Publishers Marketplace: Elizabeth Burton

A taste of life. . .

Zumaya Publications was founded in British Columbia, Canada, in 1999 by author Diana Kemp-Jones and artist/author Martine Jardin. Their goal was to develop a publishing company that combined the best of the old, traditional methods with the best of the new. For them, this meant developing an Internet-based house that utilized print-on-demand technology.

In 2006, Zumaya moved to Austin TX as Zumaya Publications LLC, under the direction of Executive Editor Elizabeth Burton, who co-owns the company with Jardin. As of 2007, three new imprints were added—Embraces for romance and women’s fiction, Boundless for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual titles and Enigma for mystery, suspense and thrillers—to the existing Otherworlds SF/F imprint started in 2004.

To date, Zumaya has published more than 170 titles in all areas of fiction as well as some superb nonfiction, many of which have won awards.

Zumaya Publications is committed to two things: allowing undiscovered talent the opportunity to be heard and moving publishing into the 21st century by actively using and promoting new technologies and business models that have significantly less environmental impact than the traditional one. To accomplish the latter means developing new strategies for marketing and distribution, which are already being studied and implemented. The cost effectiveness of inventory-free production, eliminating both the need for stocking large numbers of books and the subsequent need to dispose of unsold copies, allows the company to take risks with both new authors and content more often than is feasible for those using traditional methods.

Publishing 25-30 titles annually, Zumaya is one of a new breed of book publisher that seeks to provide the reading public with new options.

Zumaya Publications is a member of the New York Center for Independent Publishers, participates in the Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication program and is listed in Literary Market Place. Zumaya books are in Bowker’s Books in Print and International Books in Print. Titles are available to booksellers and libraries through Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Brodart, and to readers at Amazon and B&N Online, as well as at select independent bookstores. Zumaya ebook editions are listed at Fictionwise and with other online vendors.