Hello world!

May 2021

Grijben, an independent non-fiction publisher, announces its launch on the unsuspecting global market. The new publishing house is dedicated to non-fiction, with an initial focus on foreign languages and music books.

Dubbed a “micro-publisher” by founder and managing editor James Paul Wallis, Grijben was born as a passion project and a creative outlet. “I’ve always been in love with publishing. What inspires me in particular is how words and design combine to share knowledge with the reader.”

Although working in a small-scale set-up means going without some of the resources and clout of a traditional publisher, working at a small scale can have advantages, said James. “My first job at an unconventional educational publisher gave me the bug for a full-stack approach, where editing and design is an integrated process,” he explained, “which can help with presenting information in a way that’s more easily digested or is easier on the eye. Part of the drive behind Grijben comes from trying to find certain kinds of books I wanted, for example for language learning, and feeling it must be possible to make something more engaging than what was on offer.”

As for how you might say Grijben, according to James it’s [gɹaɪbən] (rhymes with “tribe’n”), but you can say it however you like. It sounds particularly fun in Dutch.