The combined wisdom of the writers of the articles in this Yearbook provide some of the most up-to-date and best practical advice you will need to negotiate your way through the two main routes to publication. Whether you opt for the traditional route via an agent or the self-publishing model, there are key things it would be useful to consider before you begin.
There is increasing competition to get published. Hundreds of manuscripts appear in the inboxes of publishers and literary agents every week. Potential authors have to be really dedicated (and perhaps very lucky) to get their work published. That is one of the reasons so many writers are turning to self-publishing. So how can you give yourself the best chance of success whichever route you take?
1. Know your market
• Be confident that there is a readership for your book. Explore the intended market so you are sure that your publishing idea is both commercially viable and desirable to the reading public, agent or publisher.
• Know your competition and review the latest publishing trends: look in bookshops, at ebook stores, at online book sites, take an interest in publishing stories in the media and, above all, read. See News, views and trends: review of the year 2016–17 on here.
2. Agent, publisher or do-it-yourself?
• First decide if you want to try and get signed by a literary agent and be published by an established publisher. Self-publishing in both print and electronically has never been easier, quicker or cheaper and can be a viable alternative to the traditional approach.
• If you opt for the agent/publisher model, decide whether you prefer to approach an agent or to submit your material direct to a publisher. Many publishers, particularly of fiction, will only consider material submitted through a literary agent. For some of the pros and cons of each approach, see How literary agencies work on here, How to get an agent on here and Understanding publishing agreements on here. Whether you choose to contact an agent or a publisher, your work will be subjected to rigorous commercial assessment – see Getting hooked out of the slush pile on here and Letter to an unsolicited author on here.
• For information about self-publishing consult Self-publishing for beginners on here, What do self-publishing providers offer? on here, Self-publishing online: the emerging template for sales success on here and The Alliance of Independent Authors on here.
3. Choose the right publisher, agent or self-publishing provider
• Study the entries in this Yearbook, examine publishers’ lists and their websites, and look in the relevant sections in libraries and bookshops for the names of publishers which might be interested in your material.
• Take a look at the Contents list and the indexes in this Yearbook for lists of publishers, agents and other providers across all genres and forms of writing, everything from film scripts, to poetry and biography.
• Consult the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2018 (Bloomsbury 2017) for in-depth coverage of writing and publishing for the children’s and young adult markets.
• Authors should not pay publishers for the publication of their work. There are many companies that can help you self-publish your book, for a fee; see What do self-publishing providers offer? on here. Make sure you know what it is the company will actually do and agree any fees in advance.
• Crowdfunding is becoming a viable option for some (see here and page here).
4. Prepare your material well
• Presentation is important. If your material is submitted in the most appropriate electronic format an agent or publisher will be more inclined to give attention to it.
• Numerous manuscripts are rejected because of poor writing style or structure. A critique by an experienced editorial professional can help to iron out these weaknesses.
• It is understandable that writers, in their eagerness to get their work published as soon as possible, will send their manuscript out in a raw state. Do not send your manuscript to a literary agent or publisher and do not self-publish your script until it is ready to be seen. Wait until you are confident that your work is as good as it can be. Have as your mantra: edit, review, revise and then edit again. See Letter to an unsolicited author on here and Editing your work on here.
5. Approach a publisher or literary agent in the way they prefer
• Submit your work to the right person within the publishing company or literary agency. Look at the listings in this Yearbook for more details. Most agents will expect to see a synopsis (see Writing a synopsis on here) and up to three sample chapters or the complete manuscript. Most publishers’ and literary agents’ websites give guidance on how to submit material, and should make clear if they accept unsolicited scripts by email or only by post. Many agents have a ‘submissions’ email link or button on their site.
• Always keep a backed-up copy of your manuscript. Whilst reasonable care will be taken of material in the possession of a publisher or agent, responsibility cannot be accepted if material is lost or damaged.
6. Write a convincing cover letter or email
• Compose your preliminary letter or email with care. It will be your first contact with an agent or publisher and needs to make them take notice of your book for the right reasons.
• When submitting a manuscript to a publisher, it is a good idea to let them know that you know (and admire!) what they already publish. You can then make your case about where your submission will fit in their list. Show them that you mean business and have researched the marketplace.
• What is the USP (unique selling point) of the material you are submitting? You may have an original authorial ‘voice’, or you may have come up with an amazingly brilliant idea for a series. If, after checking out the marketplace, you think you have something truly original to offer, then believe in yourself and be convincing when you offer it around.
7. Network
• Writing can be a lonely business – don’t work in a vacuum. Talk to others who write in the same genre or share a similar readership. You can meet them at literature festivals, conferences and book or writers’ groups. Consider doing a course – see Writers’ retreats and creative writing courses on here.
• Go to a festival and be inspired. There are numerous literature festivals held throughout the year at which authors appear (see Festivals and conferences for writers, artists and readers on here and Festivals for writers on here).
• Join one of the numerous online communities, book review and manuscript share sites; see Book sites, blogs and podcasts on here.
Publishers’ contracts
Following a publishing company’s firm interest in a MS, a publisher’s contract is drawn up between the author and the publisher (see Understanding publishing agreements on here). If the author is not entirely happy with the contract presented to them or wishes to take advice, he/she could ask their literary agent, the Society of Authors (see here) or the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (see here) to check the contract on their behalf – providing the author has an agent and/or is a member of those organisations. Or you can seek advice from a solicitor, but consulting one, make sure that they are familiar with publishing agreements and can give informed advice. Many local firms have little or no experience of such work and their opinion can often be of limited value meaning that the cost may outweigh any possible gains.
8. Don’t give up!
• For an agent and publisher, there are many factors that have to be taken into consideration when evaluating the hundreds of submissions they receive each week, the most important of which is: ‘Will it sell?’. See What do publishers do? on here.
• Be prepared to wait for a decision on your work. Editors and agents are very busy people so be patient when waiting for a response. Don’t pester them too soon.
• Publishing is big business and it is more competitive than ever. Even after an editor has read your work, there are many other people involved before a manuscript is acquired for publication. People from the sales, marketing, publicity, rights and other departments all have to be convinced that the book is right for their list and will sell.
• The harsh reality of submitting a manuscript to a publisher or literary agent is that you have to be prepared for rejection. But many successful authors have received such rejections at some time so you are in good company.
• For advice from established writers on how they first got into print see the articles under ‘Inspirational writers’ that start on here.
• Have patience and persevere. If the conventional route doesn’t produce the results you were hoping for, consider the self-publishing route as a viable alternative.
Good luck!
When publishers and literary agents ask for a synopsis to be submitted, writers often misunderstand what is required. Rebecca Swift provides clarification.
The dictionary definition of ‘synopsis’ (derived from the Ancient Greek meaning) is ‘a brief description of the contents of something’. The purpose of a synopsis is to inform a literary agent or publisher of the type of book you are writing/have written in a concise, appealing fashion, conveying that you are in command of your subject matter. If you want your manuscript to be given serious consideration, a good synopsis is a crucial part of your submission.
This Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook will inform you that most publishing houses no longer accept direct submissions but those that do (usually the smaller houses) will most often ask for a cover letter, synopsis and sample chapters rather than a whole work in the first instance. The same applies to literary agents. To put it simply, the sample chapters are to show how you write, and the synopsis is to tell the reader what happens when they have finished reading them. This will help inform the publisher/literary agent whether they think it is worth their while to read more. If it is, then they will ask for your complete script.
So, the bottom line is this – if you want to have your manuscript read in its entirety you must invest time in getting your cover letter and book synopsis right. I know from my experiences at The Literary Consultancy (TLC) that many writers can get disconcerted and nervous by having to produce a synopsis and there are usually two reasons why.
First, a writer might have an unwieldy story that they themselves are not 100% convinced by, or a non-fiction project that they do not really know enough about. If this is so, summarising can be difficult because the thinking through and planning of the project has not been thorough in the first place.
In this instance, I would urge the writer to question why this process is so difficult. If it is because the story is insufficiently clear, persuasive or gripping, then more work needs to be done to get the manuscript into the kind of shape that would persuade an agent or editor to consider it further.
Second, a writer might genuinely be able to write a good book but not be experienced in the art of summarising a work in an effective manner. A few might even consider the act of doing so demeaning. If this is the case, I would urge you to think not of yourself, but of the reader, and treat the project as a literary exercise which you should try to enjoy: a challenge and opportunity to show your work off in its essential form. It might help to refer to book blurbs, or plot summaries in reference books such as The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7th edn 2009), or online, for example on Wikipedia.
In addition to letting a professional reader know what happens in your manuscript, the synopsis will also let them know at a glance if you have thought about how your work fits into the market. This is critical in non-fiction, less so with fiction, although with fiction awareness of what genre you have written in is vital. Also, if what you are writing coincides with any major anniversaries, for example, or might have a marketing ‘hook’ of any other kind, this is important to mention if not within the synopsis itself, then within a cover letter (see below).
A fiction synopsis should comprise a brief summary followed by a more detailed synopsis. But before writing either of these, you must clarify which genre your work fits into.
The most important thing to realise about fiction in respect of how you present it to representatives of the publishing industry is that it breaks down into different types, or genres. For those who think that the obsession with genres is a modern phenomenon, the lines from Polonius’ famous speech in Hamlet might serve to prove the opposite. He describes the actors who have come to court as ‘The best actors in the world … for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited’. Some of these dramatic forms are familiar and others not. There are always more genres being invented or cross-fertilised. It can be difficult to keep up!
The most popular genres today are, broadly speaking: crime, thriller, psychological thriller, detective, sci-fi, horror, comic, chick lit, lad’s lit, historical, saga, literary, graphic, experimental, erotic, fantasy, romantic, women’s commercial fiction and literary-commercial crossover – or, as it’s becoming more widely coined, ‘lit lite’.
Classifying your novel within a genre can be a challenge. This is largely because when most people start to write a novel they do so without having studied the genre they are writing for. Although when you start to write you may feel free to explore, practise and experiment without thinking in terms of the defining limits of a genre, by the time you come to submitting your work to be published it is very important to know which genre your work fits into. In all art forms there are rule breakers, but almost inevitably – as in the cases of Picasso, Virginia Woolf and, more recently, the US writer Michael Cunningham – even the greatest ‘artists’ have studied the traditional forms/genres before taking any risks.
A good starting point is to read books you consider similar to the one you are writing that are already published, and note how they are classified on the back cover. By reading, and sometimes studying literature and writing through other routes, you will also learn the possibilities and limits offered by your chosen genre. The bad news is, if you don’t clarify what kind of book you have written, the chances are it will reflect in the text. If you don’t clearly inform the agent or editor what your book is about and which category it falls into, it may all too quickly be labelled as a work which ‘falls between two stools’, is impossible to market and so doesn’t get considered any further.
Writing a brief summary
Having made it your top priority to identify what type of novel you have written, you can make a start on your all-important synopsis. All good synopses should begin with a brief summary of 30–75 words, the sort of thing which appears on a book’s back cover. For example, had you written Pride and Prejudice today:
Pride and Prejudice is a contemporary, literary romance about a woman who falls in love with a man she thinks she hates.
Or,
Pride and Prejudice, a contemporary, literary novel, tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a proud, intelligent woman, one of five sisters, whose mother is committed to marrying her children off as a matter of urgency. Elizabeth meets Darcy, owner of a grand estate, but considers him overly proud, arrogant and undesirable. In time, she learns that he is not all that he appears to be, and revises her prejudice, before they fall deeply in love.
Both these examples, one short, one longer, serve to whet the appetite for more detail to follow.
An example of an ostensibly weak synopsis, which rambles and fails to emphasise the most important points quickly enough, might be:
Set at some point in the 19th century, five sisters are looking for husbands. Or is Mary, really? Anyway, their mother is a real fusspot and annoys everybody. Outside their house there are lots of fields and it is sometimes raining. The girls’ father is gentle and kind, with grey hair but not good at standing up to his wife always. Mr Bingley is an important character who is very handsome, but is he as handsome as Mr Darcy? It is hard to tell!
Hopefully you can see the clear differences between the two.
Writing a detailed synopsis
Following the brief summary should be a more detailed synopsis of 350–450 words. Literary agents do not want a detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdown (if they do, they’ll ask for one) as reading them can be tiresome and difficult to follow. The main aim of the longer synopsis is to give a detailed overview which clearly and concisely conveys how the story flows and unfolds, and (very importantly) what is interesting about it. The longer synopsis should also reconfirm when the story is set (i.e. is it contemporary or historical?); the setting or background (e.g. is it Thatcher’s government in its last throes or are we in a quiet Devonshire village where nothing ever happens, but there is a sense of impending doom?); inform the reader about the central character (i.e. what is interesting about them and what happens on their journey), as well as giving brief reference to other characters that are directly pivotal to the plot. The longer synopsis should also highlight the dramatic turning points and tell the reader of any other salient information which will help convey what kind of work it is, how well imagined the characters are and how well thought through and alluring the plot is.
Cover letter
Alongside the synopsis should also be an excellent, economically written and confident sounding cover letter or email. This should simply address a well-researched literary agent by name (never put a generic ‘Dear Sir/Madam’).
In this you should say that you are enclosing a novel called ‘X’, which is a thriller/literary/coming-of-age/horror novel (identify genre). It does not matter if this is repeated on the synopsis page. You may also wish to refer to writers you feel you are similar to, although do be careful not to have misplaced arrogance in this. You might say, ‘I write in the genre of John Grisham because he is a writer I read and hugely admire’ or you might say, ‘This is a novel in which To Kill a Mockingbird meets Crash’ or ‘Harper Lee meets J.G. Ballard’ – but do be sure that you have the talent to match claims like these. Otherwise, let the agent decide and they will help market you to the publisher, and the publisher will then help market you to the public. If you admire an agent for a particular reason, for example because they publish a hero or heroine of yours, let them know.
Biographical note
If you have something interesting to say about yourself, such as that you have won a writing competition or have been published before in relevant publications, do include this briefly in the cover letter. It is for you to judge what is of particular interest about you, and how much to say, but you should also provide a fuller biographical note which sits well at the bottom of the synopsis page. As a guide, this should be 50–200 words. If you have been published, provide a summarised list of publications here. If you have not, or are trying to hide a career you think has gone off track and want to appear fresh, keep it brief and mention what you do, your age and anything that makes you sound interesting. If your career is related to your subject matter, then do say this. For example, ‘I worked as a miner for 20 years’ if your book is set in a mining community. Avoid listing technical publications as evidence of writing ability if you are submitting fiction. There is an enormous difference between writing technically and writing fiction, and if you don’t seem to know this it is not impressive. This is different for non-fiction. As a rule, err on the side of brevity if necessary. If the reader loves your work they will be in touch to find out more about you. For help with learning how to self-market, read Marketing Your Book: An Author’s Guide by Alison Baverstock (Bloomsbury 2007, 2nd edn).
It should be noted that if the work is literary, there may be less emphasis on plot and more on the quality of the prose. Due to current climates and publishing trends, this is a difficult time to publish literary fiction without strong plots, although things undoubtedly will change.
Non-fiction synopses
A synopsis for a work of non-fiction performs a different function. The consideration of whether a non-fiction book has a potential market is generally more straightforward than for new fiction. In the case of non-fiction you should certainly have carefully researched your market before submission and ideally list the competitors in the field, outlining why your project is different and why you are the writer best positioned to write the book you have. Further, you should be able to list any marketing opportunities your book may have, such as anniversary tie-ins, identifiable or even guaranteed readers – students, for example – if you teach a course and so on.
A literary agent is often prepared to sell a non-fiction work on synopsis and chapters only. This is an extreme rarity in the case of fiction. This is because it is easier for people to see if there is a gap in the market that can be filled by a non-fiction project, before the work is finished.
You may not need an agent for particular, more niche types of non-fiction book. In these cases publishers may well be prepared to take a direct submission from you. Again, this is because in the area of self-help or business books for example, the publisher of a list will know clearly what its gaps are. The list may have a standard format and you should certainly research this. Contact editors of specialised lists to find out if they have space for your idea, and so that they can let you know exactly how they like work to be presented before forming the project in your mind.
I think it best in general for the non-fiction writer to prepare two different types of proposal. The first would form an initial pitch and the second the follow-up proposal if the editor or literary agent asks to see more. Both documents need to be thoroughly persuasive as these may go directly towards securing a book deal.
Pitching for non-fiction
This should be no more than one or two pages. Include a brief summary (e.g. ‘Flying High is a book about the history of aeronautics’ or ‘My Name was Glory is the biography of Amanda Flemming, maid to Queen Gertrude and unknown holder of the Secret Chalice’) and a description of the book content, with an argument for why it should be published now and why you are qualified to write it. Ideally, you should also include an overview of other work in the field and argue why yours fills an important gap. In addition, you should include a chapter breakdown, giving a provisional title for each chapter with a brief summary (30–75 words, as a guide only) of the contents of each chapter to show how the book is structured throughout. Here also, spell out any ideas you have about how the book might be marketed. As non-fiction markets are more specific than fiction markets, it is useful for the author to let the agent or editor know what hooks there might be to help sell copies. As I have said, if you are lucky enough to have any guaranteed markets, such as students on a course you teach, do inform the industry of this.
If you can, estimate a word count for the work. For some pre-formatted non-fiction titles, there will be a word length you will be expected to hit anyway. You will discover this as you research.
A more in-depth synopsis with sample chapter should include the initial pitch, but with any added material you can muster in terms of promoting your position as author or the book’s market chances. Most importantly, in this second, longer pitch you need to show that you can write the book. Provide more in-depth chapter breakdowns (100–150 words each) and 5,000–10,000 words of polished, irresistibly clear and well-written text to show that you are capable of executing your intentions in a winning manner. Write the introduction and the opening chapter, if possible, to really show you mean business. Those two together would usually add up to 5,000–10,000 words.
Conclusion
Whilst it is worth spending time ensuring you have a good, short, confident cover letter and synopsis, it is important to stress that there is nothing as important to an editor than the quality of your writing and your ability to sustain the interest of a reader in the main body of the text. A synopsis is not a magic wand that will influence the real standard of a work. I have seen perfectly polished synopses followed by poor writing. The net result of this is that one feels excited, only to be let down, which is off-putting in itself. If you have the skill to write a gripping synopsis, use your energies wisely in advance of submitting to make sure that the book itself is as good as it can be. Focus, particularly, on fine-tuning the opening 50 pages. Your synopsis and summary should generally serve as a flag to indicate to the reader at what point the extract begins and a guide to the story beyond it. If the agent or publisher likes what they see well enough to ask for more … well done! Oh and good luck.
Rebecca Swift worked as an editor at Virago before co-founding The Literary Consultancy (www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk) with Hannah Griffiths in 1996. TLC was the first editorial service of its kind in the UK. She edited two books for Chatto & Windus, published poetry in Staple, Vintage New Writing, InterLitQ and Virago New Poets, wrote an opera libretto, Spirit Child, and is the author of the biography of poet Emily Dickinson Poetic Lives: Dickinson (Hesperus Press 2011). She has written for publications including the Independent, Guardian and Granta and she was shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, and in 2016 was selected as one of Whitefox’s Unsung Heroes in Publishing.
See also…
• How to get an agent, here
• Letter to an unsolicited author, here
• What do publishers do?, here
Now that authors can successfully publish their own work, why are publishers still needed? Bill Swainson makes clear how vital the editor’s experience and expertise – and that of designers, publicists and sales teams – are in bringing a book to market. Publishers manage and pay for all parts of the publishing process, with all departments working together to give your book the greatest chance of success.
In the age of digital publishing, when self-published authors can occasionally achieve spectacular success, you might think that publishers would by now have become extinct. After all, types of book and book distribution have ceased to exist, so why not the people and companies who make them?
In 1894, when the private lending libraries like WH Smith and Mudie’s stopped buying the popular three-decker novel (150,000 words of genteel excitement spun out to three volumes – the nice little earner that had sustained the private libraries and publishers for half a century) it was not so much the public’s taste that had changed overnight, but a row over the costs of production and distribution and competing one-volume cheap editions that brought things to a head. Agreement could not be reached, with the result that the triple-decker disappeared almost at once. The publishers adapted, so did the writers and so, even, did the private lending libraries – at least for a while – and into the gap left by the three-decker slipped the slim modern novel by the likes of E.M. Forster, H.G. Wells and Virginia Woolf.
If one of today’s commercially more challenging forms is the literary novel, the descendant of Forster et al., could this be the moment when the triple-decker wreaks its revenge? (One thinks, for example, somewhat mischievously of E.L. James’ originally self-published Fifty Shades of Grey.) Maybe.
One of Britain’s most successful writers, Rachel Abbott, has this to say about the realities of DIY publishing: ‘The self-publishing model can look attractive because, depending on the price of the book, the author can take up to 70% of the proceeds of each sale – which is a bigger return than they would get through a traditional publisher. But it takes a lot of work to make those sales: when I started to follow my marketing plan for Only the Innocent, I was working 14 hours a day, seven days a week. For three months, not a word of a novel was written.’ [Guardian, 30 March 2016] Rachel Abbott has made a hard-earned fortune with her self-published psychological thrillers and the writer in her has clearly decided to accept the periodic downside of long hours and no writing in exchange for ‘the variety and the challenge’ each self-publication presents.
And there’s the point. It takes ‘a lot of work’ and, it should be remembered, a fair bit of money to publish a book successfully. While there will always be some energetic self-publishers – craftsmen like William Blake, William Morris and Walt Whitman – there have also been those who believed so strongly in what they had written that they paid for their own work to be published. Jane Austen (Sense and Sensibility, 1811), Marcel Proust (Swann’s Way, 1913) and rather more recently Sergio de la Pava (A Naked Singularity, 2008, winner of the 2013 Pulitzer for Debut Fiction once it was commercially published) all took this route. In the end the books and their authors were vindicated and sustained even greater success when an enterprising publisher (John Murray for Jane Austen, Gallimard for Proust, Chicago University Press for De la Pava) saw the opportunity that self-publishing had revealed and took on writers previously rejected.
Acquiring a book
So what is it that publishers actually do and how do they do it? In brief, they decide to back a writer’s work and take on the financial risk involved in exchange for an advance against royalties in anticipation of income from print books, ebooks and rights sales that will exceed the initial outlay and yield a profit.
Every publishing company acquires its books from similar sources: from literary agents, publishers in other countries, direct commissions to authors and, very occasionally, from unsolicited submissions taken from what is unceremoniously dubbed the ‘slush pile’, although this is becoming very much rarer.
The in-house selection process goes something like this: the commissioning editor finds a book from among his or her regular weekly reading and makes a case for taking it on at an ‘acquisitions meeting’, which is usually attended by all the other departments directly involved in publishing the book, including editorial, digital, sales, marketing, publicity and rights; lively discussions follow and final decisions are determined by a mixture of commercial good sense (estimated sales figures, likely production costs and the author’s track record) on the one hand, and conviction and taste (and remember the tastes of every company and every editor are different) on the other.
Paying for the rights
Traditionally authors earn royalties, a guarantee of which is paid up front in the form of an advance, and once that advance has earned out (i.e. once the royalties earned have matched the advance paid) all future royalties are paid to the author, usually via his or her agent. Often the returns are modest. Below are typical figures for a contemporary novel:
The starting hardback royalty is traditionally 10% of cover price (7.5% for the paperback), but there is usually a reduced royalty (typically four fifths of the agreed rate) on high discount sales which for most hardbacks start at about 50%, hence 8% in the example above. Export sales would be paid at the home royalty but on price received, so 10% of what’s left after a, say, 70% discount.
These figures may look modest, and they are, but once a book really takes off they can also be substantial, even though such success is all too rare a phenomenon.
Other costs: design, production, distribution
There are also a whole host of other expenses, namely for: cover and text design; typesetting (styling and formatting of text); print, paper and binding; distribution (shipping the book to the bookseller and dealing with the return of unsold books); and marketing, sales and publicity costs. To these must be added the cost of converting the text to digital format for ebook (although soon this conversion stage and the associated editorial checking costs will be obviated by the preparation of all text in XML format) and the posting of the book with the e-distributor; in the UK, for example, that includes Amazon, iPad, Kobo, Tablet.
And finally there are the overheads: the office space; IT maintenance; photocopiers, etc; and staffing costs – everyone from the receptionist and post-room staff to the sales team, publicists, marketeers, purchase ledger and royalty accountants, the MD or CEO, and the person in a publishing house the author will usually have most to do with, the editor.
What do editors do?
Given all these costs, not to mention the booksellers’ and e-tailers’ costs, why not just self-publish digitally and cut out the middleman? Well, Rachel Abbott provides part of the answer: ‘It’s a lot of work’. Even when ebooks are successful (at peak moments in a traditionally published book’s life digital sales can match or exceed print sales), what they cannot yet do, or rather what publishers have not yet found a way to do with any guarantee of success, is regularly generate the publicity that will attract readers. It doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but print and broadcast media, for all that they have a strong online presence (you only have to think of the Guardian, BBC or the Daily Mail’s internet reach), do not yet compete with what’s left of traditional media for bringing a book to the public’s attention, and ebook sales are still mostly driven by those in the 55–75 age range buying titles, usually for their Kindles and iPads.
However, digital publishing does not suit every kind of book and, while some writers might be confident in their ability to produce a word-perfect text, there are many – whether novelists or historians, scientists or chefs – who value the collaborative process that editing involves. Like translators, who must be the closest readers of all, editors must also stand at a distance and coolly assess the text the writer has slaved over and is now perhaps too close to review clearly. Here is William Plomer of Jonathan Cape writing to Ian Fleming after his first reading of the typescript of Moonraker: ‘Have just finished and much enjoyed the new book . . . I have been through it with minute care and a pencil & have applied both to your punctuation and spelling. You don’t have to accept my corrections but they are reasoned ones.’ And here is Ian Fleming responding to Plomer, whom he had come to trust completely, about the latter’s notes on Doctor No: ‘I note the ghastly clichés. How awful it is that so many slip by when one is making little effort to write “well’’. I will attend to them.’ The editorial process almost always improves the quality of a book, focusing on continuity, tone, pacing, argument, plot or characterisation. It is a kind of peer review but, in the editor’s case, a peer whose ultimate aim is to help the writer to achieve the best possible expression of his or her narrative or argument. And, while that work could be dispensed with, readers would be the poorer for it.
Sales, rights, marketing and publicity
Getting the text right is one thing, but taking it to market is quite a different matter. Here publishing is at its most collaborative with marketing, sales and publicity working closely together to interest retailers and potential readers. There used to be clearer divisions between these roles, with marketing providing the sales team with the material to get the books into the shops and publicity working with both to get the books out of the shops and into the readers’ hands. Today, while publishing is no longer exclusively about physical books, or even ebooks sold through e-tailers, but includes internet subscription models like Drama Online (www.dramaonlinelibrary.com) or Encyclopædia Britannica (www.britannica.com), or online magazines like Words without Borders (www.wordswithoutborders.org) and Salon.com, or a mixture, like the enterprising And Other Stories (www.andotherstories.org), and while the means at the disposal of marketing, sales and publicity departments now include Twitter, YouTube, vimeos, specialist blogging, vlogging, etc, the aim remains the same: to persuade customers to buy the publications the publisher is selling. You still have to get attention – and crucially attention that will convert in to sales – for your publications. Generally, this is easier for a professional company to achieve than the individual, however well connected, working alone.
Good luck
How the publisher balances these costs against income in order to create a company that pays its bills and makes the profits that allow reinvestment in new books and production is one of the great conjuring tricks of publishing. Whether you’re publishing graphic novels, erotica, fine art, commercial, historical or literary fiction, history, current affairs, natural history or sports, a publisher is involved in curation. His or her reputation is built on the quality of that curation and the effectiveness with which works and authors are championed in the marketplace. In a lively and energetic publisher there will always be a healthy and creative tension between curation and promotion, a sensitivity both to new talent and to new ways of finding readers for your authors. This creative tension between good commercial sense and taste, often driven by conviction and aided by luck, is at the heart of good publishing.
Bill Swainson has worked for small, medium and large publishers since 1976 and was a senior commissioning editor at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for 15 years, where he edited non-fiction and fiction, including in translation. He is currently a literary consultant and freelance editor, who also publishes a portfolio list under his own name at MacLehose Press, and is editor at large for non-fiction at Oneworld.
See also…
• Editing your work, here
• Understanding publishing agreements, here
Understanding publishing agreements
Publishers usually require authors or their agents to sign a written legal contract when they decide to publish a book. Gillian Haggart Davies demystifies some of the clauses in such agreements.
Publishing agreements are contracts governed by contract law, the defining feature of which is that it treats parties to the contract as being of equal standing. In other areas the law deems that there is a ‘weaker party’ who needs to be protected, for example in employment and discrimination law a person with disabilities or a pregnant employee is deemed ‘weaker’ than the employer organisation. But this is not so with publishing agreements, albeit that we all know the reality of the situation is that the author/writer is the one (usually) who wants a publishing deal and the publisher, in certain circumstances, can take it or leave it so can dictate the terms.
If you have a literary agent, she or he should handle all these issues for you; and if you are a member of the Writers’ Guild (see here), the NUJ (here) or the Society of Authors (see here), they will help review the details of a contract. The main resource for lawyers in this field is Clark’s Publishing Agreements (ed. Lynette Owen; Bloomsbury Professional 2013, 9th edn) which sets out standard form contracts for various kinds of publications. The contract for ‘General book–author–publisher’ has 35 clauses, some of which are ‘legal nuts and bolts’ and need not concern us too much – they are there to ensure the contract operates properly and can be enforced (e.g. ‘Arbitration’, ‘Interpretation’, ‘Entire Agreement’, ‘force majeure’, ‘Notices’). According to Clark’s, ‘The contract should empower both author and publisher with the confidence that each party will do its job to mutual advantage’, and that a simple structure underlies all publishing contracts:
‘The author owns the copyright in their work. In return for various payments, he/she licenses to the publisher, primarily exclusively, the right principally as readable text (printed book and ebook) to create multiple copies of that book and the further right to license others to exploit it in both readable text and other forms. The author writes; the publisher invests; from sales of copies of the book that they create together and the licensing of rights in it, the author earns royalties and other earnings, and the publisher makes its profit. It is as simple – and as complicated – as that.’
You may also want to refer to the Publishers Association Code of Practice on Author Contracts (www.publishers.org.uk) to see what the publishing industry suggested standards are and consult The Media and Business Contracts Handbook by Deborah Fosbrook and Adrian C. Laing (Bloomsbury Professional 2014, 5th edn).
So, there is a basic structure, and some clauses are ‘more fundamental’ than others. We do have judicial precedent suggesting that at the very least a publishing contract, to be accepted by the courts as such, must have terms dealing with royalties (or fees), print run and form of publication (e.g. hardback, paperback, digital). It can be a contract with those three things alone, and even if it is an implied or a verbal agreement, and as such can be enforced (in that case successfully by an author against the publisher).
What follows are some of the other more significant clauses which will be key for writers. Whatever kind of contract you see, remember that in principle you can add, delete and amend any of the clauses in it. In practical terms, it will depend on how much clout you or your agent have as to whether your publisher will be happy to negotiate or not, and on the time available.
Rights
Rights are multiple and sub-divisible. You can license them outright or in part (e.g. sound recording not images, script not film, illustrations not text, English translation not other languages), and do so for a set period of time or forever (i.e. the duration of the copyright). You can choose the territory. You can grant exclusive or non-exclusive rights. Clark’s lists 23 varieties of rights but that is not necessarily exhaustive.
It is key that you license and do not assign your rights, as assignation is almost impossible to reverse. If you must assign copyright, note that you would have a small chance of legal protection because the publisher may owe you ‘fiduciary duties’, i.e. be obliged to look after your best interests; but this would be very difficult and costly to enforce and the best advice would always be to never assign rights.
Most publishers will want ‘all rights’ and ‘world rights’, but you or your agent may want to negotiate to retain certain rights. Consider whether the publisher would consult you before transferring the rights to a third party: they should. Would the publisher act on your behalf if someone else is in breach of your copyright? Would the publisher protect your work to the best possible extent? For example, if the work is posted online, would it be tagged for permissions information to enable anyone who wants to reuse it to find you or the publisher to ask permission? Subsidiary rights include, for example, anthology rights.
Serial rights are generally offered as ‘first’ and ‘second’. First serial rights are often retained by authors and refer to the right to publish elsewhere (e.g. in a magazine feature in advance of a book’s publication). Second serial rights can belong to a different party and are often controlled by the publisher. They concern rights to reprint after publication.
There have been calls for less slicing up of the copyright cake into so many individual rights, with the industry increasingly accepting the need to take a ‘360-degree’ approach to intellectual property. However, this is a work in progress.
All of the above relates to the ‘economic copyright’ rights, but authors have moral rights too; see the PA Code of Practice on Author Contracts and the government’s IPO website (www.ipo.gov.uk).
Delivery, acceptance and approval
The publisher will want to be sure it is not committing itself to publishing work which is not what it commissioned, or not as expected, and should of course be able to reject or not proceed to publish work which is poor, or which seems factually incorrect or libellous, or unlawfully copied from someone else. But what can you do if a publisher wants to reject your work for another reason, perhaps because the market or competition has changed since you were commissioned? The Society of Authors in the past used to advise writers not to sign ‘acceptance’ clauses for this type of reason, arguing that publishers should fully assess the work by asking for a synopsis and specimen chapters, rather than letting an author complete the work, submit it to them and have it rejected. You may be powerless to remove such a clause, but it is something to be aware of.
Timing of publication may also be important. For example, if you are writing a law book and the publisher fails to send it to press within a reasonable time, the book may be so out of date as to be useless, and consequently your reputation would suffer as well as sales. You won’t want to revise it without payment of a further fee. Another example may be that the publisher has budgetary reasons for the timing of publication or may want to link, for example, a sports book with an event. These types of situations may be covered in a clause about ‘Date of publication’ or ‘Publisher’s responsibility to publish’.
Think about the details as well. What are you agreeing to deliver? For example, with some textbooks you may also be agreeing to deliver pictures as well as text, but is it clear who clears copyright permissions for the pictures? And who pays for this? The publisher may give you a budget to do this work or may just expect it to have been done, and if so, and if you have not done it, that could jeopardise the whole enterprise because it can be not only an expensive but potentially very lengthy process.
Some contracts may also require you to be around for editing queries within a certain time-period – failing which the publisher will bring someone else in to edit. Would you be happy with that? Is that a term in the contract? This also touches moral rights. Are you agreeing to future updates of the book within the fee?
Remember to check the termination clause (‘break clause’) too. No one is thinking about a relationship breaking down when a deal is being signed, but the reality is that things can go wrong and one party may want to get out. Publishing relationships tend to be personal and so in reality, if one party wants to go, the other party should probably think about letting this happen.
If a publisher decides to shelve publication of your book, the publisher might be in breach of contract; but in practice, it would be very difficult for an author in that situation to get an order from the court compelling the publisher to honour the contract and publish – especially if the book hasn’t been edited yet. The author would have to claim for damages, and probably for payment of advances as yet unclaimed (subject to the contract terms), and possibly for loss of earnings for future editions if this pivots around cancellation of a first edition. But this is all about power and reputation and the lesser-known or unknown author may struggle to win such a fight and, more so, be able to afford to go into battle in the first place. However, there is some hope if you are looking for it – in Malcolm v. OUP [1994] EMLR 17 Court of Appeal, around £17,500 was awarded against the publisher in favour of the disappointed author (although the court costs could easily be around the same again for such an author).
Outside the law of contract, any author who considers they have been wrongfully treated may also look to other areas of the law to support their case (for damage to goodwill and reputation under copyright moral rights; defamation; passing off, etc).
Alternatively, a publisher may have to enforce its rights and publish despite an author wishing to back out (say, to go with another publisher). The publisher will be legally entitled to do so depending on what the author signed up to, so be mindful of how long you are agreeing to tie yourself into a deal and how soon you can get out of it, if it is possible to do so. Ultimately, if authors break their side of the deal they will probably have to pay back any advances, and potentially damages too (although the courts do say that the damages sum claimed must be reasonably quantifiable by the party claiming loss: a difficult point to prove if the book wasn’t even written, never mind marketed. Again, it is about reputation and clout: when Penguin took legal action in 2012 against Elizabeth Wurtzel for failure to deliver a follow-up to Prozac Nation (and for return of a $33,000 advance).
Warranties and indemnities
With warranties and indemnities you ‘warrant’ to the publisher that you have done certain things like fact-checking, copyright clearance, checking there are no libellous or blasphemous or plagiarised statements and promise to ‘indemnify’ them against any losses they may suffer as a result of anything like that happening after publication. Indeed, careful publishers may want a lawyer to read your text to check for these things before publication. Is there a clause saying if this happens the publisher will bill you the author for the ‘legalling’? I have seen some lawyer–authors strike warranties and indemnities out. In practice, you need to consider whether you would be in a financial position to indemnify a publisher against its loss – most individuals wouldn’t be, especially against libel actions. (Remember, you cannot defame the dead but you can defame a business entity, so beware when writing blogs.) However, you may be confident that no issues will arise; or you may be happy that you are ‘decree proof’ (no point suing you, you have no money); or you may have professional indemnity or other insurance. Insurance is something authors should consider especially if they are writing on particular subjects (e.g. writing about medical dosages) or are of a certain profile.
Exclusion clauses and limitations of liability
The publisher may wish to exclude liability for certain eventualities. It may wish to exclude liability for any damage the author might suffer to her name because of the publication (loss of reputation), or might suffer ‘loss of opportunity’ (say if the contract is exclusive to one publisher and prevents it from taking the content off elsewhere). Note, however, that some contractual exclusions of liability – or purported exclusions – may fail (i.e. be legally unenforceable). This may be the case if a publisher tried to prevent an author from including parody or satire in her work, fearing it may cause offence to some other author. Such a clause would technically now be unenforceable (in copyright terms anyway) because parody and satire is ‘allowed’ as a defence to breach of copyright. That said, in practice, the subject of the parody could have other civil law remedies against the publisher and/or author. The late Ronnie Barker hated Ben Elton’s Not the Nine O’Clock News pastiche entitled ‘The Two Ninnies’, but Ronnie Barker would probably have never thought that this was a copyright issue; it was insult and injury to his reputation and goodwill that mattered to him. The separate legal issues of libel and passing-off would arise. A publisher could also seek to avoid liability for those issues by including an exclusion clause in a publishing contract.
Royalty advances and payment
An ‘advance’ is an advance on royalties which will be earned on book sales. This is different from a flat fee that is paid for a commission. Obviously, royalties are a very good thing if sales are to be significant, but they are perhaps less useful to authors whose markets are small, i.e. academic or specialised areas, or for children’s authors who receive lower royalty rates (5% of the book’s published price rather than the 10% a writer of fiction for adults might receive), albeit perhaps dealing with larger volumes. Some novelists receive huge advances that are never recouped by the publisher; the writers will receive royalty statements reporting a deficit but most publishers do not expect that deficit to be repaid. Clarifying what would happen about an unrecouped advance is therefore crucial. (Keep royalty statements for tax reasons: declare royalties as ‘income’ not ‘other expenses’; losses/unrecouped advances are ‘expenses’ for income tax.)
If you are to receive royalties only, or an advance on royalties, it is important that someone is actually going to market the book. The clause ‘Production and promotion responsibility’ refers to this.
If the royalties payable to you are expressed as a percentage of estimated receipts (what the publisher actually earns from the sale of your book) rather than as a percentage of the book’s published price, you will want to ask the publisher what it estimates receipts to be. However, the publisher may wish that information to be confidential.
Date of payment
As an author, when do you want to be paid? Probably on receipt by the publisher of your typescript at the latest, if not on commission – depending on the job and your status. You do not want to be paid ‘on publication’ because for reasons beyond your control the book may never be published, for example due to the publisher going bust.
When does a publisher want to pay? Possibly not on receipt of the typescript because there is still the copy-editing, typesetting and printing to carry out.
Payment in three stages is pretty standard – on signature; on delivery of the typescript; and on the day of first UK publication. Four stages are also possible, the third stage broken down into publication of hardback and of paperback editions.
The contract
It is best to avoid contention, adversity and dispute where possible. Bear in mind that most publishers will be using a precedent form, i.e. a pro forma document. This may be historical or inherited from another part of the publishing group or a subsidiary/parent group and edited for your particular publication, so do not be surprised if it needs tweaking or re-negotiating on issues important to you. Be firm and understanding. The contract is possibly not the author’s preferred focus, but it might also be a chore for the publisher.
Note too that you may have legal rights and remedies from areas of the law which are external to the contract, i.e. some things that are not explicitly written down in a contract may be enforceable by you under equity, breach of confidence, etc. The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 might be interpreted by lawyers to mean that if an author tells the publisher to ‘pay my royalties to my friend’, the friend gets the legal right to sue the publisher under the contract if this does not happen.
Publishing agreements are a minefield but if you can think about what is most important for you, your publication and its markets, whilst also being aware of some of the issues noted above, you will at least be off to a good start.
Gillian Haggart Davies MA (Hons), LLB is the author of Copyright Law for Artists, Designers and Photographers (A&C Black 2010) and Copyright Law for Writers, Editors and Publishers (A&C Black 2011).
News, view and trends: review of the year 2016-17
In his round-up of the past year’s book industry news Tom Tivnan considers the issues, concerns and effects that the Brexit vote, the weak pound, and the election of President Trump have brought to the publishing world, and reports on the highlights of a year of rising print sales.
The dominant issues in the UK book trade for the last year or so have been the seismic political changes of Brexit and, to a lesser extent, the election of Donald Trump. There has been much gnashing of teeth about both – British book folk tend to be left-of-centre (with exceptions, of course) and publishers’, booksellers’ and authors’ Twitter accounts over 2016-17 seem to have been one long collectivewail.
Apart from personal political views, the industry is troubled by what may be deep and long-lasting effects of the UK leaving the European Union. Brexit, many postulate, will profoundly alter author contracts, damage domestic sales in a recovering market, cut deep into export revenue, lead to soaring production costs and hurt publishers in recruitment and retention of staff, to name just a few doomsday scenarios.
Note the qualifier ‘postulate’, for the first difficulty is uncertainty. I’m writing this piece shortly after British Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 to begin the formal process of leaving the EU. Most of the challenges cited by industry insiders have been rumbling on in the almost 12 months since the Brexit vote; resolutions to them could drag on for almost two years until Britain finally divorces its European partners. There may be a three-year period where the industry will be operating without clear direction from government. Not ideal.
Right to re-moan
A key worry is staffing. We should note that the top four UK publishers, responsible for about half of all book sales in the country, are ultimately foreign concerns: top dog Penguin Random House (PRH) is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann; second-placed Hachette is a subsidiary of France’s Lagardère; number three, Harper-Collins, is an outpost of Rupert Murdoch’s New York-headquartered NewsCorp; while Pan Macmillan also has German masters, the Stuttgart-based Holtzbrinck group. The Big Four – and many other publishers – employ a number of EU citizens in their UK offices, especially in roles where languages are essential, such as rights and international sales.
Not knowing if there will be a ‘hard Brexit’ means EU nationals’ residency statuses are up in the air, with publishers experiencing a ‘talent drain’ as European staff move back to the Continent or choose not to take jobs with British firms. In March 2017 Bertelsmann’s chief executive Thomas Rabe said the company has a ‘stay or go’ option of pulling its ‘British intellectual property hub’ (which includes PRH) if Brexit talks go awry. Now, this was mostly posturing. It would be impractical and bad business for Bertelsmann to move the operations of Britain’s biggest publisher to Germany (just over £1 in every £5 spent in the UK on books is on a PRH title). But some parts, particularly back-office departments (the aforementioned rights, finance, IT, etc) could go if Bertelsmann thinks Brexit is hitting its bottom line. That Rabe felt he needed to mention it publicly, if only as a shot across Theresa May’s bows, shows how concerned publishers are.
The problem is not just in publishers’ HQs. There is a vast book distribution network in the country: from Amazon’s 13 ‘fulfilment centres’; to Waterstones’ Burton-based The Hub, supplier of the chain’s 275 shops; to leading wholesalers Gardners and Bertrams (almost every title in your local indie bookshop will have come from the two firms); to all the major publishers’ own ‘DCs’ (distribution centres). It is estimated that 30-40% of staff in this network are EU nationals, primarily from Poland and Eastern Europe. There has already been a drain away from these jobs, too. In early 2017, HarperCollins boss Charlie Redmayne (who is Best Actor Oscar-winner Eddie’s brother, trivia fans) said his company’s Glasgow DC has been hit hard by a significant portion of the workforce moving back to Europe – and he even questioned the very ongoing viability of Britain’s entire book distribution network.
Uncommon currency
An immediate consequence of the Brexit vote was sterling nosediving, and the pound has remained weak against the Euro and the US dollar. At the time of writing, £1 is worth €1.17; just before the Brexit vote it was €1.41. One pound will get you $1.24, whereas in 2015 it would have given you $1.70. For the book industry, this is a disaster, and an area hit hard has been printing. The bulk of physical books sold in Britain are produced on the European mainland and in the Far East, where deals are conducted in the Euro and USD. The bottom line is that printing costs have been 20-40% higher post-Brexit. This will be eventually passed on to you, dear consumer, with hikes in book prices.
There is a sort of domino effect on author earnings. A squeeze on printing costs will probably mean lower advances domestically. Plus, a weaker pound means less money for foreign deals. The UK is one of the world’s global rights powerhouses, with publishers across the world enthusiastically hoovering up translation rights, from big brands like J.K. Rowling and Julia Donaldson to relative unknowns who can be superstars abroad. For example, Scottish Young Adult author Claire McFall has sold only a handful of copies in Blighty, but shifted over one million units in China in 2016. Deals are done in the acquiring company’s currency. So, the German publisher who buys your debut psychological thriller for (oh, let’s be wildly optimistic) €100,000, would now net you £117,000 (less your agent’s foreign rights cut of 25%, taxes, etc); in early 2016, it would have been worth £141,000.
There are silver linings to many Brexit-related problems. The higher costs of production abroad could further revitalise the UK domestic print industry that has already been rebounding. While author advances may be hit, exports (sending books abroad, as opposed to trading intellectual property) maybe boosted by a weaker pound. But, again, what vexes the industry is that a clear picture will take so long to develop.
Letters from America
Trump’s victory was taken as an ill omen by the UK books industry, with concerns ranging from uncertainty in the trading environment, to a rise of anti-intellectualism, to privatising book-related US public services, such as libraries. Many of these concerns are indirect, but Trump’s presidency could have a direct impact as many UK companies are either part of a US conglomerate or have an office in that country.
A first Trumpish flashpoint was Simon & Schuster US announcing they would be publishing a book by the controversial alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. The decision was met by sustained, withering criticism, and several S&S authors said they would part company with them for publishing someone they believe espouses racist and misogynistic views. The publisher defended itself on free-speech grounds but eventually shelved the book. S&S UK (which was Britain’s sixth biggest publisher in 2016) had never considered publishing Yiannopoulos but, by association with its parent company, was damaged reputationally, receiving quite a kicking on social media.
However, there was a Trump boost at the tills for classic anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian books. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (Penguin) hit the UK Top 50 for the first time since industry sales monitor Nielsen BookScan records began in 1998 (in the US, it claimed its first-ever overall number one). Other books having a revival include Margaret Atwood’s feminist dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale (Vintage 1985), philosopher Hannah Arendt’s 1951 tome The Origins of Totalitarianism (Penguin) and It Can’t Happen Here (Penguin), Nobel Laureate Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel in which a vain, anti-immigrant, fearmongering demagogue runs for President of the United States – and somehow wins. Hmm, I wonder why the latter struck a chord?
The action of booksellers championing these titles led to another controversy. Susan Hill, the novelist best known for The Woman in Black (Vintage 1983), wrote about cancelling an event with an unnamed indie bookshop because of what she viewed as an anti-Trump bias of its selection; she further accused the store of promoting censorship for not stocking titles by Trump or ‘anything by authors known to support/admire/have voted for him’. The store quickly outed itself – it was The Book Hive in Norwich – and a media storm ensued with other authors such as Joanne Harris and Patrick Ness leaping to The Book Hive’s defence. Hill’s view was somewhat fatuous; surely a tenet of free speech is that a store can stock anything it damn well pleases? Yet, maybe Hill was playing a deeper game ... the furore, and scads of coverage, just happened to erupt around the time that her newest book was being released.
Child’s play
Worrying about things that may occur post-Brexit is par for the course – publishers and booksellers tend to be Eeyore-ish – but it should not detract from the fact that 2016 was a stonking year. Helped by the return of Harry Potter, the rise of an Instagram star and an ongoing psychological thriller trend, print sales rose 4.9% in 2016 to just over £1.59bn through BookScan, the first time the books market has had back-to-back sales rises in almost a decade and the trade’s best result in six years.
The children’s sector led the way with its third straight year of record returns (about £1 in every £4 is now spent on a kids’ book in the UK). And, yes, everyone’s favourite boy wizard helped. Although he is no longer a boy – Rowling’s playscript of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown 2016), written with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, has thirtysomething Harry as an overworked Ministry of Magic employee and father of three (that synopsis sounds like a John Osborne-esque kitchen sink drama; don’t worry, there’s still plenty of magic). Cursed Child sold 1.46 million copies for just under £16m in 2016, by far the bestselling book of the year. Add Rowling’s screenplay for the Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Little, Brown 2016) plus an upsurge in her original seven titles, and the headmistress of Hogwarts sold an eye-watering £30m for the year.
Rowling wasn’t the only children’s writer with a big 12 months – three of the top four authors were in kids’, with Julia Donaldson (£14.2m) and David Walliams (£13.8m) joining Rowling near the top. In fact, this trio alone combined to earn almost 15% of all children’s book sales in 2016. And 15 of the top 50 bestselling writers of 2016 were from the sector, including Jeff Kinney (£6.2m), Fiona Watt (£5.3m) and Roald Dahl (£6.2m), the latter’s sales boosted by the Steven Spielberg film of The BFG (Puffin 1999) and a flurry of publishing around the centenary of the author’s birth.
Five lean girls on the train
A cornerstone of the trade is ‘me-too’ publishing. If there is a breakout hit, then another house tries to replicate it. This may be somewhat unimaginative, but it can be effective – with the second or third wave often outpacing the original. Take Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Transworld 2015) which at one point was called ‘the next Gone Girl’ in reference to Gillian Flynn’s psychological thriller which kick-started the current ‘grip lit’ craze. In 2015, Hawkins smashed the all-time record for most weeks at number one on the hardback chart, and she had an even better 2016 with the paperback release. Boosted by a film adaptation, Hawkins scored a paperback number one for 29 out of 35 weeks it was on sale, and shifted £7.7m through the tills. Trailing after The Girl on the Train were a number of tonally similar grip lit books, including B.A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors (HQ 2016), Renée Knight’s Disclaimer (Black Swan 2015) and Fiona Barton’s The Widow (Transworld 2016).
The huge cookery trend of 2015 was the fitness/nutrition/‘clean eating’ fad led by ‘Deliciously’ Ella Woodward. A year later, Instagram star and personal trainer Joe Wicks took clean eating, bench-pressed it, body-slammed it and made it his own. ‘The Body Coach’, as charismatic Essex boy Wicks is known online, had three books published in 2016 (OK, the first, Lean in 15, came out the last week of 2015), the lot combining to shift £14.1m in the year. Lean in 15 has now sold 1.2 million units and is the second bestselling cookery title since records began. And the clean eating trend rolled on. Other fitness/health cookery tomes with success included Alice Liveing’s Clean Eating Alice (Thorsons 2016), TV presenter Fearne Cotton’s Cook Happy, Cook Healthy (Orion 2016) and Woodward’s follow-up, Deliciously Ella Every Day (Yellow Kite 2016).
An interesting year in literary prizes added to the notion that the conglomerates are somewhat risk averse and it is indie publishers taking chances on newer, interesting voices. American Paul Beatty won the Man Booker Prize with The Sellout, a novel rejected 18 times by the big boys before being snapped up by Oneworld. This was Oneworld’s second Booker on the trot after 2015’s A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (whose first novel was rejected 78 times, which should give hope to all as-yet-unpublished writers). The six-strong 2016 Booker shortlist also had indie entries from tiny Scottish concern Saraband (Graeme Macrae Burnet’s His Bloody Project) and Granta (Madeleine Thien’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing).
The Waterstones Book of the Year was won by Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent, released by another indie, Serpent’s Tail (appropriately enough). The Waterstones gong is becoming one of most sought-after prizes as it can guarantee chart success – Perry’s book sold £1.8m in hardback, the bulk coming after her win. Waterstones made a profit in 2016 for the first time since the 2008 financial crash, £9.8m off sales of £409m. Its long rise to the black has cheered publishers, not just for the stability a hale and healthy Waterstones gives to the overall trade but for the bookseller’s ability to make a book. In 2016, it has thrown its considerable weight behind newcomers to the bestseller lists, such as Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s YA tome The Girl of Ink and Stars (Chicken House), Philippe Sands’ East West Street (Weidenfeld) and Cathy Rentzenbrink’s The Last Act of Love (Picador), to name just three.
It’s not all high-falutin’ literary stuff that Waterstones backs, either. The chain was a major factor in the success of Christmas 2015 smash, the Ladybird for Grown-Ups range, Jason Hazeley’s and Joel Morris’ humorous riffs on adult themes in the classic Ladybird style. A question among booksellers and other publishers: would the series be a flash in the pan? The answer was an unqualified no, with PRH imprint Michael Joseph releasing a dozen titles to a roaring success (a whopping £13m in 2016 sales). ‘Me too,’ said Hachette division Quercus, which re-purposed Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series for an adult audience. But it did so cannily, with author Bruno Vincent’s reworkings of Blyton being equal parts loving homage and send-up. And the five books released were all clever or hot-button issues such as Five Go Gluten-Free and Five Go on a Strategy Away Day. But the bestseller of them all? Well, it should be no surprise given the year’s focus: Five on Brexit Island, which has sold over 380,000 copies to date.
Tom Tivnan is features and insight editor of the Bookseller. Previously Tom was a freelance writer and his work has appeared in the Glasgow Herald, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph and Harper’s Bazaar. He has also worked as a bookseller for Blackwell’s in the UK and Barnes & Noble in the US. He wrote the text for Tattooed by the Family Business (Pavilion 2010) and his debut novel is The Esquimaux (Silvertail 2017).
