Self-made business woman Judy Piatkus set up her first company with a partner in 1974 and sold her 50% holding to him four years later for £50,000. This money became her start-up capital for Piatkus Books which she founded from the bedroom of her house in Loughton in 1979. At that time women entrepreneurs were a rarity and Judy was married with a two year old and another child on the way.
Over the next 28 years Judy grew the company organically, remaining independent and retaining 100% control of her shares. In the summer of 2007 she successfully sold to Little Brown who are retaining the Piatkus brand name and building on its strengths.
Piatkus Books is one of the world’s leading publishing brands, specialising in lifestyle titles which incorporates self-help, business, personal development, health and mind, body and spirit as well as publishing some of the world’s greatest novelists and a wide range of general books.
From the start Judy attracted a reputation as a forward thinker. She was always looking ahead to consider what society might be interested in in future years so that Piatkus could have the right books in their range for the changing times. The titles she published in the 1980s and 1990s were always ahead of their time and the resultant publicity meant that Piatkus Books has always been one of the leading influencers of ideas and lifestyle changes in the last 30 years.
International publishing successes over the years have included Colour Me Beautiful, The Curry Club cookbook range, The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford, You Are What You Eat by Gillian McKeith, The 10 Day MBA, Getting Things Done by David Allen, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston and Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L Weiss.
The roll call of international bestselling novelists published by Piatkus during its 28 years of independence includes Nora Roberts, J D Robb, Danielle Steel, Virginia Andrews, Dean Koontz, Robert Crais, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and many many more.
One of the very last books commissioned under Judy’s aegis before she sold Piatkus in the summer of 2007 was entitled The Great Crash and it was published in timely fashion in October 2008.
Judy has extensive appearance of working with the media from television and radio interviews to newspaper profiles and features. She wrote an opinion column for the publishing and bookselling trade magazine, The Bookseller, for eighteen months and over the years has spoken at many industry organisations and events. She was honoured to receive the Women in Publishing Pandora award and was invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her services to the industry.
Since selling her company, recent speaking events have included being keynote speaker at the Entrepreneurs in London conference at Central Hall Westminster along with work for Coutts, Kleinwort Benson and a Bank of Scotland sponsored conference for women entrepreneurs.
Over the next 28 years Judy grew the company organically, remaining independent and retaining 100% control of her shares. In the summer of 2007 she successfully sold to Little Brown who are retaining the Piatkus brand name and building on its strengths.
Piatkus Books is one of the world’s leading publishing brands, specialising in lifestyle titles which incorporates self-help, business, personal development, health and mind, body and spirit as well as publishing some of the world’s greatest novelists and a wide range of general books.
From the start Judy attracted a reputation as a forward thinker. She was always looking ahead to consider what society might be interested in in future years so that Piatkus could have the right books in their range for the changing times. The titles she published in the 1980s and 1990s were always ahead of their time and the resultant publicity meant that Piatkus Books has always been one of the leading influencers of ideas and lifestyle changes in the last 30 years.
International publishing successes over the years have included Colour Me Beautiful, The Curry Club cookbook range, The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford, You Are What You Eat by Gillian McKeith, The 10 Day MBA, Getting Things Done by David Allen, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston and Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L Weiss.
The roll call of international bestselling novelists published by Piatkus during its 28 years of independence includes Nora Roberts, J D Robb, Danielle Steel, Virginia Andrews, Dean Koontz, Robert Crais, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and many many more.
One of the very last books commissioned under Judy’s aegis before she sold Piatkus in the summer of 2007 was entitled The Great Crash and it was published in timely fashion in October 2008.
Judy has extensive appearance of working with the media from television and radio interviews to newspaper profiles and features. She wrote an opinion column for the publishing and bookselling trade magazine, The Bookseller, for eighteen months and over the years has spoken at many industry organisations and events. She was honoured to receive the Women in Publishing Pandora award and was invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her services to the industry.
Since selling her company, recent speaking events have included being keynote speaker at the Entrepreneurs in London conference at Central Hall Westminster along with work for Coutts, Kleinwort Benson and a Bank of Scotland sponsored conference for women entrepreneurs.
Successful entrepreneur Judy Piatkus founded lifestyle publishing company Piatkus Books in 1979 when women entrepreneurs were rare. She grew the business into a global brand before selling it successfully in 2007.
Judy’s speaking topics include her own story of how she grew her company, all aspects of being an entrepreneur, running a company during difficult times, how publishing works and motivational and inspirational talks on managing fear and anxiety.
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