"It was a bright cold day in September, and the clocks were striking thirteen".
A Memoir from the Parallel Universe of Publishing
After a working life in publishing creating and designing books for 45 years, could I have guessed that I would become a ghost in my own work? Would I have expected to have the credit I'd had on books as "Created and Designed by David Salariya" since 1988 removed...probably not...then life isn't logical...that would be too tedious. Bonnier UK acquired the IP of my company in 2022 and are doing what they call ‘refreshing’ the book series I had created and designed - I would have expected the company name to be removed along with any of the imprint names - I didn't expect a systematic depersoning, by removing my personal credit and every contributor's credit and biography - just a little corporate amnesia, if you will. So here we are: in a business that lives and dies by names, my colleagues and I are nameless, so is this ‘refresh’ a whitewash or a cycle of washes to wash away the original creator and contributors? Why is a corporate publishing company spending time and money changing fonts and covers to make an imprint "Hatch - The Start of an idea"...when it patently isn't?
In this strange business of ours, where we live and die by names, what irony to find myself suddenly nameless.
On the 14th of September 2023, I read Bonnier Books UK's press release:
“Hatch Press takes flight with Bonnier Books UK”
Ghost in the Books
In this dispatch, Helen Wicks and Kieran Hood herald the launch of Hatch Press as “the home of creativity, inspiration, and amazing adventures through history.” They describe it as “the start of an idea,” born from the “extensive backlist of Salariya” - the very publishing company I founded in 1989.
Here, reality starts to wobble
It’s as if Bonnier has cracked open some corporate wormhole, one where I am both here and not here - a Schrödinger’s Author of sorts, present and erased in the same breath. “Hatch is born from the extensive backlist of Salariya,” they proclaim, as though this extensive backlist just materialised from thin air, detached from more than forty-five years of creative effort in every book through decades of collaboration with highly talented illustrators, brilliant writers, punctilious editors, and world class experts. In this alternative publishing reality, the Hatch republished books removes my credit as the "creator & designer" of all the books created in-house and all author, illustrator biographies - my colleagues and I are disappeared.
Erased and Refreshed
The press release further describes Hatch as “the start of an idea.” hmmm, but how exactly does one “start” an idea with books that have been on shelves for decades? These aren’t freshly laid eggs; they are well read books that have engaged generations of readers around the world...in upwards of thirty-five languages - If this is the “start,” how do you figure out what qualifies as the middle or the end?
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Invisible Ink
I founded the Salariya Book Company back in 1989 at the age of thirty-five not to become a spectre in my own career, but to create and design books that brought humour, history, and excitement to young readers. I wasn’t just hatching ideas left and right for some future corporate remix. Book series like You Wouldn’t Want to Be (1999) and Spectacular Visual Guides (1989) and over fifty other series weren’t spun out of thin air. They were built on creative risks, financial risks, hard work, late nights, and the simple belief that children deserved engaging, intelligent books, so good that they would want more...and they did. I closed down the business in 2022 when I became too ill during the pandemic to continue and frankly had become tired of solving other people's problems and really wanted to get back to what I was best at. Independent family-sized small publishing has its limitations in a publishing world dominated by conglomerates...claiming to be 'family businesses'. The UK Orca warehouse could not simply fulfill orders - it was time to move on. For Bonnier UK to claim that these books are "the start of an idea and the beginning of something great" is not only inaccurate but spectacularly ludicrous. Kieran Hood, head of Hatch, says he “can’t wait to see the first books from Hatch Press in the shops next year.” Neither can I, Kieran - because they’ve already been there for years...and the internet as much as we would like it to - does not forget.
Surreal to Orwellian
Helen Wicks acknowledges that the Salariya imprints succeeded in “introducing humour, quality illustration, and fun into the process of learning” and “enriched the lives of so many.” Yes, I would agree. But this was no accident; it wasn’t corporate “magic” that made it so. This success came from years of careful planning by me, from pushing creative boundaries - systematically removing my name and the biographies attached to these names is an irony of corporate doublethink Orwell himself would be proud of.
