In the first of these three videos, you’ll get an insight into the industrial-scale cutting-edge printing machinery available to Maltese authors and publishers. Watch giant pieces of paper turn between inked rollers and enticingly-colourful covers shoot off the printing press at a rate of knots.

It’s a far cry from the slow, careful and loving process of hand-binding a small number of books with a needle and thread as practised by Glen Calleja from Kotba Calleja. Glen demonstrates his craft, reminding us how book making has changed since printing first came to Malta in 1642.

The series also shines a light on some of the challenges faced by publishers today in a small nation, courtesy of Chris Gruppetta, Head of Publishing at Merlin Publishers.

In the second episode, Chris and Glen are joined by two very different authors. Be inspired by author and poet Immanuel Mifsud who only began reading books as a young adult and now teaches at the University of Malta, and meet award-winning Loranne Vella whose early forays into writing consisted of diary entries and letters to pen friends.

For her, it was a natural progression to write for a wider audience – as with pen friends, you never really know who the ultimate recipient of your writing will be.

The writers recount their own journeys, and the value of supporting and cultivating Maltese authors, whose works deserve to be amplified and given a space alongside their international counterparts..

Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of being a writer on a small island, and how the bestsellers you buy here help maintain the vibrancy of the Maltese publishing industry.

Joining these characters for the third video in this fabulous mini-series, meet Merlin book designer Pierre Portelli and illustrator Naomi Gatt who delve deep into adventurous graphic design and the illustration process.

The pictures and the design are key to a book’s appeal when it hits the shelves – the format, the font and an eye-catching cover give you a sneak preview of what to expect once you crack it open. Get it right and no one will pass by the book without picking it up to check it out! 

Consider too how, in large part thanks to the internet and social media, a more international outlook allows the new batch of book illustrators to adopt a more contemporary approach to their work. Often inspired by our cultural heritage and the Maltese landscape, these pictures bring the author’s amazing vision right to your door, for the perfect read today.

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