Pleiad books

Pleiad books (Bulgarian: „Плеяда“, Izdatelstvo Pleiada) is a Bulgarian publishing house founded in the early 1990s by two artists from the then-suspended comics magazine „Дъга“ (Daga): Petar Stanimirov, who worked under the pen name Peter Stan, and Dimitar Stoyanov, known as Dimo. Stanimirov left the company in 1994. The publisher is best known for bringing major international thriller and horror authors to Bulgarian readers, including Stephen King and Dean Koontz, and for its role in the Bulgarian gamebook (книга-игра) scene. In its early years Pleiad published several translated gamebooks, then became a leading publisher of gamebooks by Bulgarian authors. These were often issued under English-sounding pseudonyms because, according to the publishers, they sold better that way. Well-known gamebook authors published by Pleiad include Colin Wallumbury (Lyubomir Nikolov), Michael Mindcrime (Dimitar Slaveykov), Adrian Wayne (Aleksandar Sultanov) and Robert Blond (Bogdan Rusev), among others. Beyond gamebooks, Pleiad's catalogue spans thrillers and historical novels by authors such as Jonathan Barker, Lauret Ann White, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Colleen McCullough, Stephen Leather, Lorenzo Carcaterra, William Konitz and Jack Higgins, as well as romance writers including Judith McNaught, Luanne Rice, Charlotte Vale Allen, Janelle Taylor, Judith Michael and Barbara Freethy. The publisher's online store at pleiadbooks.com sells print titles directly to readers in Bulgaria, offering free delivery on orders over 100 lv., promotional discounts (for example 20% off selected new titles) and cash-on-delivery payment. The site's navigation highlights categories such as new books, highlights, thrillers and historical fiction, reflecting the commercial focus of the list. Pleiad remains an active Bulgarian-language trade publisher operating primarily in the Bulgarian market. It is a private company; no parent group or stock listing is indicated in the available sources.

Pleiad books was created in the early 1990s as a Bulgarian book publishing house. Its founders were two artists associated with the comics magazine „Дъга“ (Daga), which had been suspended at the time: Petar Stanimirov, who signed his work as Peter Stan, and Dimitar Stoyanov, known as Dimo. Petar Stanimirov left the publisher in 1994. The house first issued several translated gamebooks, a format that was popular in Bulgaria in the early 1990s. It then moved into original Bulgarian gamebook production and became a leading publisher of gamebooks by Bulgarian authors. A distinctive practice of the period was publishing these authors under English-sounding pseudonyms, because the publishers believed the books would sell better that way. Among the best-known gamebook authors published by Pleiad were Colin Wallumbury (the pen name of Lyubomir Nikolov), Michael Mindcrime (Dimitar Slaveykov), Adrian Wayne (Aleksandar Sultanov) and Robert Blond (Bogdan Rusev). Alongside gamebooks, Pleiad built a trade list centred on translated genre fiction. It became particularly known for publishing Stephen King and Dean Koontz in Bulgarian, and its catalogue also includes thriller and historical novel authors such as Jonathan Barker, Lauret Ann White, James Patterson, Colleen McCullough, Stephen Leather, Lorenzo Carcaterra, William Konitz and Jack Higgins, as well as romance authors including Judith McNaught, Luanne Rice, Charlotte Vale Allen, Janelle Taylor, Judith Michael and Barbara Freethy. In the 2000s and after, Pleiad continued to operate as an independent Bulgarian publisher and developed a direct-to-consumer online store at pleiadbooks.com, where it sells its titles with features such as free delivery for orders over 100 lv., cash-on-delivery payment and periodic discount promotions. The site organises the catalogue into sections such as new books, highlights, thrillers and historical fiction, mirroring the publisher's core genres.

• 1994

  Petar Stanimirov leaves the publisher.

• 1990

  Pleiad books is founded in Bulgaria by Petar Stanimirov and Dimitar Stoyanov.

Bulgarian trade publisher of translated thrillers, horror and romance plus locally authored gamebooks, selling direct to readers through its own online store.

• Bulgarian editions of Stephen King

• Bulgarian editions of Dean Koontz

• Gamebooks by Bulgarian authors under English pseudonyms

• Thrillers and historical novels (e.g. Jonathan Barker, Lauret Ann White)

• Romance novels (e.g. Judith McNaught, Luanne Rice)

1. 1Издателство Плеяда – official websitepleiadbooks.com
2. 2Pleiad books – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Плеяда (издателство) – Wikipedia (Bulgarian)bg.wikipedia.org