See also...
• Electronic publishing, here
Ebooks continue to change the face of the publishing industry and possibilities for e-publishing are rapidly developing all the time. With new author-to-reader routes opening up, Philip Jones sets the scene and explains the implications for authors.
In the UK, the ebook market is a fixed reality, with digital sales for most trade publishers now making up about 30% of their total books revenue – for commercial fiction, the ratio of ebook to print book sales may be more even.
But the market growth that was extreme between 2010 and 2013 has plateaued, and most trade publishers saw their ebook sales numbers contract from 2014 onwards, a consequence of rising prices and tax (VAT is levied on ebooks, but not print books), as well as device fatigue (Waterstones stopped selling Kindles in 2015). Some, though, believe that there remains growth in the market for self-published ebooks, as promoted and sold on the Amazon Kindle site, and via digital specialists such as Bookouture and Endeavour Press. Amazon refuses to release sales data about this new market, so no one really knows. What we do know is that print book sales are now growing again – first in 2015, a likely consequence of the spectacular growth in sales of colouring books, but again in 2016, when most of the major segments, including fiction, grew.
In 2016 digital sales continued to underperform and were hit by a shift in contractual terms once again as the big trade publishers in the UK moved back to so-called agency ebook deals, whereby they have full control over the price consumers pay for ebooks; for many this meant raising the price of digital content at the expense of market growth. The other major move in 2016 was recognition of the growing importance of audiobook downloads, with many trade publishers now pointing to audio as the digital segment of their content business that remains in growth.
One might think from this that the rate of change has also lessened. However, the truth about digital publishing is that its significance is, if anything, even more fundamental than first imagined. Even if the pace of ebook growth continues to slow and stabilise – as many predict it will – the wider impact of digital on the book business runs deep and by no means in one direction. The importance now of self-published writers or smaller digital-only publishers, such as Bookouture, Endeavour Press, and Canelo, is not necessarily measured just in market share growth: in offering higher royalty rates and more regular payment terms these alternative routes are creating a different way of doing business today for some authors.
At the beginning of 2017 the ebook market was dominated – as it has been throughout its creation and growth – by Amazon and its Kindle device. Challengers came – Apple, Google, Nook, Kobo, Blinkboxbooks – but did not make a dent. In the case of some the effort was too much, with Tesco closing its ebook retailer Blinkboxbooks at the beginning of 2015, while Nook fled the UK at the beginning of 2016. Subscription services such as Oyster, Scribd and Mofibo (among others), who were briefly in vogue having inked deals with many major publishers in an attempt to expand the market beyond those readers already locked into Amazon, have also faded from view. Oyster was swallowed by Google, while Scribd has struggled to make its economic model work (restricting the numbers of titles available for reading). Mofibo was bought by fellow Scandinavian start-up Storytel that has grown a formidable audiobook download operation out of its Sweden base.
Where once we expected new retailers to look to the growing ebook market, no new entrants emerged during the past year, and it is highly unlikely this situation will change much until there is a dedicated shift to reading on mobile devices or tablets. Subscription is in a similar stasis. It may come again to the ebook market – with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited still attempting to make sense of a model that appeals to few readers and not at all to most publishers – but for now the so-called ‘Spotify for ebooks’ looks way off. It reflects a certain torpor around the ebook market, a consequence of a market dominated by one company – Amazon. In 2017 the European Commission concluded its investigation into the Seattle-based giant, contending that it considered Amazon’s behaviour (in particular around Most Favoured Nation clauses in its ebook contracts, that meant publishers could not price promote their titles on other retailer websites without also offering Amazon the same terms) might violate EU antitrust rules that prohibit abuses of a dominant market position and restrictive business practices. Amazon has offered to remove such clauses for five years, and the impact of this on the overall ebook market will be interesting to follow. It may stimulate competition, despite Amazon’s continuing dominance.
In terms of tracking the size of the digital content market in 2016, we are, as before, stymied by the lack of verifiable data from this new marketplace; Amazon does not share its numbers either with its investors, the news media, or third-party data companies such as Nielsen BookScan, which tracks physical book sales. Nevertheless, as in previous years, the Bookseller has collated the digital sales numbers from all the major trade publishers, providing a good view of most of the digital market. Its conclusions were noted by the Bookseller thus: ‘It was another year of digital contraction for the UK’s biggest publishers, who experienced a second consecutive year of declining ebook volumes in 2016. Since the Bookseller started charting the performance of five of the UK’s biggest publishers in 2012, there has been a three-year slowing of growth, followed by a like-for-like drop in digital volume in 2015. The trend continued last year, with the five groups combining to shift 45.7 million units, 5.1% down on the previous year.’
The raw numbers were even clearer. HarperCollins had the most impressive 12 months, selling nearly 12.6 million e-units, a whopping 18.2% jump on 2015, thanks chiefly to its acquisition of the ebook friendly Harlequin/Mills & Boon business in 2014. But the others all saw their ebook sales drop, Hachette’s fell 2.1% to 14.2m; Penguin Random House’s sales fell 17% to 12.3m; Pan Macmillan went down by 24% to 4.2m; Simon & Schuster’s sales fell by 6% to 2.4m.
As the Bookseller also noted, determining what these numbers mean for the digital market as a whole is, as always, tough. These five publishers contributed 56% of the print market in volume terms in 2016; extrapolating that ratio to digital sales equates to a ‘total’ volume of around 81.6 million ebooks sold in 2016. We do not have value figures, but with several publishers now fully on the ebook agency model, and print selling prices rising, we may estimate a small rise in the selling price of ebooks. Last year, we put the overall market on about £380m, and in 2016 using a similar calculation, the value would have fallen to £370m. But it is worth remembering that the self-publishing component could add as much as £50m on top of this figure.
How do these numbers chime with those reported elsewhere? A recent consumer survey from Nielsen Book confirmed that purchases of ebooks are in decline, with consumers buying 4% fewer in 2016 – a trend which coincides with a slowing in the growth of device ownership and the increasing of ebook prices. In addition, multi-function devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, overtook dedicated e-reading devices as the most commonly used for e-reading, with a 48%-44% split respectively, according to Nielsen. The latest figures are not yet available, but according to the Publishers Association the invoiced value of consumer ebooks dropped by close to 11% in 2015 to £245m.
The upshot is that even if the big publishers are no longer growing their ebook businesses, the market itself continues to shift and offer opportunities for smaller players and individual authors, especially those prepared to sell their ebooks at the kind of low prices prevalent on the Kindle. A good example is the ebook specialist Bookouture, bought by big publisher Hachette in 2017. Bookouture was founded in 2012 by former Harlequin/Mills & Boon marketing controller Oliver Rhodes, and made its first book signing in November of that year. In 2013 it sold 81,000 ebooks, in 2014 362,000, in 2015 it sold 2.5m ebooks, and in 2016 6m. In short, it could be said that a tiny digital press has outperformed the bigger publishers. The rub: Bookouture prices its bestselling titles extremely aggressively – resulting in a turnover (by value) that is not much bigger than its volume number.
The context is important to understand when trying to figure out the growth rates of a market that is still in its infancy, and prone to tantrums. Three years ago in the Yearbook I wrote that – in the UK at least – the rate of growth in the ebook market was exaggerated in 2012 because of the Fifty Shades trilogy, which also then further skewed the perceived slowdown in sales growth in 2013; for example in 2012 the companies that would become Penguin Random House reported ebook sales volume growth of 169%, but one year later their ebook sales business fell by 20%. As the ebook market has become part of the overall reading market, its fortunes look to be also partly based on what is selling well elsewhere; in short, the success of print books, from colouring books to the adult Ladybird Christmas books, will also impact what sells in digital formats.
Others have suggested that there is also a visibility issue, with Amazon promoting its own publishing and self-publishing as well as subscription service, Kindle Unlimited, at the expense of traditional bestsellers, putting off discerning readers. As HarperCollins UK chief executive Charlie Redmayne put it to he Bookseller recently: ‘There has been a lot of focus on the plateauing of ebooks because of price, but it is also about relevance: Amazon is focused on building Kindle Unlimited, its own publishing and self-publishing, and that means that books from the bigger publishing companies tend not to get the same exposure. But it is also ghettoising them, as consumers are not seeing the kinds of books they see and are buying elsewhere.’
That does not mean there are not huge successes to be had in ebook publishing. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was a runaway success in print during 2015 and 2016, and did as well, if not better, in ebook format. But there was no runaway ebook hit in 2016. The big story of 2016 was the major groups, such as Penguin Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins, re-negotiating their agency contracts over the year, meaning that they once again took over full control of ebook prices. Their relative performances are as much a reflection of their adjusting to these new controls, as it was of their publishing output.
The biggest question mark, however, remains over how big the market is that we do not see, as represented by authors who choose to self-publish, whether that is via Amazon’s
Kindle Direct Publishing platform, or those rivals offered by Nook (in the USA) and Kobo, or by using one of the print-on-demand players such as Blurb or Ingram. No sales made via these routes are being tracked (or indeed are trackable without the intervention of a third party such as Amazon), and many authors do not use an ISBN, meaning that even the number of titles being published annually is not measured.
Author Earnings, the website established by bestselling ebook writer Hugh Howey and the anonymous Data Guy, which looks at the relative rankings of ebooks in the Amazon Kindle charts, continues to push its view that indie-published (or self-published) ebooks are the dominant movement in the ebook market. As it notes: ‘Self-published indie authors are verifiably capturing at least 24%–34% of all ebook sales in each of the five English-language markets; it’s not just a US-only phenomenon. When you also include the un-categorized authors, the vast majority of whom are also self-published, the true indie share in each market lies somewhere between 30% and 40%. The Big Five, on the other hand, are letting themselves progressively get squeezed out of nearly every English-language ebook market.’
But Author Earnings’ figures are an extrapolation, and at best an indication of market growth. For example, in the UK, it estimates that overall ebook volume to be 96m, of which it says the big five publishers comprise 34%. That puts a suggested figure of total ebook sales among the top five publishers of 32m, a good deal shy of the Bookseller’s verifiable number (quoted earlier, and based on publisher supplied statistics) of 45.7m. There is little doubt that individual writers and smaller publishers can have huge success in the Kindle store, even while the wider market ebbs and flows. But, as with much about the self-publishing market, anything said as fact should be re-interpreted as supposition.
With due irony, I add that self-publishing is, without doubt, a big part of the digital book business and a growing one, but it is not usurping the role of the traditional publisher. Both now accommodate and feed off each other – and authors transition in both directions.
Publishers’ horizons
Two years ago I wrote that, for publishers, a stable market is a good one, and we should begin to see a trickle-down effect in terms of better publishing and greater investment in authors. And I was right. Publishing seems as confident today as I have known it for some time. The high street is in growth again, all of the major booksellers are in profit (or close to it), and some are even opening new stores. We are now seeing new thinking around print books, from colouring to new fiction lines such as James Patterson’s BookShots (short reads priced at £2.49).
What I have earlier remarked upon as publishing re-kindling its love for print books has continued. From the perspective of digital the important thing is not to assume that what may be a short period of print growth leads to a longer period of digital decline. I have noted that some publishers got burnt betting the bank on continued strong ebook growth, but the bigger concern now is that they may get caught out simply by looking the other way. How publishers ready themselves for what happens now that the first wave of digital has come to an end will be key. At Penguin Random House its main focus appears to be on discoverability and marketing to the consumer, not on selling direct. ‘We want to connect. We don’t need to make the transaction,’ said its chief executive Markus Dohle in 2015. In early 2016 it launched its consumer website Penguin.co.uk to do just that, and it has continued to build its consumer networks in 2016. Publishers are thinking hard about three things: how they go about reaching readers; what tools they use to reach readers; and what they should do once they’ve reached those readers.
But Hachette’s acquisition Bookouture was also important, and evidence that now the wild west days of the ebook market are behind us, publishers may once again begin to think strategically about this sector – great news for authors if true. Bookouture has profited from an ebook market many in the trade misread; while the bigger publishers have focused on ebook sales in relation to print, and priced accordingly (pegging ebook prices to print book costs), digital-only publishers faced no such quandaries and concentrated just on selling ebooks at whatever prices ebooks could be sold at. Lots of ebooks appear to work better at lower prices, and Bookouture – as with Amazon Publishing, in the UK Head of Zeus, Endeavour Press, Canelo, and numerous self-publishing writers – have taken advantage. Hachette, in buying a fast-growing ebook specialist, will be trying to figure out if its traditional print business can accommodate a digital operation without one curbing or cannibalising the other. It is worth remembering that for years publishers were split between hardback houses and paperback imprints. It took years for these two entities to figure out that they had more in common than just the content they published. Now most publishers publish across all formats simultaneously. Ironically, the ebook bit of their business might benefit from a specialist approach.
What’s in it for writers?
How does this changing market affect writers? When we talk about the fundamental impact digital is having on the book business, nowhere is this more apparent than in the traditional publishing world’s relationship with authors.
Authors now have more ways to find readers than ever before, and often without the intervention of an intermediary. Successful self-publishing is now no longer the exception that proves the rule, it is becoming the exception that threatens the rule. Writers such as Hugh Howey, whose fiction title Wool was 2012’s stand-out self-published hit, are showing not only that they publish successfully, but that they can bring publishers to heel. Simon & Schuster in the USA bought print rights to Wool, but the author refused the company digital rights. Other writers following this path include Mark Edwards, Mark Dawson and
Rachel Abbott.
Howey’s way is not for every writer, but what it shows is that publishers now have to market themselves to each and every writer, not just in competition against other publishers, but in competition to not having a publisher at all. Most publishers have a strong message. The biggest-selling book of many years, Fifty Shades of Grey, sold far more copies after it was traditionally published by Random House than it did before this, and ever could have done. Paula Hawkins was a jobbing writer until her agent and her publisher alighted on The Girl on the Train. There is an alchemy to the publishing process that remains mysterious, but can still work. Each year the Bookseller compiles a list of top 50 bestselling writers, each raking in millions for their publisher and a good proportion of that for themselves. It doesn’t stop working because self-publishing also works and, in sheer numbers, traditional publishing still sells far more books across a far wider range of titles and authors. Furthermore, if you are writing a book that is not commercial fiction or a genre title, traditional publishing remains the only viable route to market.
But as in other creative sectors, digital flattens the market, and punches the nose of the corporates. In a world with so many new options open to writers, is big publishing’s ‘value add’ still significant enough to prevent authors taking what promises to be a more lucrative route sideways? Probably. But it is a question that is not going away.
There remain plenty of questions for authors, and a raft of possible routes to market. Do you wait for a publisher to discover you? Or do you publish direct to a retailer’s website? Do you use a third-party aggregator? Or pay for professional help? Should you publish everything you have written?
Whichever approach you take, digital has not changed one thing: authors struggle to make an income from their published writing, with the DIY option suitable for some but not all. A report commissioned by the ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society; see here) in 2014 noted that the most successful self-publishing ventures had an average rate of return of 154% (and a typical ‘median’ rate of return of 40%). But it remained a risky option, partly because of the costs associated with self-publishing. The report found that the bottom 20% of self-publishers made losses of £400 or more.
Of course Indie writers make a huge noise about their success, but even self-publishing companies such as Smashwords noted a slowdown in sales growth for this sector, as has Author Earnings, which believes Amazon Publishing is making greater strides than it once was.
There has been a shift too, to suggesting authors should also self-publish in print, with Amazon’s paperback programe, making use of its print-on-demand services, and the launch of new indie services such as Type & Tell, which focus as much on print as they do digital. Though a few rare indie hits do break through into print – such as The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep (Ladybird 2015), created by Swedish behavioural psychologist and linguist Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin – most do not.
All that glisters
Furthermore, Amazon’s success in digital and its dominance within the self-publishing market has also become its biggest problem. The lack of genuine competition, beyond that provided by Nook Press and Kobo Writing Life, is also limiting the noise. Sites such as WattPad, where writers promote and improve their work, are increasingly being used by both self-publishers and publishers as ways of meeting and interacting with readers in a more neutral territory. They are also slowly figuring out ways for contributors to make money from their activities, but again this is in its infancy.
That said, should you choose to self-publish, then Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform remains the compelling option. It offers clarity, high rewards, and a route to the largest audience of ebook readers. But it is not a risk-free decision. During 2014 it launched Kindle Unlimited, a subscription offer seemingly hurried out in order to compete with the perceived threat of newer ebook vendors Oyster and Scribd, whose business model was the near mythical Spotify for ebooks’. Amazon placed many independently published titles into the service without asking authors to opt-in, and set up a pool of money that they would share based on the number of reads. Many authors quickly opted out as they feared (like traditional publishers) that their sales would be cannibalised. Though the jury is out on this, there was a sense of a bond of trust between platform and author having been stretched – though perhaps not quite to breaking point.
Over the next couple of years Amazon has continued to grow the pot of money made available to writers participating in this scheme (though not with any accounting transparency), but has also had to change how it measures the rates paid to books read after it discovered some authors gaming the system by using shorter novels that triggered full payments after 10% was read; the change meant it would pay based on total pages actually read. It is also worth noting the following clause in the Amazon self-publishing contract. ‘The Program will change over time and the terms of this Agreement will need to change over time as well. We reserve the right to change the terms of this Agreement at any time in our sole discretion.’ Never forget: Amazon as the de facto monopoly in this space is and remains in control. A traditional publishing deal, even one from a digital specialist, will offer a broader publishing strategy.
The range of services marketed to authors has grown exponentially, with the arrival and growth in importance of the Alliance of Independent Authors helping to add an informed voice within the community. Because – and this is important – as an author you will at some point need to engage an expert. Even successful self-published writers will engage an editor, a cover designer, and perhaps even a ‘social media guru’. This market is now well served, and certainly more honourable than it was even a few years ago. But, as ever, be careful what you pay for up front, and make sure you understand what you are getting in return for your money. The rebranding of the self-published into ‘indie’ writers has not meant an end to the traditional vanity operations; many have simply transformed into online author platforms offering to publish a book and make it available worldwide for a fee. Just as there is much more to publishing than simply printing a book, there is also much more to digital publishing than merely acquiring an ISBN or distribution. As the author Ros Barber wrote in a Guardian blog last year, ‘If you self-publish your book, you are not going to be writing for a living. You are going to be marketing for a living. Self-published authors should expect to spend only 10% of their time writing and 90% of their time marketing.’
It is worth consulting the giant ebookaggregators, such as Ingram(www.ingrambook.com), Lulu (www.lulu.com) and Smashwords (www.smashwords.com); these companies will ensure the ebook basics are covered and that the ebooks are featured on third-party websites at a fraction of the cost of a typical vanity publisher.
First and foremost remember this: the traditional publishing route invests in a writer and their book, with ‘risk’ part of the publishing deal. Of course authors have invested their time and effort in the writing; but it is the publisher’s job to invest in the publishing, production, marketing, PR, copy-editing, cover design, distributions and sales relationships with retailers. Self-publishing works in exactly the opposite way: the author invests in their work, and as such takes on all of the risk. You will find many websites and author service platforms talking about a revolution, parading their wares as a type of freedom: believe some of that, but not all of it. Any entity taking money for publication from an author upfront is not really invested in making that book a success: it is debatable that they are really a publisher.
But it is true that digital has shaken up the market, with new style publishers such as Unbound or Bookouture demonstrating that authors are no longer tied to the old routes. Digital-only lists such as Little, Brown’s Blackfriars, HarperCollins’ Impulse, Canelo, Bonnier Zaffre’s twenty7, or even Amazon Publishing’s growing suite of imprints, have become more sophisticated, having recognised that they too can publish outside of the ebook format. Endeavour Press is just the latest to launch a printed book imprint. As many have remarked, digital can be used to create a story around a book or author that can then lead to a different type of publishing – usually print publication.
Talent does out, however. Publishers are beginning to look for new talent more aggressively, and they are prepared to look outside the usual routes. Publishers such as HarperCollins’ Borough Press and even Random House’s Jonathan Cape have been experimenting with a period for ‘open submissions’, suggesting that even as more gets published, and the routes to readers clear, publishers remain desperate to root out the talent. Perhaps the biggest burden to getting published these days is not that a gatekeeper won’t entertain you, but that they are so busy dealing with the rush through the gates!
The future
For a number of years now, I’ve written about what might happen as readers transition to using mobile devices rather than dedicated e-reading devices. As the Nielsen data suggested earlier in this piece, there is now good evidence that we are living through this transition, with many pundits anticipating a decline in long form digital reading (simply because it is harder on the eyes). Many also wondered if it would lead to a re-awakening of the enhanced ebook – that heady mix of words, pictures, sound, movies, animation etc. In 2017 Amazon published Patricia Cornwell’s Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert as Kindle in Motion ebook, that featured words and animation for Kindle readers. But the results are mixed, and the enhancements minimal (though not ineffective). Either way, there is a little sense that the enhanced ebook has arrived – though some companies, such as Orson & Co and The Pigeonhole, continue to believe there is a market for such mash-ups. Publishers are continuing to show a willingness to try and reinvent the product (of which Orion’s Belgravia app is yet another good example). Virtual reality is a coming trend too, with opportunities for writers. In 2016 the literary agent Sarah Such struck what she described as the world’s first VR deal for a YA series, the Fallow Trilogy written by Amy Lankester-Owen. It remains to be seen if such projects have legs.
By far the biggest impact from the arrival of smartphones has not been on reading, but listening. Every trade publisher speaks now not just of ebooks, but of audiobook downloads, a market driven in the UK, as in the USA, by Amazon subsidiary Audible, whose own sales increased by 48% in 2015, with similar growth expected in 2016. Overall, the audiobook download market is thought to be worth as much as £100m in the UK. In 2015 the Bookseller began running a monthly audio download chart in its pages for the first time, and in 2016 relaunched its dedicated audiobook conference. Audible has even put the tools into the hands of authors via its ACX platform (recently launched in the UK), meaning that authors can now create their own audiobook versions. But other players are emerging, BookBeat and Storytel from Sweden, with iTunes and Spotify the sleeping giants.
The bigger publishers, such as HarperCollins and Penguin Random House, are investing heavily in their audio production teams, with many observers expecting this market to develop and grow quickly over the next few years as the availability of listening tools on mobile devices proliferates. There are also numerous third-party producers who may vie for audio rights, such as Naxos or Bolinda, while Audible too has its own production arm. Audio, it seems, is the enhanced ebook already here.
Reading rules
So, having lived through this first wave of digital, what can we say with any kind of certainty about the future? Actually, very little. Readers like reading, and many of them like writing too. Despite the great disruptions we’ve seen, the bits in between the reader and writer remain largely stable and stabilising. The shift in 2016 was, again, not at either pole but in this middle ground; publishers simply got better at getting books from authors to readers – both digitally and in print. But anyone who expected the ebook market to develop as it had done over the previous half-decade was mistaken. The major action was in the print book market, with the digitally aloof bookseller Waterstones key to that.
In a previous edition of this Yearbook I said that print would survive, but in truth that might have best been expressed through gritted teeth. I also said that print will survive and that it might even find a better, firmer, less threatened space in which to thrive as digital clears shelf-space for other books. That continues to be the case. The boot is now on the other foot. Last year I said digital needs to find its own ‘colouring book’ – a new initiative to drive the market. It still does. But digital reading (or listening) is not going away, and for writers that can only be a good thing – and a continuing challenge.
Philip Jones is Editor of the Bookseller, and co-founder of the digital blog FutureBook.net.
See also...
• News, views and trends: review of the year 2016–17, here.
• Self-publishing online: the emerging template for sales success, here
What is an ISBN?
An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. Up until the end of 2006 it was a ten-digit number, but from 1 January 2007 all ISBN numbers are 13 digits long.
What is the purpose of an ISBN?
An ISBN is a product number, used by publishers, booksellers and libraries for ordering, listing and stock control purposes. It enables them to identify a particular publisher and allows the publisher to identify a specific edition of a specific title in a specific format within their output.
Contact details
Nielsen ISBN Agency for UK and Ireland
3rd Floor, Midas House, 62 Goldsworth Road, Woking GU21 6LQ
tel (01483) 712200
email isbn.agency@nielsen.com
website www.nielsenisbnstore.com
What is the format of an ISBN?
ISBNs were ten digits long until 2007, when a new global standard, using 13 digits, was introduced. Under the system which started on 1 January 2007, the 13 digits are always divided into five parts, separated by spaces or hyphens. The four parts following the prefix element can be of varying length and are as shown below.
• Prefix element: for the foreseeable future this will be 978 or 979
• Registration group element: identifies a national, geographic, or national grouping. It shows where the publisher is based
• Registrant element: identifies a specific publisher or imprint
• Publication element: identifies a specific edition of a specific title in a specific format
• Check digit: the final digit which mathematically validates the rest of the number
Following the change on 1 January 2007 existing ten-digit numbers must be converted by prefixing them with ‘978’ and the check digit must be recalculated using a Modulus 10 system with alternate weights of 1 and 3. The ISBN Agency can help you with this.
Do I to have an ISBN?
There is no legal requirement in the UK and Ireland for an ISBN and it conveys no form of legal or copyright protection. It is simply a product identification number.
Why should I use an ISBN?
If you wish to sell your publication through major bookselling chains, independent bookshops or internet booksellers, they will require you to have an ISBN to assist their internal processing and ordering systems.
The ISBN also provides access to bibliographic databases, such as the Nielsen Book Database, which use ISBNs as references. These databases help booksellers and libraries to provide information for customers. Nielsen Book has a range of information, electronic trading and retail sales monitoring services which use ISBNs and are vital for the dissemination, trading and monitoring of books in the supply chain. The ISBN therefore provides access to additional marketing opportunities which could help sales of your product.
Where can I get an ISBN?
ISBNs are assigned to publishers in the country where where the publisher’s main office is based. This is irrespective of the language of the publication or the intended market for the book.
The ISBN Agency is the national agency for the UK and Republic of Ireland and British Overseas Territories. A publisher based elsewhere will not be able to get numbers from the UK Agency (even if you are a British Citizen) but can contact the Nielsen ISBN Agency for details of the relevant national Agency.
Who is eligible for ISBNs?
Any publisher who is publishing a qualifying product for general sale or distribution to the market. By publishing we mean making a work available to the public.
What is a publisher?
The publisher is generally the person or organisation taking the financial and other risks in making a product available. For example, if a product goes on sale and sells no copies at all, the publisher loses money. If you get paid anyway, you are likely to be a designer, printer, author or consultant of some kind.
How long does it take to get an ISBN?
You can purchase ISBNs online from the Nielsen ISBN Store (www.nielsenisbnstore.com) and you will receive your ISBN allocation within minutes. If you are purchasing ISBNs direct from the ISBN Agency via an offline application, it can take up to five days, but there is a Fast-Track service of three working day processing period. The processing period begins when a correctly completed application is received in the ISBN Agency and payment is received.
How much does it cost to get an ISBN?
Refer to www.nielsenisbnstore.com or email the ISBN Agency: isbn.agency@nielsen.com.
ISBNs can now be bought individually or in blocks of ten; please go to the ISBN Store: www.nielsenisbnstore.com.
Which products do NOT qualify for ISBNs?
Any publication that is without a defined end should not be assigned an ISBN. For example, publications that are regularly updated and intended to continue indefinitely (such as journals, serials, magazines, newspapers, updating loose-leafs, updating websites) are ineligible for ISBN. Some examples of products that do not qualify for ISBN are:
• Journals, periodicals, serials, newspapers in their entirety (single issues or articles, where these are made available separately, may qualify for ISBN)
• Abstract entities such as textual works and other abstract creations of intellectual or artistic content
• Ephemeral printed materials such as advertising matter and the like
• Customised print-on-demand publications (Publications that are available only on a limited basis, such as customised print on demand publications with content specifically tailored to a user’s request shall not be assigned an ISBN. If a customised publication is being made available for wider sale, e.g. as a college course pack available through a college book store, then an ISBN may be assigned)
• Printed music
• Art prints and art folders without title page and text
• Personal documents (such as a curriculum vitae or personal profile)
• Greetings cards
• Music sound recordings
• Software that is intended for any purpose other than educational or instructional
• Electronic bulletin boards
• Emails and other digital correspondence
• Updating websites
• Games
• Non text-based publications
Following a review of the UK market, it is now permissible for ISBNs to be assigned to calendars and diaries, provided that they are not intended for purely time-management purposes and that a substantial proportion of their content is textual or graphic.
What is an ISSN?
An International Standard Serial Number. This is the numbering system for journals, magazines, periodicals, newspapers and newsletters. It is administered by the British Library, tel (01937) 546959; email issn-uk@bl.uk; website www.bl.uk/bibliographic/issn.html
How do I contact the ISBN Agency?
Registration Agencies: ISBN Agency; tel (01483) 712215; fax (01483) 712214; email isbn.agency@nielsen.com
See literary agent.
aggregator
A company or website that gathers together related content from a range of other sources and provides various different services and resources, such as formatting and distribution, to ebook authors.
art editor
A person in charge of the layout and design of a magazine, who commissions the photographs and illustrations and is responsible for its overall appearance and style.
author
A person who has written a book, article, or other piece of original writing.
book packager
See packager.
columnist
A person who regularly writes an article for publication in a newspaper or magazine.
commissioning editor
A person who asks authors to write books for the part of the publisher’s list for which he or she is responsible or who takes on an author who approaches them direct or via an agent with a proposal. Also called acquisitions editor or acquiring editor (more commonly in the USA). A person who signs up writers (commissions them to write) an article for a magazine or newspaper. See here.
contributor
A person who writes an article that is included in a magazine or paper, or who writes a chapter or section that is included in a book.
copy-editor
A person whose job is to check material ready for printing for accuracy, clarity of message, writing style and consistency of typeface, punctuation and layout. Sometimes called a desk editor. See here.
distributor
Acts as a link between the publisher and retailer. The distributor can receive orders from retailers, ship books, invoice, collect revenue and deal with returns.
Distributors often handle books from several publishers. Digital distributors handle ebook distribution.
editor
A person in charge of publishing a newspaper or magazine who makes the final decisions about the content and format. A person in book publishing who has responsibility for the content of a book and can be variously a senior person (editor-in-chief) or day-to-day contact for authors (copy-editor, development editor, commissioning editor, etc). See here.
editorial assistant
A person who assists senior editorial staff at a publishing company, newspaper, or similar business with various administrative duties, as well as editorial tasks in preparing copy for publication.
illustrator
A person who designs and draws a visual rendering of the source material, such as characters or settings, in a 2D media. Using traditional or digital methods, an illustrator creates artwork manually rather than photographically.
journalist
A person who prepares and writes material for a newspaper or magazine, news website, television or radio programme, or any similar medium.
literary agent
Somebody whose job is to negotiate publishing contracts, involving royalties, advances and rights sales on behalf of an author and who earns commission on the proceeds of the sales they negotiate. See here; here; here.
literary scout
A person who looks for unpublished manuscripts to recommend to clients for publication as books, or adaptation into film scripts, etc.
marketing department
The department that originates the sales material – catalogues, order forms, blads, samplers, posters, book proofs and advertisements – to promote titles published. See here.
packager
A company that creates a finished book for a publisher. See here.
picture researcher
A person who looks for pictures relevant to a particular topic, so that they can be used as illustrations in, for example, a book, newspaper or TV programme.
printer
A person or company whose job is to produce printed books, magazines, newspapers or similar material. The many stages in this process include establishing the product specifications, preparing the pages for print, operating the printing presses, and binding and finishing of the final product.
production controller
A person in the production department of a publishing company who deals with printers and other suppliers. See here.
production department
The department responsible for the technical aspects of planning and producing material for publication to a schedule and as specified by the client. Their work involves liaising with editors, designers, typesetters, printers and binders.
proofreader
A person whose job is to proofread texts to check typeset page presentation and text for errors and to mark up corrections. See here.
publicity department
The department that works with the author and the media on ‘free’ publicity – e.g. reviews, features, author interviews, bookshop readings and signings, festival appearances, book tours and radio and TV interviews – when a book is published.
publisher
A person or company that publishes books, magazines and/or newspapers. See here.
rights manager
A person who negotiates and coordinates rights sales (e.g. for subsidiary, translation or foreign rights). Often travels to book fairs to negotiate rights sales.
sales department
The department responsible for selling and marketing the publications produced by a publishing company, to bring about maximum sales and profit. Its tasks include identifying physical and digital outlets, ensuring orders and supplies of stock, and organising advertising campaigns and events.
sub-editor
A person who corrects and checks articles in a newspaper before they are printed. See here.
translator
A person who translates copy, such as a manuscript, from one language into another. See here.
typesetter
A person or company that ‘sets’ text and prepares the final layout of the page for printing. It can also now involve XML tagging for ebook creation. See here.
vanity publisher
A publisher who charges an author a fee in order to publish his or her work for them, and is not responsible for selling the product. See here.
web content manager
A person who controls the type and quality of material shown on a website or blog and is responsible for how it is produced, organised, presented and updated.
wholesaler
A person or company that buys large quantities of books, magazines, etc from publishers, transports and stores them, and then sells them in smaller quantities to many different retailers.
David Taylor explains how print on demand is keeping books alive.
What is ‘print on demand’?
Ever since mankind first started committing words to a physical form of delivery, whether on wood, stone, papyrus, illuminated text or moveable type, the method of supplying these for sale has largely followed a similar pattern: produce first and then sell. Of course, the risk in this is that the publisher can overproduce or underproduce. Overproduction means that the publisher has cash tied up in books that are waiting to be sold. Underproduction means that the publisher has run out and sales are being missed because the book is not available to buy.
If you walk around any publisher’s distribution centre you will see huge quantities of printed books that are awaiting sale, representing large amounts of cash tied up in physical inventory. This is often referred to as ‘speculative inventory’ because the publisher has printed the books in anticipation of selling them. One of the hardest decisions that a publisher has to make is how many copies of a title to print upon publication; equally hard is how many to reprint if the initial print run is sold. Get these wrong and it can cost the publisher dearly and, in some extreme cases, prove mortal to the business.
For others in the supply chain, this model is also deeply flawed. The author whose title sells well can fall into the limbo of ‘out of stock’ pending a reprint decision by the publisher. The bookseller, who has orders for a title but cannot supply them, also loses sales and disappoints customers. In some cases, those orders are of the moment and when that moment passes, so does the sale. Last but by no means least, the book buyer is frustrated as they are unable to buy the book that they wish to read.
The supply model is also famously inefficient, characterised as it is by large amounts of speculative stock being printed, transported, stored in warehouses, transported again, returned from the bookseller if it does not sell and, in many cases, being pulped. Not only is this commercially inefficient, it is also environmentally costly, involving large amounts of energy being used to print and transport books that may end their life as landfill.
In the mid-1990s, developments in the then emerging field of digital printing started to hold out the possibility that this traditional ‘print first then sell’ model might be changed to a more commercially attractive ‘sell first and then print’ model. Such a supply model was premised upon a number of things coming together.
• First, the technology of digital printing advanced to the stage where simple text-based books could be produced to a standard that was acceptable to publishers in terms of quality.
• Second, the speed of digital presses advanced so that a book could be produced upon the receipt of an order and supplied back to the customer within an acceptable timeframe.
• Third, models started to emerge which married these digital printing capabilities to wholesaling and book distribution networks such that books could be stored digitally, offered for sale to the market with orders being fulfilled on a ‘print-on-demand’ (POD) basis from a virtual warehouse rather than a physical warehouse full of speculative inventory. This hybrid model requires a highly sophisticated IT infrastructure to allow the swift routing and batching of orders to digital print engines so that genuine single copy orders can be produced ‘on demand’.
The first mover in developing this model was the US book wholesaler Ingram Book Group which, in 1997, installed a digital print line in one of their giant book wholesaling warehouses and offered a service to US publishers called Lightning Print. This service presented to publishers the option of allowing Ingram to hold their titles in a digital format, offer them for sale via Ingram’s vast network of bookselling customers and print the title when it was ordered. In addition, the publisher could order copies for their own purposes.
Nineteen years on, Lightning Source, which operates as the POD service for what has now become Ingram Content Group, has operations in the USA, the UK, Australia, a joint venture with Hachette in France, a research and training facility in Germany and agreements with POD vendors in Brazil, Russia, Poland, South Korea, China, India, Italy and Germany. Lightning Source prints millions of books from a digital library of 14 million titles from tens of thousands of publishers. The average print run per order is less than two copies.
POD service companies
Digital printing technology has developed at a staggering pace and the quality of digitally printed titles is now almost indistinguishable from titles printed using offset machines. The new generation of ink jet digital print engines are now established in the market and have taken the quality of digitally printed books to the next level, especially for full-colour titles. Speed of production has also improved at amazing rates. For example, Lightning Source now produces books on demand for Ingram customers within four hours of receiving the order, thereby allowing orders to be shipped within 24 hours to the bookseller. Ingram also recently acquired some robotic technology, taking the POD model to a true status of virtual wholesaler. Ingram’s fourth American POD facility opened in California in late 2014 and deploys this next generation of capability.
The number and types of players in the POD market continues to expand. In the UK, Antony Rowe established a POD operation in partnership with the UK’s biggest book wholesaler, Gardners, in early 2000. Antony Rowe’s POD facility supplies orders on demand for Gardner’s bookselling customers using a very similar model to that of Ingram and Lightning Source in the USA. Other UK printers have been scrambling to enter the fast-growing POD space with significant investments being made in digital printing equipment. Rather ironically, the arrival of the ebook is fuelling the growth of POD as publishers move more titles into shorter print runs or opt to operate from a virtual stock position as they attempt to cope with the shift from ‘p’ to ‘e’. The last thing a publisher wants is a warehouse full of titles that are selling faster in an ‘e’ format. Publishers are increasingly moving to a ‘p’ and ‘e’ model of supply and using POD to offer a print alternative as well as an ‘e’ version.
In Germany, the book wholesaler Libri has a POD operation, Books on Demand, which also offers a self-publishing service to authors (see Self-publishing for beginners on here). Lightning Source and Antony Rowe deal only with publishers. Books on Demand have recently extended their offer into both France and the Netherlands and have an arrangement with Ingram so that their self-published authors can use the Lightning Source network to get their titles into North America, the UK and Australia. In the French market, the joint venture between Lightning Source and Hachette Livre and the arrival of the genuine single copy POD model has fuelled the growth of French self-publishing businesses which previously lacked this supply model.
In the Australian market, the arrival of Lightning Source in mid-2011 has had a dramatic impact on Australian self-publishing companies. Now that they have a POD model in their market, they are actively growing their title base and are able to offer Australian authors easy access to a global selling network in addition to local services. One of the most significant moves in this area was the purchase in 2005 by Amazon of a small US POD business called Booksurge. Like Libri’s Books on Demand model, Amazon also offers a self-publishing service to authors and is actively leveraging its dominance of the internet bookselling market to develop innovative packages for authors via this model and their CreateSpace brand. The consensus within the book trade appears to be that Amazon sees POD as a very important part of the way in which they manage their supply chain and as a key opportunity to improve service levels to their customers. Amazon is now also a publisher in the traditional sense of the word and is using its own POD service to support the availability of many of these titles within their supply chain. In the wider world, traditional publishing and self-publishing did seem to be moving ever closer together as witnessed by the rather surprising purchase in 2012 by Penguin of Author Solutions, which was at the time probably the largest self-publishing company in the market. However, in 2016 Penguin Random House sold Author Solutions to private investors, so perhaps the trend is now moving the other way. Time will tell.
Elsewhere in the world, there are emerging POD supply models in an increasing number of countries including South America, India, China, Japan and Europe. Self-publishing in India is especially vibrant. Ingram is actively building supply partnerships with many of these organisations via its Global Connect programme, thereby offering publishers and authors an increasingly global option to make their books available on demand to their readers.
As digital print technology has improved, many traditional book printers have tried to enter this market and offer POD. However, without significant investment in the IT infrastructure needed to deliver single copy production at scale and speed and without allying that capability to an established book distribution or wholesaling network, many of these offers are effectively ultra short-run printing offers and cannot replicate the genuine POD supply model of a single copy printed when an order is received. Increasingly, as well, that supply model needs to be built on a global scale to offer authors and publishers the maximum exposure for their titles.
What POD means for self-published authors
POD is impacting aspiring and published authors in different ways. The existence of POD has led to a whole set of new publishing models and platforms. Removing the need to carry speculative inventory has reduced the barriers to entry for organisations which want to enter the publishing space. For example, in the US market, Ingram’s Lightning Source supply model has enabled a large number of self-publishing companies to flourish and to offer aspiring authors a wide range of services to get their work into print. These companies will typically use a POD service to do the physical printing and distribution of a title, and also use them to list the titles for sale via book wholesalers like Amazon and Gardners, internet booksellers like Amazon, and physical bookshop chains such as Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. Authors may also have the opportunity to order copies of their own titles. They would also offer the aspiring author a set of support services covering editorial, marketing, design, etc. See Editorial services and self-publishing providers on here. In addition, in 2013, Ingram launched a new platform called IngramSpark, specifically designed to help self-publishers with POD (via Lightning Source) as well as ebook distribution. IngramSpark makes it easy to upload POD and ebook formats and then make those formats available to Ingram’s 39,000 global retail and library partners.
No longer does an author wanting to self-publish have to commit upfront to buying thousands of copies of his or her title. The previously mentioned self-publishing organisations are large, sophisticated and have many tens of thousands of authors whose books are available for sale in mainstream book reselling outlets. In addition, traditional publishers who have historically been a little snooty about self-published books now view them in a slightly different light, perhaps as a less risky way of testing the market with new authors who are willing to pay for the privilege of being published. They trawl self-published titles for potential: there have been several well-publicised cases of authors who started out by self-publishing before being picked up by one of the established publishing houses (e.g. E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey).
The published author
The POD picture for the published author is a little more mixed. There is no doubt that traditional publishers are engaging more than ever before with the benefits that POD brings. The ability to reduce speculative inventory or get out of it completely, to ensure that sales are not missed, to reduce the risk of getting a reprint decision wrong, and even to bring titles back to life from the out-of-print graveyard, are all very attractive financial propositions. For the author who has a book already published, POD means sales are not missed and therefore royalties are forthcoming. Many books can languish in ‘reprint under consideration’ limbo for years: POD removes that category and ensures that books are available for sale. Probably the thorniest issue is around the decision to put a book out of print and here most author contracts have simply not caught up with the new technologies. Some contracts still require that the publisher has to keep physical inventory of a title to show that it is in print, yet many millions of books are in print and there is no physical inventory held anywhere. An author may therefore find their title being put out of print because of such a clause even though the publisher is willing to keep it in print but does not want to keep speculative inventory before an order is received.
The flip side of this, of course, is that a publisher might use POD to retain the rights to the title by printing a small amount of inventory when really the best thing for the author might be to allow the title to go out of print and get the rights back. There have been many cases where rights have reverted to the author who has then either set himself up as an independent publishing company or utilised the services of one of the self-publishing companies mentioned earlier. There have also been examples of literary agents using POD to offer a new publishing service to authors who may have the rights as the title has gone out of print at their original publisher.
In conclusion, the advice for both aspiring authors and published authors is to do your homework. For an aspiring author, look carefully at the various self-publishing organisations out there and do your sums. Are you better off using them or do you want to set up your own publishing company? For published authors, take a long hard look at how your contract defines ‘out of print’. The old definition was typically based on ‘no physical copies in existence’: POD has made that irrelevant and your contract should reflect these new realities if you are to take full advantage of them.
And finally, here is one of the most delicious ironies of this whole model. The death of the physical book has been predicted many times now that we live in a digital age. POD has digital technology at its core and yet it is giving life to one of the oldest products on the planet: the paper book. POD is set to be at the heart of the way in which paper books are published, printed and distributed for many years to come. Without this new model, there would be far fewer books available to buy and read and I, for one, think that the world would be a duller place for that.
David Taylor has worked in the book trade since 1983 and spent most of his time in bookselling. He has worked at Ingram Content Group since 2003 and is currently Senior Vice President, Content Acquisition International, Ingram Content Group and Group Managing Director, Lightning Source UK Ltd. He is also Director of Lightning Source Australia and President of Lightning Source France.
See also…
• News, views and trends: review of the year 2016-17, here.
• Electronic publishing, here
Under the PLR system, payment is made from public funds to authors (writers, illustrators/photographers, translators, adapters/retellers, ghostwriters, editors/compilers/abridgers/revisers, narrators and producers) whose books (print, audiobook and ebook) are lent from public libraries. Payment is annual; the amount authors receive is proportionate to the number of times that their books were borrowed during the previous year (July to June).
How the system works
From the applications received, the PLR office compiles a computerised register of authors and books. A representative sample of book issues is recorded, consisting of all loans from selected public libraries. This is then multiplied in proportion to total library lending to produce, for each book, an estimate of its total annual loans throughout the country. Each year the computer compares the register with the estimated loans to discover how many loans are credited to each registered book for the calculation of PLR payments, using the ISBN printed in the book (see below).
Parliament allocates a sum each year (£6.6 million for 2016/17) for PLR. This fund pays the administrative costs of PLR and reimburses local authorities for recording loans in the sample libraries (see below). The remaining money is divided by the total registered loan figure in order to work out how much can be paid for each estimated loan of a registered book.
Since July 2014 the UKPLR legislation has been extended to include public library loans of audiobooks (‘talking books’) and ebooks downloaded to library premises for taking away as loans (‘on-site’ ebook loans).
Furth Further information information
Public Lending Right
PLR Office, Richard House, Sorbonne Close, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6DA
tel (01642) 604699
websites www.bl.uk/plr, www.plr.uk.com, www.plrinternational.com
Contact PLR Business Manager
The UK PLR scheme is administered by the British Library from its offices in Stockton-on-Tees (the ‘PLR office’). The UK PLR office also provides registration for the Irish PLR scheme on behalf of the Irish Public Lending Remuneration office.
Application forms, information and publications are all obtainable from the PLR Office. See website for further information on eligibility for PLR, loans statistics and forthcoming developments.
British Library Advisory Committee for Public
Advises the British Library Board, the PLR Business Manager and the PLR Head of Policy and Engagement on the operation and future development of the PLR scheme.
Limits on payments
If all the registered interests in an author’s books score so few loans that they would earn less than £1 in a year, no payment is due. However, if the books of one registered author score so high that the author’s PLR earnings for the year would exceed £6,600, then only £6,600 is paid. (No author can earn more than £6,600 in PLR in any one year.) Money that is not paid out because of these limits belongs to the fund and increases the amounts paid that year to other authors.
The sample
Because it would be expensive and impracticable to attempt to collect loans data from every library authority in the UK, a statistical sampling method is employed instead. The sample represents only public lending libraries – academic, school, private and commercial libraries are not included. Only books which are loaned from public libraries can earn PLR; consultations of books on library premises are excluded.
The sample consists of the entire loans records for a year from libraries in more than 30 public library authorities spread through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Sample loans represent around 20% of the national total. All the computerised sampling points in an authority contribute loans data (‘multi-site’ sampling). The aim is to increase the sample without any significant increase in costs. In order to counteract sampling error, libraries in the sample change every three to four years. Loans are totalled every 12 months for the period 1 July–30 June.
An author’s entitlement to PLR depends on the loans accrued by his or her books in the sample. This figure is averaged up to produce first regional and then finally national estimated loans.
ISBNs
The PLR system uses ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) to identify books lent and correlate loans with entries on the PLR Register so that payments can be made. ISBNs are required for all registrations. Different editions (e.g. 1st, 2nd, hardback, paperback, large print) of the same book have different ISBNs. See FAQs about ISBNs on here.
Authorship
In the PLR system the author of a printed book or ebook is the writer, illustrator, translator, compiler, editor or reviser. Authors must be named on the book’s title page, or be able to prove authorship by some other means (e.g. receipt of royalties). The ownership of copyright has no bearing on PLR eligibility. Narrators, producers and abridgers are also eligible to apply for PLR shares in audiobooks.
Co-authorship/illustrators. In the PLR system the authors of a book are those writers, translators, editors, compilers and illustrators as defined above. Authors must apply for registration before their books can earn PLR and this can be done via the PLR website. There is no restriction on the number of authors who can register shares in any one book as long as they satisfy the eligibility criteria.
Summary of the 34th year’s results
Registration: authors. When registration closed for the 34th year (30 June 2015) there were 59,156 authors and assignees.
Eligible loans. The loans from UK libraries credited to registered books – approximately 45% of all library borrowings – qualify for payment. The remaining loans relate to books that are ineligible for various reasons, to books written by dead or foreign authors, and to books that have simply not been applied for.
Money and payments. PLR’s administrative costs are deducted from the fund allocated to the British Library Board annually by Parliament. Total government funding for 2016/17 was £6.6 million. The amount distributed to authors was just over £6 million. The Rate per Loan for 2016/17 was 7.82 pence.
The numbers of authors in various payment categories are as follows:
*305 | payments at | £5,000–6,600 |
356 | payments between | £2,500–4,999.99 |
792 | payments between | £1,000–2,499.99 |
863 | payments between | £500–999.99 |
3,232 | payments between | £100–499.99 |
16,654 | payments between | £1–99.99 |
22,202 | TOTAL |
* Includes 205 authors whose book loans reached the maximum threshold
Writers and/or illustrators. At least one must be eligible and they must jointly agree what share of PLR each will take based on contribution. This agreement is necessary even if one or two are ineligible or do not wish to register for PLR. The eligible authors will receive the share(s) specified in the application.
Translators. Translators may apply, without reference to other authors, for a 30% fixed share (to be divided equally between joint translators).
Editors and compilers. An editor or compiler may apply, either with others or without reference to them, to register a 20% share. An editor must have written at least 10% of the book’s content or more than ten pages of text in addition to normal editorial work and be named on the title page. Alternatively, editors may register 20% if they have a royalty agreement with the publisher. The share of joint editors/compilers is 20% in total to be divided equally. An application from an editor or compiler to register a greater percentage share must be accompanied by supporting documentary evidence of actual contribution.
Audiobooks. PLR shares in audiobooks are fixed by the UK scheme and may not be varied. Writers may register a fixed 60% share in an audiobook, providing that it has not been abridged or translated. In cases where the writer has made an additional contribution (e.g. as narrator), he/she may claim both shares. Narrators may register a fixed 20% PLR share in an audiobook. Producers may register a fixed 20% share in an audiobook. Abridgers (in cases where the writer’s original text has been abridged prior to recording as an audiobook) qualify for 12% (20% of the writer’s share). Translators (in cases where the writer’s original text has been translated from another language) qualify for 18% (30% of the writer’s share). If there is more than one writer, narrator, etc the appropriate shares should be divided equally. If more than one contribution has been made, e.g. writer and narrator, more than one fixed share may be applied for.
Most borrowed authors
Children’s authors |
Authors of adult fiction |
1Julia Donaldson 2Daisy Meadows 3Roderick Hunt 4Francesca Simon 5Adam Blade 6Jacqueline Wilson 7Roald Dahl 8Fiona Watt 9Michael Morpurgo 10Lucy Cousins 11David Walliams 12Jeff Kinney 13Enid Blyton 14Holly Webb 15Claire Freedman 16Jeanne Willis 17Mick Inkpen 18Giles Andreae 19Terry Deary 20Eric Hill |
1James Patterson 2M.C. Beaton 3Nora Roberts 4Anna Jacobs 5Lee Child 6David Baldacci 7Danielle Steel 8Clive Cussler 9Michael Connolly 10John Grisham 11Peter James 12Harlan Coben 13Ann Cleeves 14Alexander McCall Smith 15Katie Flynn 16Ian Rankin 17J.D. Robb 18Jeffrey Archer 19Agatha Christie 20Susan Lewis |
These two lists are of the most borrowed authors in UK public libraries. They are based on PLR sample loans in the period July 2015–June 2016. They include all writers, both registered and unregistered, but not illustrators where the book has a separate writer. Writing names are used; pseudonyms have not been combined.
Please note that these top 20 listings are based on the February 2017 UK PLR payment calculations.
Dead or missing co-authors. Where it is impossible to agree shares with a co-author because that person is dead or untraceable, then the surviving co-author or co-authors may submit an application but must name the co-author and provide supporting evidence as to why that co-author has not agreed shares. The living co-author(s) will then be able to register a share in the book which reflects individual contribution. Providing permission is granted, the PLR Office can help to put co-authors (including illustrators) in touch with each other. Help is also available from publishers, writers’ organisations and the Association of Illustrators.
Life and death. First applications may not be made by the estate of a deceased author. However, if an author registers during their lifetime the PLR in their books can be transferred to a new owner and continues for up to 70 years after the date of their death. The new owner can apply to register new titles if first published one year before, or up to ten years after, the date of the author’s death. New editions of existing registered titles can also be registered posthumously.
Residential qualifications. PLR is open to authors living in the European Economic Area (i.e. EU member states plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland). A resident in these countries (for PLR purposes) must have their only or principal home there.
Eligible books
In the PLR system each edition of a book is registered and treated as a separate book. A book is eligible for PLR registration provided that:
• it has an eligible author (or co-author);
• it is printed and bound (paperbacks counting as bound);
• it has already been published;
• copies of it have been put on sale, i.e. it is not a free handout;
• the authorship is personal, i.e. not a company or association, and the book is not crown copyright;
• it has an ISBN;
• it is not wholly or mainly a musical score;
• it is not a newspaper, magazine, journal or periodical.
Audiobooks. An audiobook is defined as an ‘authored text’ or ‘a work recorded as a sound recording and consisting mainly of spoken words’. Applications can therefore only be accepted to register audiobooks which meet these requirements and are the equivalent of a printed book. Music, dramatisations and live recordings do not qualify for registration. To qualify for UK PLR in an audiobook contributors should be named on the case in which the audiobook is held; OR be able to refer to a contract with the publisher; OR be named within the audiobook recording.
Ebooks. At April 2017 only ebooks downloaded to fixed terminals in library premises and then taken away on loan on portable devices to be read elsewhere qualify for PLR payment. Information provided by libraries suggests that the vast majority of ebook and digital audio lending is carried out ‘remotely’ to home PCs and mobile devices, which means the loan did not qualify for PLR. That is not to say libraries will not make on-site lending available in the future. There is nothing to stop eligible contributors from registering their ebook and audio download editions for PLR, but it is unlikely at present that loans of this material will generate PLR earnings.
