Since its purchase by Workman Publishing in 2001, Storey Books in North Adams, Mass., has continued to grow its publishing program beyond the illustrated how-to books on country living for which it is best known. Last fall Storey inaugurated a children's imprint, Storey Kids; this spring, it will release the first two books in its new Quiet Sports series.

"We were looking for a journalistic tone," explained editorial director Deborah Balmuth about the idea behind the new books. "They're really meant to be a good read, a first-person narrative with a lot of information. It's a new venture for us that way." The first two books, $9.95 trade paperbacks—The Kayak Companion and The Hiking Companion—will be out in April and are by established nature writers.

Quiet Sports will roll out slowly. Of the 35 to 40 books a year that Storey publishes, Balmuth anticipates doing only two or three in the series this year and next. Upcoming titles will cover cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.