"Hatching an Absurdity: My Career as a Ghost in My Own Books"
I find myself in the bizarre situation of defending the obvious fact that I created and designed all these books years ago. For Bonnier UK to promote Hatch Press as a “fresh start” is like saying history begins at breakfast. These books, whether How to Draw or The Eureka Moment, or the A Very Peculiar History are hardly fresh ideas in 2024. They have already been introduced to countless readers, re-read, borrowed from libraries, sold globally and read and re-sold for the past decades!
Legacy in Limbo
To be clear, this isn’t about clinging to the past or nursing a grudge. It’s about acknowledging that these books didn’t arrive in some “Hatch.” They came from me, from my mind, my passions, my background and history and from the brilliant artists, authors, editors and expert consultants I was extremely fortunate to work with. This attempt to erase that history in the name of a “new journey” feels like a strange piece of corporate theatre where I exist, yet do not exist, Schrödinger’s* Author floating along in an alternate publishing universe where erasing names has somehow become the norm.
Where Credit Goes to Die
So here I am, a ghost in my own story. And as Bonnier attempts to claim these decades-old books as something “new,” I am here - although cancelled, seeing this absurdity play out with both incredulity and a peculiar sense of amusement...the ghost.
*In a famous thought experiment from 1935, Schrödinger proposed that by placing a cat and a radioactive atom that could potentially kill the cat in a sealed box, the cat's state of being alive or dead remains uncertain until the box is opened. Therefore, until observed, the cat exists in a superposition of being both "dead and alive."
The idea of a cat being simultaneously alive and dead is absurd, which was Schrödinger's point. He found quantum physics so philosophically disturbing that he abandoned the theory and began writing about biology.
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The Story Behind the Erased Pages
14th September 2023
PRESS RELEASE Bonnier UK
Hatch Press takes flight with Bonnier Books UK
Bonnier Books UK today announces the launch of Hatch Press, the home of creativity, inspiration and amazing adventures through history.
The newest imprint within the company’s thriving children’s division, Hatch Press will publish non-fiction, hands-on learning, and art and activity titles for fledgling readers between 3-12 years old – laying the foundations for a lifetime love of books.
Hatch Press is born from the extensive backlist of Salariya, acquired by Bonnier Books UK last year. Taking inspiration from its treasure trove of titles, Hatch will publish refreshed editions of Salariya’s backlist before embarking on an exciting new frontlist of books that builds on the established bestsellers and introduces fresh IP to engage and enrich the next generation of young readers.
Led by Kieran Hood, the imprint aims to publish around 30 books a year, with the first titles flying onto shelves in January 2024.
Kieran Hood, head of Hatch Press, said: “I cannot wait to see the first books from Hatch Press in the shops next year. It’s so important to me to see beautiful, well-designed books that are both affordable and accessible to all reading abilities. Hatch is called Hatch because it’s the start of an idea and the beginning of something great, be it igniting a creative interest, or a subject in school that was previously dismissed. It’s a cracking list: terrific subjects, interesting takes, and attractive books.”
Helen Wicks, managing director of children’s trade at Bonnier Books UK added: “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to breathe new life into a redoubtable independent imprint. Founded in 1989 by David Salariya, the publisher was home to many award-winning, innovative and engaging titles. It succeeded in introducing humour, quality illustration and fun into the process of learning. And, in doing so, it enriched the lives of so many. At Bonnier Books UK, we are committed to continuing this legacy. With a wide range of stunning titles on the way, Hatch will offer something for every fledgling reader.”
The launch list includes: a refresh of the best-selling How to Draw series; narrative non-fiction in the form of The Eureka Moment; the Boredom Buster series of activity titles; and the funny and educational Tickle Your Brain joke book series.
Press Release Ends
In re-branding David Salariya’s extensive collection of children’s non-fiction, Bonnier Books UK’s new imprint, Hatch Press, has removed the biographies and credits of the original creators, editors and expert consultants. This decision to erase the names of the people who worked on these books - fundamentally rewrites the narrative behind these works.
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