The extension of PLR to include remote ebook lending was introduced into the Digital Economy Bill in February 2017. If the Bill is passed it will then clear the way for PLR legislation to be extended to allow contributors to be paid on remote ebook loans in the same way as PLR is paid for loans of physical books. The PLR website will keep authors informed of progress of this legislation.
Statements and payment
Authors with an online account may view their statement online. Registered authors with-out an online account receive a statement posted to their address if a payment is due.
Sampling arrangements
To help minimise the unfairness that arises inevitably from a sampling system, the scheme specifies the eight regions within which authorities and sampling points have to be designated and includes libraries of varying size. Part of the sample drops out by rotation each year to allow fresh libraries to be included. The following library authorities were designated for the year beginning 1 July 2016 (all are multi-site authorities). This list is based on the nine government regions for England plus Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• East – Bedfordshire/Bedford, Norfolk
• London – Hillingdon, Luton, Southwark, Triborough Libraries (Hammersmith and Fulham/Kensington and Chelsea/Westminster)
• North East – North Tyneside, Sunderland
• North West & Merseyside – Blackpool, Cheshire East/Cheshire West/Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Stockport, Warrington
• South East – Hampshire, Kent
• South West – Bournemouth, Poole
• West Midlands – Worcestershire
• Yorkshire & The Humber – Barnsley
• Northern Ireland – The Northern Ireland Library Authority
• Scotland – Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, Highland, Midlothian
• Wales – Caerphilly, Ceredigion, Gwynedd.
Participating local authorities are reimbursed on an actual cost basis for additional expenditure incurred in providing loans data to the PLR Office. The extra PLR work mostly consists of modifications to computer programs to accumulate loans data in the local authority computer and to transmit the data to the PLR Office at Stockton-on-Tees.
Reciprocal arrangements
Reciprocal PLR arrangements now exist with the German, Dutch, Austrian and other European PLR schemes. Authors can apply for overseas PLR for most of these countries through the ALCS ( Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society) (see here). The exception to this rule is Ireland. Authors should now register for Irish PLR through the UK PLR Office. Further information on PLR schemes internationally and recent developments within the EC towards wider recognition of PLR is available from the PLR Office or on the international PLR website.
Book publishers UK and Ireland
*Member of the Publishers Association or Publishing Scotland
†Member of the Irish Book Publishers’ Association
There are changes to listings in this section every year – publishers ceasing to exist, new ones emerging and others merging with each other. We aim to provide a comprehensive list of publishing imprints, the name or brand under which a specific set of titles are sold by a publisher. Any one publisher might have several imprints, for example Bloomsbury publishes cookery books under the Absolute Press imprint and nautical books under Adlard Coles. The imprint usually appears on the spine of a book. Imprints are included either under a publisher’s main entry or in some cases as an entry itself. Information is provided in a way that is of most use to a reader. The subject indexes which start on here, list publishers and imprints for different genres and forms of writing. The listings that follow are updated by the Writers’ & Artists’ editors based on information supplied by those listed.
AA Publishing
AA Media Ltd, Fanum House, Basing View, Basingstoke, Hants RG21 4EA
tel (01256) 491524
email aapublish@theaa.com
website www.theAA.com
Directors Helen Brocklehurst (head of AA Media), Nathan Clark (production), Steve Wing (mapping & digital services), Simon Willis, (sales), Chris Webb (marketing)
Atlases, maps, leisure interests, travel including City Packs and AA Guides. Founded 1910.
Abacus – see Little, Brown Book Group
Absolute Press – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Academic Press – see Elsevier Ltd
ACC Art Books Ltd
Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4SD
tel (01394) 389950
email uksales@accpublishinggroup.com
website www.accartbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ACCPublishing
Twitter @ACCPublishing
Publisher James Smith
World renowned publisher and distributor of definitive books on art, photography, decorative arts, fashion, gardening, design and architecture. Founded 1966.
Acorn Editions – see James Clarke & Co. Ltd
Airlife Publishing – see The Crowood Press
Akasha Publishing Ltd
20–22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU
tel 07939 927281
email info@akashapublishing.co.uk
website www.akashapublishing.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/akashapublishing
Twitter @Akashic84
Director Segun Magbagbeola
Trade (fiction and non-fiction), African and Caribbean interest, fantasy/sci-fi, spirituality, metaphysical, Mind, Body & Spirit, ancient and classical history, alternative history, mythology, children’s, Nuwaubian books, biographies and autobiographies. Currently accepting submissions. Founded 2012.
Ian Allan Publishing Ltd
Heritage House, 52–54 Hamm Moor Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2SF
tel (01932) 834950
email lewismasonic@gmail.com
website wwww.lewismasonic.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/IanAllanPublishing
Twitter @ianallanbooks
Managing Director Nick Lerwill, General Manager Martin Faulks
Lewis Masonic is the oldest Masonic imprint in the world. The company has been part of Ian Allan Publishing since 1973 and continues to produce Masonic books and rituals as well as the quarterly magazine The Square. Founded 1886.
J.A. Allen
The Crowood Press Ltd, The Stable Block, Crowood Lane, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2HR
tel (01672) 520320
email enquiries@crowood.com
website www.crowood.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/JAAllenpublishers
Twitter @allenbooks
Publisher Lesley Gowers
Horse care and equestrianism including breeding, racing, polo, jumping, eventing, dressage, management, carriage driving, breeds, horse industry training, veterinary and farriery. Books usually commissioned but willing to consider any serious, specialist MSS on the horse and related subjects. Imprint of The Crowood Press (here). Founded 1926.
Allen Lane – see Penguin General Books Allison & Busby Ltd
12 Fitzroy Mews, London W1T 6DW
tel 020–7580 1080
email susie@allisonandbusby.com
website www.allisonandbusby.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/allisonandbusbybooks
Twitter @allisonandbusby
Publishing Director Susie Dunlop, Publishing Manager Lesley Crooks, Head of Sales Daniel Scott see Pearson UK
Fiction, general non-fiction, young adult and preschool. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1967.
Allyn & Bacon see Pearson UK
Alma Books
3 Castle Yard, Richmond TW10 6TF
tel 020–8940 6917
website www.almabooks.co.uk
website www.almaclassics.com
Directors Alessandro Gallenzi, Elisabetta Minervini
Contemporary literary fiction, non-fiction, European classics, poetry, drama, art, literary, music and social criticism, biography and autobiography, essays, humanities and social sciences. No unsolicited MSS. Inquiry letters must include a sae. Series include: Alma Classics, Overture Opera Guides, Calder Collection. Around 40% English-language originals, 60% translations. Founded 2005.
The Alpha Press – see Sussex Academic Press Amazon Publishing
60 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2FD
tel 0843 504 0495
email amazonpublishing-pr@amazon.com
website www.amazon.com/l/16144524011
Publishers Mikyla Bruder, David Blum
Amazon Publishing is the full-service publishing arm of Amazon. Imprints: Amazon Encore, Amazon Crossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, Montlake Romance, Grand Harbor Press, Little A, Jet City Comics, Two Lions, Skyscrape, Lake Union Publishing, Story Front, Waterfall Press, Kindle Press. Also publishes ebooks via its Kindle Direct publishing platform. Currently not accepting unsolicited MSS. Founded 2009.
Amberley Publishing
The Hill, Stroud, Glos. GL5 4EP
tel (01453) 847800
email info@amberley-books.com
website www.amberley-books.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/amberleybooks
Twitter @amberleybooks
Chief Executive Nick Hayward, Publishing Director Jonathan Jackson, Head Of Sales Kevin Paul
General history and local interest; specialisations include transport (railways, road transport, canals, maritime), industry, sport, biography and military history. Founded 2008.
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
tel 029–2057 3248
email post@museumwales.ac.uk
website www.museumwales.ac.uk
Twitter @AmgueddfaBooks
Head of Publishing Mari Gordon
Books based on the collections and research of Amgueddfa Cymru for adults, schools and children, in both Welsh and English.
And Other Stories
88 Easton Street, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP11 1LT
email info@andotherstories.org
website www.andotherstories.org/about/contact-us
Facebook www.facebook.com/AndOtherStoriesBooks
Twitter @andothertweets
Publisher Stefan Tobler
Contemporary literary fiction and non-fiction from around the world. Has an open submissions policy. But has strict submissions guidelines. Please read carefully before submitting: www.andotherstories.org/about/contact-us/. Submissions not complying with these guidelines will be disregarded. Founded 2011.
Andersen Press Ltd
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8703 (editorial), 020–78408701 (general)
email anderseneditorial@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
website www.andersenpress.co.uk
Managing Director Mark Hendle, Publisher Klaus Flugge, Directors Philip Durrance, Joëlle Flugge, Libby Hamilton (editorial picture books), Charlie Sheppard (editorial fiction), Sarah Pakenham (rights)
Children’s books: picture books, fiction for 5–8 and 9–12 years and young adult fiction. Will consider unsolicited MSS. Include sae and allow three months for response. For novels, send three sample chapters and a synopsis only. No poetry or short stories. Do not send MSS via email. Founded 1976.
The Angels’ Share – see Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd
Anness Publishing
Head office 108 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NA
email info@anness.com
Distributed by Marton Book Services, 160 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, Oxford OX14 4SB
website www.annesspublishing.com
Managing Director Paul Anness, Publisher Joanna Lorenz
Practical illustrated books on lifestyle, cookery, crafts, reference, gardening, health and children’s non-fiction. Imprints include: Lorenz Books, Armadillo, Southwater, Peony Press, Hermes House and Practical Pictures (www.practicalpictures.com).
Founded 1988.
Appletree Press Ltd†
164 Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5LL
tel 028–9024 3074
email reception@appletree.ie
website www.appletree.ie
Director John Murphy
Gift books, guidebooks, history, Irish interest, Scottish interest, photography, sport, travel. Founded 1974.
Arc Publications
Nanholme Mill, Shaw Wood Road, Todmorden, Lancs. OL14 6DA
tel (01706) 812338
email arc.publications@btconnect.com
website www.arcpublications.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/arcpublications
Twitter @arc_poetry
Directors Tony Ward (founder & managing editor), Angela Jarman (publisher & editor of Arc Music);
Editors James Byrne (international), Jean Boase-Beier (translation), John W. Clarke (UK & Ireland), Ben Styles (digital editor)
Specialises in contemporary poetry and neglected work from the past: poetry from the UK and Ireland; world poetry in English; and bilingual translations mainly from the smaller languages (individual poets and anthologies). Imprints: Arc Publications and Arc Music. Refer to website for current publication list/catalogue and submissions policy. Email editors at: editorarcuk@btinternet.com. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1969.
Architectural Press – see Elsevier Ltd Arena Publishing
6 Southgate Green, Bury St. Edmunds IP33 2BL
tel (01284) 754123
email arenabooks@tiscali.co.uk
website www.arenabooks.co.uk
Director James Farrell
Publishers of quality fiction, travel, history and current affairs, also of specialised social science, politics, philosophy and academic dissertations suitable for transcribing into book format. Special interest in publishing books analysing the debt-fuelled financial crisis from a non-party standpoint. New authors welcome. IPG member.
The Armchair Traveller at the bookHaus Ltd
70 Cadogan Place, London SW1X 9AH
tel 020–7838 9055
email info@hauspublishing.com
website www.hauspublishing.com
Publisher Barbara Schwepcke
Publishes travel literature, the Literary Traveller series and the Armchair Traveller’s Histories series.
Arrow Books Ltd – see Cornerstone Ashgate Publishing Ltd – see Taylor & Francis Group
Ashmolean Museum Publications
Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH
tel (01865) 288070
email dec.mccarthy@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
website www.ashmolean.org
Contact Declan McCarthy
Publisher of exhibition catalogues, fine and applied art of Europe and Asia, archaeology, history, numismatics. Photographic archive and picture library. Museum founded 1683.
Atlantic Books
Ormond House, 26–27 Boswell Street, London WC1N 3JZ
tel 020–7269 1610
email enquiries@atlantic-books.co.uk
website http://atlantic-books.co.uk/
Ceo & Publisher Will Atkinson
Literary fiction, thrillers, history, current affairs, politics, reference, biography and memoir. Strictly no unsolicited submissions or proposals. In 2009 Atlantic Books entered a partnership with Australian publisher Allen & Unwin. Founded 2000.
Atlantic Europe Publishing Co. Ltd
The Barn, Bottom Farm, Bottom Lane, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG8 0NR
tel (01491) 684028
email info@atlanticeurope.com
website www.atlanticeurope.com
website www.curriculumvisions.com
Director Dr B.J. Knapp
Children’s primary school class books: science, geography, technology, mathematics, history, religious education. No MSS accepted by post; submit by email only, no attachments. Founded 1990.
Atrium – see Cork University Press
Attic Press – see Cork University Press
Castle Court, Castle-upon-Alun, St Bride’s Major, Vale of Glamorgan CF32 0TN
tel (01656) 880033
email info@aureus.co.uk
website www.aureus.co.uk
Director Meuryn Hughes
Rock and pop, autobiography, biography, sport; also music. Founded 1993.
Aurora Metro*
67 Grove Avenue, Twickenham TW1 4HX
tel 020–3261 0000
email info@aurorametro.com
website www.aurorametro.com
Managing Director Cheryl Robson
Adult fiction, young adult fiction, biography, drama (including plays for young people), non-fiction, theatre, cookery and translation. Submissions: send synopsis and three chapters as hard copy to: Submissions Editor, at address above. Biennial Competition for women novelists (odd years): The Virginia Prize For Fiction. Supernova Books publishes non-fiction titles on the arts, culture and biography.
Authentic Media Ltd
52 Presley Way, Milton Keynes MK8 0ES
tel (01908) 268500
email info@authenticmedia.co.uk
website www.authenticmedia.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/authenticmedia
Twitter @authenticmedia
General Manager Donna Harris
Biblical studies, Christian theology, ethics, history, mission, commentaries. Imprints: Paternoster, Authentic.
Avon – see HarperCollins Publishers
Award Publications Ltd
The Old Riding School, The Welbeck Estate, Worksop, Notts. S80 3LR
tel (01909) 478170
email info@awardpublications.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/awardpublications
Twitter @award_books
Children’s books: full-colour picture story books; early learning, information and activity books. No unsolicited material. Founded 1972.
Bernard Babani (publishing) Ltd
The Grampians, Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NF
tel 020–7603 2581/7296
email enquiries@babanibooks.com
website www.babanibooks.com
Director M.H. Babani
Practical handbooks on radio, electronics and computing. Founded 1942.
Bailliere Tindall – see Elsevier Ltd Bantam – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK Bantam Press – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK Barefoot Books Ltd
29/30 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6LQ
tel (01865) 311100
email help@barefootbooks.com
website www.barefootbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/barefootbooks
Twitter @BarefootBooks
Ceo Nancy Traversy, Group Operations Director Karen Janson, Senior Director of Product Development Stefanie Paige Wieder
Children’s picture books, apps and audiobooks: myth, legend, fairytale, cross-cultural stories. See website for submission guidelines. Founded 1993.
Barrington Stoke
18 Walker Street, Edinburgh EH3 7LP
tel 0131 225 4113
email info@barringtonstoke.co.uk
website www.barringtonstoke.co.uk
Chairman Ben Thomson,
Managing Director Mairi Kidd
Short fiction and non-fiction, specially adapted and presented for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers, aged 9–12 and 13+, with reading ages of 6–8. Short fiction (15,000 words) for adults with a reading age of 8. No picture books, no unsolicited submissions. Founded 1998.
Batsford – see Pavilion Books Bennion Kearny Ltd
6 Woodside, Churnet View Road, Oakamoor, Staffs. ST10 3AE
tel (01538) 703591
email info@BennionKearny.com
website www.BennionKearny.com
Publisher James Lumsden-Cook, Marketing Adam
Walters
Specialises in non-fiction, with an emphasis on sport, biography, STM, computing and business. Founded 2008.
Berg Publishers – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Berlitz Publishing – see Insight Guides/Berlitz Publishing
Palgrave Macmillan, The Macmillan Building, 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW
tel 020–7833 4000
email bfipublishing@palgrave.com
website www.palgrave.com/bfi
Head of Publishing Jenna Steventon
Film, TV and media studies; general, academic and educational resources on moving image culture.
Founded 1982.
Birlinn Ltd
West Newington House, 10 Newington Road, Edinburgh EH9 1QS
tel 0131 668 4371
email info@birlinn.co.uk
website www.birlinn.co.uk
Directors Hugh Andrew, Neville Moir, Jan
Rutherford, Andrew Simmons, Laura Poynton, Joanne Macleod
Scottish history, local interest/history, Scottish humour, guides, military, adventure, history, archaeology, sport, general non-fiction. Founded 1992.
Arena Sport
Sports Books.
BC Books
Children’s books, fiction and non-fiction. Birlinn eBooks
Founded 2011.
John Donald
Scottish academic titles.
Mercat Press
Walking guides.
Polygon
New international and Scottish fiction, poetry, short stories, popular Scottish and international general interest. No unsolicited poetry accepted.
A&C Black – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Black Ace Books
PO Box 7547, Perth PH2 1AU
tel (01821) 642822
website www.blackace.co.uk
Publisher Hunter Steele, Art, Publicity & Sales Director Boo Wood
Fiction, Scottish and general; new editions of outstanding recent fiction. Some biography, history, psychology and philosophy. No submissions without first visiting website for latest list details and requirements. Imprints: Black Ace Books, Black Ace Paperbacks. Founded 1991.
Black & White Publishing Ltd*
29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL
tel 0131 625 4500
email mail@blackandwhitepublishing.com
website www.blackandwhitepublishing.com
Directors Campbell Brown (managing), Alison McBride (publishing)
Non-fiction: general, sport, cookery, biography, humour, crime. Fiction: women’s fiction, contemporary, historical, psychological thrillers, crime, young adult (Ink Road imprint). Also publisher of Itchy Coo, The Broons and Oor Wullie books. New submissions should be sent via the website: http://blackandwhitepublishing.com/ submissions. Founded 1999.
Black Dog Publishing London UK
10A Acton Street, London WC1X 9NG
tel 020–7713 5097
email editorial@blackdogonline.com
website www.blackdogonline.com
Contemporary art, design, photography, music.
Black Lace – see Virgin Books (in partnership with Virgin Group), here Black Swan – see Transworld Publishers Blackstaff Press Ltd†
4D Weavers Court, Linfield Road, Belfast BT12 5GH
tel 028–9034-7510
email info@blackstaffpress.com
website www.blackstaffpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Blackstaffpressni
Twitter @BlackstaffNI
Managing Editor Patsy Horton
Local interest titles, particularly memoir, history and humour. See website for submission guidelines before sending material. Founded 1971.
Blackstone Press Ltd – see Oxford University Press Blackwater Press – see Folens Publishers John Blake Publishing Ltd
3 Bramber Court, 2 Bramber Road, London W14 9PB
tel 020–7381 0666
email help@johnblakebooks.com
website www.johnblakebooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/johnblakebooks
Twitter @jblakebooks
Publisher John Blake, Managing Director Rosie Virgo
Incorporating Metro Books, Blake Publishing, Dino Books, Independent Music Press and Max Crime and Smith Gryphon Ltd. Popular non-fiction, including biographies, true crime, food and drink, humour, health and lifestyle. Imprints include Dino Books and Music Press Books. No unsolicited fiction. Acquired by Bonnier Publishing in 2016. Founded 1991.
Blink Publishing
107–109 The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0SZ
tel 020–3770-8888
email info@blinkpublishing.co.uk
email submissions@blinkpublishing.co.uk
website www.blinkpublishing.co.uk
Directors Ben Dunn (managing), Lisa Hoare (communications), Karen Browning (publicity), Matthew Phillips (Blink Sport acquisitions)
Blink is an imprint focused on the world of commercial adult non-fiction. Blink General focuses on official, authorised authors with an emphasis on popular culture. Blink Reality specialises in publishing memoirs and real-life subjects (nostalgia, true crime, inspirational) for a wide commercial audience. The newly launched list Blink Sports, focuses on excellent sports writing, centred around narrative as well as individual autobiographies.
Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Eastburn, South Park, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 1BS
tel (01434) 611581
email editor@bloodaxebooks.com
website www.bloodaxebooks.com
Directors Neil Astley, Simon Thirsk
Poetry. Check submissions guide on website and send sample of up to a dozen poems with sae only if the submission fits the publisher’s guidelines. No email submissions or correspondence. No disks. Founded 1978.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc*
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
tel 020–7631 5600
website www.bloomsbury.com/uk/ (main)
website www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk
(investor relations)
Co-founder & Chief Executive Nigel Newton, Executive Directors Jonathan Glasspool, Richard Charkin, Group Finance Director Wendy Pallot, Nonexecutive Chairman Sir Anthony Salz, Independent Non-executive Directors John Warren, Jill Jones, Steven Hall, Group Company Secretary Michael Daykin
Media enquiries Publicity Director,
tel 020–7631 5670,
email publicity@bloomsbury.com
A medium-sized independent book publishing house and digital content services provider with two worldwide publishing divisions: Consumer and Non-Consumer. It has a global footprint served from offices in the UK, the USA (see here), India and Australia (see here). Has acquired imprints dating back to 1807. Well known for publishing the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury group publishes 2,500 to 3,000 new academic, professional and trade titles per year. Listed on the London Main Market stock exchange (code: BMY). MSS must normally be channelled through literary agents. Bloomsbury runs training for authors on getting published via Writers’ & Artists’ publications and Bloomsbury Institute events. Founded 1986.
Bloomsbury Consumer Division
Managing Director Emma Hopkin, Adult Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Pringle, Children’s Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Mc Nally
Imprints include: Absolute Press, Bloomsbury Activity Books, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Bloomsbury Circus, Bloomsbury India, Bloomsbury Press, Bloomsbury Publishing, Bloomsbury USA, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, Raven Books.
Bloomsbury Non-Consumer Division
website www.bloomsburyprofessional.com
website www.bloomsburyacademic.com
Executive Editor Richard Charkin, Managing Director, Academic & Professional Book Publishing Jonathan Glasspool
Imprints include: Adlard Coles, Andrew Brodie, Arden Shakespeare, Bloomsbury Academic, Bloomsbury Business, Bloomsbury Caravel, Bloomsbury Continuum, Bloomsbury Education, Bloomsbury Information Ltd, Bloomsbury Natural History, Bloomsbury Professional, Bloomsbury Reader, Bloomsbury Shire Publications, Bloomsbury Sigma, Bloomsbury Sport, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, Burns & Oates, Conway, Fairchild Books, Featherstone, Green Tree, Hart Publishing (see Hart Publishing), Helm, Methuen Drama, Osprey Publishing, Osprey Games, Poyser, Reeds, T&T Clark, Wisden, Yearbooks.
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Publishing Director & Editor-in-Chief Rebecca McNally, Publishing Director Non-fiction Sharon Hutton, Publishing Director Illustrated Books Emma Blackburn, Editorial Directors Ellen Holgate (fiction), Saskia Gwinn (non-fiction)
Bloomsbury Children’s Books is a global publisher for children of all ages up to 16 years including titles such as the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling, Holes by Louis Sachar and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Recent highlights include the bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, One by Sarah Crossan (winner of the Carnegie Medal), The Bombs That Brought Us Together by Brian Conaghan (winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award), You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Busby by Patricia Cleveland-Peck and David Tazzyman and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay. Recent non-fiction highlights include Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst and My Epic Book of Epicness by Adam Frost, winner of Blue Peter’s Best Book with Facts award 2016. No complete MSS; send a synopsis with three chapters. Bloomsbury Spark e-first list launched 2013: www.bloomsburyspark.com.
Bloomsbury Education
Head of Education Rachel Lindley, Editorial Director Helen Diamond, Commissioning Editors Hannah Rolls (fiction & poetry), Hannah Marston (education)
Publishes around 75 titles per year for children, young people and those working with them. Titles for teachers and practitioners cover the areas of early years, primary and secondary education, and include both practical resources and professional development titles. Recent titles include Mark. Plan. Teach. by Ross Morrison McGill, Effective Transition into Year 1 by Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Will You Be My Friend? by Molly Potter. Educational fiction and poetry publications include Terry Deary’s Historical Tales, Joshua Seigal’s I Don’t Like Poetry and Classic Nursery Rhymes, with illustrations by Dorothy M. Wheeler. Imprints include Bloomsbury Education, A&C Black, Andrew Brodie, Featherstone Education and Herbert Press.
Digital Resources
Managing Director, Digital Resources Division Kathryn Earle
The division is part of the Non-Consumer Division and is developing new digital content services to expand Bloomsbury’s portfolio that includes Arcadian Library online, Bloomsbury Collections, Bloomsbury Professional (Bloomsbury Law On-Line; UK Tax Library; Financial Reporting for Smaller Companies; Irish Law and Tax On-Line; and Scottish Law and Tax On-line), Bloomsbury Fashion Central (Berg Fashion Library, the Fashion Photography Archive, Fairchild Books Library), Churchill Archive and Churchill Archive for Schools, Drama Online, and IZA World of Labor. Bloomsbury Digital Resources is launching a range of products in 2018, including Bloomsbury Popular Music and the Bloomsbury Design Library.
Blue Guides Ltd
Winchester House, Dean Gate Avenue, Taunton TA1 2UH
tel 020–8144 3509
email editorial@blueguides.com
website www.blueguides.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/blueguides
Twitter @blueguides
Blue Guides and Blue Guide Travel Companions. Detailed guide books with a focus on history, art and architecture for the independent traveller.
Bluemoose Books
25 Sackville Street, Hebden Bridge HX7 7DJ
email kevin@bluemoosebooks.com
website www.Bluemoosebooks.com
Twitter @ofmooseandmen
Publisher Kevin Duffy
Publisher of literary fiction. No children’s, young adult or poetry. Founded 2006.
Bodleian Library Publishing
Bodleian Library, Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG
tel (01865) 283850
email publishing@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
website www.bodleianshop.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/bodleianlibraries
Twitter @BodPublishing
Head of Publishing Samuel Fanous
The Bodleian Library is the main library of the University of Oxford. The publishing programme creates gift, trade and scholarly books on a wide range of subjects drawn from or related to the Library’s rich collection of rare books, manuscripts, maps, postcards and other ephemera.
The Bodley Head – see Vintage
Bodley Head Children’s Books – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK
Bonnier Zaffre*
80–81 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RE
tel 020–7490 3875
email info@bonnierzaffre.co.uk
website www.bonnierzaffre.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/BonnierZaffre
Twitter @BonnierZaffre
Ceo Mark Smith, Executive Director (adult) Kate Parkin, Executive Director (children’s) Jane Harris, Executive Director (sales & marketing) James Horobin
Publishes award-winning fiction for all ages, including crime, thrillers, women’s fiction, general fiction, children’s fiction and picture books and young adult. Imprints include: Zaffre Publishing, Twenty7 Books, Hot Key Books (here), Piccadilly Press (here) and Manilla Publishing. A division of Bonnier Publishing. Founded 2015.
The Book Guild Ltd
14 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth, Leics. LE8 0RX
tel 0800 999 2982
email info@bookguild.co.uk
website www.bookguild.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/thebookguild
Twitter @BookGuild
Directors Jeremy Thompson (managing), Jane Rowland (operations)
Offers traditional and Partnership publishing arrangements, with all titles published being funded or co-funded by The Book Guild Ltd (does not offer self-publishing). MS accepted in fiction, children’s and non-fiction genres, please see the website for details. The Book Guild is part of parent company Troubador Publishing Ltd.
23 Sussex Road, Uxbridge UB10 8PN
email pitch@bookouture.com
website www.bookouture.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/bookouture
Twitter @bookouture
Managing Director & Publisher Oliver Rhodes, Publishing Director Claire Bord, Associate Publisher Natasha Harding, Senior Commissioning Editor Keshini Naidoo
Bookouture is a digital imprint offering expertise, flexibility and great royalties at 45% of net receipts on ebooks. Focuses on a small number of books. Founded 2012.
Booth-Clibborn Editions
Studio 83, 235 Earls Court Road, London SW5 9FE
tel 020–7565 0688
email info@booth-clibborn.com
website www.booth-clibborn.com
Illustrated books on art, popular culture, graphic design, photography. Founded 1974.
Bounty – see Octopus Publishing Group Bowker
ProQuest/Dialog/Bowker, 3 Dorset Rise (5th Floor), London EC4Y 8EN
tel 020–7832 1700
email sales@bowker.co.uk
website www.bowker.com
Managing Director Doug McMillan
Publishes bibliographic information and management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers and libraries better serve their customers. Creates products and services that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order and experience. Also generates research and resources for publishers, helping them understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker, an affiliated business of ProQuest and the official ISBN agency for the United States has its headquarters in New Providence, New Jersey, with additional operations in the UK and Australia.
Boxtree – see Pan Macmillan Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd
26 Parke Road, London SW13 9NG
email catheryn@marionboyars.com
website www.marionboyars.co.uk
Director Catheryn Kilgarriff
Literary fiction, film, cultural studies, jazz, cookery. Not currently accepting submissions. Founded 1975.
Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Bridge Farm Business Park, Top Street, Martlesham IP12 4RB
tel (01394) 610600
email editorial@boydell.co.uk
website www.boydellandbrewer.com
Medieval studies, early modern and modern history, maritime history, literature, archaeology, art history, music, Hispanic studies. No unsolicited MSS. See website for submission guidelines. Founded 1969.
James Currey
website www.jamescurrey.com
Academic studies of Africa and developing economies.
Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
IDC House, The Vale, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks. SL9 9RZ
tel (01753) 893444
email info@bradtguides.com
website www.bradtguides.com
Twitter @BradtGuides
Managing Director Adrian Phillips
Travel and wildlife guides with emphasis on unusual destinations and ethical/positive travel. Founded 1974.
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 6000
email rights@nicholasbrealey.com
website www.nicholasbrealey.com
Directors Nick Davies (managing), Holly Bennion
(editorial)
Publishes subjects related to coaching, crossing cultures and the big ideas in business. Also popular psychology, science and philosophy, and includes an expanding travel writing/adventure list. Founded 1992 in London; also has offices in Boston. Part of
Hachette UK.
Brilliant Publications Limited*
Unit 10, Sparrow Hall Farm, Edlesborough, Dunstable LU6 2ES
tel (01525) 222292
email info@brilliantpublications.co.uk
website www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/Brilliant-Publications-340005555138
Twitter @Brilliantpub
Twitter @BrillCreative
Managing Director Priscilla Hannaford
Practical resource books for teachers and others concerned with the education of children 0–13 years. All areas of the curriculum published, but specialises in modern foreign languages, art and design, developing thinking skills and PSHE. Some series of books for reluctant readers, aimed at children 7–11 years. No children’s picture books, non-fiction books or one-off fiction books. See Guidelines for Authors on website before sending proposal on website before sending proposal. Founded 1993.
University of Bristol, 1–9 Old Park Hill, Clifton, Bristol BS2 8BB
tel 0117 954 5940
email pp-info@bristol.ac.uk
website www.universityofbristolpress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/PolicyPress
Twitter @unibrispress
Director Alison Shaw, Assistant Director Julia Mortimer
All core areas of social sciences: economics, politics and international development, business and management, law, sociology and human geography. Founded 2016.
The British Library (Publications)*
Publishing Office, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
tel 020–7412 7535
email publishing_editorial@bl.uk
website www.bl.uk/aboutus/publishing
Publishes around 40 non-fiction books a year: arts, bibliography, music, maps, oriental, manuscript studies, history, literature, facsimiles, audio and multimedia. Founded 1979.
The British Museum Press*
38 Russell Square, London WC1B 3QQ
tel 020–3073 4946
email publicity@britishmuseum.org
website www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/services/the_british_museum_press.aspx
Head of Business Planning Susan Walby
Award-winning illustrated books for general readers, families, academics and students, inspired by the famous collections of the British Museum. Titles range across the fine and decorative arts, history, archaeology and world cultures. Division of The British Museum Company Ltd. Founded 1973.
Andrew Brodie – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd*
Unit 1, 426 Drumoyne Road, Glasgow G51 4DA
tel 0141 883 0141 (24 hours)
email info@skipper.co.uk
website www.skipper.co.uk
Editorial Director Richard B.P. Brown
Nautical books, plays. Founded 1860.
Bryntirion Press
(formerly Evangelical Press of Wales)
Bryntirion, Bridgend CF31 4DX
tel (01656) 655886
email office@emw.org.uk
website www.emw.org.uk
Publications Officer Shâron Barnes
Theology and religion (in English and Welsh).
Founded 1955.
Buster Books – see Michael O’Mara Books Ltd Butterworth-Heinemann – see Elsevier Ltd Butterworths – see Lexis Nexis Calisi Press
100 Somerset Road, Folkestone CT19 4NW
tel (01303) 272216
email info@calisipress.com
website www.calisipress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/CalisiPress
Twitter @CalisiPress
Publisher Franca Simpson
Small independent publishing company specialising in the publication of works by Italian women writers.
Founded 2014.
Cambridge University Press*
University Printing House, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8BS
tel (01223) 358331
email information@cambridge.org
website www.cambridge.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/CambridgeUniversityPress
Twitter @CambridgeUP
Chief Executive Peter Phillips; Managing Directors Mandy Hill (academic), Michael Peluse (ELT), Hanri Pieterse (Cambridge Education)
Anthropology and archaeology, art history, astronomy, biological sciences, classical studies, computer science, dictionaries, earth sciences, economics, engineering, history, language and literature, law, mathematics, medical sciences, music, philosophy, physical sciences, politics, psychology, reference, technology, social sciences, theology, religion. ELT, educational (primary, secondary, tertiary), e-learning products, journals (humanities, social sciences, science, technical and medical). The Bible and Prayer Book. Founded 1534.
Campbell Books – see Pan Macmillan Candy Jar Books
Mackintosh House, 136 Newport Road, Cardiff CF24 1DJ
tel 029–21157202
email shaun@candyjarbooks.co.uk
website www.candyjarbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/CandyJarLimited
Twitter @Candy_Jar
Head of Publishing Shaun Russell
Publishes science fiction, biography, general non-fiction, children’s, military history, fantasy. Publishes about 15 titles per year. Unsolicited material welcome; submissions form on website. No children’s picture books. Founded 2010.
Canongate Books Ltd*
14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE
tel 0131 557 5111
email support@canongate.co.uk
also at Eardley House, 4 Uxbridge Street, London W8 7SY
website www.canongate.co.uk
Ceo Jamie Byng, Publisher Jenny Todd, Publishing
Director Francis Bickmore, Rights Director Andrea
Joyce, Editorial Director Simon Thorogood, Senior
Commissioning Editor Hannah Knowles,
Editor Jo Dingley
Adult general non-fiction and fiction: literary fiction, translated fiction, memoir, politics, popular science, humour, travel, popular culture, history and biography. The independent audio publisher CSA WORD was acquired by Canongate in 2010, with audio now published under the Canongate label.
Founded 1973.
Canopus Publishing Ltd
15 Nelson Parade, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4HY
tel 07970 153217
email robin@canopusbooks.com
website www.canopusbooks.com
Director Robin Rees, Art Director, Jamie Symonds,
Editor Sarah Tremlett
Packager and publisher in astronomy and aerospace.
Founded 1999.
Canterbury Press – see Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd Jonathan Cape – see Vintage Capuchin Classics – see Stacey Publishing Ltd Carcanet Press Ltd
4th Floor, Alliance House, 30 Cross Street, Manchester M2 7AQ
tel 0161 834 8730
email info@carcanet.co.uk
website www.carcanet.co.uk
Managing Director Luke Allan
Poetry, Fyfield series, Oxford Poets, translations. Imprints include Anvil Press Poetry, Comma Press, Lintott Press, Northern House, Sheep Meadow Press.
Founded 1969.
Carlton Publishing Group
20 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JW
tel 020–7612 0400
email enquiries@carltonbooks.co.uk
website www.carltonbooks.co.uk
Managing Director Jim Greenhough, Editorial Director
Piers Murray Hill
No unsolicited MSS; synopses and ideas welcome, but no fiction or poetry. Founded 1992.
Carlton Books
Sport, music and film, history, puzzles, lifestyle, fashion, art, photography, popular culture, crime, science.
André Deutsch
Autobiography, biography, military history, history, current affairs.
Goodman
High-end illustrated books on popular culture and the arts.
Prion Books
Humour, nostalgia.
Caterpillar Books – see Little Tiger Group
Catholic Truth Society
42–46 Harleyford Road, London SE11 5AY
tel 020–7640 0042
email il.gregoire@ctsbooks.org
website www.cts-online.org.uk
Publisher Fergal Martin, Managing Editor Lisa
Gregoire
General books of Roman Catholic and Christian interest, liturgical books, missals, Bibles, prayer books, children’s books and booklets of doctrinal, historical, devotional or social interest. MSS of 11,000–15,000 words with up to six illustrations considered for publication as booklets. Founded 1868.
Cengage Learning*
Cheriton House, Andover SP10 5BE
tel (01264) 332424
email emea.editorial@cengage.com
website www.cengage.co.uk
Actively commissioning texts for further education and higher education courses in the following disciplines: IT, computer science and computer applications; accounting, finance and economics; marketing; international business; human resource management; operations management; strategic management; organisational behaviour; business information systems; quantitative methods; psychology; hairdressing and beauty therapy; childcare; catering and hospitality; motor vehicle maintenance. Submit proposal either by email or by post.
Century – see Cornerstone Chapman Publishing
4 Broughton Place, Edinburgh EH1 3RX
tel 0131 557 2207
email chapman-pub@blueyonder.co.uk
website www.chapman-pub.co.uk
Editor Joy Hendry
Poetry and drama: Chapman New Writing Series. Also the Chapman Wild Women Series. Founded 1986.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
CIPD Publishing, 151 The Broadway, London SW19 1JQ
tel 020–8612 6200
email publish@cipd.co.uk
website www.cipd.co.uk/bookstore
Head of Publishing Sinead Burke
People management, training and development.
Chatto & Windus – see Vintage Chicken House
2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS
tel (01373) 454488
email hello@chickenhousebooks.com
website www.chickenhousebooks.com
Twitter @chickenhsebooks
Managing Director & Publisher Barry Cunningham, Deputy Managing Director Rachel Hickman
Fiction for ages 7+ and young adult. No unsolicited MSS. See website for details of The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition for unpublished writers. Part of Scholastic Inc.
Child’s Play (International) Ltd
Ashworth Road, Bridgemead, Swindon, Wilts. SN5 7YD
tel (01793) 616286
email office@childs-play.com
website www.childs-play.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ChildsPlayBooks
Twitter @ChildsPlayBooks
Chairman Adriana Twinn, Publisher Neil Burden
Children’s educational books: board, picture, activity and play books; fiction and non-fiction. Founded 1972.
Christian Education*
(incorporating RE Today Services and International Bible Reading Association) 1020 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LB
tel 0121 472 4242
email anstice.hughes@christianeducation.org.uk
website http://shop.christianeducation.org.uk/
website www.retoday.org.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/RETodayServices
Twitter @IBRAbibleread
Publications and services for teachers and other professionals in religious education including REtoday magazine, curriculum booklets and classroom resources. Also publishes Bible reading materials.
Churchill Livingstone – see Elsevier Ltd Churchwarden Publications Ltd
PO Box 420, Warminster, Wilts. BA12 9XB
tel (01985) 840189
email enquiries@churchwardenbooks.co.uk
Directors J.N.G. Stidolph, S.A. Stidolph
Publisher of The Churchwarden’s Yearbook. Care and administration of churches and parishes.
Cicerone Press
2 Police Square, Milnthorpe, Cumbria LA7 7PY
tel (01539) 562069
email info@cicerone.co.uk
website www.cicerone.co.uk
Managing Director Jonathan Williams
Guidebooks: walking, trekking, mountaineering, climbing, cycling in Britain, Europe and worldwide.
Cico Books – see Ryland Peters & Small Cisco Press – see Pearson UK James Clarke & Co. Ltd
PO Box 60, Cambridge CB1 2NT
tel (01223) 350865
email publishing@jamesclarke.co.uk
website www.jamesclarke.co
Facebook www.facebook.com/JamesClarkeandCo
Twitter @JamesClarkeLtd
Managing Director Adrian Brink
The company began by publishing the religious magazine Christian World. It now publishes academic, scholarly and reference works, specialising in theology, history, literature and related subjects. Among its publications are several series including, the Library of Theological Translations, the Library of Ecclesiastical History and the Thielicke Library. Publishes books and ebooks on: theology, philosophy, history and biography, biblical studies and reference books including the Libraries Directory. Imprints: The Lutterworth Press, Acorn Editions, Patrick Hardy Books. Founded 1859.
Classical Comics
PO Box 16310, Birmingham B30 9EL
tel 0845 812 3000
email info@classicalcomics.com
website www.classicalcomics.com
Managing Director Gary Bryant
Graphic novel adaptations of classical literature.
Cló Iar-Chonnachta Teo†
Indreabhan, Co. Galway, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)91 593307
email eolas@cic.ie
website www.cic.ie
Director & Chairman Micheàl Ó Conghaile, Director & Secretary Tadhg O Conghaile
Irish-language – novels, short stories, plays, poetry, songs, history; CDs (writers reading from their works in Irish and English). Promotes the translation of contemporary Irish fiction and poetry into other languages. Founded 1985.
Co & Bear Productions
63 Edith Grove, London SW10 0LB
tel 020–7351 5545
email info@cobear.co.uk
website www.scriptumeditions.co.uk
Publisher Beatrice Vincenzini
High-quality illustrated books on lifestyle, photography, art. Imprints: Scriptum Editions, Cartago. Founded 1996. see Harper Collins
Collins & Brown – see Pavilion Books
Collins Learning- see HarperCollins Publishers
Colourpoint Creative Limited
Colourpoint House, Jubilee Business Park, 21 Jubilee Road, Newtownards, Co. Down BT23 4YH
tel 028–9182 6339
email sales@colourpoint.co.uk
website www.colourpoint.co.uk
Twitter @colourpoint
Publisher Malcolm Johnston, Head of Educational Publishing Wesley Johnston, Marketing Jacky Hawkes
Irish, Ulster-Scots and general interest including local history; transport (covering the whole of the British Isles), buses, road and railways; educational textbooks and resources. Short queries by email. Full submission in writing including details of proposal, sample chapter/section, qualification/experience in the topic, full contact details and return postage. Imprints: Colourpoint Educational, Plover Fiction.
Founded 1993.
The Columba Press†
23 Merrion Square North, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 6874096
email info@columba.ie
website www.columba.ie
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Columba-Press/ 380367585306713
Twitter @columbapress
Publisher & Managing Director Garry O’Sullivan
Religion (Roman Catholic and Anglican) including pastoral handbooks, spirituality, theology, liturgy and prayer; counselling and self-help. Founded 1985.
Comma Press
Studio 510a, 5th Floor, Hope Mill, 113 Pollard Street, Manchester M4 7JA
tel 07792 564747
email ra.page@commapress.co.uk
website http://commapress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Comma-Press/ 1583467668555950
Twitter @commapress
Founder & Ceo Ra Page
A not-for-profit publishing initiative dedicated to promoting new writing with an emphasis on the short story. In April 2012, Comma became one of the Art’s Council’s new National Portfolio Organisations
(NPOs).
Connections Book Publishing Ltd
(an imprint of Eddison Books Ltd)
St Chad’s House, 148 King’s Cross Road, London WC1X 9DH
tel 020–7837 1968
email info@eddisonbooks.com
website www.eddisonbooks.com
Director Stéphane Leduc
Illustrated non-fiction books, kits and gift titles: broad, popular list including Mind, Body & Spirit; health; personal development; and parenting, childcare and brain-training.
Conran Octopus – see Octopus Publishing Group Constable & Robinson Ltd – see Little, Brown Book Group
The Continuum International
Publishing Group Plc – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Cork University Press†
Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Togher, Cork, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)21 4902980
website www.corkuniversitypress.com
Publications Director Mike Collins Irish literature, history, cultural studies, landscape studies, medieval studies, English literature, musicology, poetry, translations. Founded 1925.
Attic Press and Atrium
email corkuniversitypress@ucc.ie
Books by and about women in the areas of social and political comment, women’s studies. Cookery, biography and Irish cultural studies (trade).
Cornerstone
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8400
website www.penguin.co.uk
Managing Director Susan Sandon, Director of Publicity & Media Relations Charlotte Bush
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here). No unsolicited MSS accepted.
Arrow Books Ltd
tel 020–7840 8689
Publisher Selina Walker, Deputy Publisher Emily Griffin
Paperback fiction and non-fiction.
tel 020–7840 8414
Publisher Selina Walker, Deputy Publisher Ben Brusey Fiction, biography, autobiography, general nonfiction, true crime, humour.
Hutchinson
tel 020–7840 8733
Publisher Jason Arthur, Publishing Director Jocasta Hamilton
Fiction: literary and women’s fiction, adventure, crime, thrillers. Non-fiction: biography, memoirs, general history, politics, current affairs.
Preface Publishing
tel 020–7840 8892
Publisher Trevor Dolby Commercial fiction and non-fiction.
Random House Books
tel 020–7840 8451
Publishing Director Nigel Wilcockson Non-fiction: social and cultural history, current affairs, popular culture and reference.
Random House Business Books
tel 020–7840 8451
Publishing Director Nigel Wilcockson Business, finance and economics.
William Heinemann
tel 020–7840 8564
Publisher Jason Arthur, Editorial Director Tom Avery Fiction and general non-fiction: literary fiction, fiction in translation, literary thrillers, narrative non-fiction, history, memoir, biography, popular science, current affairs.
Windmill Books
tel 020–7840 8265
website www.windmill-books.co.uk
Publisher Jason Arthur, Editorial Director Laura
Deacon
B-format paperback fiction and non-fiction.
Council for British Archaeology
Beatrice de Cardi House, 66 Bootham, York YO30 7BZ
tel (01904) 671417
email webenquiry@archaeologyuk.org
website www.archaeologyuk.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/Archaeologyuk
Twitter @archaeologyuk
Director Mike Heyworth
British archaeology – academic; practical handbooks; general interest archaeology. British Archaeology magazine. Founded 1944.
Country Books
(incorporating Ashridge Press)
Courtyard Cottage, Little Longstone, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1NN
tel (01629) 640670
email dickrichardson@country-books.co.uk
website www.countrybooks.biz
website www.sussexbooks.co.uk
Local history (new and facsimile reprints), family history, autobiography, general non-fiction, novels, customs and folklore. Books for the National Trust, Chatsworth House, Peak District NPA, Derbyshire County Council. Established 1995.
Countryside Books
2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berks. RG14 5DS
tel (01635) 43816
website www.countrysidebooks.co.uk
Partners Nicholas Battle, Suzanne Battle
Publishes books of local or regional interest, usually on a county basis: walking, outdoor activities, also heritage, aviation, railways and architecture.
CRC Press – see Taylor & Francis Group Crescent Moon Publishing
PO Box 393, Maidstone, Kent ME14 5XU
tel (01622) 729593
email cresmopub@yahoo.co.uk
website www.crmoon.com
Director Jeremy Robinson
Editors C. Hughes, B.D. Barnacle
Literature, poetry, arts, cultural studies, media, cinema, feminism. Submit sample chapters or six poems plus sae, not complete MSS. Founded 1988.
Cressrelles Publishing Co. Ltd
10 Station Road Industrial Estate, Colwall, Malvern, Herefordshire WR13 6RN
tel (01684) 540154
email simon@cressrelles.co.uk
website www.cressrelles.co.uk
Directors Leslie Smith, Simon Smith
General publishing. Founded 1973.
J. Garnet Miller
Plays and theatre textbooks.
Kenyon-Deane
Plays and drama textbooks for amateur dramatic societies. Plays for women.
New Playwrights’ Network
Plays for amateur dramatic societies.
Crown House Publishing Ltd
Crown Buildings, Bancyfelin, Carmarthen SA33 5ND
tel (01267) 211345
email books@crownhouse.co.uk
website www.crownhouse.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Crown-House-
Publishing/113988946755
Twitter @CrownHousePub
Chairman Martin Roberts, Directors David Bowman (managing), Glenys Roberts, Karen Bowman
Award-winning education publisher with a large range of classroom resources and materials for professional teacher development. The list includes the Independent Thinking Press imprint, as well as books on health and well-being, NLP, hypnosis, counselling, psychotherapy and coaching. Founded 1998.
Independent Thinking Press
email books@independentthinkingpress.com
website www.independentthinkingpress.com
Publishes the thoughts and ideas of some of the UK’s leading educational innovators including world-class speakers, award-winning teachers, outstanding school leaders and classroom revolutionaries.
The Crowood Press
The Stable Block, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wilts. SN8 2HR
tel (01672) 520320
email enquiries@crowood.com
website www.crowood.com
Directors John Dennis (chairman), Ken Hathaway (managing)
Sport, motoring, aviation, military, martial arts, walking, fishing, country sports, farming, natural history, gardening, DIY, crafts, railways, model-making, dogs, equestrian and theatre. Imprints include: Airlife Publishing (aviation, technical and general, military, military history), Robert Hale (general non-fiction), J. A. Allen (equestrian), N. A. G. Press (horology and gemmology) and Black Horse Westerns (fictions – westerns). Founded 1982.
Crux Publishing
39 Birdhurst Road, London SW18 1AR
tel 020–8871 0594
email hello@cruxpublishing.co.uk
website www.cruxpublishing.co.uk
Publisher Christopher Lascelles
Boutique publisher offering to produce, distribute and market selected high-quality, non-fiction titles. Operates an open submissions policy for new authors and digitally republishes backlist titles for existing authors. Works with individual authors to create and execute a unique marketing plan that drives sales. Founded December 2011.
Benjamin Cummings – see Pearson UK James Currey – see Boydell & Brewer Ltd Darf Publishers Ltd
277 West End Lane, London NW6 1QS
tel 020–7431 7009
email info@darfpublishers.co.uk
website www.darfpublishers.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/DarfPublishers
Twitter @DarfPublishers
Contacts Ghassan Fergiani (director), Ghazi Gheblawi (editorial), Sherif Dhaimish (production)
An independent publisher based in London with diversity and inclusion at the heart of the company’s work since 1980. The focus is on publishing and reprinting historical, geographic and classical works in English about the Middle East, North Africa and the UK. Also focuses on contemporary works of fiction and non-fiction from other languages into English, introducing new authors to the British market and the wider English speaking world. Recent published works from Arabic (Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea), Italian, German with plans to widen to include writers from other European countries, South America, Asia and Africa. Founded 1980.
Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
1 Spencer Court, 140–142 Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 4JJ
tel 020–8875 0155
email willp@darton-longman-todd.co.uk
website www.darton-longman-todd.co.uk
Editorial Director David Moloney
Spirituality, prayer and meditation; books for the heart, mind and soul; self-help and personal growth; biography; political, environmental and social issues.
Founded 1959.
DB Publishing
(an imprint of JMD Media Ltd) 29 Clarence Road, Nottingham NG9 5HY
tel (07914) 647382
email steve.caron@dbpublishing.co.uk
website www.dbpublishing.co.uk
Directors Steve Caron (managing), Jane Caron
(finance)
Primarily: football, sport, local history, heritage. Currently considering all topics including fiction. Unsolicited MSS welcome. Preliminary letter essential. Founded 2009.
Giles de la Mare Publishers Ltd
PO Box 25351, London NW5 1ZT
tel 020–7485 2533
email gilesdelamare@dial.pipex.com
website www.gilesdelamare.co.uk
Chairman Giles de la Mare
Non-fiction: art, architecture, biography, history, music, travel. Telephone before submitting MSS.
Founded 1995.
Dedalus Ltd
24 St Judith’s Lane, Sawtry, Cambs. PE28 5XE
tel (01487) 832382
email info@dedalusbooks.com
website www.dedalusbooks.com
Chairman Margaret Jull Costa, Publisher Eric Lane,
Editorial Timothy Lane
Original fiction in English and in translation; 12–14 titles a year. Imprints include: Original English Language Fiction in Paperback, Dedalus European Classics, Dedalus Euro Shorts, Dedalus Europe Contemporary Fiction, Dedalus Africa, Dedalus Concept books. City Noir, Dark Masters Literary Biography. Founded 1983.
Richard Dennis Publications
The New Chapel, Shepton Beauchamp, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0JT
tel (01460) 240044
email books@richarddennispublications.com
website www.richarddennispublications.com
Books for collectors specialising in ceramics, glass, illustration, sculpture and facsimile editions of early catalogues.
Andre Deutsch – see Carlton Publishing Group diehard
91–93 Main Street, Callander FK17 8BQ
tel (01877) 339449
Director Sally Evans (editorial)
Scottish poetry. Founded 1993.
Digital Press – see Elsevier Ltd Dino Books
3 Bramber Court, 2 Bramber Road, London W14 9PB
tel 020–7381 0666
email help@dinobooks.co.uk
website www.dinobooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/dinokidsbooks
Twitter @dinobooks
Popular children’s non-fiction.
Discovery Walking Guides Ltd
10 Tennyson Close, Northampton NN15 7HJ
tel (01604) 244869
email ask.discovery@ntlworld.com
website www.dwgwalking.co.uk
Chairman Rosamund C. Brawn
Publishes ‘Walk!’ walking guidebooks to UK and European destinations; ‘Tour & Trail Super-Durable’ large-scale maps for outdoor adventures; ‘Bus & Touring’ maps; and ‘Drive’ touring maps. Premium content provider to 3G phone/tablet gps apps for Digital Mapping and Hiking Adventures. Publishing in conventional book/map format along with digital platforms. Welcomes project proposals from technologically (gps) proficient walking writers.
Founded 1994.
DK*
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
tel 020–7139 2000
website www.dk.com
Ceo Ian Hudson
Illustrated non-fiction for adults and children: gardening, health and beauty, medical, travel, food and drink, history, science and nature, photography, reference, pregnancy and parenting, popular culture. Part of Penguin Random House UK (here).
Prima Games
Publisher Mike Degler
Computer games strategy guides and collectors’ editions.
