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Tony Morris, former publisher of the history list at Oxford University Press, is launching Mud Pie Books, a boutique publisher that will showcase writing about Buddhism.
Morris [pictured below], who was also previously c.e.o. of The History Press and founded history publisher Hambledon & London (acquired by Continuum in 2003), describes his interest in Buddhism, much like his “love of history”, as a “fascination with behaviour and psychology at different times and places, under varying circumstances and cultural conditions”.
He said his desire to harness this interest into a niche Buddhist publishing list was made possible by advances in technology, such as print on demand (p.o.d.), and the ease of online marketing. “Like all publishers, I’ve always dreamt of being my own boss, but never had the guts to mortgage my house and take the plunge. P.o.d. and digital technology has changed all that.”
He added: “With p.o.d., it’s difficult to make a loss. Of course, there are start- up and origination costs, but these are finite. You probably aren’t going to make huge amounts of money overnight but then again, you never know. That’s not the motivation anyway. What’s always interested me is harnessing the skill of a talented author and enabling their voice to live in the world. Not just that, but actively promoting and publicising their work in a sustained, energetic and intelligent way. It’s knowing who your readers are and knowing how to reach them that counts.”
Discussing the place of small publishers in the trade, Morris said: “The big publishers are now really brand managers. Get the right celebrity, and bingo! Medium-sized publishers are working harder and more imaginatively than ever to compete with their bigger brothers and sisters, but what really interests me are the small publishers, the little people—small but often perfectly formed. Their ambitions are modest. They rarely have delusions of grandeur, they know exactly who they are, who their readers are and what they have to do in order to survive.
“These are the people who, in my view, change the ecosystem far more than their shoutier [compeers],” Morris added. “Their influence will grow and grow because technology is at last on their side and the threshold of entry into the marketplace is now so low.”
The next title to be released by the press is Ruth Phypers’“inspiring memoir”, Dragon King’s Daughter, which will be issued next month.