U Star Novels Award

Smarta 100

U Star Novels is a publishing service that lets the customer into the story. The print-on-demand model allows customers to edit the content of classic books, changing the names and other keywords throughout. Growth at the firm has been exponential over the past year, up 151% in the first quarter. And the company is going international, appearing in Christmas catalogues in the US and Australia. Founder Katie Olver has been smart with genres, offering classics like Pride and Prejudice alongside edgier titles including horror and erotica. Technology will fuel growth at the firm even further as the explosion in Kindle purchases and ebook downloads allows U Star Novels to increase sales while saving on print and postage. As it is, U Star Novels has achieved far faster turnarounds than any of the competition, printing and delivering novels within seven days.

• Diversification into ebook sales will boost revenue and cut costs
• Fast turnarounds and smart editing put customers at the heart of the story - and the business
• Smart partnerships and international expansion ensure further growth