Hilton Publishing, a small press that found its niche producing health-related books for African Americans, is now going after another market—Spanish-speaking Americans.

Hilton published its first book in Spanish, Fuego y hielo entre las latinas (Fire and Ice Among Latinas) by Drs. Rodrigo Muñoz and Marilyn Martin in February. The book, which deals with overcoming depression, will be followed later this year by Spanish titles covering such topics as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.

The company, established in 1999 and based in Roscoe, IL, publishes about seven books a year. Until now, Hilton has catered exclusively to African American readers. But the fast growth of the U.S. Hispanic population—more than 13% of Americans identify themselves as Hispanic and by 2050, that number is expected to climb to 25%—has created an irresistible opportunity for Hilton. "What makes these readers especially interesting is that drug companies have begun to vigorously court them," says Tom Woll, senior v-p of Hilton. That's key, because Hilton prefers to work out deals to cosponsor books with pharmaceutical companies, which distribute them to physicians and organizations. "The trade market today is so tough and the numbers aren't anywhere close to what they once were. So if we partner with a pharmaceutical company, it can take a significant number," Woll says. He estimated only 10% of the company's sales come through trade channels. The rest are through pharmaceutical companies, other retail outlets, and government and private organizations.

Fuego y hielo, with a print run of 30,000 copies, was cosponsored by Eli Lilly, maker of the depression-treatment drug Prozac. Fuego y hielo grew out of a book Hilton published in 2002 called Saving Our Last Nerve: The Black Woman's Path to Mental Health, which Martin wrote. Muñoz was brought in to work on Fuego y hielo because of his extensive experience working with Hispanics. "It's not just a direct one-off of the African American book, because there are significant cultural differences between Hispanics and African Americans," says Woll.

As with its books for black readers, Hilton is attempting to close the gap in the level of awareness and quality of care between Hispanics and the rest of the population. "There are major health disparities [for Hispanics]," says Woll. "So from an editorial standpoint and a health standpoint, that's what's made it attractive."