starry talent – Georgia Byng, Sharon Creech, Peter Dickinson, Lian Hearn, Eva Ibbotson, Elizabeth Laird, Michael Morpurgo. First writers on her own list are Randa Abdel-Fattah and Ally Kennen – new stars in the making.
Credo
Says Marion: ‘All my books will have made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle when I first read them. There’s definitely an electric thrill that tells you’ve found a writer to be treasured.’
