Martin Hill with Shikar, Java, Indy, Nico, Chimani and Sappire.

For over 18 years, Martin Hill has worked with big cats including lions, tigers and cheetahs. In 2013 he decided to share stories about the animals he loves in a series of children’s books. To do this, he founded Indy Publishing. When Get Started lent Martin its support, the new company received a tremendous boost to get its books into the marketplace.

Indy Publishing, based in Kent, was founded to publish picture books for 2-8 year olds, telling the real life stories of big cats and their exciting adventures. The business currently has three books ready for publication, with the first in the series going to print this month as a result of funding from Get Started.

Martin's business idea came from his work taking big cats to many different events and activities for many years, including when a female tiger called Indy that Martin hand reared, joined the cast of Jonathan Creek, and visiting children in Great Ormond Street Hospital with a Tiger called Amber. After spending the day with the cats he would always sit with them for 40 or 50 minutes and take notes about the day.

Indy is not only the company's namesake, but the subject of the first book which has already received high profile endorsement from wildlife presenter Chris Packham and Jonathan Creek actor, Stuart Milligan, who also contributed the foreword.

Now through Indy Publishing, Martin is able to share the real life stories about these magnificent animals with children around the world, he says:

"From a success point of view seeing my books published would obviously make me very happy. I never dreamt of setting up a publishing company, but after exploring a number of different routes to get the books published, I realised that it's very tough unless you are a celebrity, so I decided that setting up my own publishing company was the best way to make it happen"

The books are true stories told in a fictitious way and are full of colourful pictures with easy to follow text. They also include educational sections to help children learn whilst they read, he says:

"I have worked with so many big cats, including Tigers, Lions, Jaguars and Cheetahs, and children can learn so much about them and the importance of conservation activities to enable them to thrive.

There's lots of lovely things they might not know too, like how they make a chuffle noise when they're chatting, and how they like a drop of milk".

One of the places Martin has looked after big cats is Paradise Wildlife Park which is now backing the idea by providing a 'Story Time Read' during the school holidays and promoting it to their network of zoos across the country.

With a background in IT and education, Martin aims to apply this knowledge to his new venture, however he also felt he needed funding to get his business off the ground, he says:

"I found out about Get Started online, so I filled in the application form and hoped for the best. It was a really straightforward process and now that I've received the funding it has enabled me to send the first book to print, which has provided much needed stock for wholesalers. It will also support the marketing activity which is one of the biggest challenges for the company".

Get Started has also introduced Martin to his dedicated mentor, Paul Harper, who has now been working with him for 4 weeks. He's found it been really useful so far:

"He's already helped me think about ways to raise the profile of the business, such as mentioning the link to the TV series in PR activities. It's just very useful to get some fresh eyes on the business".

We asked Martin what his aspirations were for the book and the business, he said:

"In the short term I would of course love to see the first book in bookshops. Longer term, I would love the book to be successful, so that these stories can be shared with children across this country and even across the world.  

One day, who knows, they might even make a small a film out about the adventures as there's so many wonderful stories to tell".

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To find out more about about funding for your start up business or business support opportunities with start ups contact the Get Started team.

To find out more about the amazing story behind Indy Publishing and preorder your copy of 'Indy - Film Star' visit Indy Publishing.