Travel
website www.traveldk.com
website www.roughguides.com
Publisher Georgina Dee
Travel guides, illustrated travel books, phrasebooks and digital products. Includes Rough Guides and DK Eyewitness Travel.
Dodo Ink
email thom@dodoink.com
website www.dodoink.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Dodo-Ink- 775175252560383
Twitter @DodoInk
Managing Director Sam Mills, Editorial Director Thom Cuell, Marketing Director Alex Spears
An independent press dedicated to publishing daring and difficult literary fiction. Publishes three to four novels a year. Authors include Seraphina Madsen, Monique Roffey and James Miller. No unsolicited MSS by post; see the website for submission guidelines. Founded 2015.
John Donald – see Birlinn Ltd Dorling Kindersley – see DK Doubleday Children’s Books – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK
Doubleday (UK) – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK The Dovecote Press Ltd
Stanbridge, Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 4JD
tel (01258) 840549
email online@dovecotepress.com
website www.dovecotepress.com
Editorial Director David Burnett
Books of local interest: natural history, architecture, history. Founded 1974.
Dref Wen
28 Church Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2EA
tel 029–2061 7860
website www.drefwen.com
Directors Roger Boore, Anne Boore, Gwilym Boore, Alun Boore, Rhys Boore
Welsh language publisher. Original Welsh language novels for children and adult learners. Original, adaptations and translations of foreign and English language full-colour picture story books for children. Educational material for primary/secondary school children in Wales and England. Founded 1970.
University College Dublin Press†
H103 Humanities Institute, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 7164680,
email ucdpress@ucd.ie
website www.ucdpress.ie
Twitter @UCDPress
Executive Editor Noelle Moran
Humanities: Irish studies, history and politics, literary studies, social sciences, sociology. More recently expanded to include music and food science. Founded 1995.
Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd
30 Calvin Street, London E1 6NW
tel 020–7490 7300
email info@duckworth-publishers.co.uk
website www.ducknet.co.uk
Twitter @Duckbooks
Publisher Peter Mayer
General trade publishers. Non-fiction: popular science, history, humour, arts, social science, biography, current affairs, humanities, social sciences, language, Mind, Body & Spirit, sport, travel and travel writing. Fiction: crime, thriller, historical, literary, general. Imprints: Duckworth, Duckworth Overlook, Nonesuch Press, Ardis. Founded 1898.
Dunedin Academic Press*
Hudson House, 8 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3QB
tel 0131 473 2397
email mail@dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
website www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
Director Anthony Kinahan
Earth and environmental sciences, public health and social sciences (esp. children issues). See website for submission guidelines. Founded 2000.
Dynasty Press
36 Ravensdon Street, London SE11 4AR
tel 020–8675 3435
email david@dynastypresslondon.co.uk
website www.dynastypress.co.uk
Contact David Hornsby
A boutique publishing house specialising in works connected to royalty, dynasties and people of influence. Committed to the freedom of the press to allow authentic voices and important stories to be made available to the public. Usually publishes titles which reveal and analyse the lives of those placed in the upper echelons of society. Founded 2008.
Earthscan
8–12 Camden High Street, London NW1 0JH
tel 020–7387 8558
email earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk
website www.routledge.com/sustainability
Publishes under the Routledge imprint for Taylor & Francis Group (here). Academic and professional: sustainable development, climate and energy, natural resource management, cities and built environment, business and economics, design and technology.
Ebury Press – see Ebury Publishing Ebury Publishing
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8400
website www.penguin.co.uk
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Managing Director Rebecca Smart, Publisher/Deputy Managing Director Jake Lingwood, Director of Publicity & Media Relations Sarah Bennie, Marketing Director Diana Riley
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here). Ebury Press Fiction
tel 020–7840 8400
Publishing Director Gillian Green
Commercial fiction, crime, thriller, romance, sci-fi, fantasy. Imprints: Del Rey, Rouge.
Ebury Press
tel 020–7840 8400
Deputy Publisher Andrew Goodfellow General commercial non-fiction, autobiography, memoir, popular history, sport, travel writing, popular science, humour, film/TV tie-ins, music, popular reference, cookery, lifestyle.
Ebury Enterprises
tel 020–7840 8400
Publishing Director Carey Smith
Gift books, branded and bespoke books.
Rider
tel 020–7840 8400
Publishing Director Judith Kendra Inspirational titles across the spectrum of psychology, philosophy, international affairs, biography, current affairs, history, travel and spirituality.
Vermilion
tel 020–7840 8400
Publishing Director Susanna Abbott
Personal development, health, diet, relationships, parenting.
Virgin Books (in partnership with Virgin Group)
tel 020–7840 8400
Business and smart thinking, health and popular culture: entertainment, showbiz, arts, film and TV, music, humour, biography and autobiography, popular reference, true crime, sport, travel, memoir, environment. Imprints: Black Lace, Nexus, WH Allen.
Eden – see Transworld Publishers Edinburgh University Press*
The Tun – Holyrood Road, 12 Jackson’s Entry, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ
tel 0131 650 4218
email editorial@eup.ac.uk
website www.edinburghuniversitypress.com
website www.euppublishing.com
Twitter @EdinburghUP
Chairman Ivon Asquith, Chief Executive Timothy Wright, Head of Editorial Nicola Ramsey, Head of Journals Sarah Edwards, Head of Sales & Marketing Anna Glazier
Academic publishers of scholarly books and journals: film, media and cultural studies, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, history, law, linguistics, literary studies, philosophy, politics, Scottish studies, American studies, religious studies, classical and ancient history. Trade: literature and culture, Scottish history and politics.
The Educational Company of Ireland
Ballymount Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12, Republic of Ireland
tel+ 353 (0)1 4500611
email info@edco.ie
website www.edco.ie
Ceo Martina Harford
Educational MSS on all subjects in English or Irish language. A member of the Smurfit Kappa Group plc.
Founded 1910.
Educational Explorers (Publishers)
Unit 5, Feidr Castell Business Park, Fishguard SA65 9BB
tel (01348) 874890
website www.cuisenaire.co.uk
Directors M.J. Hollyfield, D.M. Gattegno
Educational. Recent successes include: mathematics: Numbers in Colour with Cuisenaire Rods; languages: The Silent Way; literacy, reading: Words in Colour; educational films. No unsolicited material. Founded 1962.
Egmont UK Ltd*
First Floor, The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
email info@egmont.co.uk
website www.egmont.co.uk
The UK’s largest specialist children’s publisher, publishing books from babies to teens, inspiring children to read. Publishes award-winning books, magazines, ebooks and apps. Egmont has a growing portfolio of digital publishing which includes: the first Flips books for Nintendo DS, apps for iPhone and iPad, ebooks and enhanced ebooks and online virtual worlds. Egmont UK is part of the Egmont Group and owned by the Egmont Foundation, a charitable trust dedicated to supporting children and young people. Founded 1878.
Egmont Press
email childrensreader@euk.egmont.com
Picture book and gift (ages 0+), fiction (ages 5+). Authors include Michael Morpurgo, Enid Blyton, Andy Stanton, Michael Grant, Lemony Snicket, Kristina Stephenson, Giles Andreae, Jan Fearnley and Lydia Monks. Submission details: visit website to see current policy.
Egmont Publishing Group
email charcterpr@euk.egmont.com
Egmont Publishing Group is the UK’s leading licensed character publisher of books and magazines for children from birth to teen. Books portfolio includes Thomas the Tank Engine, Mr Men, Fireman Sam, Ben 10, Bob the Builder, Baby Jake and Everything’s Rosie and covers a wide range of formats from storybooks, annuals and novelty books to colouring, activity and sticker books. Magazines portfolio includes Thomas & Friends, Disney Princess, Toy Story, Barbie, Ben 10, Tinker Bell, Fireman Sam, We Love Pop and girls’ pre-teen magazine Go Girl and boys’ lifestyle title Toxic.
Eland Publishing Ltd
61 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QL
tel 020–7833 0762
email info@travelbooks.co.uk
website www.travelbooks.co.uk
Directors Rose Baring, John Hatt, Barnaby Rogerson
Has a backlist of 125 titles in the areas of classic travel literature. No unsolicited MSS. Please email in first instance. Founded 1982.
11:9 – see Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
The Lypiatts, 15 Lansdown Road, Cheltenham, Glos. GL50 2JA
tel (01242) 226934
email info@e-elgar.co.uk
website www.e-elgar.com
Managing Director Tim Williams
Economics, business, law, public and social policy.
Founded 1986.
Elliott & Thompson
27 John Street, London WC1N 2BX
tel 020–7831 5013
email pippa@eandtbooks.com
website www.eandtbooks.com
Twitter @eandtbooks
Chairman Lorne Forsyth,
Director Olivia Bays, Publisher Jennie Condell, Senior Editor Pippa Crane
History, biography, music, popular science, gift, sport, business, economics and adult fiction.
Founded 2009.
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB
tel (01865) 843000
website www.elsevier.com
Twitter @ElsevierConnect
Ceo Ron Mobed
Academic and professional reference books; scientific, technical and medical products and services (books, journals, electronic information). No unsolicited MSS, but synopses and project proposals welcome. Imprints: Academic Press, Architectural Press, Bailliere Tindall, Butterworth-Heinemann, Churchill Livingstone, Digital Press, Elsevier, Elsevier Advanced Technology, Focal Press, Gulf Professional Press, JAI, Made Simple Books, Morgan Kauffman, Mosby, Newnes, North-Holland, Pergamon, Saunders, Woodhead Publishing. Division of RELX Corp., Amsterdam.
The Emma Press Ltd
Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
email queries@theemmapress.com
website https://theemmapress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/TheEmmaPress
Twitter @TheEmmaPress
Directors Emma Wright (publishing), Rachel Piercey (editorial)
Won the Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlet Publishers in 2016, publishes themed poetry anthologies, single-author poetry pamphlets and prose pamphlets, including short stories, essays, guides and recipes. Does not consider unsolicited MSS but runs bi-monthly open calls for submissions of poetry for anthologies and biennial calls for poetry and prose pamphlets. Check website for details. Founded 2012.
Encyclopaedia Britannica (UK) Ltd
2nd Floor, Unity Wharf, 13 Mill Street, London SE1 2BH
tel 020–7500 7800
email enquiries@britannica.co.uk
website www.britannica.co.uk
Managing Director Ian Grant
Global digital educational publisher of instructional products used in schools, universities, homes, libraries and in the workplace.
Endeavour Press
85–7 Borough High Street, London SE1 1NH
email richard@endeavourpress.com
website www.endeavourpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/EndeavourPress
Twitter @EndeavourPress
Contacts Matthew, Lynn, Richard Foreman, James Faktor, Alice Rees, Amy Burgwin Independent publisher of crime fiction, thrillers, historical fiction, history and popular women’s fiction.
Enitharmon Editions
10 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL
tel 020–7430 0844
email info@enitharmon.co.uk
website www.enitharmon.co.uk
Directors Stephen Stuart-Smith, Isabel Brittain
Imprints: Enitharmon Editions: Artists’ books, Enitharmon Press: poetry, including fine editions. Some literary criticism, fiction, translations. prints. No unsolicited MSS. No freelance editors or proofreaders required. Founded 1967.
Everyman’s Library
50 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BD
tel 020–7493 4361
email books@everyman.uk.com
email guides@everyman.uk.com
website www.everymanslibrary.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/everymanslibrary
Twitter @EverymansLib
Publisher David Campbell
Everyman’s Library (clothbound reprints of the classics); Everyman Pocket Classics; Everyman’s Library Children’s Classics; Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets; Everyman Guides; P.G. Wodehouse. No unsolicited submissions. Imprint of Alfred A. Knopf.
Everything With Words Ltd
16 Limekiln Place, London SE19 2RE
tel 020–8771 2974
email info@everythingwithwords.com
website www.everythingwithwords.com
Director Mikka Bott
Children’s fiction for ages 5 to young adult. Publishes innovative, quality fiction. No Picture books. Founded 2016.
University of Exeter Press
Reed Hall, Streatham Drive, Exeter EX4 4QR
tel (01392) 263066
email uep@exeter.ac.uk
website www.exeterpress.co.uk
Twitter @UExeterPress
Publisher Simon Baker, Sales, Marketing &
Distribution Helen Gannon
Academic and scholarly books on European literature, film history, performance studies, local history (Exeter and the South West). Imprints include: University of Exeter Press, Bristol Phoenix Press, The Exeter Press. Distributor in the UK, Europe and the Middle East for US and Canadian academic presses, including American Research Center in Egypt, American Schools of Oriental Research, Archaeological Institute of America, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Greece and Cyprus Research Center, Eliot Werner Publications, Freelance Academy Press, Kelsey Museum Publications, Lockwood Press, Michigan Classical Press, Middle East Documentation Center, Truman State University Press, Yale Egyptological Institute.
Founded 1958.
Helen Exley
16 Chalk Hill, Watford, Herts. WD19 4BG
tel (01923) 474480
website www.helenexleygiftbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/helenexleygifts
Twitter @helen_exley
Directors Dalton Exley, Helen Exley (editorial), Lincoln Exley, Richard Exley
Popular colour gift books for an international market. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1976.
Eye Books
29 Barrow Street, Much Wenlock, Shropshire TF13 6EN
tel 020–3239 3027
email dan@eye-books.com
website www.eye-books.com
Twitter @eyebooks
Publisher Dan Hiscocks
Publishes across different imprints both fiction and non-fiction. Founded 1996.
Eyewear Publishing Ltd
Suite 333, 19–21 Crawford Street, London W1H 1PJ
tel 020–7289 0627
email info@eyewearpublishing.com
website www.eyewearpublishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/EyewearPublishing
Twitter @EyewearBooks
Director Todd Swift, Managing Editor Oliver Jones, Senior Editor Kelly Davio
Based in London, Eyewear Publishing celebrates the best writing in English from the UK and overseas. Aims to bring readers a varied list that is full of different voices and styles, kept coherent by the company’s dedication to presenting writers of the highest quality. Through the annual Melita Hume Poetry Prize and Sexton Prize exciting new poets are discovered, supported and developed. Founded 2012.
F&W Media International Ltd
Pynes Hill Court, Pynes Hill, Exeter EX2 5SP
tel (01392) 797680
website www.fwcommunity.com
Managing Director James Woollam
A community-focused, creator of content (for books, ebooks and digital downloads) and marketer of products and services for hobbyists and enthusiasts including crafts, hobbies, art techniques, writing books, gardening, natural history, equestrian, DIY, military history, photography. Founded 1960.
F100 Group
34–2 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4LB
tel 020–7323 0323
email info@fl00.com
website http://fl000.com
Chairman Vitek Tracz
Life science publishing, electronic publishing and internet communities.
Faber and Faber Ltd*
Bloomsbury House, 74–77 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DA
tel 020–7927 3800
website www.faber.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/FaberandFaber
Twitter @FaberBooks
Publisher & Chief Executive Stephen Page, Finance Director Mary Cannam, Publishers Leah Thaxton (children’s), Faber Social Creative Director Lee Brackstone, Communications Director Rachel Alexander, Sales & Services Director Charlotte Robertson, Consumer Marketing Director Matt Haslum, Faber Press Director Henry Volans, Publishing Services Director Nigel Marsh, Rights Director Lisa Baker, Head of Faber Academy Ian Ellard, Faber Factory Director Simon Blacklock, Faber Factory Plus International Sales Manager Anne Bowman
High-quality general fiction and non-fiction, children’s fiction and non-fiction, drama, film, music, poetry. Unsolicited submissions accepted for poetry only. For information on poetry submission procedures, ring 020–7927 3800, or consult the website. No unsolicited MSS.
Fabian Society
61 Petty France, London SW1H 9EU
tel 020–7227 4900
email info@fabians.org.uk
website www.fabians.org.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/fabiansociety
Twitter @thefabians
General Secretary Andrew Harrop
Current affairs, political thought, economics, education, environment, foreign affairs, social policy. Also controls NCLC Publishing Society Ltd. Founded 1884.
Fairchild Books – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc CJ Fallon
Ground Floor, Block B, Liffey Valley Office Campus, Dublin 22, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)l 6166400
email editorial@cjfallon.ie
website www.cjfallon.ie
Executive Directors Brian Gilsenan (managing), John Bodley (financial)
Educational textbooks. Founded l927.
The Den, PO Box 579, Tonbridge TN9 9NG
tel (01580) 857249
email hello@fatfoxbooks.com
website http://fatfoxbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Fat-Fox- 748836775131844
Twitter @FatFoxBooks
Managing Director Holly Millbank
Independent publisher of children’s books for children 3–14 years. Founded 2014.
Featherstone Education – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc David Fickling Books
31 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2NP
tel (01865) 339000
website www.davidficklingbooks.com
Publisher David Fickling
Picture books, fiction for 5–8 and 9–12 years, young adult fiction and poetry. Currently not accepting unsolicited MSS submissions. Founded 2000.
Fig Tree – see Penguin General Books Findhorn Press Ltd
Delft Cottage, Dyke, Forres, Scotland IV36 2TF
tel (01309) 690582
email info@findhornpress.com
website www.findhornpress.com
Mind, Body & Spirit and healing. Founded 1971.
Firefly Press Ltd
25 Gabalfa Road, Llandaff North, Cardiff CF14 2JJ
tel 029–2021 8611
email fireflypress@yahoo.co.uk
website www.fireflypress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/FireflyPress
Twitter @fireflypress
Publisher Penny Thomas,
Editor Janet Thomas, Marketing Officer Megan Farr
Publishes quality fiction for ages 5 to 19. Founded 2013.
Fisherton Press
email general@fishertonpress.co.uk
website www.fishertonpress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/FishertonPress
Twitter @fishertonpress
Director Ellie Levenson
A small independent publisher producing picture books for children under 7 that adults also like reading. Interested in receiving ideas and MSS from authors and portfolios and book ideas from illustrators. Not currently accepting proposals but illustrators are welcome to send links to their portfolio.
Fitzrovia Press Ltd
10 Grafton Mews, London W1T 5JG
tel 020–7380 0749
email info@fitzroviapress.co.uk
email pratima@fitzroviapress.co.uk
website www.fitzroviapress.com
Publisher Richard Prime, Marketing Director Pratima
Patel
Fiction and non-fiction: Hinduism and creative writing grounded in Eastern philosophy that explores spirituality in the West. Submit outline plus sample chapter; no complete MSS. Founded 2008.
Five Star – see Serpent’s Tail,
Flame Tree Publishing
6 Melbray Mews, Fulham, London SW6 3NS
tel 020–7751 9650
email info@flametreepublishing.com
website www.flametreepublishing.com
Ceo/Publisher Nick Wells,
Managing Director Francis Bodiam
Culture, cookery and lifestyle. Part of Flame Tree Publishing Ltd. Currently not accepting unsolicited
MSS. Founded 1992.
Fleming Publications
9/2 Fleming House, 134 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G3 6ST
tel 0141 328 1935
email info@flemingpublications.com
website www.flemingpublications.com
Managing Editor Etta Dunn
Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, history, biography, photography and self-help.
Floris Books*
2a Robertson Avenue, Edinburgh EH11 1SH
tel 0131 337 2372
email floris@florisbooks.co.uk
website www.florisbooks.co.uk
website www.discoverkelpies.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/FlorisBooks
Twitter @FlorisBooks
Commissioning Editors Sally Polson, Eleanor Collins
Religion, science, philosophy, holistic health, organics, Mind, Body & Spirit, Celtic studies, crafts, parenting; children’s books: board, picture books, activity books. Founded 1976.
Kelpies
Contemporary Scottish fiction – board books (for 1–3 years), picture books (for 3–6 years), young readers series (for 6–8 years) and novels (for 8–15 years). See website for submission details. Annual Kelpies Prize, see website.
Flyleaf Press†
4 Spencer Villas, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland
email books@flyleaf.ie
website www.flyleaf.ie
Managing Editor James Ryan
Irish family history. Founded 1988.
Folens Publishers
Hibernian Industrial Estate, off Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 4137200
website www.folens.ie
Facebook www.facebook.com/FolensIreland
Twitter @FolensIreland
Chairman Dirk Folens, Educational (primary, secondary, comprehensive, technical, in English and Irish). Founded 1956.
Blackwater Press
General non-fiction, Irish interest. Founded 1993.
Fonthill Media Ltd
Stroud House, Russell Street, Stroud, Glos. GL5 3AN
tel (01453) 750505
email office@fonthillmedia.com
website www.fonthillmedia.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/fonthillmedia
Twitter @fonthillmedia
Publisher & Ceo Alan Sutton
General history. Specialisations include biography, military history, aviation history, naval and maritime history, regional and local and history, transport (railway, canal, road) history, social history, sports history, ancient history and archaeology. Also publishes widely in the USA with American regional, local, military and transport history under the imprints of Fonthill, America Through Time and American History House. Founded 2011.
Footprint Handbooks
5 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ
tel (01225) 469141
email contactus@footprintbooks.com
website www.footprinttravelguides.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/footprintbooks
Twitter @footprintbooks
Director John Sadler
Travel guides.
W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd
The Old Barrel Store, Brewery Courtyard, Draymans Lane, Marlow, Bucks. SL7 2FF
tel (01628) 400631
Managing/Editorial Director B.A.R. Belasco
Life issues, general know-how, CMS data, cookery, nutrition, health, therapies, travel guides, parenting, gardening, DIY and popular New Age. Founded
c.1800.
Quantum
Mind, Body & Spirit, popular philosophy and practical psychology.
Four Courts Press
7 Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 4534668
email info@fourcourtspress.ie
website www.fourcourtspress.ie
Senior Editor Martin Fanning, Marketing & Sales
Manager Anthony Tierney
Academic books in the humanities, especially history, Celtic and medieval studies, art, theology. Founded 1970.
4th Estate – see HarperCollins Publishers Free Association Books
1 Angel Cottages, Milespit Hill, London NW7 1RD
email aosolomons@gmail.com
website www.freeassociationpublishing.com
Twitter @Fab_Publishing
Director Trevor E. Brown, Publishing Director Alice Solomons Marketing Manager Lisa Findley
Social sciences, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, counselling, cultural studies, social welfare, addiction studies, child and adolescent studies, mental health. No poetry or fiction. Founded 1984.
Freight Books
49 Virginia Street, Glasgow G1 1TS
tel 0141 5525 303
email info@freightbooks.co.uk
website www.freightbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/FreightBooks
Twitter @freightbooks
Publisher Adrian Searle
Award-winning UK-based independent publisher with a focus on publishing high-quality fiction, though also publishes general illustrated and narrative non-fiction, poetry and humour. Committed to compelling narratives, high-quality editing and production which are supported by a strong and identifiable brand. Founded 2011.
Samuel French Ltd*
24–32 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HX
tel 020–7387 9373
email email@samuelfrench.co.uk
website www.samuelfrench.co.uk
Directors Douglas Schatz (managing), David Webster
(operations)
Publisher of plays, performance licensing agent and online theatre bookshop. Considers one-act and full-length plays, usually only if they have been performed professionally. One-act scripts should be submitted in full. Please include a sae if scripts are to be returned. More information on the the submissions process can be found on the website. Founded 1830.
The Friday Project – see HarperCollins Publishers Frontinus Ltd
4 The Links, Cambridge Road, Newmarket CB8 0TG
tel (01638) 663456
email info@frontinus.org.uk
website http://pandhp.com
Directors Anthony Haynes, Karen Haynes
Publishes six titles a year in academic and professional non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS.
Founded 2006.
Frontline – see Pen & Sword Books Ltd FT Prentice Hall – see Pearson UK Gaia Books – see Octopus Publishing Group The Gallery Press
Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co Meath, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)49 8541779
email gallery@indigo.ie
website www.gallerypress.com
Editor/Publisher Peter Fallon
Poetry and drama – by Irish authors only at this time.
Founded 1970.
Galley Beggar Press†
email info@galleybeggar.co.uk
website www.galleybeggar.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Galley-Beggar-
Press/223058704486420
Twitter @GalleyBeggars
Co-directors Eloise Millar, Sam Jordison
Independent publisher based in Norwich. Looks for authors whose writing shows great ambition and literary merit in their chosen genre. Original publishers of Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-formed Thing –winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014. When submitting a MS authors must provide proof that they have read another book that Galley Beggar Press has published. Prefers completed MS; email as PDF or Word document. One submission per author. Considers a wide range of genres including fiction, non-fiction, quality sci-fi, novels and short stories. No poetry or children’s. See website for detailed submission guidelines. Founded 2011.
Gallic Books
59 Ebury Street, London SW1W 0NZ
tel 020–7259 9336
email info@gallicbooks.com
website www.gallicbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/gallicbooks
Twitter @gallicbooks
Managing Director Jane Aitken, Editorial Director
Pilar Webb
French writing in translation. Only accepts submissions from French publishers or from agents representing French authors. Founded 2007. Imprint: Aardvark Bureau.
Garland Science – see Taylor & Francis Group J. Garnet Miller – see Cressrelles Publishing Co. Ltd Garnet Publishing Ltd
8 Southern Court, South Street, Reading RG1 4QS
tel (0118) 9597847
email info@garnetpublishing.co.uk
Publisher & Commissioning Editor Mitchell Albert
Comprises of three imprints. Founded 1991. Garnet Publishing
website www.garnetpublishing.co.uk
Trade non-fiction pertaining to the Middle East (art and architecture, cookery, culture, current affairs, history, photography, political and social issues, religion, travel and general). Accepts unsolicited material.
Ithaca Press
website www.ithacapress.co.uk
Leading publisher of academic books with a focus on
Middle Eastern studies. Accepts unsolicited material.
Periscope
website www.periscopebooks.co.uk
Literary fiction and trade non-fiction from around the world (biography, crime fiction, current affairs, historical fiction, literary translations, memoir, political and social issues, popular history, popular science, reportage, general literary fiction and general trade non-fiction). Accepts unsolicited material.
Geddes & Grosset
(an imprint of The Gresham Publishing Company
Ltd)
Academy Park, Gower Street (Building 4000), Glasgow G51 1PR
tel 0141 375 1998
email info@geddesandgrosset.co.uk
website www.geddesandgrosset.com
Publishers Ron Grosset, Liz Small
Mass market reference Word Power – English language learning and health and well-being. Associated imprint: Waverley Books. Founded 1988.
Gibson Square
tel 020–7096 1100
email info@gibsonsquare.com
website www.gibsonsquare.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/gibson.square
Publisher Martin Rynja
Non-fiction: general non-fiction, biography, current affairs, philosophy, politics, cultural criticism, psychology, history, travel, art history, some fiction; see website for guidelines or email to receive an automated response. Authors include Helena Frith Powell, Alexander Litvinenko, Melanie Phillips, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Diana Mitford, Anthony Grayling, John McCain. Founded 2001.
Gill†
Hume Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 5009500
email sales@gill.ie
website www.gill.ie
Founder & Chairman Michael Gill, Managing Director
Ruth Gill
An independent publisher and distributor in Dublin. Its origins date back to 1856 when M. H. Gill & Son, whose portfolio included printing and bookselling, was founded. In partnership with the Macmillan Group in London, Gill & Macmillan was founded 1968. Now fully owned by the Gill family following the buyout of the Macmillan interest in 2013.
Gill Books
website www.gillbooks.ie
Facebook www.facebook.com/gillbooks
Twitter @gillbooks
Trade publishing. Irish interest non-fiction: biography, cookery, history, current affairs, Mind, Body & Spirit, giftbooks and children, reference, lifestyle. Publisher of established authors and champion of new voices.
Gill Education
website www.gilleducation.ie
website www.gillexplore.ie
Primary and post-primary publisher. Working with the best educators in the country to create books and resources, tailored to the Irish market. Also supplies Irish schools with a carefully selected range of the best literacy and numeracy resources available worldwide.
Gill Distribution
website www.gilldistribution.ie
Ireland’s largest distributor of books for publishers.
Servicing over 50 publishers on a wide range of services, including physical distribution, sales representation, ONIX distribution and sales reporting.
The Gingko Library
70 Cadogan Place, London SW1X 9AH
tel 020–7838 9055
email barbara@thegingkolibrary.com
website www.gingkolibrary.com
Publisher Barbara Schwepcke
A library of thought and scholarship focusing on the Middle East and North Africa.
Ginn – see Pearson UK GL Assessment
9th Floor East, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL
tel 020–8996 3333
email information@gl-assessment.co.uk
website www.gl-assessment.co.uk
Chairman Philip Walters
Testing and assessment services for education and health care, including literacy, numeracy, thinking skills, ability, learning support and online testing.
Founded 1981.
Godsfield Press – see Octopus Publishing Group
Gollancz – see The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Gomer Press
Llandysul, Ceredigion SA44 4JL
tel (01559) 363090
email gwasg@gomer.co.uk
website www.gomer.co.uk
website www.pontbooks.co.uk
Managing Director Jonathan Lewis, Editors Elinor
Wyn Reynolds (adult, Welsh), Ceri Wyn Jones
(adult, English), Sioned Lleinau (children’s, Welsh), Cathryn Gwynn (children’s, English)
History, travel, photography, biography, art, poetry and fiction of relevance to Welsh culture, in English and in Welsh. Picture books, novels, stories, poetry and teaching resources for children. Preliminary enquiry essential. Imprint: Pont Books (English books for children). Founded 1892.
Government Supplies Agency
Publications Division, Office of Public Works, 52 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 6476834
email publications@opw.ie
website www.opw.ie/en/governmentpublications
Irish government publications.
Gower – see Taylor & Francis Group Granta Books
12 Addison Avenue, London W11 4QR
tel 020–7605 1360
website www.grantabooks.com
Twitter @GrantaBooks
Publisher Sigrid Rausing, Editorial Directors Laura Barber, Bella Lacey, Senior Editor Max Porter, Commissioning Editor Anne Meadows, Junior Editor Ka Bradley, Rights Director Angela Rose, Publicity Director Pru Rowlandson, Production Director Sarah Wasley, Sales, Marketing & Digital Director Iain Chapple, Finance Manager Morgan Graver
Literary fiction, memoir, nature writing, cultural criticism and travel. No submissions except via a reputable literary agent. An imprint of Granta Publications. Founded 1982.
Green Print – see Merlin Press Ltd Gresham Books Ltd
The Carriage House, Ningwood Manor, Ningwood, Isle of Wight PO30 4NJ
tel (01983) 761389
email info@gresham-books.co.uk
website www.gresham-books.co.uk
Managing Director Nicholas Oulton
Hymn books, prayer books, service books, school histories and Companions.
The Gresham Publishing Company Ltd
(Waverley Books/Geddes and Grosset)
Ground floor, 4000 Academy Park, Gower Street, Glasgow G51 1PR
tel 0141 375 1996
email info@waverley-books.co.uk
website www.waverley-books.co.uk
website www.geddesandgrosset.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/WAVERLEY-
BOOKS/110565462291036
Twitter @WaverleyBooks
Publishers Ron Grosset, Liz Small
Books for the general trade and Scottish interest books.
The Greystones Press
37 Lawton Avenue, Carterton, Oxon OX18 3JY
tel (01993) 841219
email editorial@greystonespress.com
website www.greystonespress.com
Directors Mary Hoffman, Stephen Barber
A small independent publishing company, specializing in good adult and young adult fiction and adult non-fiction in areas of interest, like literature, art, history, music, myths and legends. Full submission guidelines are on the website. No middle grade or younger or illustrated books.
Grub Street Publishing
4 Rainham Close, London SW11 6SS
tel 020–7924 3966, 020–7738 1008
email post@grubstreet.co.uk
website www.grubstreet.co.uk
Principals John B. Davies, Anne Dolamore
Adult non-fiction: military, aviation history, cookery.
Founded 1992.
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications
Ltd
166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XU
tel (01273) 477374
email jonathanb@thegmcgroup.com
website www.gmcbooks.com
Twitter @GMCbooks
Joint Managing Directors Jennifer Phillips, Jonathan Phillips, Publisher Jonathan Bailey
GMC Publications is a diverse publisher of leisure and hobby project books, with a focus on all types of woodworking; from carving and turning to routing. Craft subjects include needlecraft, paper crafts and jewellery-making. The books are aimed at craftspeople of all skill levels. Founded 1979.
Ammonite Press
166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XU
email jason.hook@ammonitepress.com
website www.ammonitepress.com
Twitter @AmmonitePress
Joint Managing Directors Jennifer Phillips, Jonathan Phillips, Publisher Jason Hook Publishes highly illustrated non-fiction for the international market. Gift books featuring illustration, infographics and photography offer new angles on pop culture, pop reference, biography and history. Practical photography titles written by professional photographers provide authoritative guides to technique and equipment.
Button Books
website www.buttonbooks.co.uk
A new imprint of GMC Publications publishing children’s books and producing stationery for children up to 11 years.
Guinness World Records
3rd Floor, 184–192 Drummond Street, London NW1 3HP
tel 020–7891 4567
website www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Guinness World Records, GWR Gamer’s Edition, TV and brand licensing, records processing. No unsolicited MSS. A Jim Pattison Group company. Founded 1954.
Gulf Professional Press – see Elsevier Ltd Hachette Children’s Group*
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
website www.hachettechildrens.co.uk
Ceo Hilary Murray Hill
Children’s non-fiction, reference, information, gift, fiction, picture, novelty and audiobooks. Unsolicited material is not considered other than by referral or recommendation. Formed by combining Watts Publishing with Hodder Children’s Books in 2005. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Hodder Children’s Books
Facebook www.facebook.com/hodderchildrensbooks
Twitter @hodderchildrens
Publishing Director Anne McNeil
Fiction, picture books, novelty, general non-fiction and audiobooks.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Facebook www.facebook.com/lbkidsuk
Twitter @lbkidsuk
Publishing Director Karen Ball
Fiction, novelty, general non-fiction and audiobooks. Orchard Books
Facebook www.facebook.com/orchardchildrensbooks
Twitter @orchardbooks
Publishing Director Megan Larkin Fiction, picture and novelty books.
Orion Children’s Books
Facebook www.facebook.com/TheOrionStar
Twitter @the_orionstar
Publishing Director Fiona Kennedy
Fiction, picture books, novelty, general non-fiction and audiobooks.
Franklin Watts
Twitter @franklinwatts
Publishing Director Rachel Cooke Non-fiction and information books.
Wayland
Twitter @waylandbooks
Editorial Director Debbie Foy Non-fiction and information books.
Hachette UK*
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 6000
website www.hachette.co.uk
Chief Executive Tim Hely Hutchinson, Directors Jamie Hodder Williams (Ceo, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, John Murray Press, Quercus), Chris Emerson (Coo), Jane Morpeth (Chairman, Headline), Alison Goff (Ceo, Octopus), Pierre de Cacqueray (finance), Richard Kitson (commercial/Chairman, Hachette Australia and Hachette New Zealand), Dominic Mahony (group HR), Michael Pietsch (Ceo, Hachette Book Group USA), Clare Harington (group communications), Diane Spivey (group contracts), Hilary Murray Hill (Ceo, Hachette Children’s Group), David Shelley (Ceo, Little, Brown Book Group and Orion Publishing Group), Lis Tribe (managing, Hodder Education)
Part of Hachette Livre SA since 2004. Hachette UK group companies: Hachette Children’s Group (here), Headline Publishing Group (here), Hodder Education Group (here), Hodder & Stoughton (here), John Murray Press (here), Little, Brown Book Group (here), Octopus Publishing Group (here), Orion Publishing Group (here), Quercus Publishing Plc (here), Hachette Ireland, Hachette Australia (here), Hachette New Zealand (here), Hachette Book Publishing India Private Ltd.
Halban Publishers
22 Golden Square, London W1F 9JW
tel 020–7437 9300
email books@halbanpublishers.com
website www.halbanpublishers.com
Twitter @HalbanPublisher
Directors Martine Halban, Peter Halban
General fiction and non-fiction; history and biography; Jewish subjects and Middle East. No unsolicited MSS considered; preliminary letter or email essential. Founded 1986.
Haldane Mason Ltd
North Barrow, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LY
tel (01963) 240844
email info@haldanemason.com
website www.haldanemason.com
Directors Sydney Francis, Ron Samuel
Illustrated non-fiction books and box sets, mainly for children. No unsolicited material. Imprints: Haldane Mason (adult), Red Kite Books (children’s). Founded 1995.
Robert Hale Ltd
The Crowood Press Ltd, The Stable Block, Crowood Lane, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2HR
tel (01672) 520320
email enquire@halebooks.com
website www.halebooks.com
Directors Gill Jackson (managing & editorial), John
Hale (chairman), Robert Hale (production)
Adult general non-fiction and fiction. Imprint of The Crowood Press (here). Founded 1936.
Halsgrove Publishing
Halsgrove House, Ryelands Business Park, Bagley Road, Wellington, Somerset TA21 9PZ
tel (01823) 653777
email sales@halsgrove.com
website www.halsgrove.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Halsgrove-Publishing- 120746011275852/
Twitter @Halsgrove
Managing Director Julian Davidson, Publisher Simon
Butler
Regional books for local-interest readers in the UK. Also illustrated books on individual artists. Founded 1986.
Hamish Hamilton – see Penguin General Books Hamlyn – see Octopus Publishing Group Patrick Hardy Books – see The Lutterworth Press Harlequin (UK) Ltd*
Eton House, 18–24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
tel 020–8288 2800
website www.millsandboon.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/millsandboon
Directors Tim Cooper (managing), Stuart Barber (finance), Angela Barnatt (production & operations), Donna Hillyer (editorial), Jackie McGee (human resources)
In 2014 Harlequin (UK) Lit was acquired by HarperCollins Publishers. Founded 1908.
Mills & Boon Historical
Senior Editor L. Fildew Historical romance fiction.
Mills & Boon Medical
Senior Editor S. Hodgson Contemporary romance fiction.
Mills & Boon Cherish
Senior Editor Bryony Green Commercial literary fiction.
Mira Books
Editorial Director Donna Condon Women’s fiction.
Mills & Boon Modern Romance
Senior Editor Joanne Grant
HarperCollins Publishers*
The News Building, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
tel 020–8741 7070
also at Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 2QT
tel 0141 772 3200
website www.harpercollins.co.uk
Ceo Charlie Redmayne
All fiction and trade non-fiction must be submitted through an agent. Owned by News Corporation.
Founded 1817.
Avon
website http://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/imprints/avon
Executive Publisher Kate Elton, Publishing Strategy Director Oliver Malcolm, Publishing Director Helen Huthwaite
General fiction, crime and thrillers, women’s fiction.
The Borough Press
Publisher Suzie Doore Literary fiction.
William Collins
Executive Publisher David Roth-Ey, Publishing Director Arabella Pike, Associate Publisher Myles Archibald (natural history)
Collins Learning
Managing Director Colin Hughes, Deputy Managing Director Sheena Barclay
Core curriculum and revision resources: books, CD-Roms and online material for UK and international primary schools, secondary schools and colleges. 4th Estate
Executive Publisher David Roth-Ey, Publishing Directors Nick Pearson, Helen Garnons-Williams, Louise Haines
Fiction, literary fiction, current affairs, popular science, biography, humour, travel.
HarperCollins
Publishing Director David Brawn
Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis.
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh Annuals, activity books, novelty books, pre-school brands, picture books, pop-up books and book and CD sets. Fiction for 5–8 and 9–12 years, young adult fiction and series fiction; film/TV tie-ins. Publishes approx. 265 titles each year. Picture book authors include Oliver Jeffers, Judith Kerr and Emma Chichester Clark, and fiction by David Walliams, Michael Morpurgo, David Baddiel and Lauren Child. Books published under licence include Dr Seuss, Bing, Twirlywoos and Paddington Bear.
HarperElement
Publisher Ed Faulkner
Real-life stories by real people, focusing on inspirational memoir, true crime, animal stories and nostalgia.
HarperFiction
Publishers David Brawn (estates), Julia Wisdom (crime & thriller), Kimberley Young (commercial women’s fiction), Publishing Director (commercial women’s fiction) Lynne Drew, Deputy Publishing Director (crime & thriller) Sarah Hodgson General, historical fiction, crime and thrillers, women’s fiction.
Harperlmpulse
Publisher Kimberley Young Digital first-romance fiction.
Harper NonFiction
Executive Publisher Kate Elton, Publishing Strategy Director Oliver Malcolm, Publisher Ed Faulkner, Publishing Directors Grace Cheetham, Jack Fogg Autobiographies, entertainment, sport, cookery, lifestyle and culture.
Harper Thorsons
Publisher Ed Faulkner
Health and well-being, pop-psych, Mind, Body & Spirit, business, and personal development.
HQ
Publisher Lisa Milton
General, crime and thrillers, women’s fiction, historical, book club and young adult.
HQ Digital
Publisher Lisa Milton
Digital-first commercial fiction list, general, crime and thrillers, women’s fiction, psychological thrillers, saga.
Global Editorial Director Jo Grant Romance.
Voyager
Publishing Director Natasha Bardon Fantasy/sci-fi.
HarperTrue – see Harper Collins Publishers Hart Publishing*
Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH
tel (01865) 598648
email mail@hartpub.co.uk
website www.hartpub.co.uk
Publisher Sinéad Moloney
Legal academic texts for law students, scholars and practitioners. Will consider unsolicited MSS. Submission guidelines on the website. Books, ebooks and journals on all aspects of law (UK domestic, European and International). An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (here). Founded in 1996.
Harvill Secker – see Vintage Haus Publishing Ltd
70 Cadogan Place, London SW1X 9AH
tel 020–7838 9055
email info@hauspublishing.com
website http://hauspublishing.com/
Twitter @HausPublishing
Publisher Barbara Schwepcke
Publishes history, literary fiction, translated fiction, biography, memoir and current affairs. Founded 2003.
Hawthorn Press
1 Lansdown Lane, Stroud, Glos. GL5 1BJ
tel (01453) 757040
email info@hawthornpress.com
website www.hawthornpress.com
Director Martin Large, Accounts/Foreign Rights
Farimah Englefield, Production & Administration
Claire Percival, Marketing Meredith Debonaire
Publishes books and ebooks for a more creative, peaceful and sustainable world. Series include Early Years, Steiner/Waldorf Education, Crafts, Personal Development, Art and Science, Storytelling. Founded 1981.
Hay House Publishers
2nd Floor, Astley House, 33 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JQ
tel 020–3675 2450
email info@hayhouse.co.uk
website www.hayhouse.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/HayHouseUK
Twitter @HayHouseUK
Managing Director & Publisher Michelle Pilley, International Sales & Operations Director Diane Hill, Communications Director Jo Burgess, Commissioning Editor Amy Kiberd
Publishers of Mind, Body & Spirit; self-help; personal development; health; spirituality and wellness. Head office in San Diego, California. Founded 1984; in UK 2003.
Haynes Publishing
Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7JJ
tel (01963) 440635
email lmcintyre@haynes.co.uk
email srendle@haynes.co.uk
email jfalconer@haynes.co.uk
website www.haynes.co.uk
Directors J.H. Haynes (founder director), Eddie Bell (chairman), J. Haynes (chief executive), James Bunkum (group finance director), Jeremy Yates-Round (managing director & sales), Graham Cook (overseas director)
Practical Manuals for the home: car, motorcycle, motorsport, military, aviation and leisure activities.
Haynes Motor Trade Division
email jaustin@haynes.co.uk
Car and motorcycle service and repair manuals and technical data books.
Head of Zeus
Clerkenwell House, 5–8 Hardwick Street, London EC1R 4RG
tel 020–7253 5557
email hello@headofzeus.com
website www.headofzeus.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Head-of-Zeus-
Books/178965895576244
Twitter @HoZ_Books
Chairman Anthony Cheetham, Ceo Amanda Ridout, Fiction Publisher Laura Palmer, Non-fiction Publishers Richard Milbank, Neil Belton, Digital Publisher Nicolas Cheetham, Sales Director Dan Groenewald, Publicity Director Suzanne Sangster
General and literary fiction, genre fiction and non-fiction. UK and Commonwealth distributers for MysteriousPress.com, one of the world’s largest digital crime fiction lists. Founded 2012.
Zephyr
Publisher Fiona Kennedy Children’s imprint.
Headland Publications
Editorial office Ty Coch, Galltegfa, Llanfwrog, Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 2AR
and 38 York Avenue, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 3JF
tel 0151 625 9128
email headlandpublications@hotmail.co.uk
website www.headlandpublications.co.uk
Editor Gladys Mary Coles
Poetry, anthologies of poetry and prose. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1970.
Headline Publishing Group
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 7222
email enquiries@headline.co.uk
website www.headline.co.uk
website www.hachette.co.uk
Twitter @headlinepg
Chair Jane Morpeth,
Managing Director Mari Evans, Publishing Director, Fiction Sarah Savitt, Publishing Director, Tinder Press Imogen Taylor, Publishing Director, Non-fiction Jonathan Taylor, Publishing Director Headline Review Non-fiction Sarah Emsley
Commercial and literary fiction (hardback, paperback and ebook) and popular non-fiction including autobiography, biography, food and wine, gardening, history, popular science, sport, TV tie-ins. Publishes under Headline, Headline Review, Tinder Press, Headline Eternal. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
William Heinemann – see Cornerstone Hermes House – see Anness Publishing Nick Hern Books Ltd
The Glasshouse, 49A Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP
tel 020–8749 4953
email info@nickhernbooks.co.uk
website www.nickhernbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/NickHernBooks
Twitter @NickHernBooks
Publisher Nick Hern,
Managing Director Matt
Applewhite
Theatre and performing arts books, professionally produced plays, performing rights. Initial letter required. Founded 1988.
Hesperus Press Ltd
28 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7RD
tel 020–4360 869
email info@hesperuspress.com
website www.hesperuspress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/hesperuspress
Twitter @HesperusPress
Under three imprints, Hesperus Press publishes over 300 books by many of the greatest figures in worldwide literary history, as well as contemporary and debut authors worth discovering. Hesperus Classics introduces forgotten books to new generations, Hesperus Nova showcases quality contemporary literature and Hesperus Minor rediscovers well-loved children’s books from the past.
Founded 2002.
Hippopotamus Press
22
Whitewell Road, Frome, Somerset BA11 4EL
tel (01373) 466653
email rjhippopress@aol.com
email mphippopress@aol.com
Editors Roland John, Mansell Pargitter, Foreign Editor (translations) Anna Martin
Poetry, essays, criticism. Submissions from new writers welcome. Founded 1974.
The History Press Ltd
The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Glos. GL5 2QG
tel (01453) 883300
website www.thehistorypress.co.uk
Managing Director Gareth Swain, Publishing Director
Laura Perehinec, Sales Director Jamie Kinnear, Rights
Anette Fuhrmeister
The History Press
General, local, military and transport history: biographies and historical fiction.
Phillimore
British local history and genealogy.
Hodder & Stoughton
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
tel 020–7873 6000
website www.hodder.co.uk
website www.hachettelivreuk.co.uk
Ceo Jamie Hodder-Williams,
Managing Director Carolyn Mays, Deputy Managing Director Lisa Highton, Publishing Director Carole Welch, Non-fiction Publisher Drummond Moir, Non-fiction Publisher Rupert Lancaster, Hodder Lifestyle and Yellow Kite Publisher Liz Gough
Commercial and literary fiction; biography, autobiography, history, humour, Mind, Body & Spirit, travel, lifestyle and cookery and other general interest non-fiction; audio. No unsolicited MSS or synopses. Publishes under Hodder & Stoughton, Sceptre, Mobius. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Hodder Children’s Books – see Hachette Children’s Group Hodder Education
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
tel 020–7873 6000
website www.hoddereducation.co.uk
website www.galorepark.co.uk
website www.risingstars-uk.com
website www.hachette.co.uk
Directors Lis Tribe (managing), Alex Jones (finance), Andrea Carr (Rising Stars, managing), Robert Sulley (international), Steve Connolly (digital & FE publishing), Paul Cherry (core subjects & Philip Allan) Jim Belben (humanities & social sciences), Alyssum Ross (business operations), Janice Holdcroft (UK sales & development), Victoria Goodall (marketing), John Mitchell (Hodder Gibson) School and College publishing. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Hodder Faith
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
tel 020–7873 6000
email faitheditorialenquiries@hodder.co.uk
website www.hodder.co.uk/hodder%20faith/index.page
Managing Director Jamie Hodder-Williams, Publishing Director Andy Lyon
Bibles, Christian books, biography/memoir. Publishes New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, Today’s New International Version (TNIV) of the Bible, New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) of the Bible. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Hodder Gibson*
211 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5QY
tel 0141 333 4650
email hoddergibson@hodder.co.uk
website www.hoddergibson.co.uk
Managing Director Peter Dennis
Educational books specifically for Scotland. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Honno Ltd (Welsh Women’s Press)
Honno, Unit 14, Creative Units, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3GL
tel (01970) 623150
email post@honno.co.uk
website www.honno.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/honnopress
Twitter @honno
Editor Caroline Oakley
Literature written by women born or living in Wales or women with a Welsh connection. All subjects considered – fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies. No poetry or works for children considered. Honno is a community co-operative. Founded 1986.
Hopscotch
(a division of MA Education)
St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PB
tel 020–7501 6736
email hopscotch@bebc.co.uk
website www.hopscotchbooks.com
Associate Publisher Angela Morano-Shaw
Teaching resources for primary school teachers.
Founded 1997.
Practical Pre-School Books
Early years teacher resources.
Hot Key Books
80–81 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RE
tel 020–7490 3875
email enquiries@hotkeybooks.com
website www.hotkeybooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/HotKeyBooks/
Twitter @HotKeyBooks
Editor-at-Large Emma Matthewson
Part of Bonnier Publishing, publishes books for ages 9–19. Send full MS and synopsis to enquiries@hotkeybooks.com. Only accepts electronic submissions.
House of Lochar
Isle of Colonsay, Argyll PA61 7YR
tel (01951) 200323
email sales@houseoflochar.com
website www.houseoflochar.com
Scottish history, transport, Scottish literature.
Founded 1995.
John Hunt Publishing Ltd
Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants SO24 9JH
email office1@jhpbooks.net
website www.johnhuntpublishing.com
Director John Hunt
Publishes culture, politics, spirituality, Christianity, history and fiction titles for adults and children. See website for submission procedure, additional author services and trade representation. Imprints include: 6th Books for parapsychology, Axis Mundi Books for esoteric thought and practice, Ayni Books for complementary health, Dodona Books for divination, Moon Books for paganism and shamanism, O Books for broader spirituality, Earth Books for environment, Iff Books for philosophy and popular science, Soul Rocks Books for alternative spirituality, Psyche Books for mind and self, Roundfire Books for fiction, Cosmic Egg Books for fantasy, Top Hat Books for historical fiction, Our Street Books for children, Lodestone Books for young adults, Liberalis Books for education, Compass Books for new writers, Changemakers Books for transformation, Christian Alternative for liberal Christianity, Chronos Books for historical non-fiction and Zero Books for society, politics and culture. Founded 1989.
Hutchinson – see Cornerstone Hutchinson Children’s Books – see Penguin Random House Children’s UK
Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd*
Third Floor, Invicta House, 108–114 Golden Lane, London EC1Y 0TG
tel 020–776 7551
website www.hymnsam.co.uk
Publishing Director Christine Smith
Theological books with special emphasis on text and reference books and contemporary theology for both students and clergy. Founded 1929.
Twitter @standrewpress
Publisher of the Church of Scotland.
Church House Publishing
Twitter @CHPublishingUK
Publisher of the Church of England – church resources, stationery and Common Worship.
Canterbury Press
Norwich Books and Music, 13A Hellesdon Park Road, Norwich NR6 5DR
tel (01603) 785925
website www.canterburypress.co.uk
Twitter @canterburypress
Hymnals, popular religious writing, spirituality and liturgy.
SCM Press
website www.scmpress.co.uk
Twitter @SCM_Press Academic theology.
Icon Books Ltd
The Omnibus Business Centre, 39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP
tel 020–7697 9695
email info@iconbooks.com
website www.iconbooks.com
Facebook www.introducingbooks.com
Directors Peter Pugh (chairman), Philip Cotterell
(managing), Duncan Heath (editorial), Andrew
Furlow (sales & marketing), Claire Maxwell
(publicity)
Popular, intelligent non-fiction: Introducing series, literature, history, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, science, current affairs, computers, women, anthropology, humour, music, cinema, linguistics, economics. Submission details: will consider unsolicited MSS (adult non-fiction only). Founded 1991.
ICSA Publishing
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8EQ
tel 020–7612 7020
email publishing@icsa.org.uk
website www.icsa.org.uk/bookshop
Managing Director Susan Richards
Publishing company of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, specialising in information solutions for legal and regulatory compliance. Founded 1981.
Igloo Books Ltd
Cottage Farm, Mears Ashby Road, Sywell, Northants NN6 0BJ
tel (01604) 741116
email editorial@igloobooks.com
website www.igloobooks.com
Twitter @igloo_books
Children’s books: licensed books, novelty, board, picture, activity, audio, education, ebooks and apps. Adult books: cookery, lifestyle, gift, trivia and nonfiction. Not currently accepting submissions.
Founded 2005.
Impress Books Ltd
Innovation Centre, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4RN
tel (01392) 950910
email enquiries@impress-books.co.uk
website www.impress-books.co.uk
Commissioning Editor Rachel Singleton
Founded as an independent publishing house focusing on previously unpublished writers of non-fiction and fiction, and specialising in crime and historical fiction. Runs the Impress Prize for New Writers. Founded 2004.
Imprint Academic Ltd
PO Box 200, Exeter, Devon EX5 5HY
tel (01392) 851550
email graham@imprint.co.uk
website www.imprint.co.uk
Publisher Keith Sutherland, Managing Editor Graham Horswell
Books and journals in politics, society, philosophy and psychology for both academic and general readers. Book series include St Andrews Studies in Philosophy and Public Affairs. British Idealist Studies, Societas (essays in political and cultural criticism), and the Library of Scottish Philosophy. Unsolicited MSS, synopses and ideas welcome by email to the Managing Editor or with return postage only.
Founded 1980.
