Draft:Papadopoulos Publishing

Papadopoulos Publishing, a Greek family-owned publishing house, was established in 1953 , with a rich history in the book trade dating back to 1912. Initially focused on children's books, it gained a reputation for quality in the genre. Since 2010, the company expanded its catalog to include adult titles, starting with nonfiction and later branching into fiction. Operating from two privately owned buildings in the suburb of Metamorfossi, with 40 full time personnel and many independent professionals, it publishes around a 100 new titles a year, of which 75 children’s and 25 adult, both by Greek and foreign authors. the publishing house's books are carried by more than 1000 sales points all over Greece and Cyprus as well as various online platforms.

1912 - 1921
The publishing house's story begins in the early years of the 20th century in Mersina (Asia Minor), where a retired teacher, Kyriakos Papadopoulos (1870-1938), identified a void within the flourishing Greek community dominating the city: the absence of a bookstore. Thus, in 1912, he decided to open the first bookstore in Mersina.

Two more bookstores followed, in Adana and Tarsus, opened by Kyriakos' son, Ioannis K. Papadopoulos(1896-1978), in 1915. The bookstores flourished until 1921 when they all closed, swept away by the storm of events.

1922 - 1923
The next endeavor of the active Ioannis was in 1922 when he opened the fourth family-owned bookstore in Constantinople. However, luck did not favor him this time either. A year later, the Allies abandoned the city, leading Ioannis K. Papadopoulos to close his bookstore and exile himself to Paris.

1923 - 1936
There, he was employed by the publishing house Hachette as the director of daily press distribution. However, nostalgia prevailed, and the position at Hachette, with all its responsibilities, was not enough for a restless individual like Ioannis.

1936 - 1945
So, in 1936 Ioannis K. Papadopoulos returned to Thessaloniki, where he opened his first bookstore in Greece.

1945 - Present
With the end of the war in 1945, Ioannis went down to Athens, where he opened the stationery shop on Perikleous Street in Syntagma, which some old Athenians still remember.

The years pass and it is the third generation's turn to enter the business. Kyriakos I. Papadopoulos (1931-2020) takes over duties alongside his father, and together in 1953 they decide on the big step: the publication of the first illustrated books for children. The first timid steps of the publishing house against the publishing giants of the time are followed by the its first successes.

It is the first years of its boom, where series of books such as the first Fairy Tales Illustrated, the legendary Lilica and the Toxo series, with sales of millions of copies each, establish the brand "Papadopoulos Children's Books" as a synonym for the beloved and quality books. Many of these books were beloved by children of all ages and remained active in the publisher's catalog for over thirty years.

By 1971 the baton has already passed to Kyriakos I. Papadopoulos and the small store in Perikleos can no longer accommodate the growing activities of the publishing house. Thus, retail operations are relocated to a site on Drosopoulou Street.

In 1976 the publisher's first privately owned building is constructed in Metamorfosi Attica and the central facilities of Papadopoulos publications, such as offices, studios, warehouses, etc., are moved there.

Progress is continuous and, as the years go by, the next (fourth) generation enters the business. Ioannis K. Papadopoulos (b.1966), son of Kyriakos, who, having already apprenticed with him alongside his studies, takes over parts of the overall activity. In order to accommodate the growing needs of the publishing house, the construction of an additional building is deemed necessary. Thus, a modern building of 1000 sq.m. was constructed in 1993, where the headquarters and the distribution center were moved, also marking the complete computerization of all areas of the house.

In 1996 a new store was established in the center of Athens (Solonos and Massalias 14), where there is a permanent exhibition of its books and at the same time retail and wholesale sales. A critical turning point in the operation of the publishing house were the five years 1994-1999, where, sensing the rise in the educational level of young parents, it proceeded to publish a series of elegantly illustrated books, investing in illustration as a primary factor of the book. The consistent implementation of this approach, with books illustrated by leading foreign illustrators such as Gennady Spirin, P. J. Lynch, Kestutis Kasparavicius, Anastassija Iwanowna Archipowa, Lisbeth Zwerger, confirmed the name of Papadopoulos Publications as synonymous with aesthetic excellence in children's books.

In 1999 as a natural progression the publishing house made the effort to create Greek illustrated books with correspondingly high quality standards. Thus, in 1999 it presented to the market the first books created by the house, mainly by Greek illustrators. The series "Ta Ellinika" gave children the opportunity to approach texts by the classic Greek authors. This series was one of the house's biggest publishing successes of recent years and evolved into a complete cultural / educational proposition, supported by a wide array of activities: conferences, events, auxiliary material, etc. Alongside those activities, the development of series with a large number of quality books at a low price, further consolidated its position.

In 2003 the corporate form of Papadopoulos Publications changes and the joint-stock company KYRIAKOS PAPADOPOULOS SA is formed, with Kyriakos I. Papadopoulos as President and Ioannis K. Papadopoulos as CEO. With its participation in the international Bologna Children's Book Fair, the publishing house launched its presence in the international rights market. Until then, Greece's presence at international exhibitions was limited to the role of a buyer of translation rights, and not a seller of original Greek works abroad but the publishing house believed that with the talent of its writers and illustrators as an ally it would achieve international recognition. And indeed, translation rights of more than 100 of its books have been allocated to publishing houses from all over the world. Among them, the first Greek children's books that became international successes: "Melpo the unique", later the series "Little trips with the imagination of Jules Verne" were translated into many languages, with the unsurpassed success of Don Quixote illustrated by Svetlin Vassilev at the top, with sales of 600,000 copies in Spain and Latin America.

In 2007 the publisher's first books on education are introduced. Within a few years, the house's educational books have become unique successes in kindergartens and elementary schools, with more than 300 titles and total sales of millions of copies.

In 2011 the publishing house branches into books for adults. After 57 years of publishing for children, Papadopoulos Publishing is now a publishing house aimed at readers of all ages. While the children's publishing department, under the editorial direction of Christina K. Papadopoulou, continues its successes with the books of Antonis Papatheodoulou, Filippos Mandilaras, Leda Varvarousi, and more, the publishing house introduces a dynamic section of adult publications, with titles ranging from economic essays, to History and testimonials. Here, books by Joseph E. Stiglitz, Stathis Kalyvas, of Alexis Papachelas particularly stood out. Furthermore, in the field of Greek and foreign literature, under the editorial direction of Katerina Triantafyllou, the publisher obtained the rights and published books by John Steinbeck, Toni Morrison and more in the Greek language.

In 2019 The publishing house's subsidiary FarosBooks is established in London, which publishes its illustrated children's books in English. FarosBooks books are distributed in England, the USA and in English-speaking markets around the world, from South Africa to the Far East.