Best known for publishing short, well-written biographies in partnership with bigger houses, Atlas Books is expanding its publishing program with plans to launch an independent line of titles focused on narrative nonfiction, memoir, journalism, politics and social theory that will be published under the Atlas Books imprint. Founded in 1999 by noted biographer James Atlas, Atlas Books is best known for Penguin Lives, a now-discontinued line of short but literate biographies. Atlas Books will continue to publish its very successful Eminent Lives series, a biography series published with HarperCollins, and Great Discoveries, a series documenting scientific achievement copublished with W.W. Norton.
In an interview at the new offices in a loft off Madison Square Park in Manhattan, Atlas was excited to discuss his new line, set to release 16 books in 2008 (eight per season), in addition to several specialty releases. Norton will distribute the line. "We continue to have a very fruitful relationship with Harper and Norton," said Atlas, "but also we've always wanted to go off on our own." Under his current agreements with Harper and Norton, Atlas explained, profits from the Eminent Lives and Great Discoveries series are split evenly. Atlas said that he will own 100% of the new independent line. To help him launch the new venture, Atlas hired longtime indie publishing figure John Oakes as executive editor last fall and has three other full-time employees.
Coming from the new line are Apples Are from Kazakhstan by Christopher Robbins, a look at the little-known country that gave the world apples and was made dubiously notorious by the 2006 film Borat. And due in spring 2008 is the first book to come out of a 2006 agreement between Atlas Books and the Hong Kong Literary agency Creative Works Ltd. to publish nonfiction works in English on China by Chinese writers. The first book, Socialism Is Great: A Worker's Memoir of the New China, is by Lijia Zhang, a former factory worker and translator, who worked as Atlas's guide while he was in Beijing. At the end of his stay, she handed Atlas a manuscript—written, he said, in faultless English—about growing up in China during the years of Mao's cultural revolution. "The U.S. industry sold nearly 4,000 books into China," said Atlas about the Creative Works deal, "but there were only 16 books from China published in the U.S. last year." The house will also release specialty titles in the Atlas Pocket Classics, a series of boxed sets featuring notable authors writing about geographical or topical themes like gardening or Italy.
"We're doing books on China, Russia and Afghanistan," said Atlas. "Books about significant issues in international politics and literature. And they'll all be beautifully designed, socially engaged and relevant."
