Ryland Peters & Small

Ryland Peters & Small has made a big name for itself amongst small publishers since the company was founded six years ago. Working in an area that is notoriously difficult to succeed in, they have managed to corner a large part of the illustrated market. David Peters, Anne Ryland and Jacqui Small, who had all worked together at Reed Illustrated Books, founded the company in 1996.



At a time, when publishers have never been more cost conscious, RPS has succeeded in publishing books of the highest quality. Part of their success is founded on their list keeping firmly within the lifestyle sector: cookery, interiors and gardening and of course, doing it well. Alison Starling, the Publishing Director, says ‘We use a phrase in our catalogues and advertising - Beautifully innovative books and stationery celebrating the pleasures of life. The books are modern, fresh and simple without being elitist.' The books are indeed highly covetable. They have a very strong identity from their smooth matt covers, excellent photography and superb presentation, making them the ideal present.


Why the success?
‘We are very focused in what we do and have a strong sense of what makes a book a Ryland Peters & Small book. Beautiful but accessible images combined with approachable practical advice' is Alison Starling's motto. Great emphasis is put on photography and presentation and it pays. People can tell an RPS book just by looking at the cover.

Their authors, although not household names, are big in their fields and their list boasts Linda Collister (highly acclaimed by Nigella Lawson when it comes to baking), Alastair Hendy and the Sunday Times food columnist. Both Clare Ferguson and Elsa Petersen Schepelern are some of RPS' stalwart cookery authors.

Caroline Clifton-Mogg, Leslie Geddes-Brown and Elspeth Thompson head up the list of authors on the lifestyle and gardening front. Judith Wilson is a highly talented author and interiors stylist. This autumn sees the publication of Essential Home, a lavishly illustrated book, which is based around choosing the right accessories for your home, from basic to luxury items.

It is to these authors that they return to time and time again, which in part helps RPS retain that strong focus. Both parties must be equally happy with this arrangement. They are a good bunch of people.

What about the photography?
All photographs are specially commissioned, which means that ‘we get the pictures we want for the idea we have in mind'. Importantly you won't have seen them anywhere else before. The photographs in all their books are outstanding. Presentation, which is similarly clean and uncluttered, has the same high qualities.

And the price?
RPS has stuck to a handful of recognisable formats, which have a good range of price points from £6.99 for a gift book to £30 for a sourcebook. The range also includes a new series of interactive journals, which are part book, part stationery and titles to date are Cook's File, Gardening Journal and My Baby's Journal. Starling is very pleased ‘with how this side of the business has developed. It's nice to be able to offer a retailer not only a book but a box of notecards and a mini address book to go with it.'

By producing books in varying price ranges, which can be sold in different areas of the retail market, they have managed to sweep the opposition under the carpet. If you are especially interested in a particular type of cooking or handwork, then the purchase of one of their smaller format series is not going to make a huge dent in your bank balance, nor leave you with a guilty conscience to boot.

Little but with large ideas
As the company is small, thirty employees, it is not bound by bureaucracy and can respond to the market quickly. The workforce is young and enthusiastic about what they do. All the creative and editorial work is done in house; they rarely use freelancers, ensuring that they retain a ‘strong house style'. Their modest offices off Tottenham Court Road, are appropriately just round the corner from Habitat and Heal's where you can find plenty of their books.


Who does what?
Three people commission authors but given the size of the company, it is a free for all when it comes to making suggestions. ‘Once we've come up with an idea, we find the right person to do it' adds Starling. The author of Dim Sum had catered for several of their parties. Its birth as a book was embryonic from that first day when Fiona Smith arrived bearing platters of the most exquisite food.

To give an idea of timing from concept to publication, they are looking at anything from one year to eighteen months. As the printing is done in the Far East, shipping times have to be taken into account. As we write, Alison Starling and her team are nearing completion on Autumn 2002 titles, whilst beginning work on the Spring 2003 list.

What else?
With a turnover of £5 million, a considerable percentage of this was down to its US co-editions. In doing this, RPS could safeguard its own position by transferring some of the risk to their publishing partner. However, two years ago the directors made a brave decision to open an office in New York, thereby cutting out its US co-editions business. Sales declined at first but 2000 saw a 30% rise in sales, added to by a further 15% in 2001. It was a risk worth taking.



Foreign rights
They are also able to derive revenue from foreign rights sales and would be disappointed if there weren't at lease three foreign deals in place per title. Although rights sales contribute less to RPS' turnover than direct sales to UK and US consumers, they are an integral part of a book's shelf life. As an example, the runaway success of Cool Cocktails, which was published last year, is sold in five languages and has sold a mammoth 145,000 copies.

The European co-edition market is also very strong. The Northern Europeans like their modern, uncluttered style that their books portray. Another breakthrough has been in their dealings with W.H. Smith where they have doubled sales in the last twelve months.

Impulse buys
The small books (£8.99) are impulse buys or are bought as presents and sell particularly well in the non-book trade. Their size means that they can be displayed alongside wine glasses, woks and salad bowls. Little food books are obviously successful - but why? The books are stylish, contain quick, easy recipes and represent excellent value for a hardback.



Most successful titles
Most publishers could only dream of the successes that RPS have gloried in. Right from the start, they hit the jackpot with the best selling Pure Style of which 100,000 copies have been sold and it is still in print. Children's spaces, which was published last year, has sold 40,000 copies. There was nothing similar in the UK so it comfortably filled a niche. New Vegetarian by Celia Brooks-Brown, which has international appeal is topping 50,000 sales, at the moment.

Spot the difference
Not many publishers manage to sell books successfully on both sides of the Atlantic but once again, RPS have cracked that one too. Their well- established office in New York, under the leadership of David Peters, Managing Director, is very in touch with the market there. The feedback from the US market in turn helps ensure that the books continue to hit the nail on the head. RPS uses different images on covers and copy is americanised.

Theoretically, cookbooks don't travel but the recipes that you will find in an RPS cookbook are very international. Again, customers are inspired by the fresh, clean style of the photography. Also the fact that they steer clear of celebrity chef authors means that their books have universal appeal. TV chefs rarely appeal outside the market in which they are famous.

Sales in Australia are buoyant too. ‘Australian lifestyle publishing (in both magazines and books) is sophisticated and very contemporary so our books suit the market. And it looks set to grow with the recent signing of a new distribution deal whereby all their books will be available under the RPS name.

The catalogue
To add to an already heavy workload, RPS creates four catalogues (Spring and Autumn for UK and US) a year, which are works of art in themselves. The sales reps and bookshops rave about them and it is not surprising. They are as good as the books they seek to endorse. Some people even collect them.

You could not come across more desirable books than those of Ryland Peters & Small. Searching for a present, RPS will have something that suits or if you are just looking for some self indulgence, settle down and be inspired.


Special offer
Take advantage of this offer and buy Cool Cocktails for the special price of £13, inc p&p to mainland UK. (RRP £15). Telephone the credit card hotline of Macmillan Direct on 01256 302699 and quote reference GLR 698.


To read a full review of Cool Cocktails, .

For more information on Ryland Peters & Small, click here.