{{Multiple issues|{{Advert|date=May 2023}} {{POV|date=May 2023}}}}{{Short description|British publisher}} '''Judy Piatkus''' is a British publisher, entrepreneur and author who founded Piatkus Books in 1979.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=13 March 2019|title=LBBG Imprint – Piatkus Books|url=https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/imprint/lbbg/piatkus/page/little-brown-books/lbbg-imprint-piatkus/|access-date=5 October 2020|website=Hachette UK|publisher=Little, Brown|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Little, Brown buys Piatkus {{!}} The Bookseller|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/little-brown-buys-piatkus|access-date=5 October 2020|website=www.thebookseller.com|date=23 July 2007|first=Alison|last= Flood}}</ref>
== Career == Piatkus founded Piatkus Books from the bedroom of her home in Loughton, Essex, in 1979.<ref name=":0" /> The publishing house published authors Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, and Virginia Andrews and grew to be a successful romance publisher in the UK, and a pioneer in publishing books on personal development and lifestyle.<ref name="Alternative thinkers" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/apr/14/fiction.gender|title=Let's hear it for romance|first=Danuta|last=Kean|date=14 April 2005|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
Piatkus published a wide range of titles, from cookbooks by Mary Berry to fiction by Nora Roberts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/20/nora-roberts-interview-romance-fiction|title=Nora Roberts: The woman who rewrote the rules of romantic fiction|first=Carole|last= Cadwalladr|newspaper=The Observer|date=20 November 2011}}</ref> Piatkus Books became known in the area of personal growth and lifestyle when it published mindfulness titles by Jon Kabat-Zinn, alongside business books such as David Allen's ''Getting Things Done''. Piatkus explored a wide range of subjects such as feng shui, spirituality, alternative health, the mind-body connection, detoxing, and other topics that were relatively unknown in the UK at that time. Many leaders in their fields of expertise such as Seth Godin and Dr Irvin Yalom were on the Piatkus list.<ref name="Alternative thinkers">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/alternative-thinkers-3rdr0bmwgbr|title=Alternative thinkers|newspaper=The Times|date=6 September 2003}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> As a publisher, Judy Piatkus was regarded as a risk-taker within the publishing industry, being described as "never afraid to take a chance on an unknown whose work she believed in."<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/entertainment/7881876.stm|title=Gregson wins romance book prize|publisher=BBC News|date=10 February 2009}}</ref>
In 2007, Piatkus completed a successful exit sale to Little, Brown, who have continued to publish books under the Piatkus imprint.<ref name=":0" />
In April 2021, Piatkus published her first book, ''Ahead of Her Time'', a memoir and story of female entrepreneurship, values-led management, and the rise of personal development publishing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ahead of Her Time |url=https://bnccatalist.ca/ViewTitle.aspx?id=27884906 |publisher=Catalist}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Judy Piatkus |url=http://www.grahammawchristie.com/judy-piatkus.html |publisher=Graham Maw Christie Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=16 November 2020 |title=Leadership Stories: Judy Piatkus – a self-made entrepreneur and founder of Conscious Café |url=https://www.iwforumuk.org/news/2020/11/16/leadership-stories-judy-piatkus-a-self-made-entrepreneur-and-founder-of-conscious-caf%C3%A9 |publisher=International Women's Forum}}</ref>
=== Recognition === In December 2005, Piatkus was awarded the Women in Publishing Pandora Award.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bone |first=Alison |date=20 December 2005 |title=Judy Piatkus takes Pandora Award | The Bookseller |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/judy-piatkus-takes-pandora-award |website=www.thebookseller.com}}</ref> In February 2009, she received a lifetime achievement award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakerscorner.co.uk/blog/judy-piatkus-wins-lifetime-achievement-award|title=Entrepreneur Judy Piatkus wins Lifetime Achievement Award | Speakers Corner|first=Speakers|last=Corner|website=www.speakerscorner.co.uk|date=3 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="BBC" />
''Ahead of Her Time'' was the winner of a 2022 UK Business Book Award in the Business Journey category. It was also selected by Soul and Spirit Magazine as the Most Empowering Book of 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soul Awards 2021 |url=https://www.soulandspiritmagazine.com/awards/winners/}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatkus, Judy}} Category:British publishers (people) Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people