Profile

Born in 1979 out of a small office in the center of Athens with the publication of four children’s books, PSICHOGIOS PUBLICATIONS is, today, the leading company in the Greek book publishing sector with over 5000 published printed titles of various categories for readers of all ages, 2500 e-books and audiobooks. PSICHOGIOS Publications was also the first publisher in Greece to release enhanced and interactive children’s books on iTunes. Annually, our published titles number more than 2 million copies and are available throughout Greece and Cyprus.

Most of the foreign authors published are awarded and internationally acclaimed. Indicatively we can mention Salman Rushdie, awarded with the Booker of Bookers for his book Midnight’s Children, Kazuo Ishiguro (Nobel prize 2017), Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Umberto Eco, Dan Brown, Isabel Allende, Rosamunde Pilcher, Margaret Atwood and J. K. Rowling, who has enchanted readers worldwide with her Harry Potter series. We are also proud publishers of Roald Dahl, David Williams, Jeff Kinney and Jaqueline Wilson. With regard to its Greek authors, the house's catalogue includes names that have been adored by thousands of readers, like Lena Manta who is the number one best-selling author in Greece over the last few years.

In 1995 the company became Incorporated and, since 2007, its offices are housed in Metamorfossi, Athens. The company has a staff of seventy employees and countless freelance associates.

In 2019, the company celebrated its 40th anniversary as well as the knowledge that it has steadily remained the Greek readers' #1 favorite publishing house according to research by Metron Analysis from 2011 to 2021.

The company’s steady development is the result of the emphasis that has been given to business ethics as well as the values that have been adhered to in its everyday dealings with its clients and associates both in Greece and abroad.

In the context of the company’s corporate social responsibility and working from the belief that we need to return part of our profits to the social whole, Psichogios Publications makes donations to various organizations and individuals on a regular basis.

Since 2013, Psichogios Publications has expanded to the greatly promising and rapidly developing market of Turkey. Based in Istanbul, Pena Yayinlari has published over 150 titles so far.

 

Mission Statement

Our mission is to entertain and educate the Greek readership by publishing the works of the greatest authors of our times in the Greek language, as well as to develop children’s minds by providing them with world class literature and quality toys. We aim at becoming the leading Greek publisher by continuously developing our employees, monitoring global markets to completely satisfy the Greek readership’s needs, and providing excellent customer service.

Our Supporting Attributes

• Employees: Our workforce, which is our biggest asset and greatest priority, is the main ingredient of our success in the Greek market. Our team has earned the respect of the largest publishers and literary agents worldwide. We reward their initiatives, dedication and the results driven attitude. We encourage and support their continuous development.

• Books: We strive to enrich our catalog by selecting carefully the best books that cover the demands of the Greek readership. Our selection includes books for every age.
• Toys: With top recognized brands already exclusively distributed (Janod, Zito!, Animal Planet, Zuru, Viking) and more products "on the way", we are striving to fill the creative and entertainment needs of our customers, both young and old, with quality solutions for every age. Many of these have been distinguished with awards from the now classic annual institution of the Toy Awards.
• Customer Service: We aim to provide the best possible customer service through our trained workforce as well as through the use of the most suitable technologies.

• Innovation: We continuously challenge the way we do business and serve our customers.

• Community Involvement: We actively participate in the social and cultural events of our country. We cultivate book reading because we are book lovers ourselves. We support small communities all over our country in places that need it more. We try to have the smallest possible environmental effect while conducting business. For more about our corporate social responsibility click HERE.

Our Values

• Ethos
• Results oriented
• Creativity
• Mutual respect
• Customer Service
• A positive workplace

40 Years

The company began its journey in 1979 with the publication of 4 children's books and thus, 2019 marked Psichogios Publications' 40 successful years in the book publishing industry.
Fiction for children and adults is the genre that established us and continues to keep us at the top of the Greek readership’s preferences. Our catalogue, however, is further enriched with non-fiction and other special interest categories including history and politics, religion, psychology, management, biographies, health and self-help. For children, we also publish picture books, activity books and pre-school books that have been well received by parents, teachers, and of course the children themselves.

The basic series and categories in our catalog are the following:

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

o Fiction for adults

• Foreign fiction
• Greek fiction
  

o Non-fiction

• General knowledge
• Lifestyle - Practical living
• Psychology - Psychoanalysis
• Management - Leadership
• Cookery - Diet
• Essays
• Coffee table books - Biographies
• History - Politics - Economics
• Religion (Ouranos Publications)
  

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

o Children's and Young Adult Literature

• Compass series (Young Adults)
• Small Compass series (9+ years old)
• Crab Apple series (11+ years old)
• Lotus series (9+ years old)
• Blackberry series (7+ years old)
• Strawberry series (5+ years old)
• Banana series (2+ years old)
  

o Picture books (pre-school ages)
o Graphic novels (novels in comics)


TOYS

o Book-toys
o Zito!
o Janod
o Animal Planet
o Ooshies
o Max Build
o Smashers
o Viking
o Angel High

From a young age, we learn to love books and toys that will accompany us through all our stages of life. For this reason, we welcomed the world of toys to PSICHOGIOS PUBLICATIONS in 2017. We first started by merging books and toys together – also known as book-toys – which would fulfill the different needs of children and help them develop their talents while entertaining them at the same time.

