Publishers Weekly / Fastest Growing Independent Publishers

It is not uncommon for new companies to top PW’s list of fast-growing independent publishers, and that is the case this year. (A publisher is eligible for inclusion in the list if its net sales were between $2 million and $10 million in 2018.) Mango Publishing was started in 2014 by Chris McKenney, whose background includes serving as chief operating officer of PGW and who was also the cofounder of Mobifusion, a digital startup seeking to make content compatible across different mobile platforms. In forming Mango, McKenney assembled a team that includes such publishing veterans as Michelle Lewy, who worked with McKenney at Mobifusion, and Brenda Knight, former publisher of Cleis Press, as well as newcomers to the industry. Some of Mango’s 23 employees work at the company’s Miami headquarters, while others work remotely, including several who live outside the U.S.

From the outset, McKenney structured Mango to publish a diverse list. "Our secret sauce is our diversity—new voices, different backgrounds, and exceptional talents all publishing for a rapidly growing and diverse audience of readers," McKenney says. That mix of staff has led to an eclectic list in subjects that includes cooking, crafts, feminism, health, LGBTQ issues, self-help, spirituality, and mindfulness, as well as fiction, poetry, and children’s and young adult books.

Knight, who is editorial director, says her criteria for building a list is simple: "Acquiring distinctive books we can sell. Period."

To help organize its wide-ranging list, Mango has created several imprints, including Books & Books Press, Dreams-on-Paper-Entertainment (DOPE), FranklinCovey, and the Tiny Press (founded by author Alexandra Franzen). Mitchell Kaplan, founder of the independent bookstore chain Books & Books, is an acquiring editor for the Books & Books imprint, which had success within its first year with Patrick Alexander’s The Book Lover’s Guide to Wine and the memoir A Dedicated Life by David Lawrence Jr., editor and former publisher of the Miami Herald. Another important book for Mango last year was Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers by Sarah Zeff Geber, which was named one of the best books of 2018 by the Wall Street Journal.

To help drive sales, Mango has an analytics team looking for patterns relating to book discoverability. The company also has two statisticians on staff who focus on understanding online book-buying behavior. Mango has grown rapidly since its launch and has no intention of slowing down. It plans to publish 150 titles in 2019—books on space exploration, spirituality, creativity, feminism, and the civil rights movement, as well as mystery anthologies, self-help titles, and YA histories geared toward children of color.

For the other top publishers and the original post, click here!