Kraken Opus
StatusActive
Founded2005
FounderKarl Fowler
Country of originGuernsey
Headquarters locationUnited Arab Emirates
DistributionOpus Media Group PLC
Key peopleKarl Fowler, Paul Murphy
Publication typesBooks
Nonfiction topicsSports teams; celebrities; arts; culture
Fiction genresDefinitive publications
Official websitehttps://www.thisisopus.com

Kraken Opus is a publishing company operating from Guernsey in the Channel Islands; London, United Kingdom; and the United Arab Emirates. The company produces premium, outsized editions on subjects including sports teams[1] and celebrities,[2] and on broader topics including the Muslim hajj.[3] The company describes its publications, which are produced in limited editions retailing for up to £1m, as "works of art".[2]

Company history

The company is owned by Karl Fowler, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker.[4] He founded Kraken Opus following a period managing his own financial services company, for which he built up a client list including a number of sports stars. The interests of these clients inspired him to consider a high-end publication for sports fans;[5] he invested $5 million of his own money and of capital put up by friends and acquaintances to found Kraken Opus.[2] Its first title was the Manchester United Opus, published in 2006: the book weighed 97 pounds (44 kg) and each edition in its 10,000 run was priced between £3000 and £4500.[2][5]

In December 2008 the company opened a proprietary shop in Covent Garden.[6] The company entered voluntary administration in June 2009 when a US backer announced that a tranche of $6m in promised funding would not be forthcoming.[7] Days later, following an offer to existing shareholders, Fowler and partner Paul Murphy undertook a management buyout of the company,[8] announcing that a new Arab funder had been found and that the company's headquarters would be moved from London to the United Arab Emirates.[7] At the time the company faced criticism over the delayed publication of the £3000-per-copy Celtic Opus, which was postponed from July 2009, after pre-orders and deposits had been received.[9] The print run was also reduced, but the firm insisted that publication would still go ahead.[10]

Publications

Several of the company's publications have attracted press notice, including the Burj Dubai Opus, a 15-foot (4.6 m) tall edition of which was commissioned to stand in the lobby of the building on its opening.[11] A copy of the Manchester United Opus, auctioned for $1.5m to a Middle Eastern consortium with proceeds given to the Dubai Cares charity, was the most expensive sports book ever sold.[2][3] Wine Opus had a print run of only one hundred copies, each priced at AU£1.2m each.[12] The Prince Opus was sold, in tandem with a branded iPhone model, for US$2,100,[13] while as of June 2009 one hundred copies of the Diego Maradona Opus were due to ship with samples of Maradona's blood and hair.[7] Kraken Opus, in partnership with ticket vendor Ticketmaster, also produced the £109 Michael Jackson Opus, the only book licensed by the Jackson estate in the immediate aftermath of his death.[14] Vivienne Westwood Opus, published in 2008, was a limited edition of 900 priced at £1,400.[15] Sachin Tendulkar Opus was the most expensive cricket book published.[16] In December 2017 the company offered a special 'diamante' edition of their The Official Ferrari Opus, also published in 2011 in various editions for between $4,100 and $37,500, for auction through Sotheby's at an estimate of $150,000.[17]

Bibliography

  • Sachin Tendulkar
  • Ferrari
  • Vivienne Westwood
  • Bradley Wiggins
  • Formula 1
  • Arsenal
  • Prince
  • Michael Jackson
  • Burj Khalifa

References

  1. ↑ "Bokke join iconic book stable". Independent Online (South Africa. 5 August 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Waller, Martin (5 February 2009). "'This isn't all about money,' says publisher whose books command £1m price tags". The Times. London. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 Ghazal, Rym (8 January 2009). "Haj celebrated on film and in print". The National (UAE).
  4. ↑ Watson, Jeremy (23 November 2008). "Weighing in at 81lbs, Celtic tome is a heavy read". Scotsman.
  5. 1 2 Goodman, Leah Macgrath (17 September 2007). "Showing Some Spine". Portfolio.
  6. ↑ Pagano, Margareta (21 December 2008). "What recession? New bookshop tells a different story". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 "New chapter for cash-strapped Kraken Opus". The Australian. 19 June 2009.
  8. ↑ Fresco, Adam (18 June 2009). "The £1 million book is saved as management buys out Kraken Opus". The Times. London.
  9. ↑ "Rescued publisher promises £3000 Celtic book will go ahead". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Williams, Martin (18 June 2009). "Rescued publisher promises 3000 pounds Celtic book will go ahead". The Herald (Scotland).
  11. ↑ Lieberman, Michael (20 October 2008). "Only in Dubai : The Burj Dubai Opus". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  12. ↑ Faulkner, Jane (3 August 2009). "Cellar Door". The Age.
  13. ↑ Chen, Brian X (13 April 2009). "Limited-Edition Prince iPod Is Purple Lame". Wired (blog).
  14. ↑ Masson, Gordon (14 August 2009). "Ticketmaster enters the book business with Jackson opus". Music Week.
  15. ↑ Frankel, Susannah (11 February 2008). "Westwood bound: Dame Vivienne's 'family album'". The Independent.
  16. ↑ "First Sachin Tendulkar Opus is the most expensive book on cricket at $350,000". Business Insider. 5 December 2011.
  17. ↑ Garlitos, Kirby (30 November 2017). "You Can Buy This Ferrari Book for the Price of a New Sports Car". Top Speed.
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