Kraken Opus
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 and celebrities, and on broader topics including the Muslim hajj. The company describes its publications, which are produced in limited editions retailing for up to £1m, as "works of art".
Company history
The company is owned by Karl Fowler, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker. 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; he invested $5 million of his own money and of capital put up by friends and acquaintances to found Kraken Opus. Its first title was the Manchester United Opus, published in 2006: the book weighed 97 lb and each edition in its 10,000 run was priced between £3000 and £4500.