As of 2018, we moved on to quality wood and plastic toys from recyclable and sustainable materials – a chief criterion in our selection of toys – sourced from Janod and Viking. Next came the Smashers, collectible toys with dinosaurs! 2020 was a significant moment in our development of our toys line when we created our own brand of board games – ZITO! That same year, the internationally known board game Stratego®, became a part of the ΖΙΤΟ! Family.

In addition to our customers’ recognition of the quality and enjoyment provided by our toys, our line has not gone unnoticed and, at the first Greek Toy Awards in 2021, we won 15 awards as well as the award for Best Toy Brand for Janod. The same was true in 2022, when we were awarded with 17 awards, amongst which the Best Toy Brand for Janod for the second year in a row. Our most recent acquisition and inclusion to our line has been Squishmallows, which won Toy of the Year at the TOTY 2021 Awards. With such popular brands as Janod, Squishmallows, Animal Planet, Ooshies and Zito!, at PSICHOGIOS PUBLICATIONS we provide a world of entertainment for all ages!

 

Our Readers

The recognition of our efforts is communicated to us daily by our readers, who give us the encouragement to continue our search for the best titles in the Greek and in International markets. Our company invests a large part of its annual budget in developing and excelling our means of communication with our readership because we believe that the satisfaction of their needs works in parallel with the longevity of our Publishing House.

 

Psichogios Publications began their publishing activity in 1979 when their founder, Thanos Psichogios published the first 4 children’s fiction titles. The warm acceptance of these titles from book critics and from the Greek readership triggered the continuation of Mr. Psichogios’ efforts to enrich the company’s catalogue with more fiction books for children.

Psichogios Publications is a general trade publishing house that aims to fulfil its share of the cultural development of our society as well as the satisfaction of our readers through a book production of approximately 300 titles annually. In addition, we strive to be in continuous contact with our readers, and we closely monitor international publishing and book matters responsibly and selectively.

Today our catalogue includes about 5,000 titles and more than 2,600 e-books of various categories for readers of all ages.
 

Some of our bestselling books over the last few years include titles such as Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Love like Rain by Lena Manta, The Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, The Angels’ Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Over the last few years, our Greek Fiction series has become the trademark of PSICHOGIOS Publications. Many of these have become editorial successes with multiple reprints while others have received significant domestic awards. Lena Manta’s books in print have surpassed 2 million copies while those by Chrisiida Dimoulidou have reached 1 million copies, those by Maro Vamvounaki 1 million copies and Rena Rossi Zairi’s books 600,000 copies.The international appeal of these titles has also not gone unnoticed and the translation rights of some of the books have been sold to various countries such as the U. S., Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Turkey. A further great honour for Psichogios Publications was the reissue of classic Greek author Antonis Samarakis entire work. 2020 has been named the Year of Antonis Samarakis.

Foreign literature is an area of great importance for PSICHOGIOS Publications. Our company’s most successful series, Foreign Fiction, is made up of approximately 600 titles by classic and contemporary authors who have received both global acceptance and appreciation. To name but a few: Dan Brown, Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, Kazuo Ishiguro (Nobel Prize), Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Jonathan Franzen, Thomas Pinchon, Howard Jacobson, Peter Carey, Salman Rushdie (Booker Prize, Aristeion European Literary Prize), Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize), Margaret Atwood (Booker Prize), Patrick Sueskind, Stieg Larsson, Arundhati Roy (Booker Prize), Mark Haddon, Yann Martel (Booker Prize), Henning Mankell, Agatha Christie, amongst many other. Many of the books in this series have become longsellers while other bestsellers have been successfully adapted as motion picture films and tv series.

Our Non-fiction list is comprised of titles related to politics, economics and management, history and art, essays and studies regarding psychoanalysis, lifestyle and practical life (psychology, health, self-help, cookery). In 2006, PSICHOGIOS Publications created an Imprint Ouranos Publications, under which significant and particularly interesting religious titles are published. Among these titles is the notable book about Jesus written by Pope Benedict XVI, while a highly significant work in currently in production: notably a new translation of the Old and New Testament.