In Pinn – see Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd Indigo Dreams Publishing Ltd
24 Forest Houses, Cookworthy Moor, Halwill, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5UU
email publishing@indigodreams.co.uk
website www.indigodreams.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/ indigodreamspublishing
Twitter @IndigoDreamsPub
Editors Ronnie Goodyer, Dawn Bauling
Winners of Ted Slade Award for Services to Poetry 2015. Publishes approx. 35 titles per year. Main subject areas: (poetry) anthologies, collections, pamphlets, competitions, one monthly poetry magazine, two quarterly poetry and prose magazines. New and experienced writers welcome. Also nonfiction for South-West England. Imprint: Tamar Books.
Infinite Ideas
36 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LD
tel (01865) 514888
email info@infideas.com
website www.infideas.com/publishing.asp
Managing Director Richard Burton
Publishes titles in lifestyle: 52 Brilliant Ideas series (health, fitness, relationships, leisure and lifestyle, sports, hobbies and games, careers, finance and personal development), Feel Good Factory series; Wine series (Classic Wine Library). Also business books: Infinite Success series (re-interpreted personal development and business classics). Submit business book proposals directly to richard@infideas.com.
Founded 2003.
Insight Guides/Berlitz Publishing
1st Floor West, Magdalen House, 136 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU
tel 020–7403 0284
website www.insightguides.com
website www.berlitzpublishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/InsightGuides
Twitter @InsightGuides
Consumer & Digital Marketing Executive Rebecca Lovell
Travel, language and related multimedia. Founded 1970.
Institute of Public Administration†
57–61 Lansdowne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 2403600
email information@ipa.ie
website www.ipa.ie
Publisher Richard Boyle
Government, economics, politics, law, public management, health, education, social policy and administrative history. Founded 1957.
Inter-Varsity Press
Norton Street, Nottingham NG7 3HR
tel 0115 978 1054
email ivp@ivpbooks.com
website www.ivpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/intervarsitypress/
Twitter @thinkivp
IVP is a charitable literature ministry, supporting the mission and ministry of the local church. Imprint: Apollos.
Irish Academic Press Ltd†
Tuckmill House, 10 George’s Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)45 432497
email info@merrionpress.ie
website www.merrionpress.ie
Publisher Conor Graham
General and academic publishing with a focus on modern Irish history, politics, literature, culture and arts. Imprints: Irish Academic Press, founded 1974: Merrion Press, founded 2012.
ISF Publishing
PO Box 71911, London NW2 9QA
email info@idriesshahfoundation.org
website www.idriesshahfoundation.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/idriesshah
Twitter @idriesshah
Dedicated to releasing new editions of the work of Idries Shah, who devoted his life to collecting, selecting and translating key works of Eastern Sufi classical literature, adapting them to the needs of the West and disseminating them in the Occident.
Ithaca Press – see Garnet Publishing Ltd IWM (Imperial War Museums) Publishing
Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
tel 020–7416 5000
email publishing@iwm.org.uk
website www.iwm.org.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/iwm.london
Twitter @I_W_M
IWM tells the stories of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914. IWM Publishing produces a range of books drawing on the expertise and archives of the museum. Books are produced both in-house and in partnership with other publishers.
Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd
Unit 304, Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS
tel 020–7609 0891
email office@jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk
website www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/jacarandabooks
Twitter @jacarandabooks
Founder & Publisher Valerie Brandes, Publicity & Digital Manager Jazzmine Breary,
Editor Laure Deprez, Commercial Director Cynthia Hamilton
Diversity-led independent publisher of literary and genre fiction and non-fiction. The company aims to directly address the ongoing lack of diversity in the industry, and has an interest in Caribbean, African and Diaspora writing. Titles include Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila, From Pasta to Pigfoot and Second Helpings by Frances Mensah Williams, Butterfly Fish and Speak Gigantular by Irenosen Okojie, Beyond the Pale by Emily Urquhart and The Elephant and the Bee by Jess de Boer. Founded 2012.
JAI – see Elsevier Ltd Jane’s Information Group
163 Brighton Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 2YH
tel 020–8700 3700
website www.janes.com
Professional business-to-business publishers in hardcopy and electronic multimedia: military, aviation, naval, defence, reference, police, geopolitical. Consumer books in association with HarperCollins Publishers.
Joffe Books
52 Lion Mills, Hackney Road, London E2 7ST
email office@joffebooks.com
website www.joffebooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/joffebooks
Twitter @joffebooks
Publisher Jasper Joffe
Independent publisher of digital and print fiction. Accepts submissions from authors and agents, please see website for guidelines. Best-selling authors include T.J. Brearton, Taylor Adams and Helen Durrant. Focuses on high-quality thrillers, detective and romance fiction. Founded 2012.
Jordan Publishing Ltd
21 St Thomas Street, Bristol BS1 6JS
tel 0117 918 1492
email sales@jordanpublishing.co.uk
website www.jordanpublishing.co.uk
Ceo Will Ricketts
The largest independent legal publisher in the UK. Produces practical information, online and in print, for practising lawyers and other professionals. Publishes textbooks, looseleafs, journals, court reference works and news services and also supplies software to law firms in the form of digital service PracticePlus, which combines step-by-step workflows, practice notes, automated court forms and links to core reference works. The company works with partners in key areas, such as the APIL series of guides, and also publishes around 40 new books and editions annually across a wide range of practice areas.
Michael Joseph
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
tel 020–7010 3000
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/publishers/michael-joseph
Managing Director Louise Moore, Editors Louise Moore (general fiction for women, celebrity non-fiction), Maxine Hitchcock (general fiction for women, crime fiction, general fiction), Jessica Leeke (general fiction), Rowland White (crime, thriller & adventure fiction, commercial non-fiction, popular culture & military), Eve Hall (general fiction), Daniel Bunyard (commercial non-fiction, popular culture & military), Fenella Bates (commercial non-fiction, popular culture & health), Ione Walder (cookery), Fiona Crosby (general non-fiction)
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here).
Kenilworth Press – see Quiller Publishing Ltd Kenyon-Deane – see Cressrelles Publishing Co.
Ltd
Laurence King Publishing Ltd*
(formerly Calmann & King Ltd) 361–373 City Road, London EC1V 1LR
tel 020–7841 6900
email enquiries@laurenceking.com
website www.laurenceking.com
Directors Laurence King (managing), Jo Lightfoot
(editorial), Maria Treacy-Lord (financial)
Illustrated books on design, architecture, art, fashion and beauty, and photography for the professional, student and general market. Also publishes a children’s list and a gift line. Founded 1976.
Kingfisher – see Pan Macmillan Kings Road Publishing
Suite 2.08 The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London SW10 0SZ
tel 020–770 3888
email info@kingsroadpublishing.co.uk
website www.kingsroadpublishing.co.uk
Ceo Perminder Mann, Creative Director Helen Wicks,
UK Sales & Marketing Director Andrew Sauerwine
Publishes innovative books for adults and children, with five creative imprints: Blink (here), John Blake (here), Studio Press, Templar (here) and Weldon Owen. Publishes adult non-fiction, children’s non-fiction, picture books and activity books. Part of Bonnier Publishing. Submissions to be sent to the address above indicating which imprint they are addressed to.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers*
73 Collier Street, London N1 9BE
tel 020–7833 2307
email hello@jkp.com
website www.jkp.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/
JessicaKingsleyPublishers
Twitter @jkpbooks
Managing Director Jessica Kingsley
Books for professionals and general readers on autism and other special needs, social work, arts therapies, mental health, education, practical theology, dementia, parenting, gender, diversity and related issues. The Singing Dragon imprint includes books on Chinese medicine, aromatherapy and qigong.
Founded in 1987.
Wolters Kluwer (UK) Ltd*
(formerly Croner.CCH Group Ltd) 145 London Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT2 6SR
tel 0844 561 8166
email croner@wolterskluwer.co.uk
email cch@wolterskluwer.co.uk
website www.croner.co.uk
website www.cch.co.uk
website www.wolterskluwer.co.uk
Human resources, health and safety, tax and accountancy, education and healthcare, manufacturing and construction. Looseleaf, consultancy and online information services.
Founded 1948.
Charles Knight – see LexisNexis Kogan Page Ltd*
2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street, London EC1V 3RS
tel 020–7278 0433
website www.koganpage.com
Chairman Phillip Kogan, Directors Helen Kogan (managing), Martin Klopstock (production), Mark Briars (financial), Rex Elston (sales), Julia Swales (editorial), Alison Middle (marketing)
Publishes in the areas of business, finance, risk and information management; marketing and public relations; HR, organizational development and coaching; logistics, operations and supply chain management, employability, careers and entrepreneurship. Founded 1967.
Kube Publishing Ltd
(formerly the Islamic Foundation)
Markfield Conference Centre, Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9SY
tel (01530) 249230
email info@kubepublishing.com
website www.kubepublishing.com
Managing Director Haris Ahmad
Books on Islam and the Muslim world for adults and children.
Kyle Books
192–198 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1DX
tel 020–7692 7215
email general.enquiries@kylebooks.com
website www.kylebooks.co.uk
Twitter @Kyle_Books
Publisher & Managing Director Kyle Cathie, Sales & Marketing Director Julia Barder
Health, beauty, food and drink, gardening, reference, style, design, Mind, Body & Spirit. Instagram: kylebooksuk. Founded 1990.
Peter Lang Ltd
52 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LU
tel (01865) 514160
email oxford@peterlang.com
website www.peterlang.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Lang-
Oxford/260315267419469
Twitter @PeterLangOxford
Ceo, Peter Lang Publishing Group Kelly Shergill,
Publishing Director Lucy Melville, Senior
Commissioning Editors Christabel Scaife, Laurel Plapp,
Editor Emma Clarke
Part of the international Peter Lang Publishing Group, the company publishes across the humanities and social sciences, producing monographs, selected papers, conference proceedings and Festschriften. Has a number of well-established series. Also publishes a small number of titles for the UK Trade as Peter Lang Oxford. Welcomes submissions from prospective authors. Blog: peterlangoxford.wordpress.com. Founded 2006.
Lawrence & Wishart Ltd
Central Books Building, Chadwell Heath RM8 1RX
tel 020–8597 0090
email lw@lwbooks.co.uk
website www.lwbooks.co.uk
Managing Editors Katharine Harris, Lynda Dyson, Kirsty Capes
Cultural studies, current affairs, history, socialism and Marxism, political philosophy, politics, popular culture.
Legend Business Ltd
107–111 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2AB
tel 020–7936 9941
email info@legend-paperbooks.co.uk
website www.legendtimesgroup.com
Twitter @LegendBusinessB
Managing Director Tom Chalmers, Managing Director & Editor Jonathan Reuvid, Head of Publicity & Marketing Lucy Chamberlain, Sales Manager Allison Zink
A business book publisher with a wide-ranging and interactive list of business titles. Legend Business is also the publisher of the annual ‘Investor’s Guide to the United Kingdom’. Submissions can be sent to Tom Chalmers at submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk. Founded 2010.
Legend Press Ltd
107–111 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2AB
tel 020–7936 9941
email info@legend-paperbooks.co.uk
website www.legendtimesgroup.com
Twitter @legend_press
Managing Director Tom Chalmers, Commissioning Editor Lauren Parsons, Head of Publicity & Marketing Lucy Chamberlain, Sales Manager Allison Zink
Focused predominantly on publishing mainstream literary and commercial fiction. Submissions can be sent to submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk.
Founded 2005.
Lewis Mason – see Ian Allan Publishing Ltd LexisNexis
(formerly LexisNexis Butterworths) Lexis House, 30 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4HH
email customer.services@lexisnexis.co.uk
website www.lexisnexis.co.uk
Division of Reed Elsevier (UK) Ltd. Founded 1974. Butterworths
Legal and tax and accountancy books, journals, looseleaf and electronic services.
Charles Knight
Looseleaf legal works and periodicals on local government law, construction law and technical subjects.
Tolley
Law, taxation, accountancy, business.
The Lilliput Press Ltd†
62–63 Sitric Road, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 6711647
email info@lilliputpress.ie
website www.lilliputpress.ie
Facebook www.facebook.com/Lilliput-Press
Twitter @LilliputPress
Managing Director Antony T. Farrell
General and Irish literature: essays, memoir, biography/autobiography, fiction, criticism; Irish history; philosophy; Joycean contemporary culture; nature and environment. Founded 1984.
Frances Lincoln
(imprint of The Quarto Group) 74–77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF
tel 020–7284 9300
email reception@frances-lincoln.com
website www.quartoknows.com/brand/1028/Frances-
Lincoln/
Publisher Andrew Dunn
Illustrated, international co-editions: gardening, architecture, environment, interiors, photography, art, walking and climbing, design and landscape, gift, children’s books. Founded 1977.
Little, Brown Book Group*
50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 7000
email info@littlebrown.co.uk
website www.littlebrown.co.uk
Twitter @LittleBrownUK
Ceo David Shelley,
Managing Director Charlie King, Coo Ben Groves-Raines, Directors Emily-Jane Taylor (finance), Robert Manser (group sales)
Hardback and paperback fiction and general non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS. Part of Hachette UK (see here). Founded 1988.
Abacus
Managing Director Richard Beswick Trade paperbacks.
Atom
website www.atombooks.co.uk
Teen fiction with a fantastical edge.
Blackfriars
website www.blackfriarsbooks.com
Digital imprint.
Constable & Robinson
Fiction, non-fiction, psychology, humour, brief histories and how-to books.
Corsair
Twitter @CorsairBooks
Publisher James Gurbutt
Pioneers of literary fiction. An imprint of
@littlebrownuk.
Dialogue Books
Publisher Laura Lovegrove Imprint dedicated to inclusivity.
Fleet
Publisher Ursula Doyle
Publishes six to eight titles a year, both literary fiction and narrative non-fiction.
Hachette Digital
Publisher Sarah Shrubb, Head of Digital & Online Sales Ben Goddard
CDs, downloads and ebooks. See here. Little, Brown
Managing Director Richard Beswick, Publishing Director Clare Smith
Politics, biography, crime fiction, general fiction. Orbit
website www.orbitbooks.com
Publisher Tim Holman Sci-fi and fantasy.
Piatkus Constable & Robinson
website www.piatkus.co.uk
Publishing Director Tim Whiting (non-fiction)
Fiction and general non-fiction.
Sphere
Publisher (fiction) Catherine Burke, Publishing Director (non-fiction) Adam Strange Original fiction and non-fiction.
Virago
website www.virago.co.uk
Publisher Lennie Goodings
Women’s literary fiction and non-fiction.
Little Books Ltd
63 Warwick Square, London SW1V 2AL
tel 020–7792 7929
email info@littlebooks.net
website www.littlebooks.net
Contact Helen Nelson
History, biography, fiction and gift books. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 2003.
Little Tiger Group
1 The Coda Centre, 189 Munster Road, London SW6 6AW
tel 020–7385 6333
website www.littletiger.co.uk
Ceo Monty Bhatia
Children’s picture books, novelty books, board books, pop-up books and activity books for preschool age to 7 years, and fiction for 6–12 years. See imprint websites for submissions guidelines. Imprints: Caterpillar Books (novelty), Little Tiger Press (picture books), Stripes (fiction), 360 Degrees (non-fiction).
Founded 1987.
Caterpillar Books
email contact@littletiger.co.uk
website www.littletiger.co.uk/imprint/caterpillar- books
Publisher Thomas Truong, Editorial Director Pat Hegarty
Books for preschool children, including pop-ups, board books, cloth books and activity books.
Founded 2003. Little Tiger Press
email contact@littletiger.co.uk
website www.littletiger.co.uk
Publisher Jude Evans, Editorial Director Barry Timms Children’s picture books, board books, novelty books and activity books for preschool-7 years. See website for submissions guidelines. Founded 1987.
Stripes
email contact@littletiger.co.uk
website www.littletiger.co.uk/imprint/stripes- publishing
Publisher Jane Harris, Commissioning Editors Ruth Bennett, Katie Jennings
Fiction for children aged 6–12 years and young adult. Quality standalone titles and series publishing in all age groups. Will consider new material from authors and illustrators; see website for guidelines. Founded 2005. 360 Degrees
email contact@littletiger.co.uk
website www.littletiger.co.uk/special/360degrees/
Publisher Thomas Truong, Editorial Director Pat Hegarty
Non-fiction novelty for children aged 5–12 years. Founded 2015.
Liverpool University Press
4 Cambridge Street, Liverpool L69 7ZU
tel 0151 794 2233
email lup@liv.ac.uk
website www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk
Twitter @LivUniPress
Liverpool University Press (LUP) is the UK’s third oldest university press, with a distinguished history of publishing exceptional research since 1899, including the work of Nobel prize winners. LUP has rapidly expanded in recent years and now publishes approximately 70 books a year and 25 journals, specialising in literature, modern languages, history and visual culture. Shortlisted IPG Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
Logaston Press
Little Logaston, Logaston, Woonton, Almeley, Herefordshire HR3 6QH
tel (01544) 327344
email logastonpress@phonecoop.coop
website www.logastonpress.co.uk
Proprietors Andy Johnson, Karen Johnson
History, social history, archaeology and guides to rural West Midlands and Mid and South Wales. Welcomes submission of ideas: send synopsis first.
Founded 1985.
LOM Art
16 Lion Yard, Tremadoc Road, London SW4 7NQ
tel 020–7720 8643
email enquiries@mombooks.com
website www.mombooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Michael-OmaraBooks
Twitter @OMaraBooks
Managing Director Lesley O’Mara, Publisher Philippa Wingate
Illustrated non-fiction for children and adults. Publishes approx. 15 titles a year. Bestsellers include Animorphia, The Menagerie and How To Draw Everything plus a range of drawing, colouring and photographic titles. Submit non-fiction with sae. Allow between one and two months for response.
Lonely Planet
240 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NW
tel 020–3771 5101
email go@lonelyplanet.co.uk
website www.lonelyplanet.com
Ceo Daniel Houghton
A leading travel content provider in digital and print. Over the past 40 years Lonely Planet has printed over 120 million books in 12 different languages including country and regional guidebooks, city guides, pocket citybreak guides. Discover country guides, phrasebooks, walking guides, cycling guides, diving and snorkelling guides, pictorial books, healthy travel guides, wildlife guides, travel photography. London office founded 1991.
Lorenz Books – see Anness Publishing
Luath Press Ltd*
543/2 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2ND
tel 0131 225 4326
email gavin.macdougall@luath.co.uk
website www.luath.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/LuathPress
Twitter @LuathPress
Director Gavin MacDougall
Committed to publishing well-written books worth reading. Publishes modern fiction, history, travel guides, art, poetry and politics. Over 400 titles in print. Award-winning and shortlisted titles include Ann Kelley’s The Bower Bird and Robert Alan Jamieson’s Da Happie Laand. UK distributor HarperCollins. Founded 1981.
Luna Press
149/4 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8AG
email lunapress@outlook.com
website www.lunapresspublishing.com
Directors Francesca T. Barbini (managing), Robert S
Malan (editorial)
Fantasy, dark fantasy and science fiction (adult, young adult, teen). Runs an annual flash fiction contest. Publishes fiction. Publishes illustrated novellas, graphic novels, parodies and academic papers and proceedings. No unsolicited novel-length MSS. See website for submission guidelines. Founded 2015.
Lund Humphries
140–142 St John Street, London EC1V 4UB
email info@lundhumphries.com
website www.lundhumphries.com/
Facebook www.facebook.com/LHArtBooks
Twitter @LHArtBooks
Managing Director Lucy Myers
Independent publishing imprint of quality art books.
The Lutterworth Press
PO Box 60, Cambridge CB1 2NT
tel (01223) 350865
email publishing@lutterworth.com
website www.lutterworth.com
website www.lutterworthpress.wordpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/JamesClarkeandCo
Twitter @LuttPress
Managing Director Adrian Brink
A long-established independent British publishing house trading since the late 18th century. Originally founded as the Religious Tract Society and publisher of The Boy’s Own Paper and The Girl’s Own Paper. Now a publisher of educational and adult non-fiction including books and ebooks on: history, biography, literature and criticism, science, philosophy, art and art history, biblical studies, theology, mission, religious studies and collecting. Imprints: James Clarke & Co, Acorn Editions, Patrick Hardy Books.
McGraw-Hill Education*
8th Floor, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
tel (01628) 502500
email emea_online@mheducation.com
website www.mheducation.co.uk
Managing Director (EMEA) Kate Holden (Interim), Managing Director (MEA/EE) Thanos Blintzios, Sales Director (MEA/EE) Lefteris Souris, Marketing Director (EMEA) Rossella Proscia, Sales Director (UK & Ireland) Nicholas Hnatiuk, Senior Operations Director, Warehouse Stuart Thompson, Credit Manager, Finance & Administration Nirmal Noteha, Vice President Human Resources (International) Emmanuel Berard
Higher education: business, economics, computing, maths, humanities, social sciences, world languages. Professional: business, computing, science, technical, medical, general reference.
Open University Press
email enquiries@openup.co.uk
website www.mheducation.co.uk/openup-homepage
Social sciences.
Macmillan – see Pan Macmillan Macmillan Education – see Pan Macmillan Made Simple Books – see Elsevier Ltd Management Books 2000 Ltd
36 Western Road, Oxford OX1 4LG
tel (01865) 600738
website www.mb2000.com
Directors N. Dale-Harris, R. Hartman
Practical books for working managers and business professionals: management, business and lifeskills, and sponsored titles. Unsolicited MSS, synopses and ideas for books welcome.
Manchester University Press
Altrincham Street, Manchester M1 7JA
tel 0161 275 2310
email mup@manchester.ac.uk
website www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
Chief Executive Frances Pinter, Editorial Director
Emma Brennan, Director of Sales & Marketing Simon
Bell
Works of academic scholarship: social sciences, literary criticism, cultural studies, media studies, art history, design, architecture, history, politics, economics, international law, modern-language texts. Textbooks and monographs. Founded 1904.
Mandrake of Oxford
PO Box 250, Oxford OX1 1AP
tel (01865) 243671
email mandrake@mandrake.uk.net
website www.mandrake.uk.net
Director Mogg Morgan
Art, biography, classic crime studies, fiction, Indology, magic, witchcraft, philosophy, religion. Query letters only. Founded 1986.
Mango Publishing
PO Box 13378, London SE27 0ZN
tel 020–8480 7771
email info@mangoprint.com
website www.mangoprint.com
Poetry, fiction and non-fiction from the wider Caribbean region, the UK, the USA and Canada. Also translations of works not originally written in English. Founded 1995.
Mantra Lingua Ltd
Global House, 303 Ballards Lane, London N12 8NP
tel 020–8445 5123
email info@mantralingua.com
website www.mantralingua.com
website www.discoverypen.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/Mantralingua
Twitter @mantralingua
Managing Directors R. Dutta, M. Chatterji
Publishes picture books and educational resources. The unique talking pen technology enables any book to be sound activated. All resources can be narrated in multiple languages and educational posters for schools and museums have audio visual features. The company is looking for illustrators, authors, translators and audio narrators. Museums and Heritage: looking for illustrators and trail writers. The company is looking for specialist audio recordings of birds, frogs and other animals from around the world, tel: 0845 600 1361. Founded 2002.
Kevin Mayhew Ltd
Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3BW
tel (01449) 737978
email info@kevinmayhew.com
website www.kevinmayhew.com
Directors Kevin Mayhew, Barbara Mayhew
Christianity: prayer and spirituality, pastoral care, preaching, liturgy worship, children’s, youth work, drama, instant art, educational. Music: hymns, organ and choral, contemporary worship, piano and instrumental, tutors. Greetings cards: images, spiritual texts, birthdays, Christian events, musicians, general occasions. Read submissions section on website before sending MSS/synopses. Founded 1976.
Mentor Books
43 Furze Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, Republic of Ireland
tel+353 (0)1 2952112
email admin@mentorbooks.ie
website www.mentorbooks.ie
Managing Director Daniel McCarthy,
Editor Treasa
O’Mahony
General: non-fiction, humour, biographies, politics, crime, history, guidebooks. Educational (secondary): languages, history, geography, business, maths, sciences. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1980.
Mercat Press – see Birlinn Ltd
The Mercier Press†
Unit 3, Oak House, Riverview Business Park, Blackrock, Cork, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)21 4614700
email info@mercierpress.ie
website www.mercierpress.ie
Directors J.F. Spillane (chairman), M.P. Feehan
(managing), D. Crowley
Irish literature, folklore, history, politics, humour, academic, current affairs, health, mind and spirit, general non-fiction, children’s. Founded 1944.
Merlin Press Ltd
Central Books Building, Freshwater Road, London RM8 1RX
tel 020–8590 9700 020–8590 9700
email info@merlinpress.co.uk
website www.merlinpress.co.uk
Managing Director Anthony Zurbrugg
Radical history and social studies. Letters/synopses only.
Green Print
Green politics and the environment.
Merrell Publishers Ltd
70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ
tel 020–7713 403799
email hm@merrellpublishers.com
website www.merrellpublishers.com
Publisher Hugh Merrell
High-quality illustrated books on all aspects of visual culture, including art, architecture, photography, garden design, interior design, product design and books specially developed for institutions, foundations, corporations and private collectors. Unsolicited carefully prepared proposals welcomed via email. All titles published by Merrell are sold and distributed worldwide through US and UK distributors and international stockholding agents.
Methuen & Co Ltd
Orchard House, Railway Street, Slingsby, York YO62 4AN
(01653) 628152/628195
email editorial@methuen.co.uk
email academic@methuen.co.uk
website www.methuen.co.uk
Managing Director Peter Tummons, Editorial Director Naomi Tummons, Sales Peter Newsom, Editor-at-Large Dr Jonathan Tummons, Accounts Frank Warn
Literary fiction and non-fiction: biography, autobiography, travel, history, sport, humour, film, performing arts. No unsolicited MSS.
Politics, current affairs, political biography and autobiography.
Metro Books – see John Blake Publishing Ltd Metro Publications Ltd
PO Box 6336, London N1 6PY
tel 020–8533 7777
email info@metropublications.com
website www.metropublications.com
Twitter @metrolondon
Produces well-researched and beautifully designed guide books on many aspects of London life.
Michelin Maps and Guides
Hannay House, 39 Clarendon Road, Watford, Herts. WD17 1JA
tel (01923) 205240
email travelpubsales@uk.michelin.com
website www.michelin.co.uk/travel
Tourist guides, maps and atlases, hotel and restaurant guides.
Milestone Publications
Forestside House, Broad Walk, Forestside, Rowlands Castle PO9 6EE
tel 023–9263 1888
email andrew@gosschinaclub.co.uk
website www.gosschinaclub.co.uk
Managing Director Andrew O.J. Pine, Publisher Nicholas J. Pine
Crested heraldic china, antique porcelain. Milestone Publications – publishing and bookselling division of Goss & Crested China Club. Founded 1967.
Miller’s – see Octopus Publishing Group
Mills & Boon Medical – see Harlequin (UK) Ltd
Mills & Boon Modern Romance – see Harlequin (UK) Ltd
Milo Books Ltd
14 Ash Grove, Wrea Green, Preston, Lancs. PR4 2NY
tel (01772) 672900
email info@milobooks.com
website www.milobooks.com
Publisher Peter Walsh
True crime, sport, current affairs. Founded 1997.
Mira Books – see Harlequin (UK) Ltd Mirror Books
Trinity Mirror, One Canada Square, London E14 5AP
tel 20–7293 3700
email mirrorbooks@trinitymirror.com
website www.mirrorbooks.co.uk
Twitter @themirrorbooks
Executive Editor Jo Sollis, Publishing Director Paula Scott, Head of Syndication & Licensing Fergus McKenna
Part of Trinity Mirror, one of the UK’s leading media companies. The imprint focus is non-fiction real-life (memoir, crime and nostalgia) and popular fiction. Accepts submissions via email: submissions@mirrorbooks.co.uk. Founded 2016.
Mitchell Beazley – see Octopus Publishing Group Mobius – see Hodder & Stoughton Morgan Kauffman – see Elsevier Ltd Morrigan Book Company
Killala, Co. Mayo, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)96 32555
email morriganbooks@gmail.com
website http://conankennedy.com/About.html
Publishers Gerry Kennedy, Hilary Kennedy
Non-fiction: general Irish interest, biography, history, local history, folklore and mythology. Founded 1979.
Mud Pie
43 Leckford Road, Oxford OX2 6HY
tel 07985 935320
email info@mudpiebooks.com
website www.mudpiebooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Mud-Pie-Books- 665982096919314
Twitter @mudpiebooks
Founder & Director Tony Morris
Buddhist books and books for Buddhists. An independent specialist online publisher, dedicated to showcasing the best in Buddhist writing. The company’s lead title, The Buddha, Geoff and Me, has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. Founded 2016.
Murdoch Books
Ormond House, 26–27 Boswell Street, London WC1N 3JZ
tel 020–8785 5995
email info@murdochbooks.co.uk
website www.murdochbooks.co.uk
Non-fiction: homes and interiors, gardening, cookery, craft, DIY. Owned by Australian publisher
Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd.
John Murray Press
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
tel 020–7873 6000
website www.hodder.co.uk/john%20murray/index.page
Facebook www.facebook.com/johnmurraybooks
Publishing Director (fiction) Eleanor Birne, Publisher (non-fiction) Georgina Laycock, Editorial Director (fiction & non-fiction) Mark Richards
Quality literary fiction and non-fiction: business, travel, history, entertainment, reference, biography and memoir, real-life stories. No unsolicited MSS without preliminary letter. Part of Hachette UK (see here).
Myriad Editions
59 Lansdowne Place, Brighton BN3 1FL
tel (01273) 720000 FF
email info@myriadeditions.com
website www.myriadeditions.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Myriad-Editions- 404041666423966/
Twitter @MyriadEditions
Directors Robert Benewick, Judith Mackay, Candida Lacey (publisher & managing director), Corinne Pearlman (creative director & graphics editor), Victoria Blunden (senior fiction editor), Holly Ainley (fiction editor)
Independent publisher of original literary fiction and graphic novels, and producer of the acclaimed ‘State of the World’ infographic atlases.2017 merged with New Internationalist. Founded 1993.
National Trust – see Pavilion Books Natural History Museum Publishing
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
tel 020–7942 5336
email publishing@nhm.ac.uk
website www.nhm.ac.uk/publishing
Head of Publishing Colin Ziegler
Natural sciences, entomology, botany, geology, mineralogy, palaeontology, zoology, history of natural history. Founded 1881.
New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
The Chandlery Unit 609, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7QY
tel 020–3667 7619
email enquiries@nhpub.co.uk
website www.newhollandpublishers.com
Managing Director Fiona Schultz
Illustrated non-fiction books on natural history, sports and hobbies, animals and pets, travel pictorial, reference, gardening, health and fitness, practical art, DIY, food and drink, outdoor pursuits, craft, humour, gift books. New proposals accepted (send CV and synopsis and sample chapters in first instance; sae essential).
New Island Books†
16 Priory Office Park, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 2784225
email info@newisland.ie
email editor@newisland.ie
website www.newisland.ie
Facebook www.facebook.com/NewIslandBooks
Twitter @NewIslandBooks
Director Edwin Higel, Editors Dan Bolger
(commissioning), Justin Corfield, Shauna Daly
Fiction, poetry, drama, humour, biography, current affairs. Submissions by email only to editor@newisland.ie. Send the first three chapters as a Word document, plus a short synopsis, and include details of any previous publications. Founded 1992.
New Playwrights’ Network
10 Station Road Industrial Estate, Colwall, Nr Malvern, Herefordshire WR13 6RN
tel (01684) 540154
email simon@cressrelles.co.uk
website www.cressrelles.co.uk
Publishing Director Leslie Smith
General plays for the amateur, one-act and full length.
New Riders – see Pearson UK
New Theatre Publications/The Playwrights’ Co-operative
2 Hereford Close, Woolston, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 4HR
tel 0845 331 3516, (01925) 485605
email info@plays4theatre.com
website www.plays4theatre.com
Director Alison Hornby
Plays for the professional and amateur stage. Submissions encouraged. Founded 1987.
Newnes – see Elsevier Ltd Nexus – see Virgin Books (in partnership with Virgin Group),
Nightingale Press
7 Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath BA1 1JB
tel (01225) 478444
email sales@manning-partnership.co.uk
website www.manning-partnership.co.uk
Directors Garry Manning (managing), Roger Hibbert
(sales)
Humour, gift. Owned by the Manning Partnership
Ltd. Founded 1997.
North-Holland – see Elsevier Ltd Northcote House Publishers Ltd
The Paddocks, Brentor Road, Mary Tavy, Devon PL19 9PY
tel (01822) 810066
email northcotepublishers@gmail.com
website www.writersandtheirwork.co.uk
Directors B.R.W. Hulme, A.V. Hulme (secretary), Sarah Piper (sales & marketing)
Education and education management, educational dance and drama, literary criticism (Writers and their Work). Founded 1985.
W.W. Norton & Company
15 Carlisle Street, London W1D 3BS
tel 020–7323 1579
email office@wwnorton.co.uk
website www.wwnorton.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/WW-Norton-
UK/212427952110695
Twitter @wwnortonuk
Managing Director Edward Crutchley
English and American literature, economics, music, psychology, science. Founded 1980.
NWP – see Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd
Oak Tree Press†
33 Rochestown Rise, Rochestown, Cork, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)86 2441633 / +353 (0)86 330 7694
email info@oaktreepress.com
website www.SuccessStore.com
Directors Brian O’Kane, Rita O’Kane
Business management, enterprise, accountancy and finance, law. Special emphasis on titles for small business owner/managers. Founded 1991.
Nubooks
Ebooks.
Oberon Books
521 Caledonian Road, London N7 9RH
tel 020–7607 3637
email info@oberonbooks.com
website www.oberonbooks.com
Managing Director Charles Glanville, Publisher James
Hogan, Senior Editor George Spender
New and classic play texts, programme texts and general theatre, dance and performing arts books.
Founded 1986.
The O’Brien Press Ltd†
12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 4923333
email books@obrien.ie
website www.obrien.ie
Directors Michael O’Brien, Ide ní Laoghaire, Ivan O’Brien, Kunak McGann
Ireland’s leading independent book publisher. Adult non-fiction: biography, politics, history, true crime, sport, humour, reference. Adult fiction, crime (Brandon). Children: fiction for all ages; illustrated fiction for ages 3+, 5+, 6+, 8+ years, novels (10+ and young adult) – contemporary, historical, fantasy. No poetry or academic. Unsolicited MSS (sample chapters only), synopses and ideas for books welcome by post only, and will not be returned (no unsolicited adult fiction MSS). Founded 1974.
Octopus Publishing Group*
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 6000
email info@octopusbooks.co.uk
email publisher@octopusbooks.co.uk (submissions)
website www.octopusbooks.co.uk
Chief Executive Alison Goff, Deputy Ceo & Group
Sales & Marketing Director Andrew Welham
Part of Hachette UK (see here). Aster
Publisher Kate Adams Health and wellbeing.
Bounty
email bountybooksinfo-bp@bountybooks.co.uk
Publisher Lucy Pessell
Promotional/bargain division of Octopus Publishing Group.
Cassell Illustrated
Illustrated books for the international market specialising in popular culture.
Conran Octopus
Quality illustrated books, particularly lifestyle, cookery, gardening.
Gaia Books
The environment, natural living, health and the mind.
Godsfield Press
email publisher@godsfieldpress.com
Mind, Body & Spirit with an emphasis on practical application.
Hamlyn
Practical non-fiction, particularly cookery, health and diet, home and garden, sport, puzzles and reference.
Ilex Press
email info@octopusbooks.co.uk
Illustrated books on art, design, photography and popular culture.
Miller’s
Antiques and collectables. Mitchell Beazley
Quality illustrated books, particularly cookery, wine, gardening and the natural world.
Philip’s
email publisher@philips-maps.co.uk
Atlases, maps, astronomy, globes.
Illustrated books for the international market, specialising in cookery, gift and humour.
The Oleander Press
16 Orchard Street, Cambridge CB1 1JT
tel (01638) 500784
website www.oleanderpress.com
Managing Director Dr Jane Doyle
Travel, language, Libya, Arabia and Middle East, Cambridgeshire, history, reference, classics. MSS welcome with sae for reply. Founded 1960.
Michael O’Mara Books Ltd*
16 Lion Yard, Tremadoc Road, London SW4 7NQ
tel 020–7720 8643
email enquiries@mombooks.com
email publicity@mombooks.com
website www.mombooks.com
website www.busterbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/MichaelOMaraBooks/
Facebook www.facebook.com/BusterBooks/
Twitter @OMaraBooks
Twitter @BusterBooks
Chairman Michael O’Mara,
Managing Director Lesley O’Mara, Publisher Clare Tillyer, Senior Editorial Director Louise Dixon, Publishing Director (Buster Books) Philippa Wingate
General non-fiction: biography, humour, history. See website for submission guidelines. Imprint: Buster Books (activity, novelty, fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults). Founded 1985.
Omnibus Press/Music Sales Ltd
14–15 Berners Street, London W1T 3LJ
tel 020–7612 7400
email music@musicsales.co.uk
website www.omnibuspress.com
Chief Editor David Barraclough
Rock music biographies, books about music. Founded 1976.
On Stream Publications Ltd
Currabaha, Cloghroe, Blarney, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)21 4385798
email info@onstream.ie
website www.onstream.ie
Owner Rosalind Crowley
Cookery, wine, travel, human interest non-fiction, local history, academic and practical books. Founded 1986.
Oneworld Publications*
10 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3SR
tel 020–7307 8900
email info@oneworld-publications.com
website www.oneworld-publications.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/oneworldpublications
Twitter @OneworldNews
Director Juliet Mabey (publisher)
Fiction and general non-fiction: current affairs, politics, history, Middle East, business, popular science, philosophy, psychology, green issues, world religions and Islamic studies; literary fiction, plus fiction that sits at the intersection of the literary and commercial, showcasing strong voices and great stories; young adult to children’s fiction and upmarket crime/suspense novels, as well as fiction in translation. No unsolicited MSS; email or send proposal via website. Founded 1986.
Open Gate Press*
(incorporating Centaur Press, founded 1954) 51 Achilles Road, London NW6 1DZ
tel 020–7431 4391
email books@opengatepress.co.uk
website www.opengatepress.co.uk
Directors Jeannie Cohen, Elisabeth Petersdorff, Sandra Lovell
Psychoanalysis, philosophy, social sciences, religion, animal welfare, the environment. Founded 1988.
Open University Press – see McGraw-Hill Education
Orbit – see Little, Brown Book Group Orchard Books – see Hachette Children’s Group Orenda Books
16 Carson Road, West Dulwich, London SE21 8HU 020–8355 4643
email info@orendabooks.co.uk
website www.orendabooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/orendabooks
Twitter @OrendaBooks
Publisher Karen Sullivan,
Editor West Camel
A new independent publisher specialising in literary fiction, with a heavy emphasis on crime thrillers, about half in translation. Founded 2014.
The Orion Publishing Group Ltd*
3444 Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 6444
website www.orionbooks.co.uk
Directors Arnaud Nourry (chairman), David Shelley
(chief executive), Katie Espiner (managing director), Jon Wood (group publisher)
No unsolicited MSS; approach in writing in first instance. Part of Hachette UK (see here). Founded 1992.
Gollancz
Contact Gillian Redfearn Sci-fi, fantasy and horror.
Contact Harriet Bourton Trade and mass market fiction.
Orion Spring
Contact Amanda Harris
Wellbeing, health and lifestyle non-fiction.
Seven Dials
Contact Amanda Harris Trade and mass market: cookery, memoir and autobiography, gift and humour, personal development and parenting, lifestyle, diet and fitness.
Trapeze
Contact Anna Valentine
Trade and mass market fiction: reading group, crime and thriller, women’s fiction; trade and mass market non-fiction: memoir and autobiography, lifestyle, gift and humour, popular psychology and entertainment.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Fiction
Contact Kirsty Dunseath Literary fiction.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Non-Fiction
Contact Alan Samson
Biography and autobiography, history, current affairs, popular science and sport.
Osprey Publishing Ltd
Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH
tel (01865) 727022
email info@ospreypublishing.com
website www.ospreypublishing.com
The leading publisher of illustrated military history. Over 1,600 titles in print on a wide range of military history subjects from ancient times to the modern day. Founded 1968; acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2014.
Oversteps Books Ltd
6 Halwell House, South Pool, Nr Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7 2RX
tel (01548) 531969
email alwynmarriage@overstepsbooks.com
website www.overstepsbooks.com
Director/Managing Editor Dr Alwyn Marriage
Poetry. Email six poems that have either won major competitions, or been published, giving details of the competitions or magazines in which they appeared, the dates or issue numbers and the email addresses of the editors. Founded 1992.
Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road, London N8 9NP
tel 020–8350 1775
email aowen@peterowen.com
website www.peterowen.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/peter.owen.publishers
Twitter @PeterOwenPubs
Directors Peter L. Owen (managing), Antonia Owen (editorial), Nick Kent (sales & marketing)
Backlist includes ten Nobel Prize winners. Arts, belles lettres, biography and memoir, literary fiction, general non-fiction, history, theatre and entertainment. Do not send fiction without first emailing the Editorial Department even if an established novelist. No mass-market genre fiction, short stories or poetry; first novels almost never published. Merged with independent publisher Istros Books in August 2016 and formed a new imprint Istros Books. Founded 1951.
Oxford University Press*
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP
tel (01865) 556767
email enquiry@oup.com
website www.oup.com
Ceo Nigel Portwood, Group Finance Director Giles Spackman, Global Academic Business Managing Director Tim Barton, Managing Director, Oxford Education Kate Harris, ELT Division Managing Director Peter Marshall, Human Resources Director Paul Lomas, Academic Sales Director Alastair Lewis
Archaeology, architecture, art, belles lettres, bibles, bibliography, children’s books (fiction, non-fiction, picture), commerce, current affairs, dictionaries, drama, economics, educational (foundation, primary, secondary, technical, university), encyclopedias, ELT, electronic publishing, essays, foreign language learning, general history, hymn and service books, journals, law, medical, music, oriental, philosophy, political economy, prayer books, reference, science, sociology, theology and religion; educational software; Grove Dictionaries of Music & Art. Trade paperbacks published under the imprint of Oxford Paperbacks. Founded 1478.
Palgrave Macmillan – see Pan Macmillan Pan Macmillan*
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
tel 020–7014 6000
email webqueries@macmillan.co.uk
website www.panmacmillan.com
Managing Director Anthony Forbes Watson, Creative Director Geoff Duffield, Publishers Jeremy Trevathan (adult), Robin Harvie (non-fiction), Paul Baggaley (Picador), Carole Tonkinson (Bluebird)
Novels, literary, crime, thrillers, romance, sci-fi, fantasy and horror. Autobiography, biography, business, gift books, health and beauty, history, humour, natural history, travel, philosophy, politics, world affairs, theatre, film, gardening, cookery, popular reference. Publishes under Macmillan, Tor, Pan, Picador, Sidgwick & Jackson, Boxtree, Bluebird, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan New Writing. No unsolicited MSS except through Macmillan New Writing. Founded 1843.
Publisher Robin Harvie
Brand and media tie-in titles, including TV, film, music and internet, plus entertainment licences, pop culture, humour in hardback and paperback.
Bluebird
Publisher Carole Tonkinson Pan Macmillan’s wellness and lifestyle imprint, publishing the very latest in diet, popular psychology, self-help as well as career and business, parenting and inspirational memoir.
Campbell Books (preschool)
Editorial Director Stephanie Barton, Publishers (0–6 years) Stephanie Barton & Suzanne Carnell, Publisher (6+ years, fiction, non-fiction, poetry) Venetia Gosling Early learning, pop-up, novelty, board books for the preschool market.
Kingfisher
tel 020–7014 6000
Publisher Belinda Rasmussen
Non-fiction: imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books. Macmillan
Adult Books Publisher Jeremy Trevathan, Picador Publisher Paul Baggaley, Non-fiction Publisher Robin Harvie, Bluebird Publisher Carole Tonkinson, Editorial Directors Georgina Morley (non-fiction), Kate Harvey
Hardback commercial fiction including genre fiction, romantic, crime and thrillers. Hardback serious and general non-fiction including autobiography, biography, economics, history, military history, philosophy, politics and world affairs, popular reference titles.
Macmillan Digital Audio
Digital & Communications Director Sara Lloyd Audio imprint for the entire Pan Macmillan list. See here.
Macmillan Education Ltd
email info@macmillan.com
website www.macmillaneducation.com
Chief Executive Simon Allen, Managing Director Helen Melia (Europe & Middle East), Publishing Directors Alison Hubert (Africa, Caribbean, Middle East, Asia), Kate Melliss (Spain), Sharon Jervis (Latin America), Sue Bale (dictionaries), Angela Lilley (international ELT)
ELT titles and school and college textbooks and materials in all subjects for the international education market in both book and electronic formats.
Macmillan Science and Education
The Macmillan Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London
N1 9XW
tel 020–7833 4000
website http://se.macmillan.com
Ceo, Science & Education Annette Thomas, Ceo,
Education S.J. Allen, Ceo, Science & Scholarly S.C.
Inchcoombe
Mantle
Publisher Maria Rejt
Palgrave Macmillan
website www.palgrave.com
Monographs and journals in academic and professional subjects. Publishes in both hard copy and electronic formats.
Pan
Paperback imprint for Macmillan and Sidgwick & Jackson imprints. Founded 1947.
Picador
Publisher Paul Baggaley
Literary international fiction, non-fiction and poetry published in hardback and paperback. Founded 1972.
Sidgwick & Jackson
Publisher Robin Harvie, Editorial Director Ingrid Connell
Hardback popular non-fiction including celebrity and show business to music and sport. Founded 1908.
Pandora Press – see Rivers Oram Press Parthian Books
148 Keir Hardie, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP (01792) 606605
email info@parthianbooks.com
website www.parthianbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/parthianbooks/
Twitter @parthianbooks
Publishing Editor Susie Wild
Independent publisher of poetry, Welsh literature and translations that reflect a diverse and contemporary Wales. Prizes won by authors include the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Betty Trask, the Wales Book of the Year, the Orange Futures Award, the Rhys Davies Prize, the Journey Prize, the Edge Hill Readers’ Award and the Stonewall Award. Currently accepting submissions. See website for guidelines on how to submit MSS. Founded 1993.
Patrician Press
51 Free Rodwell House, School Lane, Mistley CO11 1HW
tel 07968 288651
email patricia@patricianpress.com
website www.patricianpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/patricianpress
Twitter @PatricianCom
Publisher Patricia Borlenghi
Paperback and digital publisher of fiction and poetry. Publisher of children’s books under the imprint Pudding Press. Founded 2012.
43 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3HZ
tel 020–74621500
email reception@pavilionbooks.com
website www.pavilionbooks.com
Chief Executive Polly Powell
Formerly Anova Books Group. Founded 2013.
Batsford
Publisher Tina Persaud
Chess, art techniques, film, fashion and costume, textile art, design, embroidery, heritage.
Collins & Brown
Publisher Katie Cowan
Lifestyle and interiors, cookery, gardening, photography, pet care, health and beauty, hobbies and crafts, including Good Housekeeping branded books.
National Trust Books
Senior Commissioning Editor Peter Taylor Heritage, gardens, cookery.
Pavilion
Publisher Katie Cowan
Cookery, gardening, travel, wine, photography, art, popular culture, gift.
Portico
Publisher Katie Cowan
Humour, popular culture, quirky reference, sport.
Robson Books
General non-fiction, biography, music, humour, sport.
Salamander
Packager of made-to-order books on cookery, crafts, military, natural history, music, gardening, hobbies, transport, sports, popular reference.
Pavilion Children’s Books
43 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3HZ
tel 020–7462 1500
website www.pavilionbooks.com
Publisher Neil Dunnicliffe
Children’s books: from baby books to illustrated non-fiction and classics. Part of Pavilion Books Company Ltd. Submissions via an agent only.
Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd
(Part of OLM Group)
Rayford House, School Road, Hove BN3 5HX
tel (01273) 434943
email info@pavpub.com
website www.pavpub.com
Ceo, OLM Group Peter O’Hara, Head of Publishing Relationships Graham Hoare
Health and social care training resources, books and assessment tools in a variety of fields including learning disability, mental health, vulnerable adults, housing, drugs and alcohol, staff development, children, young and older people, and forensic services, aimed at front line workers, professionals and academics. Also, English language teaching books and resources aimed at newly-qualified and experienced teachers and teacher trainers in the ELT field. Founded 1987.
Peachpit Press – see Pearson UK Pearson UK*
Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE
tel 0845 313 6666
website www.pearsoned.co.uk
President Rod Bristow
Allyn & Bacon
Higher education, humanities, social sciences.
BBC Active
Learning resources for children and adults.
Cisco Press
Cisco-systems authorised publisher. Material for networking students and professionals.
Benjamin Cummings
Higher education, science.
FT Prentice Hall
Business for higher education and professional.
Harcourt
Educational resources for teachers and learners at primary, secondary and vocational level. Provides a range of published resources, teachers’ support, and pupil and student material in all core subjects for all ages. Imprints: Ginn, Heinemann, Payne-Gallway, Raintree, Rigby.
Longman
Education for higher education, schools, ELT.
New Riders
Graphics and design.
Peachpit Press
Internet and general computing.
Penguin Longman
ELT.
Prentice Hall
Academic and reference textbooks.
QUE Publishing
Computing.
SAMS Publishing
Professional computing.
Wharton
Business.
Literature guides for students.
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS
tel (01226) 734555/734222
email editorialoffice@pen-and-sword.co.uk
website www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Managing Director Charles Hewitt, Publishing Manager Henry Wilson, Commissioning Editors Jonathan Wright, Phil Sidnell, Rupert Harding, Claire Hopkins, Laura Hirst, Michael Leventhal, Julian Mannering, Rob Gardiner
Military history, aviation history, naval and maritime, general history, local history, family history, transport, social history, archaeology, health and lifestyle, natural history, gardening, space, science, sports. Imprints: Leo Cooper, Frontline Books, White Owl, Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Naval & Maritime, Remember When, Frontline, Seaforth, Pen & Sword Digital, Pen & Sword Transport, Pen & Sword Discovery, Pen & Sword Social History, Pen & Sword Archaeology.
Penguin General Books*
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
tel 020–7010 3000
Managing Director Joanna Prior
No unsolicited MSS or synopses. Part of Penguin Random House UK (below).
Fig Tree
Publishing Director Juliet Annan Fiction and general non-fiction.
Hamish Hamilton
Publishing Director Simon Prosser
Fiction, biography and memoirs, current affairs, history, literature, politics, travel.
Penguin Digital
tel 020–7139 3069 (Albert Hogan)
email AHogan@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
tel 020–7840 3843 (Richard Lennon)
email RLennon@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Director, Group Marketing, Audience & Digital Development Albert Hogan, Audio Publisher Richard Lennon
Penguin Ireland
(part of Penguin Random House Ireland)
Suites 47–51, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 53 14150
email info@penguinrandomhouse.ie
website www.penguin.ie
Managing Director Michael McLoughlin, Publishing Director Patricia Deevy, Editors Brendan Barrington, Claire Pelly, Children’s Editor Claire Hennessy
Fiction and non-fiction, mainly of Irish origin, but published to travel beyond the Irish market. Unsolicited MSS accepted.
Penguin Life
Publishing Director Venetia Butterfield Personal development and healthy living.
Penguin Press
Managing Director Stefan McGrath, Publishing Directors Stuart Proffitt (Allen Lane), Simon Winder (Allen Lane), Helen Conford (Allen Lane & Particular Books), Editorial Directors Thomas Penn (Allen Lane), Alexis Kirschbaum (Allen Lane) Serious adult non-fiction, reference, specialist and classics. No unsolicited MSS or synopses. Imprints: Allen Lane, Particular Books, Pelican, Penguin Classics.
Portfolio
Publishing Director Joel Rickett,
Editor Fred Baty Business. Launched 2010.
Viking
Publishing Director Venetia Butterfield, Editorial Director Katy Loftus, Publishers Mary Mount, Joel Rickett, Daniel Crewe, Editors Katy Loftus, Emily Robertson
Fiction and general non-fiction for adults. Founded 1925.
Penguin Longman – see Pearson UK Penguin Random House Children’s UK*
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
tel 020–7010 3000
website www.penguin.co.uk
Managing Director Francesca Dow, Publishing Director (fiction, picture books & classic characters) Amanda Punter, Publishing Director (fiction & Ladybird books) Shannon Cullen, Publishing Director (brands & media) Juliet Matthews, Publisher (Ladybird Education) Kate Heald, Publisher (Ladybird) Jacqueline McCann, Head of Licensing & Consumer Products, Penguin Ventures Susan Bolsover, Head of Acquisitions & TV Development Rich Haines, Art Director Anna Billson
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here). Children’s paperback and hardback books: wide range of picture books, board books, gift books and novelties; fiction; non-fiction, popular culture, digital and audio. Pre-school illustrated developmental books for 0–6 years; licensed brands; children’s classic publishing and merchandising properties. No unsolicited MSS or original artwork or text. Imprints: Ladybird, Puffin, Penguin, Bantam Press, Bodley Head Children’s Books, Jonathan Cape Children’s Books, Corgi Children’s Books, Doubleday Children’s Books, Hutchinson Children’s Books, Red Fox Children’s Books.
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8400
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Ceo, Penguin Random House UK Tom Weldon, Chairman Gail Rebuck, Directors Mark Gardiner (finance), Graham Sim (creative), Richard Cable (managing, Vintage), Rebecca Smart (managing, Ebury Publishing), Susan Sandon (managing, Cornerstone), Rob Waddington (group sales), Mark Williams (managing, distribution)
Penguin Random House UK group companies: Penguin General Books (here), Cornerstone (here), DK (here), Ebury Press (here), Michael Joseph (here), Penguin Random House Children’s UK (here), Transworld (here) and Vintage (here).
Percy Publishing
9 Warners Close, Woodford, Essex IG8 0TF
tel 020–8504 2570
email enquiries@percy-publishing.com
website www.percy-publishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/percypublishing
Twitter @percypublishing
Director Clifford Marker; Editors Cherry Burroughs, Mike Harrington
Publisher of fiction of any genre. Imprint: London Publishing House Art & Photography Coffee Table Books. Founded 2012.
Pergamon – see here Persephone Books
59 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NB
tel 020–7242 9292
email info@persephonebooks.co.uk
website www.persephonebooks.co.uk
Managing Director Nicola Beauman
Reprints of forgotten classics by 20th-century women writers with prefaces by contemporary writers.
