On the eve of a festival about self-publishing and small run publications, a story of small successes from one author-run publishing house in Estonia:
Petrone Print was founded three years ago by Justin and Epp Petrone, husband and wife, prolific bloggers both. Justin, an American with Italian heritage, met Epp, an Estonian, while travelling through Finland. Many adventures later, they settled down in Tartu, a charming university town in Estonia’s south.
With heads full of stories to share, but daunted by a strong local book publishing industry with restrictive conditions, they set up their own print house. Their first title was Epp’s Minu Ameerika (My America), a travelogue about her journeys through the U.S.
Since they have published 24 books by various writers, mostly travel journals by expat Estonians experiencing other cultures. The ‘My World’ series has proven incredibly popular with Estonian readers, regularly occupying the top ten book lists in that country. The playful book design adds to the appeal.
The lesson to absorb here is that of the double-niche: find a slice of unoccupied publishing territory, then stake out a claim within it. Estonian language titles might have been niche enough, but by also focusing on travelogue tales from abroad, Petrone Print cornered their market and established for themselves a sustainable income that allows them to write what they like.
