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| SelfMadeHero | |
|---|---|
| Name | SelfMadeHero |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London |
| Publications | Graphic novels, manga, comics, adaptations |
SelfMadeHero is a British independent publishing imprint specializing in graphic novels, manga translations, and literary adaptations. Founded in 2007, the imprint became known for commissioning and publishing illustrated versions of classic and contemporary works, collaborating with writers, artists, translators, and designers from across Europe, North America, and Japan. Its programme spans adaptations of canonical literature, original graphic narratives, and licensed manga, engaging readers through visual storytelling that intersects with theatre, film, and academic discourse.
SelfMadeHero was established in 2007 by a team of editors and creative directors with roots in London publishing, including professionals experienced at Random House, Penguin Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Faber and Faber, Profile Books and independent comic houses such as Blank Slate Books and Jonathan Cape. Early strategic partnerships linked the imprint with literary estates and rights holders associated with authors like Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and contemporary novelists represented by agencies such as ICM Partners, William Morris Endeavor, and Curtis Brown.
During the 2000s and 2010s, SelfMadeHero navigated the shifting landscape of print publishing affected by developments at Barnes & Noble, WHSmith, and independent bookshops, while responding to digital trends catalysed by companies like Amazon (company) and device platforms introduced by Apple Inc. and Amazon Kindle. International outreach included participation at book fairs such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, Angoulême International Comics Festival and trade exhibitions hosted by Comic-Con International and MCM London Comic Con.
The imprint’s catalogue combines literary adaptations, original graphic novels, and translated manga. Adaptations include illustrated takes on works associated with literary figures such as Franz Kafka, Oscar Wilde, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Dante Alighieri, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, often produced with artists and translators who have worked with cultural institutions like the British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum. SelfMadeHero published graphic biographies and true-crime narratives alongside adaptations of plays by dramatists such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Henrik Ibsen, and Anton Chekhov.
Within translated manga and comics, the imprint released English-language editions of works by creators who have appeared in lineages connected to Kodansha, Shōgakukan, Shueisha, and independent Japanese publishers. Contributors include illustrators and writers whose portfolios intersect with comics anthologies and periodicals like The New Yorker, The Guardian, Image Comics, Drawn & Quarterly, and Corto Maltese-style graphic storytelling. Special series brought in translators experienced with literary translation tied to institutions such as SOAS University of London and University College London.
Selected projects earned recognition from comics festivals, literary prizes, and cultural organizations. Adaptations of works associated with figures like Homer, Virgil, Dante Alighieri, Mary Shelley, and Bram Stoker were showcased at festivals including Angoulême International Comics Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and programming associated with the British Film Institute. Awards and nominations cited by collaborators and reviewers connected to bodies such as the British Comic Awards, Eisner Awards, British Book Awards, and national arts councils demonstrated the imprint’s critical reception in the comics and literary communities.
Specific titles adapted from authors such as Franz Kafka and Oscar Wilde received coverage in media outlets including The Guardian, The New York Times, BBC News, The Independent, and specialist journals aligned with scholarship on gothic fiction, modernism, and graphic narrative studies at universities including King's College London and University of Oxford.
The editorial and commissioning staff have backgrounds in literary editing, comics commissioning, rights management, and design, with links to agencies and organizations such as Curtis Brown Group, Conville & Walsh, Rogers, Coleridge & White, and freelance networks that include illustrators represented by galleries like Artfinder and studios that collaborate with publishers such as Bloomsbury and Canongate Books. Creative directors and editors frequently commission artists who have exhibited at venues including the Tate Modern, Hayward Gallery, and the British Library; these artists often maintain portfolios intersecting with graphic novelists who have worked with Fantagraphics Books, Top Shelf Productions, and SelfMadeHero collaborators.
Translators and adaptors on the team have academic affiliations with programmes at SOAS University of London, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, and translation presses, ensuring fidelity to source texts while allowing inventive visual reinterpretation. Design and production staff coordinate with printers and distributors experienced with international standards used by printers servicing Penguin Random House and Hachette Livre.
Distribution channels extend across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia through partnerships with distributors and wholesalers linked to Gardners Books, Bertram Books, Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and independent retail networks including Waterstones and specialty comic shops affiliated with the British Comic Shop Association. The imprint’s hybrid focus on literary readerships and comics fandoms positioned it within crossover markets frequented by patrons of museums and festivals such as the British Library, V&A Dundee, and Hay Festival.
Commercial and cultural impact includes placement in academic syllabi at universities like University of Oxford, King's College London, University of Manchester, and engagement in public programming with institutions such as the British Council and the British Library. International licensing deals and translations expanded reach into markets where partners include publishers from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Japan, reflecting partnerships forged at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Angoulême International Comics Festival.