Founded 1999.
Phaidon Press Ltd
Regent’s Wharf, All Saints Street, London N1 9PA
tel 020–7843 1000
email enquiries@phaidon.com
website www.phaidon.com
Managing Director James Booth-Clibborn, Publishers Emilia Terragni, Deborah Aaronson
Visual arts, lifestyle, culture and food.
Philip’s – see Octopus Publishing Group Phoenix Yard Books
Phoenix Yard, 65 King’s Cross Road, London WC1X 9LW
tel 020–7239 4968
email hello@phoenixyardbooks.com
website www.phoenixyardbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/PhoenixYardBooks
Twitter @phoenixyardbks
Picturebooks, fiction and children’s colouring books. We no longer accept unsolicited MSS.
Piatkus – see Little, Brown Book Group Piccadilly Press
5 Castle Road, London NW1 8PR
tel 020–7267 4492
email books@piccadillypress.co.uk
website www.piccadillypress.co.uk
Managing Director & Publisher Brenda Gardner
Early picture books, parental advice trade paperbacks, trade paperback children’s fiction, young adult non-fiction and young adult fiction. Founded 1983.
Pimlico – see Vintage Pimpernel Press Ltd
22 Marylands Road, London W9 2DY
tel 020–7289 7100
email jo@pimpernelpress.com
website www.pimpernelpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Pimpernel-Press-Ltd- 456736654504879
Twitter @PimpernelPress
Publisher Jo Christian, Commissioning Editor Anna Sanderson, Publicity Emma O’Bryen
Independent publisher of books on art, design, houses and gardens, and also paper books, in association with Sir John Soane’s Museum, the British Library, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and Glasgow Museums. Founded 2015.
The Playwrights Publishing Company
70 Nottingham Road, Burton Joyce, Notts. NG14 5AL
email playwrightspublishingco@yahoo.com
website www.playwrightspublishing.com
Proprietors Liz Breeze, Tony Breeze
One-act and full-length drama published on the internet. Serious work and comedies, for mixed cast, all women or schools. Reading fee unless professionally produced or unwaged; sae required.
Founded 1990.
Plexus Publishing Ltd
The Studio, Hillgate Place, 18–20 Balham Hill, London SW12 9ER
tel 020–8673 9230
email plexus@plexusuk.demon.co.uk
website www.plexusbooks.com
Editorial Director Sandra Wake
Film, music, biography, popular culture, fashion, gift. Imprint: Eel Pie. Founded 1973.
345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
tel 020–8348 2724
email pluto@plutobooks.com
website www.plutobooks.com
Managing Director Anne Beech, Sales Director Simon Liebesny, Marketing Manager Emily Orford, Publicist Kieran O’Connor
Politics, anthropology, development, media, cultural, economics, history, Irish studies, Black studies, Islamic studies, Middle East, international relations.
Policy Press
University of Bristol, 1–9 Old Park Hill, Clifton, Bristol BS2 8BB
tel 0117 954 5940
email pp-info@bristol.ac.uk
website www.policypress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/PolicyPress
Twitter @policypress
Director Alison Shaw, Assistant Director Julia Mortimer
Social science, specialising in social and public policy, criminology, social work and social welfare. Founded 1996.
Policy Studies Institute (PSI)
35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS
tel 020–7911 7500
email psi-admin@psi.org.uk
website www.psi.org.uk
Twitter @PSI_London
Economic, cultural, social and environmental policy, political institutions, social sciences.
Politico’s Publishing – see Methuen & Co Ltd Polity Press
65 Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UR
tel (01223) 324315
website www.politybooks.com
Social and political theory, politics, sociology, history, media and cultural studies, philosophy, literary theory, feminism, human geography, anthropology.
Founded 1983.
Polygon – see Birlinn Ltd Pont Books – see Gomer Press Poolbeg Press Ltd
123 Grange Hill, Baldoyle, Dublin 13, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 8063825
email info@poolbeg.com
website www.poolbeg.com
Directors Kieran Devlin (managing), Paula Campbell (publisher)
Popular fiction, non-fiction, current affairs. Imprint: Poolbeg. Founded 1976.
Portfolio – see Penguin General Books Portico – see Pavilion Books Portland Press Ltd*
Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JL
tel 020–7685 2410
email editorial@portlandpress.com
website www.portlandpresspublishing.com
Twitter @PPPublishing
Director of Publishing Niamh O’Connor
Owned by the Biochemical Society, the company is embedded in the global scientific community and dedicated to promoting and sharing research for the advancement of science. Founded 1990.
Portobello Books
12 Addison Avenue, London W11 4QR
tel 020–7605 1380
email mail@portobellobooks.com
website www.portobellobooks.com
Publisher Sigrid Rausing, Editorial Directors Laura
Barber, Bella Lacey, Senior Editor Max Porter,
Commissioning Editor Anne Meadows, Junior Editor
Ka Bradley, Rights Director Angela Rose, Publicity
Director Pru Rowlandson, Production Director Sarah
Wasley, Sales, Marketing & Digital Director Iain
Chapple, Finance Manager Morgan Graver
Current affairs, polemic, cultural criticism, history, memoir, travel, fiction in translation. No submissions except via a reputable literary agent. An imprint of Granta Publications. Founded 2005.
Preface Publishing – see Cornerstone Prestel Publishing Ltd
14–17 Wells Street, London W1T 3PD
tel 020–7323 5004
email editorial@prestel-uk.co.uk
website www.prestel.com
Managing Director Andrew Hansen
Art, architecture, photography, design, travel, cultural history and ethnography. Headquarters in Munich with offices in New York and London. Founded 1924.
Princeton University Press – Europe*
6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxon OX20 1TR
tel (01993) 814500
email claire_williams@press.princeton.edu
website www.press.princeton.edu
Facebook www.facebook.com/PrincetonUniversityPress
Twitter @PrincetonUPress
Publisher for Social Sciences Sarah Caro, Editor for Humanities Ben Tate, Publisher for Sciences Ingrid Gnerlich
Academic publishing for the social sciences, humanities and sciences. The European office of Princeton University Press, founded 1999.
Profile Books Ltd*
3 Holford Yard, Bevin Way, London WC1X 9HD
tel 020–7841 6300
email info@profilebooks.com
website www.profilebooks.com
Managing Director Andrew Franklin, Publisher Mike
Jones, Editorial Deputy Hannah Westland
General non-fiction: history, biography, current affairs, popular science, politics, business, management, humour. Also publishers of The Economist books. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1996.
Clerkenwell Press
email info@clerkenwellpress.co.uk
Publisher Geoffrey Mulligan Literary fiction in English and translation. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 2011.
Serpent’s Tail
email info@serpentstail.com
website www.serpentstail.com
Publisher Hannah Westland
Fiction and non-fiction; literary and non-mainstream work, and work in translation. No unsolicited MSS.
Founded 1986.
Tindal Street Press
email info@profilebooks.com
Literary fiction in English. No unsolicited MSS.
Founded 1998.
Psychology Press
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
tel 020–7017 6000
website www.psypress.com
Psychology textbooks and monographs. Imprint of Taylor and Francis Group (here), an informa business.
Psychology Press
website www.psypress.com
Routledge
website www.routledgementalhealth.com
Puffin – see Penguin Random House Children’s
UK
Pure Indigo Ltd
Publishing Department, 17 The Herons, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24 8XX
tel 07981 395258
email ashley.martin@pureindigo.co.uk
website www.pureindigo.co.uk/publishing
Commissioning Editor Ashley Martin
Adult books: submissions currently open for romance novels only. Children’s books: Pure Indigo Publishing develops innovative junior series fiction. All titles are available in both print and digital formats and are distributed internationally with select partners. The company also develops software products that complement the product range. The junior series fiction titles are developed in-house and on occasion authors and illustrators are commissioned to complete project-based work. For consideration for commissions visit the website. Not currently accepting submissions.
Pushkin Press*
Unit 43 Pall Mall Deposit, 124–128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL
tel 020–3735 9078
email books@pushkinpress.com
website www.pushkinpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/PushkinPress
Twitter @pushkinpress
Publisher Adam Freudenheim
Having first rediscovered European classics of the 20th century, Pushkin now publishes novels, essays, memoirs, children’s books (Pushkin’s Children’s) and everything from timeless classics to the urgent and contemporary. Imprints: Pushkin Press, Pushkin
Children’s Books, Pushkin Vertigo, ONE. Founded 1997.
Quadrille Publishing
5th and 6th Floors, Pentagon House, 52–54 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN
tel 020–7601 7500
email enquiries@quadrille.co.uk
website www.quadrille.co.uk
Directors Sarah Lavelle (editorial), Helen Lewis (art), Vincent Smith (production) Imprint of Hardie Grant. Illustrated non-fiction: cookery, food and drink, gift and humour, craft, health and beauty, gardening, interiors, Mind, Body
& Spirit. Founded 1994.
Quantum – see W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd Quartet Books (The Women’s Press)
27 Goodge Street, London W1T 2LD
tel 020–7636 3992
email info@quartetbooks.co.uk
website www.quartetbooks.co.uk
Independent publisher with a fine tradition of pursuing an alternative to mainstream. Books by women in the areas of literary and crime fiction, biography and autobiography, health, culture, politics, handbooks, literary criticism, psychology and self-help, the arts. Accepting submissions; see website for guidelines. Founded 1978.
The Quarto Group, Inc.*
The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street, London N7 9BH
tel 020–7700 9000/020–7700 8066
email dan.rosenberg@quarto.com
website www.Quarto.com
Chairman Timothy Chadwick, Ceo Marcus Leaver, Chief Financial Officer Mick Mousley, Director, Quarto International Co-editions Group David Breuer, President & Ceo, Quarto Publishing Group USA Ken Fund, Managing Director, Quarto Publishing Group UK David Inman
The Quarto Group is a leading global illustrated book publisher and distribution group. It is composed of three publishing divisions: Quarto International Coeditions Group; Quarto Publishing Group USA; and Quarto Publishing Group UK; plus Books & Gifts Direct (a direct seller of books and gifts in Australia and New Zealand) and Regent Publishing Services, a specialist print services company based in Hong Kong. Quarto International Co-editions Group creates illustrated books that are licensed and printed for third-party publishers for publication under their own imprints in over 30 languages around the world. The division includes: Quarto Publishing, Quarto Children’s Books, words & pictures, Qu:id, Quintessence, Quintet Publishing, QED, RotoVision, Marshall Editions, Marshall Editions Children’s Books, Harvard Common Press, Small World Creations, Fine Wine Editions, Apple Press, Global Book Publishing, Iqon Editions Ltd., Ivy Press and Quantum Publishing. Book categories: practical art and crafts, graphic arts, lifestyle, reference, food and drink, gardening, popular culture.
Quarto Publishing Group UK
The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street, London N7 9BH
tel 020–7700 9000/020–7700 8066
website www.QuartoKnows.com
Aurum Press (imprint of The Quarto Group)
74–77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF
tel 020–7284 9300
website www.quartoknows.com/brand/1031/Aurum-Press/
General adult non-fiction, illustrated and non-illustrated: history, sport, entertainment, biography, autobiography, military.
Frances Lincoln
website www.quartoknows.com/brand/1028/Frances-Lincoln/
Illustrated, international co-editions: gardening, architecture, environment, interiors, photography, art, walking and climbing, design and landscape, gift.
Jacqui Small
website www.quartoknows.com/brand/1026/Jacqui-Small
Publisher Jacqui Small
Illustrated, international co-editions: interiors, food and drink, lifestyle, craft.
QUE Publishing – see Pearson UK Quercus Publishing Plc
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
website www.quercusbooks.co.uk
Managing Director Jon Butler
Fiction and non-fiction. Imprints include Quercus, Riverrun, Maclehose Press and Jo Fletcher Books.
Founded 2005.
Quiller Publishing Ltd
Wykey House, Wykey, Shrewsbury SY4 1JA
tel (01939) 261616
email info@quillerbooks.com
website www.quillerpublishing.com
Managing Director Andrew Johnston
Excellent Press
All country subjects and general sports including fishing, shooting, cookery, natural history, gardening, gift books.
Kenilworth Press
Equestrian (riding, training, dressage, eventing, show jumping, driving, polo). Publisher of BHS official publications.
Quiller
High-quality, practical handbooks and gift books on a number of unique country pursuits. These cover a diverse range of subjects from dog training, fishing and shooting to stalking, gamekeeping, humour, food and drink.
The Sportsman’s Press
All country subjects and general sports including fishing, fencing, shooting, equestrian and gunmaking; wildlife art.
Swan Hill Press
Country and field sports activities, including fishing, cookery, shooting, falconry, equestrian, gundog training, natural history, humour.
Ragged Bears Ltd
79 Acreman Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PH
tel (01935) 816933
email books@ragged-bears.co.uk
website www.ragged-bears.co.uk
Managing Director Pamela Shirley
Preschool picture and novelty books, first chapter books to young teen fiction. Emailed submissions preferred but if posted send sae. Do not send original artwork. Imprint: Ragged Bears. Founded 1994.
Ransom Publishing Ltd
Unit 7, Brocklands Farm, West Meon GU32 1JN
tel (01730) 829091
email ransom@ransom.co.uk
website www.ransom.co.uk
Directors Jenny Ertle (managing), Steve Rickard
(creative)
Teen fiction, reading programmes and books for children and adults who are reluctant and struggling readers. Range covers high interest age/low reading age titles, quick reads, reading schemes and titles for young able readers. Series include Reading Stars, The Outer Reaches, Shades 2.0, Boffin Boy, PIG and Dark Man. Email for submission guidelines. Founded 1995.
Raven Books
Publishes fiction for children and young adults 8–18 years. Actively looking for strong new fiction, either from published authors or new authors.
Reaktion Books
Unit 32 Waterside, 44–8 Wharf Road, London N1 7UX
tel 020–7253 4965
email info@reaktionbooks.co.uk
website www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/ReaktionBooks/
Twitter @reaktionbooks
Publisher Michael R. Leaman
Art history, design, architecture, critical biography, history, cultural studies, film studies, animal studies, modern music history, food history, natural history, Asian studies, popular science, philosophy, sports history, photography. Founded 1985.
Red Rattle Books
23 Thornfield Road, Thornton, Liverpool L23 9XY
tel 07505 700515
email editorred@rattlebooks.co.uk
website www.redrattlebooks.co.uk
Editor Howard Jackson, Manager Angela Keith,
Media Amy Jackson
An independent, family-run publishing company. Produces and promotes four to six books each year. Specialises in crime and horror. Accepts submissions from young writers and unpublished authors. Full MS or samples can be submitted at editor@redrattlebooks.co.uk. Titles accepted for publication are published in paperback and Kindle editions. Fees for MS are negotiated with authors or their agents. If MS not accepted, explanation given as to why not suitable and future advice offered. Founded 2012.
Revenge Ink
Unit 13, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 5DA
email amita@revengeink.com
website www.revengeink.com
Editor Gopal Mukerjee (with Amita Mukerjee)
Director Amita Mukerjee
Founded by siblings Gopal and Amita Mukerjee, the company publishes adult fiction (all kinds) and prefers unsolicited, first-time novelists or established writers seeking a new outlet for edgier material. Considers poetry if presented in an original, creative manner. Currently publishes approx. seven titles a year. Does not publish children’s fiction or non-fiction titles such as cookbooks, gardens and how-to books. The company is aiming to create a non-fiction imprint for new research in philosophy, history, critical theory and political analysis. Submission guidelines can be found on the website. By email, preferably, send short sample and query first.
Founded 2007.
Rider – see Ebury Publishing Rising Stars
PO Box 105, Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE
tel 0800 091 1602
email info@risingstars-uk.com
website www.risingstars-uk.com
Managing Director Andrea Carr
Educational publisher of books and software for primary school age children. Titles are linked to the National Curriculum Key Stages, QCA Schemes of Work, National Numeracy Framework or National Literacy Strategy. Approach by email with ideas for publishing. Acquired by Hodder Education in January 2015.
Rivers Oram Press
144 Hemingford Road, London N1 1DE
tel 020–7607 0823
email ro@riversoram.com
website www.riversoram.com
Directors Elizabeth Rivers Fidlon (managing), Anthony Harris
Non-fiction: social and political science, current affairs, social history, gender studies, sexual politics, cultural studies. Founded 1991.
Pandora Press
Feminist press. General non-fiction: biography, arts, media, health, current affairs, reference and sexual politics.
George Ronald
3 Rosecroft Lane, Oaklands, Welwyn, Herts. AL6 0UB
tel (01438) 716062
email sales@grbooks.com
website www.grbooks.com
Managers E. Leith, M. Hofman
Religion, specialising in the Bahá’í Faith. Founded 1939.
RotoVision
(Imprint of The Quarto Group)
Sheridan House, 112–116A Western Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 1DD
tel (01273) 727268
email mark.searle@quarto.com
website www.quartoknows.com/RotoVision
Illustrated books on design, photography and the performing arts. Part of The Quarto Group.
Rough Guides – see DK
Roundhouse Group
Unit B, 18 Marine Gardens, Brighton BN2 1AH
tel (01273) 603717
email info@roundhousegroup.co.uk
website www.roundhousegroup.co.uk
Publisher Alan T. Goodworth
Non-fiction adult and children’s books. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1991.
Route
PO Box 167, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF8 4WW
tel (01977) 797695
email info@route-online.com
website www.route-online.com
Twitter @Route_News
Contact Ian Daley, Isabel Galan
Contemporary fiction, cultural non-fiction and memoir, with a strong interest in music books. Unsolicited MSS discouraged, book proposals in first instance.
Routledge – see Taylor & Francis Group
Rowman & Littlefield International*
Unit A Whitacre Mews, 26–34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB 01752 202360
email info@rowmaninternational.com
website www.rowmaninternational.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/
RowmanLittlefieldInternational
Twitter @rowmaninternat
Chief Executive Oliver Gadsby, Editorial Director,
Sarah Campbell
A new independent academic publisher in philosophy, politics and international relations, cultural studies and economics, with a particular focus on the interdisciplinary nature of these subject areas.
Royal Collection Trust
Stable Yard House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1JR
tel 020–7024 5645
website www.royalcollection.org.uk
Commercial Publisher Jacky Colliss Harvey, Academic Publisher Kate Owen, Content Manager Elizabeth Simpson, Publishing Assistant David Tibbs
The publishing programme at Royal Collection Trust is centred on creating books, exhibition catalogues, guides and children’s books to celebrate the royal residences and works of art found within them. Also produces scholarly catalogues raisonnés, which demonstrate the high standards of academic research.
Worldwide distribution is offered by University of Chicago Press in the USA and Canada, and by Thames & Hudson Ltd throughout the rest of the world. Founded 1993.
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)*
Midgate House, Midgate, Peterborough, Cambs. PE1 1TN
tel 0303 1239999
email helpline@rnib.org.uk
website www.rnib.org.uk
Magazines, catalogues and books for blind and partially sighted people, to support daily living, leisure, learning and employment reading needs. Includes the charity’s flagship Talking Books service, providing more than 25,000 fiction and non-fiction titles to borrow free of charge for adults and children with sight loss, and commercial audio production services. Produced in braille, audio, large/legible print and email. Founded 1868.
Ruby Tuesday Books Ltd
The Azaleas, Heligan, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN
tel (01726) 842720
email ruth@rubytuesdaybooks.com
website www.rubytuesdaybooks.com
Twitter @Kids_RTBooks
Publisher & Author Ruth Owen, International Sales & Rights Shan White, UK Trade Sales Solange Catterall
Publisher of children’s books. Founded 2008.
Ryland Peters & Small
20–21 Jockey’s Fields, London WC1R 4BW
tel 020–7025 2200
email info@rps.co.uk
website www.rylandpeters.com
Managing Director David Peters
High-quality illustrated books on food and drink, home and garden, babies and children, gift books.
Founded 1995.
Cico Books
tel 020–7025 2280
email mail@cicobooks.co.uk
website www.cicobooks.co.uk
Lifestyle and interiors, crafts and Mind, Body &
Spirit. Founded 1999.
Saffron Books
PO Box 13666, London SW14 8WF 020–8392 1122
email saffronbooks@eapgroup.com
website www.saffronbooks.com
Twitter @saffronbooks
Founding Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Sajid Rizvi
Art criticism, history, African and Asian architecture, African and Asian art and archaeology, Central Asian studies, Korean linguistics and new fiction. Imprint:
Saffron Books, Yeti Books (for children). Founded 1989.
SAGE Publications Ltd*
1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, London EC1Y 1SP
tel 020–7324 8500
email info@sagepub.co.uk
website www.sagepublishing.com
Twitter @SAGE_News
Independent company that disseminates journals, books, and library products for the educational, scholarly and professional markets. Founded 1965.
St. David’s Press
PO Box 733, Cardiff CF14 7ZY
tel 029–2021 8187
email post@st-davids-press.wales
website www.st-davids-press.wales
Facebook www.facebook.com/StDavidsPress
Twitter @StDavidsPress
Sport and popular culture including: rugby, football, cricket, boxing, horse racing, walking, music. Also general Welsh and Celtic interest including the ‘Tidy Tales from Welsh History’ series. Distributed by
Welsh Books Council (Wales), NBNi (UK &
Europe), ISBS (North America). Founded 2002.
St Pauls Publishing
ST PAULS by Westminster Cathedral, Morpeth Terrace, Victoria, London SW1P 1EP
tel/fax 020–828 5582
email editor@stpauls.org.uk
website www.stpauls.org.uk
Theology, ethics, spirituality, biography, education, general books of Roman Catholic and Christian interest. Founded 1948.
Salariya Book Company Ltd
Book House, 25 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB
tel (01273) 603306
email salariya@salariya.com
website www.salariya.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/theSalariya
Twitter @theSalariya
Managing Director David Salariya
Children’s art, picture books, fiction and non-fiction. Imprints: Book House, Scribblers, Scribo. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1989.
Salt Publishing*
12 Norwich Road, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 0AX
tel (01263) 511011
email sales@saltpublishing.com
website www.saltpublishing.com
Twitter @saltpublishing
Publishing Director Christopher Hamilton-Emery, Jennifer Hamilton-Emery
Multi-award-winning independent publisher of quality fiction. Home of the annual Best British Short Story anthology. Founded 1999.
SAMS Publishing – see Pearson UK
Sandstone Press Ltd*
Dochcarty Road, Dingwall, Scotland IV15 9UG
tel (01349) 865484
email info@sandstonepress.com
website www.sandstonepress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/SandstonePress
Twitter @sandstonepress
Directors Robert Davidson (managing), Iain Gordon (financial), Moira Forsyth (editorial), Keara Donnachie (marketing & publicity), Sue Foot (administration)
Fiction, non-fiction and ebooks.
Saqi Books
26 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RH
tel 020–7221 9347
email lynn@saqibooks.com
website www.saqibooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/SaqiBooks
Twitter @SaqiBooks
Publisher Lynn Gaspard, Publishing Assistant Elizabeth Briggs
An independent publishing house of quality trade and academic books on North Africa and the Middle East. Links with cutting edge and authoritative voices have led to a rigorous reassessment of Arab cultural heritage. Over the years the company expanded its list to include writers from all over the world and established two imprints: Telegram, releasing the best in international translation and home-grown literary fiction, and The Westbourne Press, releasing engaging and thought-provoking non-fiction from around the globe. Founded 1983.
Saunders – see Elsevier (Clinical Solutions)
Sawday’s
Merchants House, Wapping Road, Bristol BS1 4RW
tel (0117) 204 7810
email specialplaces@sawdays.co.uk
website www.sawdays.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/sawdays
Twitter @sawdays
Founder Alastair Sawday,
Managing Director Tom Sawday
Independent travel. Founded 1994.
Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd
10 Lion Yard, Tremadoc Road, London SW4 7NQ
tel 020–7808 1550
email jmckinley@scalapublishers.com
website www.scalapublishers.com
Twitter @ScalaPublishers
Managing Director Jenny McKinley
Publish high-quality books for the arts and heritage sector: guidebooks, collection highlights, exibition catalogues, illustrated histories, etc. Offers all aspects of the publishing process: design, editing, production, marketing and distribution throughout the world as part of the Scala list.
Sceptre – see Hodder & Stoughton Schofield & Sims Ltd*
Dogley Mill, Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield HD8 0NQ
tel (01484) 607080
email post@schofieldandsims.co.uk
website www.schofieldandsims.co.uk
Educational: nursery, infants, primary; posters.
Founded 1901.
Scholastic Ltd*
Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1DB
tel 020–7756 7756
website www.scholastic.co.uk
Chairman M.R. Robinson, Co-Group Managing
Directors Catherine Bell, Steve Thompson
Children’s fiction, non-fiction and picture books, education resources for primary schools. Owned by Scholastic Inc. Founded 1964.
The Chicken House
See here.
Scholastic Book Fairs
See here.
Scholastic Children’s Books
Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street, London
NW1 1DB
tel 020–7756 7761
email submissions@scholastic.co.uk
website www.scholastic.co.uk
Twitter @scholasticuk
UK Publisher Miriam Farbey, Editorial Director (non-fiction) Elizabeth Scoggins, Publisher (fiction & picture books) Samantha Smith, Editorial Director (picture, novelty, gift books) Pauliina Malinen-Teodoro, Antonia Pelari
Activity books, novelty books, picture books, fiction for 5–12 years, teenage fiction, series fiction and film/TV tie-ins. Imprints: Scholastic, Alison Green Books, Marion Lloyd Books, Klutz. No unsolicited MSS. Unsolicited illustrations are accepted, but do not send any original artwork as it will not be returned.
Scholastic Educational Resources
Book End, Range Road, Witney, Oxon OX29 0YD
tel (01993) 893456
Publishing Director Robin Hunt
Professional books, classroom materials and online resources for primary teachers.
Science Museum Group
Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD
tel 0870 870 4771
website www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Science, engineering and technology, museum guides.
SCM Press – see Hymns Ancient and Modern
Ltd
Scripture Union
207–209 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bucks. MK2 2EB
tel (01908) 856000
email info@scriptureunion.org.uk
website www.scriptureunion.org.uk
Director of Ministry Development (Publishing) Terry Clutterham
Christian books and bible reading materials for people of all ages; educational and worship resources for churches; children’s fiction and non-fiction; adult non-fiction. Founded 1867.
Search Press Ltd
Wellwood, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR
tel (01892) 510850
email searchpress@searchpress.com
website www.searchpress.com
Directors Martin de la Bédoyère (managing), Caroline de la Bédoyère (rights)
Arts, crafts, leisure. Founded 1970.
SelfMadeHero
139 Pancras Road, London NW1 1UN
tel 020–7383 5157
email info@selfmadehero.com
website www.selfmadehero.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/SelfMadeHero
Twitter @selfmadehero
Managing Director & Publisher Emma Hayley, Sales & Marketing Manager Sam Humphrey, Press Officer Paul Smith, Foreign Rights, Editorial & Production Manager Guillaume Rater
The UK’s leading independent publisher of graphic novels and visual narratives. The list of award-winning fiction and non-fiction graphic novels spans literary fiction, biography, classic adaptation, sci-fi, horror, crime and humour. Founded 2007.
September Publishing
161 Algernon Road, London SE13 7AP
tel 020–3637 0116
email info@septemberpublishing.org
website www.septemberpublishing.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/SeptemberPublishing
Twitter @septemberbook
Publisher Hannah MacDonald
Non-fiction publishers of illustrated and narrative adult books, including memoir and biography, travel, humour, art, politics. Founded 2013.
Seren
57 Nolton Street, Bridgend CF31 3AE
tel (01656) 663018
email seren@serenbooks.com
website www.serenbooks.com
Publisher Mick Felton
Poetry, fiction, literary criticism, biography, art –mostly with relevance to Wales. Founded 1981.
Severn House Publishers
Salatin House, 19 Cedar Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5DA
tel 020–8770 3930
email sales@severnhouse.com
website www.severnhouse.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/severnhouse
Twitter @severnhouse
Chairman Edwin Buckhalter, Publisher Kate Lyall Grant
Hardback, paperback, ebook and large print adult fiction for the library market: mysteries, thrillers, detective, horror, romance. No unsolicited MSS; submissions via literary agents. Imprints: Créme de la Crime. Founded 1974.
Shearsman Books
50 Westons Hill Drive, Emersons Green, Bristol BS16 7DF
tel 0117 957 2957
email editor@shearsman.com
website www.shearsman.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Shearsman-
Books/272720625528
Contact Tony Frazer
Contemporary poetry in English and in translation.
Sheldon Press – see Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Sheldrake Press
188 Cavendish Road, London SW12 0DA
tel 020–8675 1767
email enquiries@sheldrakepress.co.uk
website www.sheldrakepress.co.uk
Twitter @SheldrakePress
Publisher J.S. Rigge
History, travel, architecture, cookery, music; humour; stationery. Founded 1979.
Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd
107 Parkway House, Sheen Lane, London SW14 8LS
tel 020–8241 5927
email books@shepheard-walwyn.co.uk
website www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk
website www.ethicaleconomics.org.uk
Directors A.R.A. Werner, A.L.R. Werner, Marketing Manager Catherine Hodgkinson
Independent publishing company. History, biography, political economy, perennial philosophy; illustrated gift books; Scottish interest. Founded 1971.
Shire Publications
Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH
tel (01865) 811332
email shire.editor@ospreypublishing.com
website www.bloomsbury.com/uk/non-fiction/history/heritage
website www.bloomsbury.com/bloomsburybespoke/
Non-fiction publisher of history, heritage and nostalgia. Also provides publishing services to organisations such as museums, schools, universities and charities. Acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc in 2014.
Short Books Ltd
Unit 316, ScreenWorks, 22 Highbury Grove, London N5 2ER
tel 020–7833 9429
email info@shortbooks.co.uk
website www.shortbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Short-Books/ 138762006187086/
Twitter @shortbooksuk
Editorial Directors Rebecca Nicolson, Aurea
Carpenter
Non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 2000.
Sidgwick & Jackson – see Pan Macmillan Sigma Press
Stobart House, Pontyclerc, Penybanc Road, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire SA18 3HP
tel (01269) 593100
email info@sigmapress.co.uk
website www.sigmapress.co.uk
Directors Nigel Evans, Jane Evans
Leisure: country walking, cycling, regional heritage, ecology, folklore; biographies. Founded 1979.
Silvertail Books
email editor@silvertailbooks.com
website www.silvertailbooks.com
Twitter @silvertailbooks
Publisher Humfrey Hunter
New independent publisher which specialises in commercial fiction and non-fiction. They especially like publishing newsworthy non-fiction and fiction which tells captivating stories well, no matter when or where they’re set, or whether it is the author’s 1st or 51st novel. Pays high royalties on both ebook and print editions. No children’s books. Founded 2012.
222 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8HB
tel 020–7316 1900
email enquiries@simonandschuster.co.uk
website www.simonandschuster.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/simonschusterUK
Twitter @simonschusteruk
Directors Ian Chapman (Ceo), Suzanne Baboneau (managing, adult), Jo Dickinson (publishing, fiction), Iain MacGregor (publishing, non-fiction), Ian Marshall (sport), Alexandra Maramenides (Managing, Children’s)
Adult non-fiction (history, biography, current affairs, science, political, popular culture, sports books and memoirs). Adult fiction (mass-market, literary fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, general fiction). Bespoke and illustrated titles. Children’s and young adult fiction, picture books, novelty, pop-up and licensed character. Founded 1986.
Simon & Schuster
Non-fiction publisher Iain MacGregor, Fiction Publisher Jo Dickinson
Adult non-fiction (history, biography, current affairs, science); illustrated non-fiction; mass market fiction; bespoke publishing.
Simon & Schuster Audioworks
Fiction, non-fiction and business.
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
MD Children’s Publishing Division, Alexandra Maramenides, Editorial Director, Picture Books & Novelties Lara Hancock, Art Director Jenny Richard Picture books, pop-up, novelty, fiction and non-fiction.
Singing Dragon
73 Collier Street, London N1 9BE
tel 020–7833 2307
email hello@singingdragon.com
website www.singingdragon.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/SingingDragon
Twitter @Singing_Dragon_
Director Jessica Kingsley
An imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers (here). Authoritative books on complementary and alternative health, Tai Chi, Qigong and ancient wisdom traditions for health, wellbeing and professional and personal development. Includes comics and graphic novels on topics such as pain management and mental health. Founded 2008.
Siri Scientific Press
Arrow Mill, Queensway, Castleton, Rochdale OL11 2YW
tel 07770 796913
email books@siriscientificpress.co.uk
website www.siriscientificpress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/Siri-Scientific-Press- 134567006626977/
Publishing Consultant David Penney
Publisher of specialist natural history books including academic monographs, compiled edited volumes, photographic atlases, field guides and more general works. Specialise in works on entomology, arachnology and palaeontology, but will also consider other topics. Happy to hear directly from potential new authors. Founded 2008.
Smith Gryphon Ltd – see John Blake Publishing Ltd Colin Smythe Ltd
38 Mill Lane, Gerrards Cross, Bucks. SL9 8BA
tel (01753) 886000
email info@colinsmythe.co.uk
website www.colinsmythe.co.uk
Directors Colin Smythe (managing & editorial), Leslie
Hayward, Ann Saddlemyer
Irish biography, phaleristics, heraldry, Irish literature and literary criticism, Irish history. Other imprints: Dolmen Press, Van Duren Publishers. Founded 1966.
Snowbooks Ltd
112 High Street, Thame, Oxon OX9 3DZ
website www.snowbooks.com
Directors Emma Barnes (managing), Rob Jones
Genre fiction: steampunk, fantasy, sci-fi and horror. General non-fiction. See website for submission guidelines. No postal submissions or calls please.
Founded 2004.
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST
tel 020–7592 3900
email spck@spck.org.uk
website www.spckpublishing.co.uk
Director of Publishing Sam Richardson
Founded 1698.
IVP
Theology and academic, commentaries, biblical studies, contemporary culture.
Marylebone House
Commercial and literary fiction.
Sheldon Press
Popular medicine, health, self-help, psychology. SPCK
Theology, bibles, history, contemporary culture, children’s picture books and fiction, biography, liturgy, prayer, spirituality, biblical studies, educational resources, social and ethical issues, mission, gospel and culture.
Society of Genealogists Enterprises Ltd
14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA
tel 020–7251 8799
email sales@sog.org.uk
website www.sog.org.uk
Chief Executive June Perrin
Local and family history books, software and magazines plus extensive library facilities.
Somerville Press Ltd†
Dromore, Bantry, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)28 32873
email somervillepress@eircom.net
website www.somervillepress.com
Directors Andrew Russell, Jane Russell
Irish interest: fiction and non-fiction. Founded 2008.
Southwater – see Anness Publishing Souvenir Press Ltd
43 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PD
tel 020–7580 9307/8
email souvenirpress@souvenirpress.co.uk
website http://souvenirpress.co.uk/
Managing Director Ernest Hecht OBE
Archaeology, biography and memoirs, educational (secondary, technical), general, humour, practical handbooks, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, sports, games and hobbies, travel, supernatural, parapsychology, illustrated books. No unsolicited fiction or children’s books; initial enquiry by letter essential for non-fiction. Founded 1951.
SPCK – see Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Speechmark Publishing Ltd
2nd Floor, 5 Thomas More Square, London E1W 1WY
tel 0845 450 6414
email info@speechmark.net
website www.speechmark.net
Directors Jonathan McKenna (managing), Jonathan
McKenna (editorial), Will Fawbert (financial)
Education, health, social care. A division of Electric
Word. Founded 1990.
Sphere – see Little, Brown Book Group Spon – see Taylor & Francis Group SportBooks Ltd
9 St Aubyns Place, York YO24 1EQ
tel (01904) 613475
email info@sportsbooks.ltd.uk
website www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk
Directors Randall Northam, Veronica Northam
Sport. Imprints: SportsBooks, BMM. Founded 1995.
The Sportsman’s Press – see Quiller Publishing Ltd
Springer-Verlag London Ltd*
236 Gray’s Inn Road, Floor 6, London WC1X 8HB
tel 020–3192 2000
website www.springer.com/gb
General Manager Beverley Ford
Medicine, computing, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biosciences. Founded 1972.
Spruce – see Octopus Publishing Group Stacey Publishing Ltd
14 Great College Street, London SW1P 3RX
tel 020–7221 7166
email info@stacey-international.co.uk
website www.stacey-international.co.uk
Founder Tom Stacey
Topical issues for Independent Minds series, encyclopaedic books on regions and countries, Islamic and Arab subjects, world affairs, children’s books, art, travel, belles lettres, biography. Imprints: Capuchin Classics, Gorilla Guides. Founded 1974.
Capuchin Classics
email info@capuchin-classics.co.uk
website www.capuchin-classics.co.uk
Enduring literary fiction, mostly 19th and 20th century. Founded 2008.
Stainer & Bell Ltd
PO Box 110, Victoria House, 23 Gruneisen Road, London N3 1DZ
tel 020–8343 3303
email post@stainer.co.uk
website www.stainer.co.uk
Directors Keith Wakefield (joint managing), Carol Wakefield (joint managing & secretary)
Books on music, religious communication. Founded 1907.
Stenlake Publishing Ltd
54–58 Mill Square, Catrine, Ayrshire KA5 6RD
tel (01290) 552233
email sales@stenlake.co.uk
website www.stenlake.co.uk
Managing Director Richard Stenlake
Local history, Scottish language and literature especially Robert Burns, studio pottery, bee keeping, railways, transport, aviation, canals and mining covering Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Republic of Ireland and Zambia.
Founded 1987.
Alloway Publishing
website www.allowaypublishing.co.uk Oakwood Press
Specialising in railway and transport books. Founded 1931.
tel 0845 4564 838
email stonewoodpress@gmail.com
website www.stonewoodpress.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/stonewoodpress
Twitter @stonewoodpress
Publisher & Production Editor Martin Parker
Stonewood Press is an independent publisher dedicated to promoting new writing with an emphasis on contemporary short stories and poetry. Stonewood aims to publish challenging and high-quality writing in English without the pressures associated with mainstream publishing. Submission details on website. Founded 2011.
Stripes – see Little Tiger Group Summersdale Publishers Ltd
46 West Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1RP
tel (01243) 771107
email submissions@summersdale.com
website www.summersdale.com
Editorial Director Claire Plimmer
Popular non-fiction, humour and gift books, travel writing and health and wellbeing. See website for guidelines. Founded 1990.
Sunflower Books
PO Box 36160, London SW7 3WS
tel 020–7589 2377
email mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk
website www.sunflowerbooks.co.uk
Director P.A. Underwood
Travel guidebooks.
Sussex Academic Press
PO Box 139, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN24 9BP
tel (01323) 479220
email edit@sussex-academic.com
website www.sussex-academic.com
Editorial Director Anthony Grahame
Founded 1994. The Alpha Press
International relations, Middle Eastern studies, cultural studies, theatre, philosophy, literary criticism, biography, history with a special emphasis on Spanish history, first nations studies, Latin American studies, theology and religion, Jewish and Israel studies (history, Holocaust, culture, biography), Asian studies, art history.
Swan Hill Press – see Quiller Publishing Ltd Sweet & Maxwell
Thomson Reuters, PO Box 123, Hebden Bridge HX7 9BF
tel 020–7393 7000
website www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk
Law. Part of Thomson Reuters Ltd. Founded 1799; incorporated 1889.
Sweet Cherry Publishing*
Unit 36, Vulcan Business Complex, Vulcan Road, Leicester LE5 3EF
tel 0116 253 6796
email info@sweetcherrypublishing.com
website www.sweetcherrypublishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/sweetcherrypublishing
Twitter @sweetcherrypub
Director Mr A. Thadha
Children’s series fiction specialist. Children’s picture books, novelty books, gift books, board books, educational books and fiction series for all ages. Also welcomes young adult novels especially trilogies or longer series. Likes to publish a set of books as a box set or in a slipcase. See website for submission guidelines. Founded 2011.
Tango Books Ltd
PO Box 32595, London W4 5YD
tel 020–8996 9970
email info@tangobooks.co.uk
website www.tangobooks.co.uk
Directors Sheri Safran, David Fielder
Children’s fiction and non-fiction novelty books, including pop-up, touch-and-feel and cloth books. No unsolicited MSS.
Tarquin Publications
Suite 74, 17 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1DT
tel (01727) 833866
email info@tarquinbooks.com
website www.tarquinbooks.com
Director Andrew Griffin
Mathematics and mathematical models, puzzles, codes and logic; paper cutting, paper engineering and pop-up books for intelligent children. No unsolicited MSS; send suggestion or synopsis in first instance.
Founded 1970.
Taschen UK Ltd
5th Floor, 1 Heathcock Court, 415 Strand, London WC2R 0NS
tel 020–7845 8585
email contact-uk@taschen.com
website www.taschen.com
Publishers of art, anthropology and aphrodisia.
Founded 1980.
Tate Enterprises Ltd
The Lodge, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
tel 020–7887 8869
email submissions@tate.org.uk
website www.tate.org.uk/publishing
Publishing & Commercial Director John Stachiewicz,
Merchandise Director Rosey Blackmore, Sales &
Marketing Manager Maxx Lundie, Marketing &
Publicity Coordinator Lucy MacDonald
Publishers for Tate in London, Liverpool and St Ives. Exhibition catalogues, art books, children’s books and merchandise. Also product development, picture library and licensing.
I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd*
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
tel 020–7243 1225
website www.ibtauris.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ibtauris
Twitter @ibtauris
Chairman/Publisher Iradj Bagherzade, Managing Director Jonathan McDonnell
History, biography, politics, international relations, current affairs, Middle East, religion, cultural and media studies, film, art, archaeology, travel guides.
Founded 1983.
Tauris Parke Paperbacks
Non-fiction trade paperbacks: biography, history, travel.
Taylor & Francis Group*
2 and 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
tel 020–7017 6000
email info@tandf.co.uk
website www.tandf.co.uk
website www.informa.com
Managing Director (Taylor & Francis Books) Jeremy
North
Academic and reference books. Ashgate Publishing
Art history, music, history, social work, politics and lterary studies.
CRC Press
website www.crcpress.com
Science: physics, mathematics, chemistry, electronics, natural history, pharmacology and drug metabolism, toxicology, technology, history of science, ergonomics, production engineering, remote sensing, geographic information systems, engineering.
Focal Press
Animation, audio, film, gaming, music technology, photography and theatre.
Garland Science
website www.garlandscience.com
Bioscience textbooks and scholarly works.
Gower
Specialist business and management books and resources.
Psychology Press
See here.
Routledge
website www.routledge.com
Addiction, anthropology, archaeology, Asian studies, business, classical studies, counselling, criminology, development and environment, dictionaries, economics, education, geography, health, history, Japanese studies, library science, language, linguistics, literary criticism, media and culture, nursing, performance studies, philosophy, politics, psychiatry, psychology, reference, social administration, social studies/sociology, women’s studies, law. Directories, international relations, reference, yearbooks.
Spon
website www.sponpress.com
Architecture, civil engineering, construction, leisure and recreation management, sports science.
Templar Publishing
Suite 2.08 The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London SW10 0SZ
tel 020–3770 8888
email social@bonnierpublishing.co.uk
website www.templarco.co.uk
Facebook /www.facebook.com/templarpublishing
Twitter @templarbooks
Templar Publishing is a leading UK children’s publisher. Templar is part of the Bonnier Group and was acquired by Bonnier Publishing in 2008.
Founded 1978.
Thames & Hudson Ltd*
181A
High Holborn, London WC1V 7QX
tel 020–7845 5000
email sales@thameshudson.co.uk
website www.thamesandhudson.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/thamesandhudson
Twitter @thamesandhudson
Chairman T. Evans, Deputy Chairman S. Reisz-Neurath, Ceo R. Grisebach; Directors S. Thompson (publishing), L. Dietrich (international editorial), J. Neurath (design), C. Frederking (group sales), N. Palfreyman (production), J. Honer (museums), J. Saunders-Griffiths (foreign rights), L. Romero-Montalvo (finance), L. Harvie (marketing & communications), W. Balliet (US publishing).
Illustrated non-fiction for an international audience (adults and children), specialising in art and art history, photography, design, travel, history, archaeology, architecture, fashion and contemporary media.
Think Books
Think Publishing Ltd, The Pall Mall Deposit, 124–128 Barlby Road, London W10 6BL
tel 020–8962 3020
website www.thinkpublishing.co.uk
Chairman Ian McAuliffe, Chief Executive Tilly Boulter
Specialises in books on the outdoors, gardening and wildlife. Publishes with the Wildlife Trusts, the Royal Horticultural Society and the Campaign to Protect Rural England and others. Founded 2005.
36 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU
tel 020–7222 7574
email info@thistlepublishing.co.uk
website www.thistlepublishing.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/Thistle-Publishing- 536242429732219/
Twitter @ThistleBooks
Publishers David Haviland, Andrew Lownie
Trade publisher of quality fiction and non-fiction. Accepts unsolicited submissions, please send three chapters and a synopsis by email. Authors include Chloe Banks, Charles Beauclerk, Guy Bellamy, Nicholas Best, Joyce Cary, Andrew Crofts, Michael Curtin, Patrick Dillon, Michael Hartland, Kris Hollington, Lawrence James, Harry Keeble, Norma Major, David McGrath, Richard Mullen, Katharine Quarmby, Siân Rees, Rosalind Russell, Desmond Seward, David Stafford, Peter Thorold, and M.J. Trow.
Thomson Reuters – Round Hall*
43 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 6625301
website www.roundhall.ie
Director Catherine Dolan
Law. Part of Thomson Reuters.
Three Hares Publishing
12 Tetherdown, London N10 1NB
tel 020–8245 8989
email submissions@threeharespublishing.com
website www.threeharespublishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/threeharespublishing
Twitter @threeharesbooks
Publisher Yasmin Standen
Submissions are open and will consider fiction/non-fiction, novels, children’s books, young adult and short stories. No picture books. Publishes a number of established authors and first-time authors. Interested in discovering new talent. Visit website for submission guidelines – email submissions only. Founded 2014.
Time Out – see Ebury Publishing Tindal Street Press – see Profile Books Ltd Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd
1 Repton House, Charlwood Street, London SW1V 2LD
email info@tinyowl.co.uk
website www.tinyowl.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/tinyowlpublishing
Twitter @TinyOwl_Books
Co-founder Delaram Ghanimifard
An independent leading publisher of global children’s literature. Publishes high-quality picture books for children 3–11 years. Aims to promote diversity and human rights values.
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 0UP
tel 020–7620 0200
website www.titanbooks.com
Divisional Head Laura Price
Publisher of original fiction under the genres science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime and young adult crosser. Licensed fiction and non-fiction covering TV, film and gaming, including licensed works for Mass Effect, Star Trek, Alien, Planet of the Apes, Assassin’s Creed and DC Universe. Graphic novel collections include The Simpsons and Modesty Blaise. No fiction or children’s proposals, no email submissions and no unsolicited material without preliminary letter. Email or send large sae for current author guidelines. Division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd. Founded 1981.
Tolley – see LexisNexis Top That! Publishing plc
Marine House, Tide Mill Way, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1AP
tel (01394) 386651
email customerservice@topthatpublishing.com
website www.topthatpublishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/topthatpublishing
Twitter @TopThatPub
Chairman Barrie Henderson, Directors David Henderson (managing), Simon Couchman (creative), Stuart Buck (production), Ian Peacock (financial), Daniel Graham (editorial), Steve Munnings (sales)
Children’s activity books, novelty books, picture books, reference, character, gift books, early learning books, apps and digital animations. Imprint: Top That Publishing. Founded 1999.
Tor – see Pan Macmillan Transworld Publishers
61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA
tel 020–8579 2652
Publisher Bill Scott-Kerr
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here). No unsolicited MSS accepted.
Bantam Press
Publishing Director Doug Young
General non-fiction: business, crime, health and diet, history, humour, military, music, paranormal, self-help, science, travel and adventure, biography, autobiography.
Black Swan
Publisher Bill Scott-Kerr
Paperback quality fiction and non-fiction.
Doubleday (UK)
Publishing Director Marianne Velmans Literary fiction and non-fiction.
Publishing Director Susanna Wadeson General non-fiction and fiction.
Transworld Crime & Thrillers
Fiction Publisher Sarah Adams
Transworld Women’s Fiction
Editorial Director Harriet Bourton
Transworld Ireland
Publisher Eoin McHugh
Trentham Books
(imprint of the UCL Institute of Education Press) 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL
tel 020–7911 5383 (production), or 020–7911-5538
(editorial)
email trenthambooks@ioe.ac.uk
Education (including specialist fields – multi-ethnic issues, equal opportunities, bullying, design and technology, early years), social policy, sociology of education, European education, women’s studies. Does not publish books for parents or children, or fiction, biography, reminiscences and poetry.
Troika Books
(an imprint of Authorization and Troika Books Ltd)
Well House, Green Lane, Ardleigh, Colchester, Essex CO7 7PD
tel (01206) 233333
email martin-west@btconnect.com
website www.troikabooks.com
Publisher Martin West, Rights Petula Chaplin,
Publicity & Marketing Andrea Reece
Publishes picture books, poetry and fiction for all ages, with an emphasis on quality and accessibility. Though a determinedly small list, it publishes some big name authors including prize-winners Michelle Magorian, Bernard Ashley, Berlie Doherty and Pippa Goodhart as well as interesting and talented new authors. Founded 2012.
Troubador Publishing Ltd
9 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth, Leics. LE8 0RX
tel 0116 279 2299
email books@troubador.co.uk
website www.troubador.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/matadorbooks
Twitter @matadorbooks
Directors Jeremy Thompson (managing), Jane
Rowland (operations)
Troubador runs several subsidiaries in the author services sector, and is organiser of the annual Self-Publishing Conference and The Self-Publishing Magazine. Subsidiaries include the Matador self-publishing imprint; The Book Guild Ltd partnership/mainstream imprint; and Indie-Go services for independent authors. Founded 1996.
TSO (The Stationery Office)
St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 1PD
tel (01603) 696876
email sales@tso.co.uk
website www.tso.co.uk
Publishing and information management services: business, directories, pharmaceutical, professional, reference, Learning to Drive.
Two Rivers Press Ltd
7 Denmark Road, Reading, Berks. RG1 5PA
tel 0118 987 1452
email tworiverspress@gmail.com
website www.tworiverspress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/tworiverspress
Twitter @TwoRiversPress
Managing Publisher Sally Mortimore, Sales Barbara Morris, Poetry Editor Peter Robinson, Local Interest Editor Adam Sowan, Design & Illustration Nadja Guggi, Sally Castle, Martin Andrews, Marketing & Website Karen Mosman
Champions Reading and surrounding area’s heritage and culture through poetry, art and local interest books. Founded 1994.
Ulric Publishing
35 Sandford Ave, Church Stretton, Shrops. SY6 6WR
tel (01694) 781354
email enquiries@ulricpublishing.com
website www.ulricpublishing.com
Directors Ulric Woodhams, Elizabeth Oakes
Non-fiction military and motoring history. Licensing, bespoke bindings and publishing services. No unsolicited MSS. Visitors by appointment. Founded 1992.
Ulverscroft Group Ltd
The Green, Bradgate Road, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7FU
tel 0116 236 4325
email m.merrill@ulverscroft.co.uk
website www.ulverscroft.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/ulverscroft
Twitter @UlverscroftUK
Offers a wide variety oflarge print titles in hardback and paperback formats as well as abridged and unabridged audio books, many of which are written by the world’s favourite authors and includes award-winning titles. Founded 1964.
Unbound
Unit 18, Waterside, 44–48 Wharf Road, London N1 7UX
tel 020–7253 4230
email hello@unbound.co.uk
website https://unbound.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/unbound
Twitter @unbounders
The world’s first crowdfunding publisher and winner of the Bookseller Book of the Year Award 2015, Unbound is home to the Sunday Times bestselling Letters of Note and the Man Booker prize longlisted The Wake. Considers submissions from literary agents and direct from writers. Includes an audio and podcasting arm Unbound Audio. Writers should submit projects using the website submission page: unbound.co.uk/authors. Founded 2011.
Unicorn Publishing Group
101 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UG
tel 07836 633377
email ian@unicornpublishinggroup.com
website www.unicornpublishing.org
Directors Lord Strathcarron, Lucy Duckworth, Simon
Perks, Ryan Gearing
Cultural history, art reference, art history, architecture, artists’ monographs and biographies, fashion, gallery and museum catalogues, military history, mediation. Imprints include: Unicorn (arts and cultural history), Uniform (military history) and Unity Press (mediation). Welcomes new submissions.
Founded 1985.
Merlin Unwin Books Ltd
Palmers House, 7 Corve Street, Ludlow, Shrops. SY8 1DB
tel (01584) 877456
email books@merlinunwin.co.uk
website www.merlinunwin.co.uk
Chairman Merlin Unwin,
Managing Director Karen
McCall
Countryside books. Founded 1990.
Usborne Publishing Ltd
Usborne House, 83–85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT
tel 020–7430 2800
email mail@usborne.co.uk
website www.usborne.com
Directors Peter Usborne, Jenny Tyler (editorial), Robert Jones, Andrea Parsons
Children’s books: reference, practical, craft, natural history, science, languages, history, geography, preschool, fiction. Founded 1973.
Vallentine Mitchell
Catalyst House, 720 Centennial Court, Centennial Park, Elstree WD6 3SY
tel 020–8736 4596
email info@vmbooks.com (general)
email editor@vmbooks.com (submissions)
website www.vmbooks.com
Directors Stewart Cass, A.E. Cass, H.J. Osen, Sir C.V. Callman
International publisher of books of Jewish interest, both for the scholar and general reader. Subjects published include Jewish history, culture and heritage, modern Jewish thought, Holocuast studies, Middle East studies, biography and reference.
Valley Press
Woodend, The Crescent, Scarborough YO11 2PW
(01723) 384500
email jamie@valleypressuk.com
website www.valleypressuk.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/valleypress
Twitter @valleypress
Publisher Jamie McGarry, Executive Assistant Laura McGarry, Associate Editor Rosa Campbell, Publicity Director Elizabeth Stanforth-Sharpe
Publishes poetry, including collections, pamphlets and the occasional anthology; fiction, including novels and collections of short stories; and nonfiction, including memoirs, travel writing, journalism and more. Founded 2008.
