The man behind Skyhorse books, which has published recent works by Woody Allen, Blake Bailey and Norman Mailer, explains why he keeps taking on controversial books
Most people won’t have heard of Tony Lyons. Indeed, the US publisher has built an independent press – Skyhorse Publishing – that to some degree delights in defying the mainstream.
Skyhorse’s basic business model is to pick up backlisted books and profitably reissue them. Back to Basics, a book that “will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese”, is one that perennially helps to keeps the company’s lights on.