A specialist publishing firm has almost doubled its profits thanks to the success of a range of niche books.

Osprey Publishing based in Botley recorded a 98 per cent rise in its pre-tax profit from £165,000 in 2008 to £326,000 last year on the back of titles such as Tonight We Die as Men, a story of a small unit operating in World War Two and The Black-Out Book, originally published in the midst of the Blitz.

The company’s Shire Books arm helped with the firm’s performance which saw turnover rise by one per cent to £6.6m.

Managing director Rebecca Smart said: “In a very challenging environment for consumer books, Osprey achieved impressive profitability.

“Our performance was the result of a company-wide focus on effective cost control, alongside the enthusiastic pursuit of every opportunity. This meant we had a very successful year, in particular with Shire, which is going from strength to strength.”

Earlier this month Osprey acquired science fiction imprint Angry Robot Books from publishing conglomerate HarperCollins. It will run from its Nottingham office with its existing team.