In the Swiss Alps, among the herbs and soft grasses, one might spot a charming little animal – the marmot.

In Bulgaria, however, it is the face of one of the most popular publishers of children’s literature. And instead of wrapping chocolate in foil, this marmot reads books. For its successful journey, it has also received the support of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB).

In 2012, Radostina Nikolova was working in a large corporate environment. To escape from a daily routine filled with budgets and reports, she began writing a fantasy story. Almost as a joke, by the end of the year, The Adventures of the Motts had taken shape - a captivating children’s tale that entertains, teaches, and speaks their language.

Radostina reached out to several publishers, but none showed interest.

“At that time, it was very difficult for Bulgarian authors to get published. I decided to publish it myself”, she recalls.

“People aren’t unhappy, Mux. They just don’t know how to be happy in any other way. They’ve forgotten…”

This excerpt comes from the story of the Motts - fluffy creatures hiding in wardrobes, colored like our clothes. Released in 2013, the book quickly became a favorite among children and parents.

“Thanks to my background in marketing, I managed to reach a wide audience. Soon after its release, the book won the Magic Pearl award - first place, voted by children. That gave me the courage to continue”, says the author. The excitement was doubled - the book’s premiere coincided with the birth of her first child.

New horizons opened before Radostina. Her imagination created dozens of new characters, and although she briefly returned to corporate work, by 2016 she dedicated herself entirely to writing and meeting young readers.

Not long after, the next step became clear.

“I saw how inspiring books could be for children and how important they are for their growth. I realized I could also support other authors with the same mission. That’s how Marmot Publishing was born. The name goes back to my first characters - the Motts”, Radostina explains.

The publishing house specializes in books for children aged 1 to 12, featuring both Bulgarian and international authors. It launched in 2019 under turbulent conditions - right before the Covid-19 pandemic, which closed bookstores and forced a rapid shift to online sales.

“We needed funding to keep going. We started with support from different people who invested in publishing books in return for interest on their contributions. That was our way to get through a difficult period - and it worked,” says Nikolova.

How to grow in difficult times?

To increase the volume of books published, Radostina and her partner, Nikolay Kanchovski, needed additional funding. They raised resources from various sources, allowing Marmot to expand.

Last year, they connected with BDB Microfinance, attracted by the favorable conditions for obtaining working capital loans. This enabled them to publish more Bulgarian books, which are more expensive than foreign titles due to illustration costs and copyright fees.

“Illustrations in Bulgaria are a significant expense, whereas for translated books we pay only a fee for the files. Copyrights are also more costly here. Despite that, we aim for at least half of our published titles to be Bulgarian”, explains Radostina.

Today, Marmot publishes around 30 new titles annually. The team also works to promote Bulgarian books abroad. To this end, Marmot became the only Bulgarian children’s publisher to work with an international literary agent - Stephanie Burrowille. With her expertise and network, Bulgarian works have already been presented in Poland, the U.S., China, Ukraine, and Finland.

Marmot’s concept in selecting themes is unique - addressing topics like body boundaries, politics, separation… subjects children will inevitably face as they grow.

“For us, it’s very important that the books we publish speak openly with children and help them grow into kind, aware individuals. They should also be valuable tools for parents, helping them pass on the values that turn young readers into responsible adults”.

In the past year, Marmot has been preparing a series of children’s encyclopedias about Bulgaria’s nature. “An epochal effort”, in the words of the publisher, aimed at enriching the nation’s literary heritage. The first release - a children’s encyclopedia about the Black Sea - is expected in early 2025.