Veritas Publications
Veritas House, 7–8 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)1 8788177
email publications@veritas.ie
website www.veritas.ie
Liturgical and Church resources, religious school books for primary and post-primary levels, biographies, academic studies, and general books on religious, moral and social issues.
Vermilion – see Ebury Publishing Verso Ltd
6 Meard Street, London W1V 3HR
tel 020–7437 3546
email enquiries@verso.co.uk
website www.verso.com
Directors Jacob Stevens (managing), Rowan Wilson (sales & marketing), Robin Blackburn, Tariq Ali
Current affairs, politics, sociology, economics, history, philosophy, cultural studies. Founded 1970.
Viking – see Penguin General Books Vintage
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8400
website www.penguin.co.uk/vintage
Managing Director Richard Cable, Deputy Managing Director Faye Brewster, Publishing Director, Vintage Rachel Cugnoni, Communications Director Christian Lewis, Head of Publicity Bethan Jones, Head of Marketing Chloe Healy
Part of Penguin Random House UK (here). Quality fiction and non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS.
The Bodley Head
tel 020–7840 8707
Publishing Director Stuart Williams, Editorial Director Will Hammond
Non-fiction: history, current affairs, politics, science, biography, economics.
tel 020–7840 8608
Publishing Director Michal Shavit, Associate Publisher Dan Franklin, Associate Publisher Robin Robertson, Deputy Publishing Director Bea Hemming Biography and memoirs, current affairs, drama, fiction, history, poetry, travel, politics, graphic novels, photography.
Chatto & Windus/Hogarth
tel 020–7840 8745
Publishing Director Clara Farmer, Deputy Publishing Director Becky Hardie, Editorial Director Poppy Hampson, Senior Editor Juliet Brooke Belles lettres, biography and memoirs, current affairs, fiction, history, poetry, politics, philosophy, translations, travel. No unsolicited MSS.
Harvill Secker
tel 020–7840 8893
Publishing Director Liz Foley, Deputy Publishing Director Kate Harvey, Editorial Director (crime) Jade Chandler,
Editor Ellie Steel
English literature, crime fiction and world literature in translation. Non-fiction (history, current affairs, literary essays, music). No unsolicited MSS.
Pimlico
tel 020–7840 8836
Publishing Director Rachel Cugnoni History, biography, literature. Exclusively in paperback. No unsolicited MSS.
Square Peg
tel 020–7840 8541
Publishing Director Rosemary Davidson, Editorial Director Rowan Yapp,
Editor Susannah Otter Eclectic, idiosyncratic and commercial non-fiction including humour, illustrated and gift books, food, nature, memoir, travel, parenting. Unsolicited MSS with sae.
Yellow Jersey Press
tel 020–7840 8407
Editorial Director Tim Broughton,
Editor Frances Jessop
Sport and leisure activities. No unsolicited MSS.
Virgin Books – see Ebury Publishing
Virtue Books Ltd
Edward House, Tenter Street, Rotherham S60 1LB
tel (01709) 365005
email info@virtue.co.uk
website www.virtue.co.uk
Directors Peter E. Russum, Margaret H. Russum
Books for the professional chef: catering and drink.
The Vital Spark – see Neil Wilson Publishing
Ltd
Voyager – see HarperCollins Publishers
University of Wales Press
10 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff CF10 4UP
tel 029–2049 6899
email enquiries@press.wales.ac.uk
website www.uwp.co.uk
Director Helgard Krause
Academic, educational and professional publisher (Welsh and English). Specialises in the humanities and social sciences across a broad range of subjects: European studies, political philosophy, literature, history, Celtic and Welsh studies. Founded 1922.
Walker Books Ltd*
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
tel 020–7793 0909
website www.walker.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/walkerbooks
Twitter @walkerbooksuk
Directors Karen Lotz, Ian Mablin (non-executive), Roger Alexander (non-executive), Angela Van Den Belt, Jane Winterbotham, Alan Lee, Mike McGrath, John Mendelson, Hilary Berkman
Children’s: activity books, novelty books, picture books, fiction for 5–8 and 9–12 years, young adult fiction, series fiction, film/TV tie-ins, plays, poetry, digital and audio. Imprints: Walker Books, Walker Studio and Walker Entertainment. Founded 1980.
Ward Lock Educational Co. Ltd
BIC Ling Kee House, 1 Christopher Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3BT
tel (01342) 318980
email wle@lingkee.com
website www.wardlockeducational.com
Director Wai Kwok Allen Au
Primary and secondary pupil materials, Kent Mathematics Project: KMP BASIC and KMP Main series covering Reception to GCSE, Reading Workshops, Take Part series and Take Part starters, teachers’ books, music books, Target series for the National Curriculum: Target Science and Target Geography, religious education. Founded 1952.
Watkins Media
Unit 11, Shepperton House, 89 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DF
tel 020–3004 4702
email enquiries@watkinsmedia.org
website www.watkinsmedia.org
Owner Etan Ilfeld, Watkins Publisher Jo Lal, Angry
Robot Publisher Marc Gascoigne, Repeater Publisher
Tariq Goddard
Media company that incorporates magazine publishing and retail activities as well as book publishing. Imprints: Angry Robot (sci-fi and fantasy), Nourish (health and wellbeing, food and drink), Repeater (counter-culture fiction and non-fiction, including politics and current affairs) and Watkins (self-help, personal development, Mind, Body & Spirit).
Franklin Watts – see Hachette Children’s Group
Wayland – see Hachette Children’s Group
Josef Weinberger Plays Ltd
12–14 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JJ
tel 020–7580 2827
email general.info@jwmail.co.uk
website www.josef-weinberger.com
Chairman John Schofield, Stage plays only, in both acting and trade editions. Preliminary letter essential.
Welsh Academic Press
PO Box 733, Cardiff CF14 7ZY
tel 029–2021 8187
email post@welsh-academic-press.wales
website www.welsh-academic-press.wales
Facebook www.facebook.com/WelshAcademicPress
Twitter @WelshAcadPress
History, political studies, education, Medieval Welsh and Celtic studies, Scandinavian and Baltic studies. Distributed by: Welsh Books Council (Wales), NBNi (UK & Europe), ISBS (North America). Founded 1994.
Whittet Books Ltd
1 St John’s Lane, Stansted, Essex CM24 8JU
tel (01279) 815871
email mail@whittetbooks.com
website www.whittetbooks.com
Director George J. Papa, Publisher Shirley Greenall
Natural history, wildlife, countryside, poultry, livestock, horses, donkeys. Publishing proposals considered for the above lists. Please send outline, preferably by email. Founded 1976.
John Wiley & Sons Ltd*
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ
tel (01243) 779777
email customer@wiley.co.uk 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ
tel (01865) 776868
website www.wiley.com
Wiley’s core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Global headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the USA, Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia.
Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd*
226 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DS
tel 01556504119
email info@nwp.co.uk
website www.nwp.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/Neil-Wilson-
Publishing-170187613028330/
Twitter @NWPbooks
Managing Director Neil Wilson
Independent publisher of print and ebooks covering a broad range of mostly Scottish interests. Submissions by email only. Include covering letter, author CV, synopsis and sample chapter.
The Angels’ Share
website www.angelshare.co.uk
Whisky-related matters (leisure, reference, history, memoir); food, cookery, beer. 11:9
website www.11–9.co.uk
Contemporary Scottish fiction. No longer commissioning.
In Pinn
website www.theinpinn.co.uk
The great outdoors: travel, hillwalking, climbing, mountain memoir.
NWP
Scottish interest subjects including history, biography, true crime, culture, reference, traditional and popular music.
The Vital Spark
website www.vitalspark.co.uk Scottish humour.
Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
tel 020–7243 1225
email cmartelli@philip-wilson.co.uk
website www.philip-wilson.co.uk
Managing Director Jonathan McDonnell, Senior
Commissioning Editor Anne Jackson
Fine and applied art, architecture, photography, collecting, museums. A subsidiary of I.B.Tauris & Co
Ltd. Founded 1975.
Windmill Books – see Cornerstone Wooden Books
Signature, 20 Castlegate, York YO1 9RP
email info@woodenbooks.com
Alternative address Central Books, 99 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN
website www.woodenbooks.com
Magic, mathematics, ancient sciences, esoteric. Quality b&w illustrators may submit samples.
Founded 1996.
8B
East Street, Ware, Herts. SG12 9HJ
tel (01920) 465167
email enquiries@wordsworth-editions.com
website www.wordsworth-editions.com
Managing Director Helen Trayler, Marketing Director Nichola Trayler
Reprints of classic books: literary; children’s classics; poetry; reference; Special Editions; mystery and supernatural. Specialises in out-of-copyright titles so does not consider new material. Founded 1987.
Y Lolfa Cyf
Talybont, Ceredigion SY24 5HE
tel (01970) 832304
email ylolfa@ylolfa.com
website www.ylolfa.com
Director Garmon Gruffudd,
Editor Lefi Gruffudd
Welsh language and English books of Welsh/Celtic interest, popular biographies and sports books. Founded 1967.
Yale University Press London
47 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
tel 020–7079 4900
website www.yalebooks.co.uk
Managing Director Heather McCallum, Sales & Marketing Director Noel Murphy, Editorial Director for Art & Architecture Mark Eastment, Editorial Director for Trade & Academic Julian Loose, Senior Rights Executive Amy Hawkins
Art, architecture, history, economics, political science, religion, history of science, biography, current affairs and music. Founded 1961.
Yellow Jersey Press – see Vintage Zambezi Publishing Ltd
22 Second Avenue, Camels Head, Plymouth PL2 2EQ
tel (01752) 367300
email info@zampub.com
website www.zampub.com
Contact Sasha Fenton, Jan Budkowski
Mind, Body & Spirit. Founded 1998.
Zed Books Ltd
2.8 The Foundry, 17 Oval Way London SE11 5RR
tel 020–752 5828 (general)
email info@zedbooks.net
website www.zedbooks.net
Facebook www.facebook.com/ZedBooks
Twitter @ZedBooks
Commissioning Editors Ken Barlow, Kim Walker, Kika Sroka-Miller
Social sciences on international issues; gender, sexuality studies and queer identities, politics, economics, development, environmental, sociology, cities and architecture, culture and media, current affairs, history, human rights, philospohy, race and indigenous politics; area studies (Africa, Americas, Asia, and the Middle East). Founded 1976.
ZigZag Education
Unit 3, Greenway Business Centre, Doncaster Road, Bristol BS10 5PY
tel 0117 950 3199
email submissions@publishmenow.co.uk
website www.zigzageducation.co.uk
website www.publishmenow.co.uk
Development Director John-Lloyd Hagger, Strategy Director Mike Stephens
Secondary school teaching resources: English, maths, ICT, geography, history, science, business, politics, P.E., media studies. Founded 1998.
CROWDFUNDED PUBLISHING
Crowdfunding, the raising of small investments from a wide pool of individuals to fund a project, is becoming a popular and viable option for writers wishing to publish their work.
Indiegogo
website www.indiegogo.com
Acts as a ‘launchpad’ for creative ideas.
Kickstarter
website www.kickstarter.com
Helps artists, musicians, film-makers, designers find resources and support needed for a project.
Publishizer
website https://publishizer.com/
Books only. Authors submit a proposal and launch a pre-orders campaign. Publishers receive proposals based on targets. If a publisher signals interest, an exchange is initiated between author and publisher.
Alternatively approach a crowdfunding publisher to take on your work and help raise finances with you. Here, the publisher will critically assess your work before presenting it to a wider audience for funding opportunities and will publish and distribute the book. Some publishers seek investment from readers across their operation and not for a specific title.
Eyewear Publishing
website http://stores.eyewearpublishing.com/
Invites readers to be come ‘micropatrons’. See Eyewear Publishing Ltd (here).
Inkshares
website www.inkshares.com
See Inkshares (here).
Unbound
website unbound.com
See Unbound (here).
Listings are given for book publishers in Australia (below), Canada (here), New Zealand (here), South Africa (here) and the USA (here).
AUSTRALIA
*Member of the Australian Publishers Association
Access Press
PO Box 2300, Geraldton, WA 6530
tel +61 (0)408 943299
Managing Editor Jenny Walsh
Australiana, biography, non-fiction. Commissioned works and privately financed books published and distributed. Founded 1974.
ACER Press*
19 Prospect Hill Road, Private Bag 55, Camberwell, VIC 3124
tel +61 (0)3 9277 5555
email proposals@acer.edu.au
website www.acer.edu.au
Publisher of the Australian Council for Educational Research. Produces a range of books and assessments including professional resources for teachers, psychologists and special needs professionals.
Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd*
83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, NSW 2065
Postal address PO Box 8500, St Leonards, NSW 1590
tel +61 (0)2 8425 0100
email info@allenandunwin.com
website www.allenandunwin.com
Chairman Patrick Gallagher, Executive Director Paul
Donovan, Ceo Robert Gorman, Finance Director
David Vincent, Publishing Director Tom Gilliatt
General trade, including fiction and children’s books, academic, especially social science and history.
Founded 1990.
Bloomsbury Publishing Pty Ltd*
Level 4, 387 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
tel +61 (0)2 8820 4900
email au@bloomsbury.com
website www.bloomsbury.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/bloomsburypublishingaustralia
Twitter @BloomsburySyd
Managing Director Kate Cubitt
Supports the worldwide publishing activities of Bloomsbury Publishing: caters for the Australia and New Zealand territories. See Bloomsbury Adult, Bloomsbury Children’s & Educational, Bloomsbury Academic & Professional and Bloomsbury Information on here.
Bonnier Publishing Australia*
Level 6, 534 Church Street, Richmond, VIC 3121
tel +61 (0)3 9421 3800
email info@bonnierpublising.com.au
website www.bonnierpublishing.com.au
Facebook www.facebook.com/bonnierpublishingau
Twitter @bonnierau
Ceo Tash Besliev, Directors Niki Horin (Five Mile), Kay Scarlett (Echo)
Bonnier Publishing Australia is a publishing house, based in Melbourne. A division of Bonnier Publishing, they are owned by global media group, Bonnier AB, an independent, family-owned business with a 200-year heritage. Bonnier AB represents UK sister-company imprints, as well as creating a successful and exciting local publishing programme under Five Mile, a 25-year old children’s imprint, and Echo, a fresh voice in the Australian adult fiction, narrative non-fiction and illustrated non-fiction categories. Founded 1990.
Cambridge University Press*
477 Williamstown Road, Private Bag 31, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
tel +61 (0)3 8671 1400
email educationmarketing@cambridge.edu.au
website www.cambridge.edu.au/education
Executive Director Mark O’Neil
Academic, educational, reference, ESL.
Cengage Learning Australia*
Level 7, 80 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
tel +61 (0)3 9685 4111
website www.cengage.com.au Educational books.
Dominie Pty Ltd
Drama (Plays & Musicals), 8 Cross Street, Brookvale, NSW 2100
tel +61 (0)2 9938 8686
email dominie@dominie.com.au
website www.dominie.com.au/drama
Australian representatives of publishers of plays and agents for the collection of royalties for Hanbury Plays, The Society of Authors, Nick Hern Books, Pioneer Drama, IT&M and Dominie Musicals.
Elk Publishing*
PO Box 2828, Toowoomba, QLD 4350
tel +61 (0)4 2811 7828
email contactus@elk-publishing.com
website www.elk-publishing.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/elkpublishing
Twitter @elkpublish
Founder & Ceo Selina Kucks, Correspondance Officer May Briggs
An independent publishing house of children’s and educational literature, established in Korea but now based in Australia. Publishes children’s and educational books; provides opportunities for unknown artists and illustrators to collaborate with in-house authors; offers internships to university students who are presently engaged in literary scholarship; supports ‘Author InSchool’ visits to educational institutions; produces corporate book gifting; creates book reviews; and offers opportunities for authors/writers wanting to break into the literary industry. Looking to provide future opportunities for new writers to join in-house team. Founded 2009.
Elsevier Australia*
Tower 1, Level 12, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067
tel +61 (0)2 9422 8500
email customerserviceau@elsevier.com
website www.elsevierhealth.com.au
Managing Director Rob Kolkman
Science, medical and technical books. Imprints: Academic Press, Butterworth-Heinemann, Churchill Livingstone, Endeavour, Excerpta Medica, Focal Press, The Lancet, MacLennan and Petty, MD Consult, Morgan Kauffman, Mosby, Saunders, Science Direct, Syngress. Founded 1972.
Hachette Australia Pty Ltd*
Level 17, 207 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
tel +61 (0)2 8248 0800
email auspub@hachette.com.au
website www.hachette.com.au
Directors Richard Kitson (Ceo), Louise Sherwin-
Stark, David Cocking, Fiona Hazard, Justin Ractliffe, Phill Knight (ADS)
General, children’s. Accepts MSS via website: www.hachette.com.au/manuscriptsubmissions.
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia)
Pty Ltd Group*
Postal address PO Box A565, Sydney South, NSW 1235
tel +61 (0)2 9952 5000
website www.harpercollins.com.au
Publishing Director Shona Martyn, Head of HarperCollins Fiction Catherine Milne, Head of HarperCollins Non-fiction Helen Littleton
Literary fiction and non-fiction, popular fiction, children’s, reference, biography, autobiography, current affairs, sport, lifestyle, health/self-help, humour, true crime, travel, Australiana, history, business, gift, religion.
Lawbook Co.
Level 5, 16 Harris Street, Pyrmont, NSW 2009
tel +61 (0)2 8587 7980
website www.thomsonreuters.com.au
Ceo Tony Kinnear
Law. Part of Thomson Legal.
LexisNexis Butterworths Australia*
Tower 2, 475–95 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067
tel +61 (0)2 9422 2174
Postal address Level 9, Locked Bag 2222, Chatswood Delivery Centre, Chatswood, NSW 2067
website www.lexisnexis.com.au
Publishing Director James Broadfoot
Accounting, business, legal, tax and commercial.
Lonely Planet*
The Malt Store, Level 2, 551 Swanston Street, Carlton, VIC 3053
email go@lonelyplanet.co.uk
Postal address Locked Bag 1, Footscray, VIC 3011
tel +61 (0)3 8379 8000
website www.lonelyplanet.com
Ceo Daniel Houghton
A travel media company, Lonely Planet is the largest travel publisher in the world with 500 titles, content published in 13 languages and products in over 150 countries. The company’s ecosystem also includes mobile apps, magazines, an ebook portfolio, a website and a dedicated traveller community. Offices in the US, Australia, the UK and Ireland, India and China.
Founded 1973.
McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd
Level 2, 82 Waterloo Rd North Ryde, NSW 2113
Postal address Private Bag 2233, Business Centre, North Ryde, NSW 1670
tel +61 (0)2 9900 1888
email cservice_sydney@mheducation.com
website www.mheducation.com.au
Educational publisher: higher education, primary education and professional (including medical, general and reference). Division of the McGraw-Hill Companies. Founded 1964.
Melbourne University Publishing*
Level 1, 715 Swanston Street, Carlton, VIC 3053
tel +61 (0)3 9035 3333
email mup-contact@unimelb.edu.au
website www.mup.com.au
Ceo/Publisher Louise Adler
Trade, academic, current affairs and politics; non-fiction. Imprints: Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Press, MUP Academic, Meanjin journal.
Founded 1922.
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd*
Level 25, 1 Market Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
tel +61 (0)2 9285 9100
email pan.reception@macmillan.com.au
website www.panmacmillan.com.au
Directors Cate Paterson (publishing), Katie Crawford
(sales), Tracey Cheetham (publicity & marketing)
Commercial and literary fiction; children’s fiction, non-fiction and character products; non-fiction; sport.
Penguin Random House Australia Pty
Ltd*
Sydney office Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, NSW 2060
tel +61 (0)2 9954 9966
email information@penguinrandomhouse.com.au
Melbourne office 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008
website www.penguinrandomhouse.com.au
Ceo Julie Burland, Group Publishing Director Nikki Christer, Publishing Director, Penguin Young Readers Laura Harris, Publicity & Communications Director Karen Reid
General fiction and non-fiction; children’s, illustrated. MSS submissions for non-fiction accepted, unbound in hard copy addressed to Submissions Editor. Fiction submissions are only accepted from previously published authors, or authors represented by an agent or accompanied by a report from an accredited assessment service. Imprints: Arrow, Bantam, Ebury, Hamish Hamilton, Knopf, Lantern, Michael Joseph, Penguin, Viking, Vintage and William Heinemann. Subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG.
University of Queensland Press*
PO Box 6042, St Lucia, QLD 4067
tel +61 (0)7 3365 7244
email uqp@uqp.uq.edu.au
website www.uqp.com.au
Ceo Jill Eddington
Non-fiction and academic in the fields of Australian history, Australian biography, Australian politics and current affairs, Australian social and cultural issues, and Australian indigenous issues. Australian fiction (adult, young adult and children’s). Via agents only.
Founded 1948.
Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd*
76–80 Railway Crescent, Lisarow, Gostord, NSW 2250
tel +61 (0)2 4328 3555
website www.scholastic.com.au
Chairman Andrew Berkhut
Children’s fiction and non-fiction. Founded 1968.
Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Ltd*
Office address Suite 19A, Level 1, Building C, 450 Miller Street, Cammeray, NSW 2062
Postal address PO Box 448, Cammeray, NSW 2062
tel +61 (0)2 9983 6600
email cservice@simonandschuster.com.au
website www.simonandschuster.com.au
Facebook www.facebook.com/SimonSchusterAU
Twitter @simonschusterAU
Managing Director Dan Ruffino
Part of the CBS Corporation, the company publishes and distributes in Australia and New Zealand the following: fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Imprints include: Atria, Free Press, Gallery, Howard, Pocket, Scribner, Simon & Schuster and Touchstone. Local authors include Ellie O’Neill, Ann Turner, Dan Churchill, Mark Tedeschi QC, Jenn J. McLeod, Posie Graeme-Evans, Anita Heiss, Karen Davis, Anna Romer, Ted Prior, Kate Belle, Su Dharmapala and Johanna Nicholls. International authors include: Hilary Clinton, Jackie Collins, Lynda LaPlante, Philippa Gregory, Martin Cruz Smith, Tom Rob Smith, Rhonda Byrne, Bob Woodward, Lisa Genova, Alice Hoffman, Vince Flynn, Nicholson Baker, Anita Diamant and Delia Ephron. Also acts as the local sales and distribution partner for 4 Ingredients, Watkins Books, Angry Robot Books, Kyle Books, Smith Street Books, Cider Mill Press, Regan Arts, Paleo Cafe, Ventura Press and Gallup Press. Founded 1987.
Spinifex Press*
504 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
email women@spinifexpress.com.au
Postal address PO Box 212, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051
tel +61 (0)3 9329 6088
website www.spinifexpress.com.au
Managing Directors Susan Hawthorne, Renate Klein
Feminism and women’s studies, art, astronomy, occult, education, gay and lesbian, health and nutrition, technology, travel, ebooks. No unsolicited
MSS. Founded 1991.
UNSW Press*
University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052
tel +61 (0)2 9664 0900
email enquiries@newsouthpublishing.com
website www.unswpress.com
Managing Director Kathy Bail, Publisher Phillipa
McGuinness
Academic and general non-fiction. Politics, history, society and culture, popular science, environmental studies, Aboriginal studies. Includes imprints UNSW Press, New South and Choice. Founded 1962.
UWA Publishing*
UWA Publishing, University of Western Australia, M419, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009
email admin-uwap@uwa.edu.au
website www.uwap.uwa.edu.au
Director Terri-ann White
Fiction, general non-fiction, natural history, contemporary issues. Founded 1935.
John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd*
42 McDougall Street, Milton, QLD 4064
tel +61 (0)7 3859 9755
website www.wiley.com.au
Educational, technical, atlases, professional, reference, trade journals. Imprints: John Wiley & Sons, Jacaranda, Wrightbooks, Wiley-Blackwell, Frommer’s, Jossey-Bass. Founded 1954.
Wombat Books*
PO Box 1519, Capalaba, B.C, QLD 4157
tel +61 (0)7 3245 1938
email info@wombatbooks.com.au
website www.wombatbooks.com.au
Facebook www.facebook.com/wombatbooks
Publisher Rochelle Manners, Editor & Publicity
Coordinator Emily Lighezzolo
An independent publisher of children’s picture books and books for early readers. Always on the look out for the next story to be shared. Young adult and adult imprint: Rhiza Press. Founded 2009.
CANADA
*Member of the Canadian Publishers’ Council
†Member of the Association of Canadian Publishers
Annick Press Ltd†
15 Patricia Avenue, Toronto, ON M2M 1H9
tel + 1 416–221-4802
email annickpress@annickpress.com
website www.annickpress.com
Owner/Director Rick Wilks, Creative Director Sheryl
Shapiro, Office Manager Elaine Burns
Preschool to young adult fiction and non-fiction.
Founded 1975.
Butterworths Canada Ltd – see LexisNexis Canada, Inc. The Charlton Press
991 Victoria Street North, Kitchener, ON N2B 3C7
tel + 1 416–962-2665
email chpress@charltonpress.com
website www.charltonpress.com
Collectables, Numismatics, Sportscard price catalogues. Founded 1952.
Douglas & Mclntyre (2013) Ltd
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC V0N 2H0
tel +1 604–883-2730
email info@douglas-mcintyre.com
website www.douglas-mcintyre.com
Publisher Howard White
General list: Canadian biography, art and architecture, natural history, history, native studies, Canadian fiction. Unsolicited MSS accepted.
Founded 1971.
Dundurn Press†
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, ON M5E 1M2
tel +1 416–214-5544
email submissions@dundurn.com
Publisher Kirk Howard
Canadian history, fiction, non-fiction and young adult fiction, mystery fiction, popular non-fiction, theatre, drama, translations. Founded 1972.
ECW Press Ltd†
665 Gerrard Street E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Y2
tel +1 416–694-3348
email info@ecwpress.com
website www.ecwpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ecwpress
Twitter @ecwpress
Publishers David Caron, Jack David
Popular culture, TV and film, sports, humour, general trade books, biographies, memoir, popular science, guidebooks. Founded 1979.
Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd*
195 Allstate Parkway, Markham, ON L3R 4T8
tel +1 800–387-9776
email godwit@fitzhenry.ca
website www.fitzhenry.ca
Publisher Sharon Fitzhenry
Trade, educational, children’s books. Founded 1966.
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd*
PO Box 603, Fort Erie, ON L2A 5X3
tel +1 888–432-4879
email customer_ecare@harlequin.ca
website www.eharlequin.com
Publisher Craig Swinwood
Fiction for women, romance, inspirational fiction, African–American fiction, action adventure, mystery. Visit SoYouThinkYouCanWritie.com for the latest writing submissions and contests. Imprints include: Harlequin Blaze, Harlequin Desire, Harlequin Heartwarming, Harlequin Historical, Harlequin Intrigue, Harlequin Kimani Romance, Harlequin Medical Romance, Harlequin Nocturne, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Harlequin Special Edition, Harlequin Special Releases, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin Western Romance, Love Inspired, Love Inspired Special Releases, Love Inspired Historical, Love Inspired Suspense. Founded 1949.
Harlequn Kimani – see Harlequin Enterprises Ltd
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd*
2 Bloor Street East, 20th Floor, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8
tel + 1 416–975-9334
email hccanada@harpercollins.com
website www.harpercollins.ca
President & Publisher Michael Morrison
Literary fiction and non-fiction, history, politics, biography, spiritual and children’s books. Founded 1989.
Kids Can Press Ltd†
25 Dockside Drive, Toronto, ON M54 0B5
tel + 1 416–479-7000
email customerservice@kidscan.com
website www.kidscanpress.com/canada
Editorial Director Yvette Ghione
Juvenile/young adult books. Founded 1973.
Knopf Canada – see Penguin Random House Canada Ltd LexisNexis Canada, Inc.*
11 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 900, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1
tel +1 800–668-6481
email info@lexisnexis.ca
website www.lexisnexis.ca
Law and accountancy. Division of Reed Elsevier plc.
Lone Pine Publishing
87 East Pender, Vancouver, BC V6A 1S9
tel +1 780–433-9333
email info@lonepinepublishing.com
website www.lonepinepublishing.com
President Shane Kennedy
Natural history, outdoor recreation and wildlife guidebooks, self-help, gardening, popular history.
Founded 1980.
McGill-Queen’s University Press†
1010 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 1720, Montreal, QC H3A 2R7
tel + 1 514–398-3750
email info.mqup@mcgill.ca
Queen’s University, Douglas Library Building, 93
University Avenue, Kingston, Ontario K7L 5C4
tel +1 613–533-2155
email kingstonmqup@queensu.ca
website www.mqup.mcgill.ca
Academic, non-fiction, poetry. Founded 1969.
McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd*
300 Water Street, Whitby, ON L1N 9B6
tel +1 905–430-5000
website www.mheducation.ca/ Educational and trade books.
Nelson Education*
1120 Birchmount Road, Scarborough, ON M1K 5G4
tel +1 416–752-9448
website www.nelson.com
President Greg Nordal
Educational publishing: school (K–12), college and university, career education, measurement and guidance, professional and reference, ESL titles. Division of Thomson Canada Ltd. Founded 1914.
NeWest Press†
201 8540, 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 1E6
tel +1 780–432-9427
email info@newestpress.com
website www.newestpress.com
President Doug Barbour, Vice-President Don Kerr
Fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction. Founded 1977.
Oberon Press
205–145 Spruce Street, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1
tel +1 613–238-3275
email oberon@sympatico.ca
website www.oberonpress.ca
General fiction, short stories, poetry, some biographies, art and children’s. Only publishes Canadian writers.
Oxford University Press, Canada
8 Sampson Mews, Suite 204, Don Mills, ON M3C 0H5
tel +1 416–441-2941
website www.oup.com
General Manager Geoff Forguson
Educational and academic.
Pearson Canada*
(formerly Prentice Hall Canada and Addison-Wesley Canada) 26 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON M3C 2T8
tel +1 416–447-5101
website www.pearsoned.ca
President Dan Lee
Academic, technical, educational, children’s and adult, trade.
Penguin Random House Canada Ltd*
320 Front Street, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5V 3B6
tel +1 416–364-4449
website www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
President/Ceo R. Bradley Martin, President & Publisher PRHC Kirstin Cochrane
Literary fiction, commercial fiction, memoir, non-fiction (history, business, current events, sports), adult and children’s. No unsolicited MSS; submissions via an agent only. Imprints: Anchor Canada, Allen Lane Canada, Appetite by Random House, Bond Street Books, Doubleday Canada, Emblem, Fenn, Hamish Hamilton Canada, Knopf Canada, McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Canada, Portfolio Canada, Puffin Canada, Random House Canada, Razorbill Canada, Seal Books, Signal, Tundra Books, Viking Canada, Vintage Canada. Subsidiary of Penguin Random House. Formed on I July 2013 as part of the worldwide merger of Penguin and Random House.
Pippin Publishing Corporation
PO Box 242, Don Mills, ON M3C 2S2
tel + 1 416–510-2918
email arayner@utphighereducation.com
website www.utppublishing.com
President/Editorial Director Jonathan Lovat Dickson
ESL/EFL, teacher reference, adult basic education, school texts (all subjects), general trade (non-fiction) –acquired by University of Toronto Press in 2014
(here).
Ronsdale Press†
3350 West 21st Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6S 1G7
tel +1 604–738-4688
email ronsdale@shaw.ca
website www.ronsdalepress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ronsdalepress
Twitter @ronsdalepress
Director Ronald B. Hatch
Ronsdale is a Canadian publisher based in Vancouver with some 270 books in print. Founded 1988.
Thompson Educational Publishing
20 Ripley Avenue, Toronto, ON M6S 3N9
tel + 1 416–766-2763
email info@thompsonbooks.com
website www.thompsonbooks.com
President Keith Thompson, Vice-President Faye
Thompson
Social sciences. Founded 1989.
University of Toronto Press
10 St Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, ON M4Y 2W8
tel + 1 416–978-2239
email publishing@utpress.utoronto.ca
website www.utpress.utoronto.ca
President John Yates, Vice President Scholarly
Publishing Lynn Fisher
Publishers academic books, ESL/EFL, teacher reference, adult basic education and school texts.
Founded 1901.
Tundra Books
320 Front Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5V 3B6
tel + 1 416–364-4449
email tundra@mcclelland.com
website www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
Facebook www.facebook.com/tundrabooks
Twitter @TundraBooks
Publisher Tara Walker
Publisher of high-quality children’s picture books and novels, renowned for its innovations. Publishes books for children to teens. Imprints: Jordan Fenn, Publisher of Fenn/Tundra (sport-themed children’s books). A division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd. Founded 1967.
NEW ZEALAND
*Member of the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ)
Auckland University Press*
University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142
tel +64 (0)9 373 7528
email press@auckland.ac.nz
website www.press.auckland.ac.nz
Director Sam Elworthy
Archaeology, architecture, art, biography, business, health, New Zealand history, Maori and Pacific studies, poetry, politics and law, science and natural history, social sciences. Founded 1966.
David Bateman Ltd*
30 Tarndale Grove, Albany, Auckland 0632
tel +64(0)9 415 7664
email bateman@bateman.co.nz
website www.batemanpublishing.co.nz
Facebook www.facebook.com/batemanpublishing
Directors Janet Bateman, Paul Bateman, Paul
Parkinson
General trade non-fiction publisher focusing on craft, natural history, gardening, health, sport, cookery, history, travel, motoring, maritime history, business, art, lifestyle for the international market. Founded 1979.
Bush Press Communications Ltd
Office address 41 Hauraki Road, Takapuna, Aukland 0622
Postal address PO Box 33029, Takapuna, Aukland 0740
tel +64 (0)9 486 2667
email bush.press@clear.net.nz
website www.bushpress.com
Governing Director/Publisher Gordon Ell
Commissioned books only. Books on behalf of institutions, family and local histories. Founded 1979.
The Caxton Press
Wigram Business Park, PO Box 25088, 113 Victoria Street, Christchurch 8144
tel +64(0)3 366 8516
email peter@caxton.co.nz
website www.caxton.co.nz
Managing Director Bridget Batchelor,
Director Peter Watson
Local history, tourist pictorial, Celtic spirituality, parent guides, book designers and printers. Founded 1935.
Cengage Learning New Zealand*
Unit 4B, Rosedale Office Park, 331 Rosedale Road, Albany, North Shore 0632
Postal address PO Box 33376, Takapuna, North Shore 0740
tel +64 (0)9 415 6850
General Manager, Higher Education Alex Chamoun Educational books.
Dunmore Publishing Ltd
PO Box 28387, Auckland 1541
tel +64 (0)9 521 3121
email books@dunmore.co.nz
website www.dunmore.co.nz
Director Sharmian Firth
Education secondary/tertiary texts and other, NZ society, history, health, economics, politics, general non-fiction. Founded 1970.
Edify Ltd*
PO Box 36502, Northcote, Auckland 0748
tel +64 (0)9 972 9428
email gethelp@edify.co.nz
website www.edify.co.nz
Ceo Adrian Keane
Edify is a publishing, sales and marketing business providing its partners with opportunities for their products and solutions in the New Zealand educational market. Exclusive representatives of Pearson and the New Zealand based educational publisher, Sunshine Books.
Hachette New Zealand Ltd*
PO Box 3255, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140
tel +64 (0)9 379 1480
email contact@hachette.co.nz
website www.hachette.co.nz
Facebook www.facebook.com/HachetteNZ
Melanee Winder
International fiction and non-fiction, including cooking and for children.
Halcyon Publishing Ltd
PO Box 1064, Cambridge 3450
tel +64 (0)9 489 5337
email info@halcyonpublishing.co.nz
website www.halcyonpublishing.com
Managing Director/Publisher Graham Gurr
Hunting, shooting, fishing, outdoor interests.
Founded 1982.
HarperCollins Publishers (New
Zealand) Ltd*
Unit D, 63 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632
tel +64 (0)9 443 9400
email publicity@harpercollins.co.nz
Postal address PO Box 1, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140
website www.harpercollins.co.nz
General literature, non-fiction, reference, children’s. HarperCollins New Zealand does not accept proposals or MSS for consideration for publishing, except via the Wednesday Post portal on its website.
Learning Media Ltd
Level 4, Willeston House, 22–28 Willeston Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6021
tel +64 (0)4 472 5522
email info@learningmedia.co.nz
Postal address PO Box 3293, Wellington 6140
An award-winning publisher, designer and developer of books, educational resources and interactive programmes for New Zealand and international markets. Texts published in English, Maori and five Pacific languages. Founded 1993.
LexisNexis NZ Ltd
Level 1, 138 The Terrace, Wellington 6011
tel +64 (0)4 385 1479
email customer.service@lexisnexis.co.nz
Postal address PO Box 472, Wellington 6140
website www.lexisnexis.co.nz
Publisher Christopher Murray
Law, business, academic.
McGraw-Hill Book Company New
Zealand Ltd*
Level 8, 56–60 Cawley Street, Ellerslie, Auckland 1005
Postal address Private Bag 11904, Ellerslie, Auckland 1005
tel +64 (0)9 526 6200
website www.mcgraw-hill.com.au
Educational publisher: higher education, primary and secondary education (grades K–12) and professional (including medical, general and reference). Division of the McGraw-Hill Companies. Founded 1974.
New Zealand Council for Educational Research
Box 3237, Education House, 178–182 Willis Street, Wellington 6011
tel +64 (0)4 384 7939
email info@nzcer.org.nz
website www.nzcer.org.nz
Director Graeme Cosslett, Publisher David Ellis
Education, including educational policy and practice, early childhood education, educational achievement tests, Maori education, schooling for the future, curriculum and assessment. Founded 1934.
Otago University Press*
University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054
tel +64 (0)3 479 8807
email university.press@otago.ac.nz
website www.otago.ac.nz/press
Publisher Rachel Scott
New Zealand and Pacific history, social and cultural studies, biography/memoir, poetry as well as a wide range of scholarly to general books. Also publishes New Zealand’s longest-running literary journal, Landfall. Founded 1958.
Penguin Random House New Zealand
Ltd*
Private Bag 102902, North Shore, Auckland 0745
tel +64 (0)9 442 7400
email publishing@penguinrandomhouse.co.nz
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.nz
Facebook www.facebook.com/PenguinRandomNZ
Publishing Director Debra Millar, Managing Director Margaret Thompson
Adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction. Imprints: Penguin, Vintage, Black Swan, Godwit, Viking, Puffin Books. Part of Penguin Random House. Founded 1973.
RSVP Publishing Company*
PO Box 93, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland 1081
tel +64 (0)9 372 5047
email ccpalmer@iconz.co.nz
website www.rsvp-publishing.co.nz
Managing Director/Publisher Chris Palmer
Fiction, metaphysical, children’s. Founded 1990.
Victoria University Press*
Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140
tel +64 (0)4 463 6580
email victoria-press@vuw.ac.nz
website http://vup.victoria.ac.nz/
Publisher Fergus Barrowman,
Editor Kyleigh Hodgson
Academic, scholarly books on NZ history, sociology, law; Maori language; fiction, plays, poetry. Founded 1974.
Viking Sevenseas NZ Ltd
201A Rosetta Road, Raumati 5032
tel +64 (0)4 902 8240
email vikings@paradise.net.nz
Managing Director M.B. Riley
Natural history books on New Zealand only.
SOUTH AFRICA
*Member of the Publishers’ Association of South Africa
Ad Donker – see Jonathan Ball Publishers (Pty) Ltd
Jonathan Ball Publishers (Pty) Ltd*
PO Box 33977, Jeppestown 2043
tel +27 (0)11 601 8000
email services@jonathanball.co.za
Postal address PO Box 33977, Jeppestown 2043
website www.jonathanball.co.za
Publishing Director Jeremy Boraine
Founded 1977.
Ad Donker
Africana, literature, history, academic. Jonathan Ball
General publications, current affairs, politics, business history, business, reference.
Delta Books
General South African trade non-fiction. Sunbird Publishers
Illustrated wildlife, tourism, maps, travel.
Burnet Media
PO Box 53557, Kenilworth, Cape Town 7745
email info@burnetmedia.co.za
website www.burnetmedia.co.za
Facebook www.facebook.com/TwoDogsMercury
Twitter @TwoDogs_Mercury
Publishing Manager Tim Richman
Independent publisher of the Two Dogs and Mercury imprints. Two Dogs: innovative and irreverent nonfiction focusing on contemporary and lifestyle subject matter for the South African market. Numerous local bestsellers. Founded 2006. Mercury: interesting, accessible and engaging non-fiction with broader subject matter for both South African and international market. Growing number of internationally published titles. Founded 2010.
Cambridge University Press*
(African Branch)
Lower Ground Floor, Nautica Building, The Water Club, Beach Road, Granger Bay, Cape Town 8005
tel +27 (0)21) 412 7800
email capetown@cambridge.org
website www.cambridge.org/africa
Publishing Director Johan Traut
Textbooks and literature for sub-Sahara African countries, as well as primary reading materials in 28 African languages.
Delta Books – see Jonathan Ball Publishers (Pty) Ltd Galago Publishing (Pty) Ltd
PO Box 1645, Alberton 1450
tel +27 (0)11 824 2029
email lemur@mweb.co.za
website www.galago.co.za
Managing Director Fran Stiff
Southern African interest: military, political, hunting.
Founded 1980.
PO Box 521, Parklands 2121
tel +27 (0)11 265 4200
Managing Director M.A.C. Jacklin
Children’s fiction and non-fiction; Afrikaans large print books. Subjects include aviation, natural history, romance, general science, technology and transportation. Imprints: Mike Jacklin, Kennis Onbeperk, Daan Retief.
Juta And Company (Pty) Ltd*
1st Floor, Sunclare Building, 21 Dreyer Street, Claremont 7708
tel +27 (0)21 659 2300
email orders@juta.co.za
website www.juta.co.za
Ceo Lynne du Toit
Academic, learning, health, law and electronic. Founded 1853.
University of KwaZulu-Natal Press*
Private Bag X01, Scottsville, KwaZulu-Natal 3209
tel +27 (0)33 260 5226
email books@ukzn.ac.za
website www.ukznpress.co.za
website http://ukznpress.bookslive.co.za/
Facebook www.facebook.com/UKZNPress
Twitter @UKZNPress
Publisher Debra Primo
Southern African social, political and economic history, sociology, politics and political science, current affairs, literary criticism, gender studies, education, biography. Founded 1948.
Macmillan Education South Africa
2nd Floor, The Piazza, 34 Whiteley Road, Melrose Arch 2116
tel +27 (0)11 731 3300
Postal address Private Bag X19, Northlands 2116
website www.macmillan.co.za
Managing Director Mandla Balisa
Educational titles for the RSA market.
NB Publishers (Pty) Ltd*
PO Box 879, Cape Town 8000
tel +27 (0)21 406 3033
email nb@nb.co.za
website www.nb.co.za
General: Afrikaans fiction, politics, children’s and youth literature in all the country’s languages, non-fiction. Imprints: Tafelberg, Human & Rousseau, Queillerie, Pharos, Kwela, Best Books and Lux Verbi.
Founded 1950.
New Africa Books (Pty) Ltd
1st Floor, 6 Spin Street, Cape Town 7700
tel +27 (0)21 467 5860
email info@newafricabooks.co.za
Postal address PO Box 46962, Glosderry 7702
General books, textbooks, literary works, contemporary issues, children and young adult. Formed as a result of the merger of David Philip Publishers (founded 1971), Spearhead Press (founded 2000) and New Africa Educational Publishing.
David Philip
Academic, history, social sciences, politics, biography, reference, education.
Spearhead
Current affairs, also business, self-improvement, health, natural history, travel.
Oxford University Press, Southern Africa*
Vasco Boulevard, N1 City, Goodwood, Cape Town 7460
tel +27 (0)21 596 2300
email oxford.za@oup.com
Postal address PO Box 12119, N1 City, Cape Town 7463
website www.oxford.co.za
Managing Director Steve Cilliers
Pan Macmillan SA (Pty) Ltd*
Postal address Private Bag X19, Northlands, Johannesburg 2116
tel +27 (0)11 731 3440
email roshni@panmacmillan.co.za 2nd Floor, 1 jameson Avenue, Melrose Estate, 2196
website www.panmacmillan.co.za
Managing Director Terry Morris, Operations Director
Roshni Sinan, Marketing Manager/Sales Manager
Gillian Spain, Children’s Books Strategist Lara Cohen,
Sales Manager Gillian Spain, Publisher Andrea
Nattrass
Imprints: Boxtree, Campbell, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Forge, Franklin Watts, Gateway, Gill & Macmillan, Giraffe Books, Griffin, Guinness, Hachette Children’s Books, Henry Holt, Hodder Wayland, Macmillan, Macmillan Children’s Books, Mattel, Palgrave, Pan Macmillan, Pan Macmillan Australia, Picador, Picador Africa, Priddy Books, Quadrille, Ravan Press, Rodale, Sidgewick & Jackson, SMP, Tor and Walker Books. Publishes titles in autobiography, biography, business, children’s books, cookery and wine, crafts and hobbies, crime, environment, fiction (popular and literary), humour, inspiration, literature, business, reference, sport and stationery.
Pearson South Africa*
4th Floor, Auto Atlantic, Corner Hertsog Boulevard and Heerengracht, Cape Town 8001
tel +27 (0)21 532 6000
email pearsonza.enquiries@pearson.com
website www.za.pearson.com
Learning Resources Director (Schools) Jacques Zakarian
Educational and general publishers. Heinemann and Maskew Miller Longman are part of Pearson South Africa.
Penguin Random House (Pty) Ltd*
The Estuaries, No 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City 7441
email info@penguinrandomhouse.co.za
PO Box 1144, Cape Town 8000
tel +27 (0)21 460 5400
website www.randomstruik.co.za
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za
Managing Director Steve Connolly
Imprints: Penguin Random House, Struik Lifestyle, Struik Nature, Struik Travel & Heritage, Zebra Press, Penguin Non-Fiction, Penguin Fiction, Umuzi. Genres include general illustrated non-fiction; lifestyle; natural history; South African politics; sport; business; memoirs; contemporary fiction; literary fiction; local fiction; Afrikaans; children’s books. Part of Penguin Random House. Founded 1962.
Shuter and Shooter Publishers (Pty)
Ltd*
110 CB Downes Road, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal 3201
tel +27 (0)33 846 8700
email sales@shuters.com
Postal address PO Box 61, Mkondeni, KwaZulu-Natal 3212
website www.shuters.co.za
Chief Execute Officer P.B. Chetty
Core curriculum-based textbooks for use at foundation, intermediate, senior and FET phases. Supplementary readers in various languages; dictionaries; reading development kits, charts. Literature titles in English, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Ndebele, isiZulu and Siswati. Founded 1925.
Sunbird Publishers – see Jonathan Ball Publishers (Pty) Ltd Unisa Press*
University of South Africa, PO Box 392, Unisa, Mackleneuk, Pretoria 0003
tel +27 (0) 12 429 3448
email unisa-press@unisa.ac.za
website www.unisa.ac.za/press
Commissioning Editor Hetta Pieterse
All academic disciplines, African history, sustainable development, economics, the arts and the Humanities generally. Imprint: UNISA. Email for MS submissions boshosm@unisa.ac.za. Founded 1957.
Van Schaik Publishers*
PO Box 12681, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028
tel +27 (0)12 342 2765
email vanschaik@vanschaiknet.com
website www.vanschaiknet.com
General Manager Leanne Martini
Texts for the tertiary and private FET markets in South Africa. Founded 1915.
Wits University Press*
Private Bag 3, Wits 2050
tel +27 (0)11 717 8700/1
email veronica.klipp@wits.ac.za
Postal address PO Wits, Johannesburg 2050
website www.witspress.co.za
Publisher Veronica Klipp
Publishes well-researched, innovative books for academic and general readers. The areas of focus include art and heritage, popular science, history and politics, biography, literary studies, women’s writing and select textbooks.
Zebra Press – see Penguin Random House (Pty)
Ltd
USA
*Member of the Association of American Publishers Inc.
Abbeville Press, Inc.
116 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10013
tel +1 646–375-2136
website www.abbeville.com
Publisher/President Robert Abrams
Fine art and illustrated books. Founded 1977.
ABC-ClIO*
130 Cremona Drive, Ste C, Santa Barbara, CA 93117
tel +1 805–968-1911
website www.abc-clio.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ABCCLIO
Twitter @ABC_CLIO
Academic resources for secondary and middle schools, colleges and universities, libraries and professionals (librarians, media specialists, teachers).
Founded 1955.
Abingdon Press
2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228
tel +1 800–251-3320
website www.abingdonpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/abingdonpress
Twitter @AbingdonPress
President & Publisher Neil Alexander, Chief Content Officer & Book Editor Brian K. Milford, Chief Ministry Officer Justin Coleman
General interest, professional, academic and reference, non-fiction and fiction, youth and children’s non-fiction and VBS; primarily directed to the religious market. Imprint of United Methodist
Publishing House with tradition of crossing denominational boundaries.
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
tel + 1 212–206-7715
email abrams@abramsbooks.com
website www.abramsbooks.com
Art and architecture, photography, natural sciences, performing arts, children’s books. No fiction.
Founded 1949.
Ace – see Penguin Publishing Group Akashic Books Ltd
232 Third Street, Suite A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
tel + 1 718–643-9193
email info@akashicbooks.com
website www.akashicbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/AkashicBooks
Twitter @AkashicBooks
Contacts Johnny Temple (publisher), Johanna Ingalls (managing editor), Ibrahim Ahmad (senior editor), Aaron Petrovich (production manager), Susannah Lawrence (director of publicity & social media)
A Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political non-fiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers.
The University of Alabama Press
Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487–0380
tel + 1 205–348-5180
website www.uapress.ua.edu
Interim Director Daniel Waterman
American and Southern history, African–American studies, religion, rhetoric and communication, Judaic studies, literary criticism, anthropology and archaeology. Founded 1945.
Amistad – see HarperCollins Publishers Applause Theatre and Cinema Book Publishers
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
tel + 1 212–575-9265
email info@halleonardbooks.com
website www.applausepub.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ApplauseBooks/
Twitter @ApplauseBooks
Publisher Michael Messina
Performing arts. Founded 1980.
Arcade Publishing
11th Floor, 307 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
tel + 1 212–643-6816
website www.arcadepub.com
Executive Editor Cal Barksdale
General trade, including adult hardback and paperbacks. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1988. Imprint of Skyhorse Publishing since 2010.
ArcheBooks Publishing, Inc.
6081 Silver King Boulevard, Suite 903, Cape Coral, FL 33914
tel +1 239–542-7595 (toll free)
email info@archebooks.com
website www.archebooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/archebooks
Twitter @archebooks
Publisher Robert E. Gelinas
Fiction and non-fiction (history and true crime). Send submissions via a literary agent. Founded 2003.
The University of Arkansas Press
McIlroy House, 105 N. McIlroy Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
tel +1 800–626-0090
email info@uapress.com
website www.uapress.com
Director Mike Bieker
History, humanities, Middle Eastern studies, African–American studies, food studies, poetry.
Founded 1980.
Atlantic Monthly Press – see Grove Atlantic, Inc
Avery – see Penguin Publishing Group
Avon – see HarperCollins Publishers
Back Bay Books – see Little, Brown & Company
Baker s Plays
7611 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90046
tel +1 323–876-0579
email info@bakersplays.com
website www.bakersplays.com
UK Agent Samuel French Ltd
Plays and books on the theatre. Also agents for plays. Division of Samuel French, Inc. Founded 1845.
Ballantine Books – see Random House Publishing Group
Bantam Books – see Random House Publishing Group
Barron s Educational Series, Inc.
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
tel +1 800–645-3476
email barrons@barronseduc.com
website www.barronseduc.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/Barrons-Educational-
Series-Inc-118498041501781/
Twitter @BarronsEduc
Chairman/Ceo Manuel H. Barron, President/Publisher Ellen Sibley
Test preparation, juvenile, cookbooks, Mind, Body & Spirit, crafts, business, pets, gardening, family and health, art, study guides, school guides. Founded 1941.
Basic Books*
250 West 57th Street, Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107 + 1 212 340–8101
email basic.books@perseusbooks.com
website www.basicbooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/BasicBooks
Twitter @BasicBooks
A member of the Perseus Books Group. Publishes books in history, science, sociology, psychology, politics and current affairs. Also publishes new works in African and African–American studies under the Basic Civitas imprint. Founded 1952.
Beacon Press*
24 Farnsworth, Boston, MA 02110
tel + 1 617–742-2110
website www.beacon.org
Director Helene Atwan
General non-fiction in fields of religion, ethics, philosophy, current affairs, gender studies, environmental concerns, African–American studies, anthropology and women’s studies, nature. Founded 1854.
Bella Books
PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302
tel +1 800–729-4992
website www.bellabooks.com
Lesbian fiction: mystery, romance, sci-fi. Founded 1973.
Berkley Books – see Penguin Publishing Group Bloomsbury Publishing USA*
1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018
tel + 1 212–419-5300
email ChildrensPublicityUSA@bloomsbury.com
website www.bloomsburyusa.com
Vice President/Publishing Director Consumer Publishing Cindy Loh
Supports the worldwide publishing activities of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc: caters for the US market.
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
648 South Cambridge Road, Building A, Johnsonville, NY 12094
email service@boldstrokesbooks.com
website www.boldstrokesbooks.com
Facebook vwww.facebook.com/BoldStrokesBooks/
Twitter @boldstrokebooks
Publisher Len Barot
Offers a diverse collection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer general and genre fiction. Fiction includes romance, mystery/intrigue, crime, erotica, speculative fiction (scifi/fantasy/horror), general fiction, and, through the Soliloquy imprint, young adult fiction. Since its inception in 2004, the company’s mission has remained unchanged to bring quality queer fiction to readers worldwide and to support an international group of authors in developing their craft and reaching an ever-growing community of readers via print, digital and audio formats. Over 1,000 titles in print. For submission instructions see website.