Following PSICHOGIOS’ long tradition in the field of children's literature, books for children and young adults remain a dynamic and continuously developing area for the publishing house and our children’s catalogue is made up of over 1,150 titles by renowned Greek and international authors as well as picture books, board books, pop up, reference and activity books for pre-school children. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is the trademark of PSICHOGIOS Publications’ children’s and young adult literature list, while other immensely successful series include those of the Wimpy Kid and the Dork Diaries. Furthermore, additional successful foreign authors include Philip Pullman, Markus Zusak, David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl, Astrid Lindgren, John Green, and Eoin Colfer. Beloved characters such as Pippi Longstocking, Winnie-the-Pooh, A bear called Paddington as well as contemporary heroes from Disney, Lego, Playmobil and Marvel enchant readers of all ages in our books. Established and awarded Greek children’s authors such as Eugene Trivizas, Loty Petrovits-Andrutsopulou, Angeliki Varella, Litsa Psarafti, Manos Kontoleon and Voula Mastori have also entrusted us with their books, while other talented debut authors have published their work at PSICHOGIOS PUBLICATIONS with much editorial as well as critical success. 

Many of our authors have been honoured with national and international awards and, as such, our catalogue includes more than 1,000 awarded titles and/or authors.

PSICHOGIOS Publications further works closely with the most reputable and innovative publishing houses and literary agencies abroad. Our objective and ambition is to remain on top of international publishing trends and to responsibly provide the works of great contemporary Greek and foreign writers to Greek readers.

Strong emphasis is placed on the correct translation of the texts into Greek. In this vein, it is by no accident the translations of international works of literature are assigned to competent and awarded translators. Furthermore, our titles covered by a READER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, which means that if a reader is not satisfied by a book or its content, he/she can return it for a full refund. The aesthetic appearance of our books is a further aspect that is of major importance to us; and thus our art department is always on the lookout for materials and ideas both in Greece and abroad. PSICHOGIOS Publications maintains a very efficient information network in order to be kept up-to-date and alert about international developments and innovations in the publishing sector. In addition, the company participates in the most important international book fairs including those held in Frankfurt, London and Bologna.

Our publishing house has been grown on the principle that the essence isn’t found in numbers but in the quality and unique contribution of each published title. PSICHOGIOS Publications thus address readers who are demanding and who wish books of quality and with a difference. Our books are thus contemporary novels written with modern style and aesthetic, and which have the prospect to become classics. Thanos Psichogios, founder of the company, has characteristically said: “We believe that we have the right organization, the right vision, and the right people to carve a substantial, long-term, and successful course in the field of the book.”

In 1995, Psichogios Publications became an incorporated company as we wanted to set the basis for a more rational and sophisticated management approach.

 

In 2020 300 new titles were published and until the end of the year 2,000,000 books were distributed, generating an annual revenue of €14,000,000.

 

Since its inception, Psichogios Publications has taken many initiatives to highlight its corporate responsibility; we are strong believers of a green planet and we contribute to various non-profit organizations like Action Aid, WWF, the Greek Immigrant Council, the Greek Anticancer Society and others, by donating part of the revenue that we generate from particular titles. Furthermore, we donate thousands of books to prisons, children’s institutions, rehabilitation treatment centers, retirement homes, etc. We print our books in paper processed without chemicals or other environmentally hazardous materials and since September of 2009 we use recycled paper in all of our children’s books.

We actively participate in recycling programs and we recycle the resources that we use daily such as copy paper, ink cartridges, computer hardware, batteries, etc. We also take care of homeless animals around our facilities and we contribute to the appropriate institutions for the protection of animals.

Finally, we believe that besides seeking profitability, corporations should operate and contribute to the social welfare by donating part of their profits back to the society.
 

Our books are sold in over 2,500 bookstores in Greece and Cyprus, as well as through our corporate bookstore in Athens. We believe that bookstores are the most important mean through which our readership comes in contact with a book; therefore bookstores are of the highest importance to us on our effort to serve the Greek readership. One of the biggest parts of our success is based in the great relationships that we have built with the bookstores that sell our books. We continuously exchange information with them and we appreciate their efforts in promoting our books. As a publishing house with great influence in the Greek readership, we will continue our support to local bookstores and refer our readers there for their purchases. Our orders are always delivered within a 2 day frame and we distribute promotional material (book stands, posters, page markers, catalogs, etc) for our titles to all bookstores.

At PSICHOGIOS Publications we only publish books that excite us - what we, as readers, would like to read. Behind the selection of every book lies a whole group of people who have based their decisions on a number of criteria, with quality being their number one priority. Next, our colleagues in the editorial department edit each and every book to ensure the linguistic, artistic and technical excellence of the books which finally reach our consumers.

If, for some reason, a book does not satisfy our readers, they can return it - in excellent condition - and replace it with another one of equal value from our central bookstore. The Reader Satisfaction Guarantee is valid for a period of 45 days following a purchase. For more information regarding this guarantee, readers can contact the sales department at retail@psichogios.gr or call +302102804800.

 

 

KID’S FUN 01/06/2010 - INTERVIEW OF PENY PSICHOGIOU - "CHILD & BOOK" (article in Greek)

 ANT1 TV '-April, 11 2008-Interview of Thanos Psichogios, CEO (article in Greek)