Exploring Life & Business with Kim Kremer of Notting Hill Editions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Kremer. 

Kim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My father Tom Kremer founded Notting Hill Editions in his eighties. The idea was born from his passion for literature and his love of the essay in particular. The essay occupies the little-trodden ground between journalism and academia – it can explore an idea deeply but is accessible to the curious reader. Tom wanted to produce books that were pleasing to hold and slim enough to fit into a pocket. At the time eBooks were taking off, and many were predicting the death of the book – but the opposite is happening. There will always be a place for books and in fact, readers cherish the written word. Tom asked me to join him in helping to run the company in 2014- I’d started my career in Children’s publishing, but this was very different. It’s been a steep learning curve but we thoroughly enjoyed working together, discussing ideas, and sometimes disagreeing! Tom died in 2017 but the ethos remains – vibrant ideas printed in elegant hardback. The company continues to grow – we’ve expanded our team and our readership is growing exponentially. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Almost always a bumpy road! Publishing is a notoriously difficult business. At the beginning, the struggle was to persuade some booksellers that readers would pay more for a fine hardback rather than a cheap paperback or eBook. Then as a new publisher, you aren’t the first pick for well-known writers – now even high-profile writers want to be published by NHE, because they want to see their work beautifully produced and they enjoy the freedom of exploring an idea within the confines of a short book. We’re shortly to be publishing Margaret Atwood (she wrote the introduction to our new anthology ‘On Cats’), and our authors include Deborah Levy, Richard Sennett, Gyles Brandreth, Tracey Ullman, and John Berger.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Notting Hill Editions?
Notting Hill Editions is an independent British publisher. We bring to print the most surprising thinkers of past and present in collectible pocket-size books, and we specialize in the literary essay. Our books are short enough to be read over the course of a few evenings or train journeys, but the ideas contained within are timeless and provocative. NHE offers a curated library of titles covering a diverse range of subjects, and all appeal to the general curious reader. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Instead of trying to compete on quantity or price, we take an alternate path – quality over quantity. Our books are pleasingly tactile as they’re bound in real linen with foil blocked typographic covers and satin ribbon markers. Our niche is the essay – it provides an opportunity for authors to explore a subject deeply without being academic, and to reach the fundamental truth of an issue behind the noisy opinion. The printed word has more resonance than the screen, and our books – easy in the hand – encourage the reader to carve out the time to digest them slowly. 

Pricing:

• £14.99 per hardback book
• Giftsets from £37.00
• Limited edition and signed copies from £70

Contact Info:

• Email: contact@nottinghilleditions.com
• Website: www.nottinghilleditions.com
• Instagram: @nottinghilleditions
• Facebook: Notting Hill Editions
• Twitter: @Notting_Hill_Eds