The sky’s the limit for Graffeg as indie lines up photography imprint

With the launch of a new photographic book imprint and an office move on the horizon, things are looking good for Welsh independent publisher Graffeg Publishing, despite the challenges posed by the current pandemic.

Founder and m.d. Peter Gill (pictured) launched Graffeg in 2003 with a large photographic book from the Photolibrary Wales collection, Cardiff Caerdydd. Other early titles included Wales-focused tourism books and a wildlife series. Fast-forward to today, and Graffeg has published over 300 illustrated books, as well as branching out into books merchandise. In the past five years, Graffeg has added a children’s list with titles including a Welsh-language version of Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’ The Lost Words (Geiriau Diflanedig, translated by poet Mererid Hopwood) and other works from Morris republished in deluxe large-format editions. Gill still oversees the company’s editorial team in its Cardiff office, while Matthew Howard, who joined Graffeg in 2010 from the Books Council of Wales (then the Welsh Books Council), heads the sales and distribution side in Llanelli.

The business was seeing steady domestic and international sales before the lockdown. Gill says: “The online direct [to consumer] sales were building well and we were working towards a new website and increasing our marketing across all channels.” However, print orders slowed in March and since then Graffeg has launched most new titles in e-book only. Its long-term ambition is to balance digital sales with print sales. Notable examples of its digital publishing include audiobook editions of its Gaspard the Fox children’s series, by broadcaster and author Zeb Soanes and illustrator James Mayhew. These include a read-aloud feature that highlights the words as they are spoken, and music tracks performed by Chris Warren. More Gaspard books in print and digital are coming later in the year and in 2021, with the next instalment, Gaspard’s Foxtrot, scheduled for release in June. The story is also being adapted into a new orchestral tale for children, composed by Jonathan Dove; it will be performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra across the UK in 2021–22.

Another exciting new development for the publisher this year is the launch of new photographic book imprint Bird Eye Books. The list is kicking off this autumn with Bird’s Eye London by aerial photographer Paul Campbell, a collection of pictures taken by Campbell from a helicopter; the indie promises it will unearth new perspectives of the city and its landmarks. It will be published in e-book and hardback format on 15th October 2020, with an r.r.p. of £35. Other Bird Eye Books titles to follow in 2021 include a book about Atlantic puffins, a photographic portrait of the changing lives of nomadic tribes in central Asia, and a title focusing on peonies by nurseryman and horticulturist Alec White, which will have a special limited edition launched at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Graffeg has also just signed photographer Charles Hawes’ Welsh Gardens from Above, the first in a new series of garden books featuring Hawes’ photographs taken with a drone camera.

Next week, Graffeg will publish Behind the Mask by photographer Glenn Dene and Dr Ami Jones, about Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny’s NHS staff and their attempts to deal with Covid-19 (publishing on 4th June). The indie has responded to the pandemic in other ways, too. Last month, it launched the Help Your Neighbour campaign, offering its customers the opportunity to purchase books for others at a 50% discount, and this month it introduced the Help your Bookshop initiative, which sees the publisher return a 25% trade commission to indie bookshops for customer orders placed on its website.

Looking ahead, Graffeg is planning to move its sales and distribution base in Carmarthenshire to a retail outlet in the area that has space for a bookshop, and the space to host events. It hopes to do so within the next 12 to 24 months. Gill says of the move: “We have been considering a high street presence for some time, as a destination for authors, retailers and customers to meet us, join our author events, and view, browse and buy our complete range of titles.” For now though, Gill says that Graffeg’s focus is “survival”, but with so many exciting developments on the cards, it looks set to bounce back from the lockdown in good health.