About us
Troika is a small independent children’s book publisher. We’re based in the UK.
Martin (left) & Roy (right) by illustrator Alison Gates
A very brief history
Troika was launched in 2013 by publisher Martin West. In 2016 Martin was joined by Roy Johnson as business partner and Troika’s commercial director.
Our first titles included Bocchi and Pocchi: A Tale of Two Socks, a quirky picture book by debut artist Noriko Matsubara, and new books from award-winning children’s authors Bernard Ashley and Hilda Offen.
Where we are now
These days we maintain a list of 20-30 titles - modest in number but ambitious in ideas - spanning fiction, non-fiction, poetry and picture books, written for children of all ages from early years to young adults.
On the subject of size, we’re happy to be a small company and believe that the old maxim ‘small is beautiful’ holds true for lots of different reasons.
“The home of great children’s books”
It’s a simple tagline but we put a lot of thought into it.
Our passion for children’s books runs deep and we believe that in this modern world of ours with its many opportunities and challenges, great children’s books matter more than ever.
‘Great’ might strike you as a bit of a woolly word but we rather like it, because it means we don’t get too caught up in defining what types of books we will or won’t publish. Instead we want to focus on quality and that can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
We believe that children are smart, curious, spirited, diverse and multifaceted in how they perceive and approach the world, and that they deserve to be respected, inspired, nurtured and stimulated by great books.
A great book is one that children will come back to again and again. A great book stays with us for life. It becomes part of us. It grows with us, and within us.
There’s a kind of magic, a sort of peculiar essence, in every great children’s book and that’s what we’re looking for.
Alongside ‘great’ the word ‘home’ means a lot to us too. We like to think of Troika as an extended family (the kind that’s mutually encouraging and supportive, not the kind that’s always bickering in the back of the car!).
We love to work with talented emerging authors and illustrators as well as established ones, and we’re keen to help people to lay the foundations of a successful career.
We like to work collaboratively too. In our experience this enriches the whole creative process for everyone involved. So you won’t find us dictating terms or insisting on working in specific ways. We’re always open to conversations and fresh ideas. ‘It’s crazy but it might just work’ isn’t a phrase that scares us.
And speaking of ‘us’, why not meet our team and discover our authors & illustrators.