Chic. You know. Humor and a little boldness, in Baroque Books & Arts style. Books that give honest joys and release the mind

For 13 years, Baroque Books & Arts offers readers a different book and a new reading experience. Here is the story of the publisher who believes in white, chic & Șui

A publisher that appeared out of despair and the desire to be otherwise

White and flirty, Baroque Books & Arts books notice how you walk in a bookstore. On online, their covers are quickly conquering through fast and elegance. The titles incit your curiosity, and a click on them take you to a seductive, fascinating and provocative universe.

Baroque Books & Arts brings a lot of fantasy, but that was not at his foundation. The story of the publishing house has on the background a great despair coming from the desire of some professionals to do something different, but also in the book industry. In 2012, Dana Moroiu, Cornel Alexandrescu and Andreea Radu, all three with over 20 years of experience in the field gave life to their dream. The success was shown just four months after the publishing house is launched.

As it is in Baroque Books & Arts, we discussed with Dana Moroiu, the editorial director

Antoaneta Banu: Why baroque?

Berth Moroiu:
Etymologically, in Portuguese it means irregular pearl and if we go even more, in essence, it also means migal. Baroque gave us the whole story, guidance, how to do something different and be different. The alley of our team can be seen primarily from the diversity of the editorial plan that covers a generous palette through the collections we have: from Savoir-Vivre, Noblesse, Cadril, in Veritas, to Zoon Politikon. Secondly from the quality of the materials we use for these books.

Antoaneta Banu: Savoir-Vivre sounds very… .baco. Have you thought of the collection as a different approach to the concept used today, the one of personal development?

Berth Moroiu:The books in this collection are about how it is more beautiful to be and be. Savoir-Vivre is over what is usually, the reader finds about personal development. This collection does not offer folk psychology books, because it comes with a special approach and formula, with very serious ingredients, but sprinkled with humor and even a little boldness.

For example, “art refinement”, “art of simplicity”, “the art of eating a little less” does not teach you good manners, does not explain them in a common, classic way. What these books do is talk about good manners, so that you like and apply them.

Savoir-Vivre is a collection about the refinement of personality through works capable of correcting the small imperfections we have. The books answer with grace, humor and intelligence, on the one hand to the great questions, and on the other hand they offer readers honest joys in a world of postponed hopes.

Antoaneta Banu: Collection Does the human being approach in all its aspects, because Savoir-Vivre is a complex universe?

Berth Moroiu: We have Savoir-Vivre Aquarelle. For example, this title: “Art psychology. The art of solving art problems ”, by Amy E. Herman, art historian and lawyer, is a guide who opens her eyes and releases the mind of preconceived ideas and blind spots.

Then we have iconic savoir-vivre, for those who love sumptuousness, elegance, champagne, fine perfumes and dresses. It is the collection dedicated to the reader who likes to practice this exercise of seductive refinement and emotional, lush history, with charm and style. One of the titles of the collection is “perfume. A great history ”by Élisabeth de Feydeau de Saint-Christophe.

Savoir-Vivre Imperial is a collection as an adventure that the reader lives between the East and the West, where history is closely related to the story, myth and legend. For example, “Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium” by Jonathan Harris, or “Purple emperor”, by Judith Herrin, British historian, professor of Byzantine and late antiquity at Princeton University and King’s College. They are just two of the titles in the collection that tell about the history of an empire for a thousand years and the imprint of female power.

In cozy white and with paper that the Royal Houses use, Baroque Books & Arts books conquer the reader through multiple experiences

Antoaneta Banu: From everything you presented to me so far, to understand that the publishing house is addressed to a niche audience?

Berth Moroiu: A niche, which is not very wide, but is faithful. We don’t need 50,000 readers. For us more important is the fidelity of the public. At Baroque Books we do not have an avalanche of books, but we create waiting.

We do not get rich from the sale of books and when the invoices come, many emotions are gathered. But with the emotion of this month and the emotion of the following month, with the joy of orders and pre-orders, we have been on the editorial market in Romania for 13 years, in a context that is not easy and especially very competitive, which is very good.

Our greatest fulfillment is when we meet with readers at Bookfest and the public says that our stand is the most beautiful. The truth is that we strive to be different than the other stands.

Antoaneta Banu: white, very much white at
Baroque Books & Arts. Do you like it or is it a marketing strategy?

Berth Moroiu:
When we launched, we chose the white to predominate our books. We were told that we are crazy, that the white books are quickly dirty. But when you go to a bookstore, Books Books books are seen from all over the sea. Of course, we come with other colors, just break this white rhythm. Our books also make the difference through this white.

Antoaneta Banu: but also the covers and map you use are special. What is it about?

Berth Moroiu:

The materials we work on are some of the most expensive in the world, but also the best. These are textures on bamboo fiber and cotton. We do not put on the cover a simple, ordinary foil. We want that when the reader reaches the cover of the Baroque Books & Arts book to feel this spinal fiber.

I can say that we have come to work almost as in the workshops of the great fashion designers, with the paper monsters and the color palette. The paper we work on is the mass colored, the color being in the paper fiber. Few know that in general, a colored paper is obtained in typography, through CMIK, by printing.

The mass colored paper that we use and of good quality differs from a colorful paper by typography, through the edge. If this is in color, then we have a mass colored paper. For example, if the paper is orange and has the white edge, then it is painted in typography. There are details that people do not know, but which make the difference.

Imagination, courage and exercise, Baroque Books & Arts created the niche ic & Șui

Antoaneta Banu: How to choose the titles, because they are really great. Collaborate with big publishers?

Berth Moroiu:
Of course, yes, from Penguin Books, Random House, Larousse and many more, we are practically working with the largest publishers everywhere, in America, England, France, Italy.

Antoaneta Banu: Put the emphasis on the illustration that is fabulous. How do you succeed?

Berth Moroiu:
I chose to We are working with the best illustrators in Romania and starting with October 2024, we have started the collaboration with international illustrators who work for the famous fashion houses Hermes, Lancôme, Dior.

Antoaneta Banu: Baroque Books & Arts books It offers a multiple experience …

Berth Moroiu:
Yes. And that’s what we wanted for our books. For example, this book ”Why Beethoven. A phenomenon in 100 pieces ”, is not a biography as we are accustomed. It is Beethoven’s life through 100 symphonies, a book that is read with You Tube next to you, because at the same time listen to the symphony that the author is talking about. He tells you about the composer when he created a symphony. And so, piece with the play, it takes you to his life, in a whole but in other words.

Another example, “the power of art. The history of the world in 15 cities ”. The history of art in a new approach: 15 eternal cities, their moments of artistic brilliance and the story of the geniuses that created them, surprised in their social, cultural, political and economic contexts, having in the center-people, admirers and art consumers. . Yes, our books are multiple experiences.

Antoaneta Banu: Your books offer a reading like a trip, a visual experience. Is that how you wanted to make a difference?

Berth Moroiu:
The experience is also at the sensory level, because beyond the title, the first contact that the reader has with the book begins when it reaches the cover. As I told you earlier, we use bamboo, cotton textures. We print on the Chamois paper, or conqueror, which the banks and royal houses use. There are exercises of imagination that we do permanently.

Antoaneta Banu: Did you propose to offer a luxury book? Do you consider yourself a luxury publishing house?

Berth Moroiu:
Unfortunately luxury at the moment means something else. Luxury turned into a cliché. We are an honest and flirty publishing house. Many years ago, when we launched, someone told us very well: “You are the Publishing House & Șui”. We created this niche: chic & Șui.

Antoaneta Banu: When did you know that the product you offer has its audience and that you can continue?

Berth Moroiu:
We appeared
quickly with the first books. There were four titles in September and at the beginning of October 2012, I rented the smallest stand in Gaudeamus. I thought it like a living room, with an English, terribly expensive and beautiful wallpaper, over

I made a partnership with the company that brought that wallpaper and also with their team I decorated the stands of the stand. They also put the curtains, the porcelain windows and so I got a different stand from the others. The surprise for everyone was that, practically, we out of four books, as we had then, we paid the stand

Antoaneta Banu: Market studies show that we are the codas of Europe at reading. Does Romania have a book audience to the extent of the offer?

Berth Moroiu:
We can create it. Let’s grow this audience. And we can still tempt him towards the book. The idea is not to complain. To always find something new, to learn, to invent, to offer. Books spell us. They really have this power.