R.R. Bowker*
630 Central Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974
tel +1 908–286-1090
website www.bowker.com
President & Ceo Annie M. Callanan
Bibliographies and reference tools for the book trade and literary and library worlds, available in hardcopy, on microfiche, online and CD-Rom. Reference books for music, art, business, the computer industry, cable industry and information industry. Division of Cambridge Information Group.
Boyds Mills Press
815 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431
website www.boydsmillspress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/BoydsMillsPressBooks
Twitter @boydsmillspress
Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry trade books for children and young adults. Founded 1991.
Burford Books, Inc.
101 E State Street, #301, Ithaca, NY 14850
tel +1 607–319-4373
email pburford@burfordbooks.com
website www.burfordbooks.com
President Peter Burford
Outdoor activities: golf, sports, fitness, nature, travel.
Founded 1997.
Cambridge University Press*
1 Liberty Plaza, Floor 20, New York, NY 10006
tel +1 212–337-5000
email customer_service@cambridge.org
website www.cambridge.org/us
Academic and professional; Cambridge Learning (ELT, primary and secondary education).
Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street, Somerville, MA 02144
tel +1 617–661-3330
email bigbear@candlewick.com
website www.candlewick.com
President/Publisher Karen Lotz, Creative Director/
Associate Publisher Chris Paul, Executive Editorial Director/Associate Publisher Liz Bicknell, Editorial Director Mary Lee Donovan
Books for babies through teens: board books, picture books, novels, non-fiction, novelty books. Submit material through a literary agent. Subsidiary of Walker Books Ltd, UK. Founded 1991.
Candlewick Entertainment
Group Editorial Director Joan Powers Media-related children’s books, including film/TV tie-ins.
Candlewick Studio
Group Editorial Director Karen Lotz, Group Art
Director Chris Paul
Books for book-lovers of all ages.
Center Street
Hachette Book Group USA, 12 Cadillac Drive, Suite 480 Brentwood, TN 37027
email centerstreetpub@hbgusa.com
website www.hachettebookgroup.com
Books with traditional values for readers in the US heartland. Division of Hachette Book Group (here). Founded 2005.
University of Chicago Press*
1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
tel +1 773–702-7700
website www.press.uchicago.edu
Scholarly books and monographs (humanities, social sciences and sciences); general trade books; reference books; and 70 scholarly journals.
Chronicle Books*
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
tel + 1 415–537-4200
email hello@chroniclebooks.com
website www.chroniclebooks.com
website www.chroniclekids.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ChronicleBooks
Twitter @ChronicleBooks
Chairman & Ceo Nion McEvoy, Publisher Christine Carswell
Publishes award-winning, innovative books. Recognized as one of the 50 best small companies to work for in the US. Publishing list includes illustrated books and gift products in design, art, architecture, photography, food, lifestyle, pop culture and children’s titles. Founded 1967.
Coffee House Press
79 13th Avenue NE, Suite 110, Minneapolis, MN 55413
tel + 1 612–338-0125
website www.coffeehousepress.org
Publisher Chris Fischbach
Literary fiction, essays and poetry; collectors’ editions.
Founded 1984.
Collins – see HarperCollins Publishers
Columbia University Press*
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
tel +1 212–459-0600
email jc373@columbia.edu
email es3387@columbia.edu
website www.cup.columbia.edu
Twitter @ColumbiaUP
Associate Provost & Director Jennifer Crewe, Editorial Director Eric Schwartz
General interest, scholarly, and textbooks in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and professions; reference works in print and electronic formats. Subjects include Asian studies, business, earth science and sustainability, economics, English and comparative literature, film and media studies, global and American history, international relations, journalism, life science, Middle Eastern studies, neuroscience, palaeontology, philosophy, political science and international relations, religion, sociology, and social work. Publishes Asian and Russian literature in translation. Founded 1893.
For MSS submission information see http://cup.columbia.edu/manuscript-submissions.
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue, St Louis, MO 63118
tel +1 314–268-1000
website www.cph.org
Publisher & Executive Director of Editorial Paul T. McCain
Religious books, Lutheran perspective. Few freelance MSS accepted; query first. Founded 1869.
Contemporary Books
130 East Randolph Street, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601
tel +1 800–621-1918
website www.mheducation.com/prek-12/segment/adulted.html
Non-fiction. Imprints: Contemporary Books, Lowell House, Passport Books, VGM Career Books. Division of the McGraw-Hill companies.
The Continuum International
Publishing Group, Inc. – see Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Cooper Square Publishing
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
tel +1 301–459-3366
Part of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group (here). Founded 1949.
Luna Rising
Northland Publishing’s bilingual (Spanish–English) imprint.
American Southwest themes including home design, cooking and travel. Founded 1958.
NorthWord Books for Young Readers
11571 K–Tel Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343
tel +1 800–462-6420
email rrinehart@rowman.com
Picture books and non-fiction nature and wildlife books in interactive and fun-to-read formats. Not accepting MSS at present. Founded 1989.
Rising Moon
email editorial@northlandbooks.com
Illustrated, entertaining and thought-provoking picture books for children, including Spanish–English bilingual titles. Founded 1998.
Two-Can Publishing
Non-fiction books and multimedia products for children 2–12 years to entertain and educate. Not accepting MSS at present.
Cornell University Press
(including ILR Press and Comstock Publishing Associates)
Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
tel +1 607–277-2338
email cupressinfo@cornell.edu
website www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
Director Dean J. Smith
Scholarly books. Founded 1869.
The Countryman Press
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
tel + 1 212–354-5500
email countrymanpress@wwnorton.com
website www.countrymanpress.com
Editorial Director Ann Treistman
Cooking and lifestyle, outdoor recreation guides for anglers, hikers, cyclists, canoeists and kayakers, US travel guides, New England non-fiction, how-to books, country living books, books on nature and the environment, classic reprints and general non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS. Division of W.W. Norton & Co., Inc. Founded 1973.
Crown Publishing Group*
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel + 1 212–782-9000
website http://crownpublishing.com/
President & Publisher Maya Mavjee
The Crown Publishing Group originated in 1933 and is known today for the broad scope of its publishing program and its singular market responsiveness, qualities that are reflected in its selection of authors and books and in its efforts to market them. Provides a diverse program of imprints whose bestselling authors include Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, George W. Bush, Susan Cain, Gillian Flynn, Erik
Larson, Anthony Marra, Rebecca Skloot, Ina Garten, Tom Reiss, Yotam Ottolenghi, Martha Stewart, Mindy Kaling and Marie Kondo. Imprints: Amphoto Books, Broadway Books, Clarkson Potter, Convergent Books, Crown, Crown Archetype, Crown Business, Crown Forum, Harmony Books, Hogarth, Ten Speed Press, Three Rivers Press, Tim Duggan Books, WaterBrook Multnomah and Watson-Guptill. Part of Penguin Random House (here).
DAW Books, Inc.*
375 Hudson Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10014
tel +1 212–366-2096
email daw@penguinrandomhouse.com
website www.dawbooks.com
Publishers Elizabeth R. Wollheim, Sheila E. Gilbert
Sci-fi, fantasy, horror and paranormal: originals and reprints. Founded 1971.
Delacorte – see Random House Publishing Group Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010
tel +1 212–388-0100
email enquiries@tor.com
website www.torforgeblog.com
Fiction: general, historical, western, suspense, mystery, horror, science fiction, fantasy, humour, juvenile, classics (English language); non-fiction: adult and juvenile. Imprints: Tor, Forge, Orb, Starscope, Tor Teen. Founded 1980.
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
tel +1 516–294-7000
website www.doverpublications.com
Art, architecture, antiques, crafts, juvenile, food, history, folklore, literary classics, mystery, language, music, mathematics and science, nature, design and ready-to-use art. Founded 1941.
Dutton – see Penguin Publishing Group Elsevier (Clinical Solutions)*
1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19103–2398
tel +1 215–239-3900
website www.elsevierhealth.co.uk
website www.elsevier.com/clinical-solutions
President Lee Rivas
Medical books, journals and electrical healthcare solutions. No unsolicited MSS but synopses and project proposals welcome. Imprints: Bailliere Tindall, Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier, Mosby, Pergamon, Saunders.
Faber and Faber, Inc. – see Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC
Infobase Publishing, 132 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001
tel +1 800–322-8755
website www.factsonfile.com
Editorial Director Laurie E. Likoff
General reference books and services for colleges, libraries, schools and general public. Founded 1940.
Family Tree – see Writer’s Digest Books Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC*
18th West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
tel + 1 212–741-6900
website www.fsgbooks.com
website www.fsgoriginals.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/fsgoriginals
Twitter @FSOriginals
President/Publisher Jonathan Galassi
Faber and Faber, Inc.
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
tel + 1 212–741-6900
website http://us.macmillan.com/publishers/farrar-straus-giroux
Publisher Mitzi Angel
Fiction, general non-fiction, drama, poetry, film, music.
Hill and Wang
Publisher Ileen Smith
General non-fiction, history, public affairs, graphic novels. Founded 1956.
North Point Press
Literary non-fiction, with an emphasis on natural history, ecology, yoga, food writing and cultural criticism.
Fonthill Media LLC
12 Sires Street, Charleston, SC 29403
tel +1 843–203-3432
email info@fonthillmedia.com
website www.fonthillmedia.com
Publisher & President (Charleston SC Office) Alan
Sutton, Publisher (Concord MA Office) Heather
Martino
General history. Specialisations include biography, military history, aviation history, naval and maritime history, regional and local and history, transport history, social history, sports history, ancient history and archaeology. US imprints: Fonthill, America Through Time and American History House. Founded 2012.
Samuel French, Inc.
235 Park Avenue South, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10003
tel + 1 212 206 8990
email info@samuelfrench.com
website www.samuelfrench.com
Play publishers and authors’ representatives (dramatic).
Getty Publications*
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049
tel +1 310–440-6536
email booknews@getty.edu
website www.getty.edu
Art, art history, architecture, classical art and archaeology, conservation. Founded 1983.
David R. Godine, Publisher, Inc.
15 Court Square, Suite 320, Boston, MA 02108
tel +1 617–451-9600
website www.godine.com
President David R. Godine
Fiction, photography, poetry, art, biography, children’s, essays, history, typography, architecture, nature and gardening, music, cooking, words and writing and mysteries. No unsolicited MSS. Founded 1970.
Grand Central Publishing*
(previously Warner Books, Inc.) 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
tel +1 212–364-0600
email grandcentralpublishing@hbgusa.com
website www.grandcentralpublishing.com
Fiction and non-fiction. Imprints: Aspect, Business Plus (business), Forever (romance), Vision (blockbuster fiction), Wellness Central (health and wellbeing), 5 Spot (women’s fiction and non-fiction), Twelve, Springboard Press. Division of Hachette Book Group (here). Founded 1970.
Grosset & Dunlap – see Penguin Young Readers Grove Atlantic, Inc*
154 West 14th Street, 12 Floor, New York, NY 10011
tel +1 212–614-7850
website www.groveatlantic.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/groveatlantic
Twitter @groveatlantic
Publisher Morgan Entrekin
Fiction, biography, autobiography, history, current affairs, social science, belles lettres, natural history. No unsolicited MSS. Imprints: Atlantic Monthly Press, Black Cat, Mysterious Press, Grove Press.
Founded 1952.
Hachette Book Group*
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
tel +1 212–364-1100
website www.hachettebookgroup.com
Divisions: Center Street (see here), Grand Central Publishing (see here); Hachette Audio; Hachette Nashville; Hachette Books; Little, Brown and Company (here); Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orbit, Perseus Books. Imprints: Grand Central: Business Plus, Forever, Forever Yours, Grand Central Life & Style, Twelve, Vision. Hachette Nashville: Center Street, FaithWords, Hachette Books: Black Dog & Leventhal. Little, Brown and Company: Back Bay Books, Mulholland Books. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: LB Kids, Poppy Orbit: Orbit, Redhook. Perseus Books: Avalon Travel, Basic Books, Civitas, Da Capo, Nation Books, Running Press, Public Affairs, Seal Press, Weinstein Books, Westview.
Orbit
website www.orbitbooks.net Sci-fi and fantasy.
Harcourt Trade Publishers
3 Park Avenue, 19th floor, New York, NY 10016
tel + 1 212–592-1034
website www.hmhbooks.com
President/Publisher Ellen Archer
Fiction and non-fiction (history and biography) for readers of all ages. Part of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Book Group.
HarperCollins Publishers*
195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
tel + 1 212–207-700
website http://corporate.harpercollins.com/us
President/Ceo Brian Murray
Fiction, history, biography, poetry, science, travel, cookbooks, juvenile, educational, business, technical and religious. Founded 1817.
HarperCollins General Books Group
President/Publisher Michael Morrison Imprints: Amistad, Anthony Bourdain Books, Avon, Avon Impulse, Avon Inspire, Avon Read, Broadside Books, Custom House, Dey Street, Ecco Books, Harper Books, Harper Business, Harper Design, Harper Luxe, Harper Paperbacks, Harper Perennial, Haper Voyager, Harper Wave, HarperAudio, HarperCollins 360, HarperElixir, HarperLegend, HarperOne, William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks, Witness.
HarperAudio
A stunning array of bestselling children’s books and young adult favorites in audio.
HarperFestival
Books, novelties, and merchandise for the very young: children 0–8 years.
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Respected worldwide for publishing quality books for children and home to many classics of children’s literature.
Harvard University Press*
79 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
tel +1 617–495-2600
email contact_hup@harvard.edu
website www.hup.harvard.edu
Director William P. Sisler, Editor-in-Chief Susan
Boehmer
History, philosophy, literary criticism, politics, economics, sociology, music, science, classics, social sciences, behavioural sciences, law.
Hill and Wang – see Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
tel +1 718–454-2366
email info@hippocrenebooks.com
website www.hippocrenebooks.com
International cookbooks, foreign language dictionaries, travel, military history, Polonia, general trade. Founded 1971.
Holiday House, Inc.
425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017
tel +1 212–688-0085
email info@holidayhouse.com
website www.holidayhouse.com
General children’s books. Send entire MS. Only responds to projects of interest. Founded 1935.
Henry Holt and Company LLC*
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
tel +1 646–307-5238
website http://us.macmillan.com/henryholt
Publisher Stephen Rubin
History, sports, politics, biography, memoir, novels. Imprints: Henry Holt, Metropolitan Books, Times Books, Holt Paperbacks. Founded 1866.
The Johns Hopkins University Press*
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218–4319
tel +1 410–516-6900
email tcl@press.jhu.edu
website www.press.jhu.edu
History, literary criticism, classics, politics, environmental studies, biology, medical genetics, consumer health, religion, physics, astronomy, mathematics, education. Founded 1878.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt*
222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
tel +1 617–351-5000
website www.hmhco.com
Educational content and solutions for K-12 teachers and students of all ages; also reference, and fiction and non-fiction for adults and young readers. Founded 1832.
1325 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
tel + 1 217–333-0950
email uipress@uillinois.edu
website www.press.illinois.edu
Editor-in-Chief Laurie Matheson
American studies (history, music, literature, religion), working-class and ethnic studies, communications, regional studies, architecture, philosophy, women’s studies, film, classics. Founded 1918.
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing, Herman B Wells Library 350, 1320 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405–3907
tel + 1 812–855-8817
email iupress@indiana.edu
website www.iupress.indiana.edu
Director Gary Dunham
Specialises in the humanities and social sciences: African, African–American, Asian, cultural, Jewish and Holocaust, Middle East, Russian and East European, and women’s and gender studies; anthropology, film, history, bioethics, music, palaeontology, philanthropy, philosophy and religion. Imprint: Quarry Books (regional publishing).
Founded 1950.
Inkshares
114 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94601
email hello@inkshares.com
website www.inkshares.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/inkshares
Twitter @Inkshares
Co-founder/Ceo Adam Gomolin, Director, Marketing & Publishing Operations Avalon Radys
A book publisher that has readers, not agents or editors, decide what is published. Publishes books that successfully hit a pre-order threshold on the company’s platform, or win a contest run in partnership with an imprint on the platform. The process is as follows: authors pitch, readers pre-order, and the company publishes. Any author can submit a proposal for a book. Once the project goes live, readers support the project by pre-ordering copies of the book. Once the 750 pre-order goal is hit, the work is published: authors are assigned an editor, a designer and the company deals with printing, distribution, marketing and publicity once the MS is finished.
University Press of Kansas
2502 Westbrooke Circle, Lawrence, KS 66045–4444
tel +1 785–864-4154
email upress@ku.edu
website www.kansaspress.ku.edu
Interim Directory & Business Manager Conrad
Roberts, Editor-in-Chief Joyce Harrison, Acquisitions
Editor Kim Hogeland
American history (political, social, cultural, environmental), military history, American political thought, American presidency studies, law and constitutional history, political science. Founded 1946.
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group*
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel +1 212–782-9000
website http://knopfdoubleday.com/
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Sonny Mehta, President
Tony Chirico
Alfred A. Knopf was founded in 1915 and has long been known as a publisher of distinguished hardback fiction and non-fiction. Its list of authors includes Cheryl Strayed, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Alice Munro, Anne Rice, Anne Tyler, Sheryl Sandberg, Jane Smiley, Julia Child, Peter Carey, Kazuo Ishiguro, Orhan Pamuk, Robert A. Caro, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, and Michael Ondaatje, as well as such classic writers as Thomas Mann, John Updike, Willa Cather, John Hersey and John Cheever. Imprints: Alfred A. Knopf, Anchor Books, Doubleday, Everyman’s Library, Nan A. Talese, Pantheon Books, Schocken Books and Vintage Books.
Krause Publications
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990–0001
tel +1 800–258-0929
website www.krausebooks.com
Publisher Dianne Wheeler
Antiques and collectables: coins, stamps, automobiles, toys, trains, firearms, comics, records; sewing, ceramics, outdoors, hunting. Imprint of F&W Publications, Inc.
Little, Brown & Company*
1290 Ave of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
tel +1 212–364-1100
email lbpublicity.Generic@hbgusa.com
website www.hachettebookgroup.com
General literature, fiction, non-fiction, biography, history, trade paperbacks, children’s. Founded 1837.
Back Bay Books
Fiction and non-fiction. Founded 1993.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
website www.lb-kids.com
website www.lb-teens.com
Publisher Megan Tingley, Creative Director Gail
Doobinin
Picture books, board books, chapter books, novelty books and general non-fiction and novels for middle-grade and young adult readers.
Llewellyn Worldwide
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
tel +1 651–291-1970
email publicity@llewellyn.com
website www.llewellyn.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/LlewellynBooks
Twitter @llewellynbooks
Publisher Bill Krause
For over a century Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. has been a publisher of New Age and Mind, Body & Spirit books, including self-help, holistic health, astrology, tarot, paranormal and alternative spirituality titles. Founded 1901.
Lonely Planet
230 Franklin Road, Building 2B, Franklin, TN 37064
email go@lonelyplanet.co.uk
website www.lonelyplanet.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/lonelyplanet
Twitter @lonelyplanet
Lonely Planet is an international travel publisher, printing over 120 million books in 11 different languages. Along with guidebooks and ebooks to almost every destination on the planet, also produces a range of gift and reference titles, a website and magazine and a range of digital travel products and apps.
The Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437
tel +1 203–458-4500
website www.lyonspress.com
website www.globepequot.com
Fishing, hunting, sports, health and fitness, outdoor skills, animals/pets, horses, games, history/current affairs, military history, nature, games, reference and non-fiction. An imprint of Globe Pequot Press.
Founded 1978.
McGraw-Hill Professional*
2 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10121
tel + 1 212–904-2000
website www.mhprofessional.com
website www.mgeducation.com
McGraw-Hill Business
Management, investing, leadership, personal finance. McGraw-Hill Consumer
Non-fiction: from health, self-help and parenting, to sports, outdoor and boating books. Publishing partnerships include Harvard Medical School and Standard & Poor’s.
McGraw-Hill Education
Test-prep, study guides, language instruction, dictionaries.
McGraw-Hill Medical
Harrison’s and reference for practitioners and medical students.
McGraw-Hill Technical
Science, engineering, computing, construction references.
Macmillan Publishers, Inc.*
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
tel +1 646–307-5151
email press.inquiries@macmillanusa.com
website http://us.macmillan.com
Imprints: Bedford/St Martins; Farrar, Straus & Giroux; Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR; Feiwel & Friends; 01 First Second; Henry Holt and Company; Henry Holt BYR; Macmillan Audio; Picador; Square Fish; St Martin’s Press; Tor/Forge (see Tom Doherty Associates, LLC on here); W.H. Freeman; and
Worth.
McPherson & Company
PO Box 1126, Kingston, NY 12402
tel +1 845–331-5807
email bmcphersonco@gmail.com
website www.mcphersonco.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/McPherson-and-
Company-57300494989/
Twitter @bookmaverick
Publisher Bruce R. McPherson
Literary fiction; non-fiction: art criticism, writings by artists, film-making; occasional general titles (e.g. anthropology). No poetry. No unsolicited MSS; query first. Distributed in UK by Central Books, London. Imprints: Documentext, Treacle Press, Saroff Books. Founded 1974.
The University of Massachusetts Press
671 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003
tel +1 413–545-2217
email info@umpress.umass.edu
website www.umass.edu/umpress
Director Mary Dougherty, Senior Editor Brian Halley
Scholarly books and works of general interest: American studies and history, Black and ethnic studies, women’s studies, cultural criticism, architecture and environmental design, literary criticism, poetry, fiction, philosophy, political science, sociology, books of regional interest. Founded 1964.
The University of Michigan Press
839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104–3209
tel +1 734–764-4388
email um.press@umich.edu
website www.press.umich.edu/
Director Charles Watkinson
Scholarly and general interest works in literary and cultural theory, classics, history, theatre, women’s studies, political science, law, American history, American studies, anthropology, economics, jazz; textbooks in English as a second language; regional trade titles. Founded 1930.
Microsoft Press
One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052–6399
tel +1 425–882-8080
email 4bkideas@microsoft.com
website www.microsoft.com/learning/books/
Publisher Ben Ryan
Computer books. Division of Microsoft Corp.
Founded 1983.
Milkweed Editions*
1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55415
tel + 1 612–332-3192
email editor@milkweed.org
website www.milkweed.org
Publisher & Ceo Daniel Slager
Fiction, poetry, essays, the natural world, children’s novels (8–14 years). Founded 1979.
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Building, 201 South 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
tel +1 573–882-7641
email upress@missouri.edu
website http://upress.missouri.edu
Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-
Missouri-Press/177293766515
Twitter @umissouripress
Editor-in-Chief Andrew Davidson
American and European history; African–American studies; American, British and Latin American literary criticism; journalism; political philosophy; regional studies. Founded 1958.
The MIT Press*
One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142–1209
tel + 1 617–253-5646
website https://mitpress.mit.edu
Director Amy Brand
Architecture, art and design, cognitive sciences, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science and artificial intelligence, economics and finance, philosophy, environment and ecology, new media, information science, game studies, bioethics, communications, education, engineering, physical science, mathematics. Founded 1962.
William Morrow – see HarperCollins Publishers
Thomas Nelson Publisher
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
tel + 1 800–251-4000
email publicity@thomasnelson.com
website www.thomasnelson.com
Ceo Mark Schoenwald
Acquired by HarperCollins in 2012. Bibles, religious, non-fiction and fiction general trade books for adults and children. Founded 1798.
University of New Mexico Press
1717 Roma NE, MSC05 3185, Albuquerque, NM 87131–0001
tel +1 505–277-3495
email custserv@unm.edu
website www.unmpress.com
Director John Byram, Managing Editor Managing
Editor James Ayers
Western history, anthropology and archaeology, Latin American studies, photography, multicultural literature, fiction, poetry. Founded 1929.
The University of North Carolina Press*
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
tel +1 919–966-3561
website www.uncpress.unc.edu
Editor-in-Chief David Perry
American history, American studies, Southern studies, European history, women’s studies, Latin American studies, political science, anthropology and folklore, classics, regional trade. Founded 1922.
North Light Books – see Writer’s Digest Books North Point Press – see Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC Northland Publishing – see Cooper Square Publishing NorthWord Books for Young
Readers – see Cooper Square Publishing
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.*
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
tel +1 212–354-5500
website www.wwnorton.com
Vice President & Editor-in-Chief John Glusman
Literary fiction and narrative non-fiction, history, politics, science, biography, music and memoir.
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069–8216
tel +1 405–325-2000
website www.oupress.com
Director B. Byron Price, Editor-in-Chief Adam C.
Kane
American West, American Indians, classics, political science. Founded 1928.
Orbit – see Hachette Book Group The Overlook Press*
141 Wooster Street #4B, New York, NY 10012
tel +1 212–673-2210
website www.overlookpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/overlookpress
Twitter @overlookpress
President & Publisher Peter Mayer
Non-fiction, fiction, children’s books (Freddy the Pig series). Imprints: Ardis Publishing, Duckworth.
Founded 1971.
Oxford University Press*
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
tel + 1 212–726-6000
website https://global.oup.com/academic
Ceo Nigel Portwood
Academic and trade, bibles; ELT and ESL; dictionaries; higher education and science, technology, medicine and scholarly; law, medicine, and music; journals; online; reference. Publishes globally for a range of audiences, across a multitude of cultures, education systems, and languages. Currently publishes more than 6,000 titles a year worldwide, in a variety of formats. Many of these titles are created specifically for local markets and are published by regional publishing branches.
Paragon House Publishers
3600 Labore Road, Suite 1, St. Paul, Minnesota, MN 55110–4144
tel +1 651–644-3087
email paragon@ParagonHouse.com
website www.ParagonHouse.com
President Gordon L. Anderson
Textbooks and general interest in philosophy, religion, social sciences and non-fiction.
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053
tel +1 504–368-1175
email editorial@pelicanpub.com
website www.pelicanpub.com
Publisher/President Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton
Art and architecture, cookbooks, biography, history, business, children’s, motivational, political science, social commentary, holiday. Founded 1926.
Penguin Publishing Group*
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
tel + 1 212–366-2000
website www.penguin.com
President Madeline McIntosh
The Penguin Publishing Group is a leading adult trade book division with a wide range of imprints. The group possesses a list of bestselling, award-winning authors and a backlist of breadth, depth and quality, including Khaled Hosseini, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Sue Monk Kidd, James McBride, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sue Grafton, Junot Díaz, Geraldine Brooks, Jan Karon, Harlan Coben, Nathanial Philbrick, Thomas Pynchon, John Steinbeck, Arthur Miller, Clive Cussler, Michael Pollan, Eckhart Tolle, Ron Chernow, Kathryn Stockett, Nick Hornby and Paula Hawkins. Imprints: Ace, Avery, Berkley, Blue Rider Press, Dutton, New American Library, Pamela Dorman Books, Penguin
Books, Penguin Press, Plume, Portfolio, Putnam, Tarcher, Perigee, Riverhead, Sentinel and Viking.
Penguin Random House*
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel +1 212–782-9000
website http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com
Ceo Markus Dohle
With 250 independent imprints and brands on five continents, more than 15,000 new titles and close to 800 million print, audio and ebooks sold annually, Penguin Random House is the world’s leading trade book publisher. The company, which employs about 12,500 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013 by Bertelsmann and Pearson, who own 53% and 47%, respectively. Like its predecessor companies, Penguin Random House is committed to publishing adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction print editions, and is a pioneer in digital publishing. Its book brands include storied imprints such as Doubleday, Viking and Alfred A. Knopf (US); Ebury, Hamish Hamilton and Jonathan Cape (UK); Plaza & Janés and Alfaguara (Spain); and Sudamericana (Argentina); as well as the international imprint DK. Its publishing lists include more than 60 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors. Penguin Random House champions the creative and entrepreneurial independence of its publishers, who work to maximize readership for its authors and to protect their intellectual property. See Crown Publishing Group (here), Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (here). Penguin Publishing Group (above), Random House Publishing Group (here), Penguin Young Readers (below) and Random House Children’s Books (here).
Penguin Young Readers*
345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
tel +1 212–366-2000
website www.penguin.com/children
President Jen Loja
Penguin Young Readers is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the US. The company owns a wide range of imprints and trademarks including Dial Books, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Kathy Dawson Books, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Workshop, Philomel, Puffin, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Viking, Razorbill, Speak and Frederick Warne. These imprints are home to such award-winning, New York Times-bestselling authors as, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jay Asher, Judy Blume, Jan Brett, Eric Carle, Ally Condie, Roald Dahl, Tomie dePaola, Sarah Dessen, Anna Dewdney, John Flanagan, John Green, Oliver Jeffers, Marie Lu, Mike Lupica, Richelle Mead, Richard Peck, Ruta Sepetys, Jacqueline Woodson and dozens of other popular authors. Penguin Young Readers is also the proud publisher of perennial brand franchises such as the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, Peter Rabbit, Spot, the Classic Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Madeline, Mad Libs, the Rangers Apprentice, Skippyjon Jones, Who Was? and Flower Fairies among many others. Penguin Young Readers is a division of Penguin Group LLC, a Penguin Random House company.
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104–4112
tel + 1 215–898-6261
email custserv@pobox.upenn.edu
website www.pennpress.org
Director Eric Halpern
American and European history, anthropology, architecture, cultural studies, ancient studies, human rights, literature, medieval and early modern studies, Jewish studies, religious studies, current affairs, politics and public policy, urban studies and Pennsylvania regional studies. Founded 1890.
Pennsylvania State University Press*
820 North University Drive, USB1, Suite C, University Park, PA 16802
tel + 1 814–865-1329
email info@psupress.org
website www.psupress.org
Director Patrick Alexander
Art history, literary criticism, religious studies, philosophy, political science, sociology, history, Latin American studies and medieval studies. Founded 1956.
Perigee – see Penguin Publishing Group The Permanent Press
4170 Noyac Road, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
tel + 1 631–725-1101
website www.thepermanentpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/ThePermanentPress
Twitter @TPermanentPress
Directors Martin Shepard, Judith Shepard, Chris
Knopf
Literary fiction. Imprint: Second Chance Press.
Founded 1978.
Philomel – see Penguin Young Readers Plume – see Penguin Publishing Group Popular Woodworking – see Writer’s Digest Books Portfolio – see Penguin Publishing Group Potomac Books, Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
tel + 1 703–661-1548
email pbimail@presswarehouse.com
website www.potomacbooksinc.com
Publisher Samuel R. Dorrance
National and international affairs, history (military and diplomatic); reference, biography. Founded 1984.
Princeton University Press*
Princeton, NJ 08540
tel +1 609–258-4900
Postal address 41 William Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
website www.press.princeton.edu
Director Peter J. Dougherty, Editor-in-Chief Al Bertrand, Assistant Editor-in-Chief Rob Tempio
Scholarly and scientific books on all subjects.
Founded 1905.
Puffin Books – see Penguin Young Readers Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401
website www.quarto.com
Creates and publishes illustrated books in North America and sells co-editions of them internationally. The division comprises of 15 imprints; Book Sales, Cool Springs Press, Creative Publishing international, Fair Winds Press, Motorbooks, Quarry Books, QDS, Quiver, Race Point Publishing, Rock Point, Rockport Publishers, Voyageur Press, Walter Foster Publishing, Walter Foster, Jr. and Zenith Press. Subject categories include home improvement, gardening, practical arts and crafts, Licensed children’s books, transport, graphic arts, food and drink, sports, military history, Americana, health and body, lifestyle, pets and music. Details of the imprints can be found on the website.
Founded 2004.
Rand McNally
PO Box 7600, Chicago, IL 60680
tel +1 847–329-8100
website www.randmcnally.com
President/Ceo Rob Apatoff
Maps, guides, atlases, educational publications, globes and children’s geographical titles and atlases in print and electronic formats.
Random House Children’s Books*
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel +1 212–782-9000
website www.randomhousekids.com
President & Publisher Barbara Marcus
Random House Children’s Books (RHCB) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for preschool children through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, ebooks and apps, RHCB brings together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters and multimillion-copy series. The company publishes many of the world’s bestselling and highly acclaimed authors and illustrators for young people today including Dr. Seuss, Marc Brown, James Dashner, Chris Grabenstein, Carl Hiaasen, Emily Martin, Jennifer Niven, Mary Pope Osborne, R.J. Palacio, Christopher Paolini, Philip Pullman, Brandon Sanderson, Nicola Yoon, Louis Sachar, Richard Scarry and Markus Zusak. It is the home to a variety of series licenses and characters such as Babar, Barbie, the Berenstain Bears, Disney, Little Golden Books, Nickelodeon, Pat the Bunny, Sesame Workshop, Junie B. Jones and the Magic Tree House. The company’s websites, including Kids @ Random (www.randomhousekids.com) and RH Teachers & Librarians (www.randomhouse.com/teachers) offer an array of activities, games, and resources for children, teens, parents, and educators. Imprints: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, Crown Books for Young Readers, Delacorte Press, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, Random House Books for Young Readers, Little Golden Books, Make Me A World, Schwartz & Wade Books, Wendy Lamb Books, Ember, Dragonfly, Yearling Books, Laurel-Leaf, Princeton Review and Sylvan Learning. Part of Penguin Random House (here).
Random House Publishing Group*
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel + 1 212–782-9000
website www.randomhousebooks.com
President & Publisher Gina Centrello
The Random House Publishing Group was formed upon the unification of the Random House Trade Group and the Ballantine Books Group in 2003. In 2008, the group added imprints from the Bantam Dell, Spiegel & Grau and Dial Press divisions, creating a creative powerhouse which publishes many of the best authors in both literary and commercial genres. Random House had its origins in 1925 when Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, two New Yorkers in their mid-twenties, acquired a line of classics and contemporary American works called The Modern Library from publisher Horace Liveright. Imprints: Ballantine Books, Bantam Books, Delacorte Press, Dell, Del Rey, The Dial Press, Modern Library, Random House, and Spiegel & Grau. Part of Penguin Random House (here).
Razorbill – see Penguin Young Readers Rising Moon – see Cooper Square Publishing Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
300 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
tel + 1 212–387-3400
email publicity@rizzoliusa.com
website www.rizzoliusa.com
Publisher Charles Miers
Art, architecture, photography, fashion, gardening, design, gift books, cookbooks. Founded 1976.
Rodale Book Group*
733 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
tel + 1 212–573-0300
website www.rodale.com
General health, women’s health, men’s health, senior health, alternative health, fitness, healthy cooking, gardening, pets, spirituality/inspiration, trade health, biography, memoir, current affairs, science, parenting, organics, lifestyle, self-help, how-to, home arts. Founded 1932.
Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
tel +1 212–216-7800
website www.routledge.com
Music, history, psychology and psychiatry, politics, business studies, philosophy, education, sociology, urban studies, religion, film, media, literary and cultural studies, reference, English language, linguistics, communication studies, journalism. Editorial office in the UK. Subsidiary of Taylor & Francis, LLC. Imprint: Routledge. Founded 1834.
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
tel +1 301–459-3366
email customercare@rowman.com
website www.rowman.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/rowmanuk
Twitter @rowmanuk
President & Ceo James E. Lyons
Rowman & Littlefield is an independent publisher specialising in academic publishing in the humanities and social sciences, government and official data and educational publishing.
Running Press Book Publishers*
2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103
tel +1 215–567-5080
email perseus.promos@perseusbooks.com
website www.runningpress.com
Publisher Chris Navratil, Directors Frances Soo Ping Chow (design), Jennifer Kasius (editorial), Allison Devlin (marketing)
General non-fiction, TV, film, humor, history, children’s fiction and non-fiction, food and wine, pop culture, lifestyle, illustrated gift books. Imprints: Running Press, Running Press Miniature Editions, Running Press Kids, Courage Books. Member of the Perseus Books Group. Founded 1972.
Rutgers University Press
106 Somerset Street, Third Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
tel +1 800–848-6224
website www.rutgersuniversitypress.org
Director Micah Kleit, Editor-in-Chief Leslie Mitchner
Women’s studies, anthropology, film and media studies, sociology, public health, cultural studies, clinical health, medicine, history of medicine, Asian–American studies, African–American studies, American studies, Jewish studies, regional titles. Founded 1936.
St Martin’s Press, Inc.*
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
tel + 1 212–677-7456
website http://us.macmillan.com/smp
Trade, reference, college. No unsolicited MSS. Imprints: St. Martin’s Press, Griffin, Minotaur, Thomas Dunne Books. Founded 1952.
Scholastic, Inc.*
557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
tel + 1 212–343-6100
email news@scholastic.com
website www.scholastic.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/scholastic
Twitter @scholastic
Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in education technology and children’s media. Divisions: Scholastic Trade Publishing, Scholastic Reading Club, Scholastic Book Fairs, Scholastic Education, Scholastic International, Media, Licensing and Advertising. Imprints include: Arthur A. Levine Books, Cartwheel Books, Chicken House, David Fickling Books, Graphix, Orchard Books, Point, PUSH, Scholastic en espaňol, Scholastic Licensed Publishing, Scholastic Nonfiction, Scholastic Paperbacks, Scholastic Press, Scholastic Reference and The Blue Sky Press are imprints of the Scholastic Trade Book Publishing division. In addition, Scholastic Trade Books includes Klutz, a highly innovative publisher and creator of ‘‘books plus’’ for children. Founded 1920.
Sentinel – see Penguin Random House Sheridan House, Inc.
15200 NBN Way, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
tel + 1 800–462-6420
email customercare@nbnbooks.com
website www.rowman.com
President James E. Lyons
Sailing, nautical, travel. Founded 1940.
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division*
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
tel +1 212–698-7200
website www.simonandschuster.com/kids
President & Publisher Jon Anderson, Vice-President & Publisher Valerie Garfield, Publishers Justin Chanda, Mara Anastas
Preschool to young adult, fiction and non-fiction, trade, library and mass market. Imprints: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Libros para niños, Little Simon, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for
Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight. Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Founded 1924.
Simon & Schuster, Inc*
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
tel +1 212–698-7000
website www.simonandschuster.com
President & Ceo, Simon & Schuster Carolyn K. Reidy
General fiction and non-fiction. No unsolicited MSS. Imprints: 37 Ink, Aladdin, Atria Books, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, Beyond Words, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Emily Bestler Books, Enliven, Folger Shakespeare Library, Free Press, Gallery Books, Howard Books, Jeter Publishing, Little Simon, Marble Arch Press, Margaret K. McElderry, Mercury Ink, MTV® Books, North Star Way, Paula Wiseman Books, Pocket Books, Pocket Star, Saga Press, Scout Press, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight, Star Trek®, Strebor Books, Threshold Editions, Touchstone, Washington Square
Press VHI® Books. Founded 1924.
Soho Press, Inc.
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
tel +1 212–260-1900
email soho@sohopress.com
website www.sohopress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/SohoPress
Twitter @soho_press
Publisher Bronwen Hruska
Literary fiction, commercial fiction, mystery, memoir.
Founded 1986.
Sourcebooks Inc.
1935 Brookdale Road, Suite 139, Naperville, IL 60563
tel +1 630–961-3900
website www.sourcebooks.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/sourcebooks
Twitter @Sourcebooks
Publisher & Ceo Dominique Raccah, Coo Barb Briel, Vice President & Editorial Director Todd Stocke, Director of Sales & Marketing Chris Bauerle, SVP/Director of Information Systems and Content Lynn Dilger, Assistant Publisher Kay Mitchell
A leading independent publisher with a wide variety of genres including fiction, romance, children’s, young adult, gift/calendars and college-bound. Publishes over 300 new titles each year, and has more than 65 New York Times bestsellers. Sourcebooks’ ecommerce businesses include Put Me In the Story, the #1 personalized books platform. Founded 1987.
Stanford University Press*
425 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063
tel +1 650–723-9434
email information@www.sup.org
website www.sup.org
Scholarly (humanities and social sciences), professional (business, economics and management science), high-level textbooks. Founded 1925.
Ten Speed Press
1745 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10019
tel + 1 510–559-1600
website http://crownpublishing.com/imprint/ten-speed-press/
President Phil Wood, Publisher Lorena Jones
Career/business, cooking, practical non-fiction, health, women’s interest, self-help, children’s. Imprints: Celestial Arts, Crossing Press, Tricycle Press. Founded 1971.
University of Tennessee Press*
110 Conference Center Building, Knoxville, TN 37996
tel +1 865–974-3321
website www.utpress.org
Director Scot Danforth
American studies: African–American studies, Appalachian studies, history, religion, literature, historical archaeology, folklore, vernacular architecture, material culture. New series, Legacies of War and America’s Baptists. Founded 1940.
University of Texas Press*
PO Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713–7819
tel +1 512–471-7233
email info@utpress.utexas.edu
website www.utexaspress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/utexaspress
Director David Hamrick, Editor-in-Chief Robert
Devens
A book and journal publisher – a focal point where the life experiences, insights and specialised knowledge of writers converge to be disseminated in both print and digital format. Has published more than 3,000 books over six decades. Under the direction of David Hamrick, the Press produces approx. 100 new books and 11 journals each year.
Founded 1950.
Tuttle Publishing/Periplus Editions
Airport Business Park, 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759
tel +1 802–773-8930
email info@tuttlepublishing.com
website www.peripluspublishinggroup.com
Ceo Eric Oey, Publishing Director Ed Walters
Asian art, culture, cooking, gardening, Eastern philosophy, martial arts, health. Founded 1948.
Two-Can Publishing – see Cooper Square Publishing Viking Press – see Penguin General Books Walker & Co.
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
tel +1 212–674-5151
website www.walkerbooks.com
website www.bloomsburykids.com
General. Walker Books and Walker Books for Young Readers are imprints of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
(here).
University of Washington Press
4333 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Postal address Box 359570, Seattle, WA 981945
tel +1 206–543-4050
website www.washington.edu/uwpress
Director Nicole Mitchell
American studies, anthropology, Asian–American studies, Asian studies, art and art history, critical race studies, environmental studies, Jewish studies, music, regional studies, including history and culture of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, Native and indigenous studies, Scandinavian studies. Founded 1909.
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
tel +1 719–590-4999
email info@waterbrookmultnomah.com
website www.waterbrookmultnomah.com
Vice President & Publisher Alexander Field
Fiction and non-fiction with a Christian perspective. No unsolicited MSS. Subsidiary of Penguin Random House (here). Founded 1996.
Watson-Guptill Publications
c/o Penguin Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
tel +1 212–782-9000, +1 212–572-6066
website http://crownpublishing.com/imprint/watson-guptill/
Art, crafts, how-to, comic/cartooning, photography, performing arts, architecture and interior design, graphic design, music, writing, reference. Imprints: Amphoto Books, Watson-Guptill. Founded 1937.
Westminster John Knox Press*
100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202–1396
tel +1 502–569-8400
website www.wjkbooks.com
Scholarly reference and general books with a religious/spiritual angle. Division of Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.*
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
tel +1 201–748-6000
email info@wiley.com
website www.wiley.com
President/Ceo William J. Pesce
Specialises in scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals; encyclopedias, books and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded 1807.
Workman Publishing Company*
225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014
tel + 1 212–254-5900
email info@workman.com
website www.workman.com
Editor-in-Chief Susan Bolotin
Non-fiction including parenting. Founded 1968.
Writer’s Digest Books
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Cincinnati, OH 45242
tel + 1 513–531-2690
email writersdigest@fwmedia.com
website www.writersdigest.com
Market directories, books and magazine for writers, photographers and songwriters. Imprint of F&W
Media Inc. Founded 1920.
Family Tree
Genealogy.
North Light Books
Fine art, decorative art, crafts, graphic arts instruction books.
Popular Woodworking
How-to in home building, remodelling, woodworking, home organisation.
Yale University Press*
PO Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520–9040
tel +1 203–432-0960
UK office 47 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
website www.yale.edu/yup
Scholarly, trade books and art books.
Yen Press*
Hachette Book Group, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
email yenpress@hbgusa.com
website www.yenpress.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/yenpress
Twitter @yenpress
Graphic novels and manga in all formats for all ages. Currently not seeking original project pitches from writers who are not already working with an illustrator. For submission guidelines see under Contact on website. Division of Hachette Book Group (here). Founded 2006.
Many of the audio publishers listed below are also publishers of print books. As the audio market grows and evolves in line with listeners’ preferences, new entrants are offering a range of digital streaming solutions, often on a monthly subscription basis.
Audible
email bizdev_uk@audible.co.uk
website www.audible.co.uk
Twitter @audibleuk
Producer and seller of digital audio entertainment, including fiction and non-fiction audiobooks for adults and children. Publishers keen to enquire about business opportunities with Audible can email on the address above, or find out more about turning print books into audiobooks at www.acx.com. Founded 1995; acquired by Amazon 2008.
BookBeat
email info@bookbeat.com
website www.bookbeat.com/uk
Twitter @BookBeatUK
Digital streaming service for adult and children’s audiobooks across a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres. Monthly subscription model. Owned by Bonnier. Founded 2017.
Canongate Audio Books
14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE
tel 0131 557 5111
email support@canongate.co.uk
website www.canongate.tv
Audio Director Jamie Byng, Audio Editor Jo Dingley
Classic literature including the works of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, D.H. Lawrence and P.G. Wodehouse; also current literary authors, such as Yann Martel and Nick Cave. Publishes approx. 25 titles per year and has 150 titles available, including many short stories. Founded 1991 as CSA Word; acquired by Canongate in 2010.
Cló Iar-Chonnacht Teo
Indreabhán, Conamara, Co. Galway, Republic of Ireland
tel +353 (0)91 593307
email eolas@cic.ie
website www.cic.ie
Ceo Micheal O Conghaile, General Manager Deirdre O’Toole
Irish-language novels, short stories, plays, poetry, songs; CDs (writers reading from their works), downloads and bilingual books. Promotes the translation of contemporary Irish poetry and fiction into other languages. Founded 1985.
Creative Content Ltd
Roxburghe House, 273–287 Regent Street, London W1B 2HA
tel 07771 766838
email ali@creativecontentdigital.com
website www.creativecontentdigital.com
Publisher Ali Muirden, Editorial Director Lorelei King
Publishes audio digital downloads and ebooks in the business, language improvement, self-improvement, lifestyle, crime fiction, sci-fi, short stories and young adult genres. Founded 2008.
Hachette Audio
100 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DY
email louise.newton@littlebrown.co.uk
email sarah.shrubb@littlebrown.co.uk
website www.littlebrown.co.uk
Audio Publisher Sarah Shrubb
Audiobook list focus on unabridged titles from Little, Brown’s bestselling authors such as Iain Banks, J.K. Rowling, Sarah Waters, Donna Tartt and Mark Billingham, as well as classics such as Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Hans Fallada’s Alone in Berlin. Publishes approx. 150 audiobooks per year. Founded 2003.
HarperAudio
The News Building, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
tel 020–8285 4658
website www.harpercollins.co.uk
Twitter @HarperAudioUK
Senior Editor Fionnuala Barrett, Senior Editor Tanya Brennand-Roper,
Editor Jack Chalmers
Publishers of award-winning fiction and non-fiction audiobooks for adults and children. An imprint of HarperCollins. Founded 1990.
Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–7873 6000
email dominic.gribben@hodder.co.uk
website https://www.hodder.co.uk/
Publisher Dominic Gribben
Fiction and non-fiction from within the Hodder group. Authors include Stephen King, John Grisham, Elizabeth George, Alan Titchmarsh, Jean Auel, Jeffery Deaver, Jodi Picoult, Peter Robinson, Nick Frost, Miranda Hart, Chris Ryan, Michael Caine, David Mitchell and Alex Ferguson.
Unit 5, St George’s House, Rearsby Business Park, Gaddesby Lane, Rearsby, Leicester LE7 4YH
tel (01664) 423000
email info@wfhowes.co.uk
website www.wfhowes.co.uk
Audiobook and large-print publisher; also digital services provider. Releases c. 100 new and unabridged audiobooks monthly. Works with a range of large UK publishers, including Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. Founded 1999; acquired by RBmedia 2017.
Isis/Soundings
Isis Publishing Ltd, 7 Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES
tel (01865) 250333
website www.isis-publishing.co.uk
Twitter @Isisaudio
Chief Executive Michele Petty
Complete and unabridged audiobooks: fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, biography, crime, thrillers, family sagas, mysteries, romances.
Library Magna Books Ltd
Magna House, Long Preston, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 4ND
tel (01729) 840225
email helen.bibby@magnaprint.co.uk
website www.ulverscroft.co.uk
Managing Director Robert Thirlby
Publisher of large print and unabridged audio. Supplies libraries worldwide with some of the best-known authors in library lending. Publishes a range of fiction and non-fiction titles and specialises in family sagas. Part of the Ulverscroft Group. Founded 1973.
Macmillan Digital Audio
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
tel 020–7014 6000
email audiobooks@macmillan.co.uk
website www.panmacmillan.com
Publishing Director for Audio Rebecca Lloyd
Adult fiction, non-fiction and autobiography, and children’s. Founded 1995.
Naxos AudioBooks
5 Wyllyotts Place, Potters Bar, Herts. EN6 2JD
tel (01707) 653326
email info@naxosaudiobooks.com
website www.naxosaudiobooks.com
Managing Director Anthony Anderson
Classic literature, modern fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry on CD. Also junior classics and classical music. Founded 1994.
The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ
tel 020–3122 6876
email salesinformation@orionbooks.co.uk
website https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/
Senior Audio Manager Paul Stark
Adult fiction and non-fiction. Founded 1998.
Penguin Random House UK Audio
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA
tel 020–7840 8400
website www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Managing Director Hannah Telfer
Includes classic and contemporary fiction and non-fiction, autobiography, poetry and drama. Authors include Jo Nesbø, Lee Child, Kathy Reichs, Nick Hornby, Claire Tomalin, Zadie Smith and Paula Hawkins.
Simon & Schuster Audio
Simon & Schuster UK, 1st Floor, 222 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8HB
tel 020–7316 1900
email enquiries@simonandschuster.co.uk
website www.simonandschuster.co.uk/audio
Publisher Jo Dickinson
Fiction and non-fiction audiobooks. Fiction authors include Philippa Gregory, Jackie Collins, Lynda La Plante and Tom Rob Smith. Non-fiction authors include Stephen Covey, Rhonda Byrne, Anthony Robbins and Spencer Johnson. Founded 1997.
SmartPass Ltd
15 Park Road, Rottingdean, Brighton, BN2 7HL
tel (01273) 306203
email info@smartpass.co.uk
website www.smartpass.co.uk
Unabridged plays, poetry and dramatisations of novels as guided full-cast dramas for individual study and classroom use. Shakespeare Appreciated: full-cast unabridged plays with an explanatory commentary. SPAudiobooks: full-cast unabridged dramas of classic and cult texts.
Ulverscroft Group Ltd
The Green, Bradgate Road, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7FU
tel 0116 236 4325
email m.merrill@ulverscroft.co.uk
website www.ulverscroft.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/ulverscroft
Twitter @UlverscroftUK
Offers a wide variety of large print titles in hardback and paperback formats as well as abridged and unabridged audio books, many of which are written by the world’s favourite authors and includes award-winning titles. Founded 1964.
Many illustrated books are created by book packagers, whose particular skills are in the areas of book design and graphic content. In-house desk editors and art editors match up the expertise of specialist writers, artists and photographers who usually work on a freelance basis.
Aladdin Books Ltd
PO Box 53987, London SW15 2SF
tel 020–3174 3090
email sales@aladdinbooks.co.uk
website www.aladdinbooks.co.uk
Full design and book packaging facility specialising in children’s non-fiction and reference. Founded 1980.
Amber Books Ltd
74–77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF
tel 020–7520 7600
email enquiries@amberbooks.co.uk
website www.amberbooks.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/amberbooks
Twitter @amberbooks
Managing Director Stasz Gnych, Rights Director Sara McKie, Publishing Manager Charles Catton, Head of Production Peter Thompson, Design Manager Mark Batley, Picture Manager Terry Forshaw
Book packager and publisher creating illustrated nonfiction books, ebooks and apps for adults and children. Subjects include military technology, military history, history, survival and family reference. Works include multi-volume sets for schools and libraries, encyclopedias and highly illustrated reference series. Military titles published under Amber imprint. Children’s titles created under Tiptoe Books imprint. Opportunities for freelancers.
Founded 1989.
Nicola Baxter Ltd
16 Cathedral Street, Norwich NR1 1LX
tel (01603) 766585, 07778 285555
email nb@nicolabaxter.co.uk
website www.nicolabaxter.co.uk
Director Nicola Baxter
Full packaging service for children’s books in both traditional and digital formats. Happy to take projects from concept to finished work or supply bespoke authorial, editorial, design, project management or commissioning services. Produces both fiction and non-fiction titles in a wide range of formats, for babies to young adults and experienced in novelty books and licensed publishing. Founded 1990.
Bender Richardson White
PO Box 266, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB9 5NX
tel (01895) 832444
email brw@brw.co.uk
website www.brw.co.uk
Directors Lionel Bender (editorial), Kim Richardson (sales & production), Ben White (design)
Specialises in children’s and young people’s natural history, science and family information. Opportunities for freelancers. Founded 1990.
Breslich & Foss Ltd
2A Union Court, 20–22 Union Road, London SW4 6JP
tel 020–7819 3990
email sales@breslichfoss.co.uk
website www.breslichfoss.co.uk
Directors Paula G. Breslich, K.B. Dunning
Books produced from MSS to bound copy stage from in-house ideas. Specialising in crafts. Founded 1978.
John Brown Group – Children’s Division
8 Baldwin Street, London EC1V 9NU
tel 020–7565 3000
email andrew.hirsch@johnbrownmedia.com
website www.johnbrownmedia.com
Directors Andrew Hirsch (operations), Sara Lynn
(creative)
Creative development and packaging of children’s products including books, magazines, teachers’ resource packs, partworks, CDs and websites.
Cambridge Publishing Management Ltd
Unit 2, Burr Elm Court, Main Street, Caldecote, Cambs. CB23 7NU
tel (01954) 214000
email j.dobbyne@cambridgepm.co.uk
website www.cambridgepm.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/cambridgepm
Twitter @CambridgePM
Managing Director Jackie Dobbyne, Editorial Manager Katie Silvester
Provides a streamlined route to publication for publishers, non-profits, charitable foundations and corporate clients. Offers complete project management from author commissioning and management through design, editorial and production to the supply of print-ready or digital files. The company’s core activities are conducted inhouse. Manages titles in a number of subject areas, from art and business to education and policy reports. Uses an extensive network of trusted freelance specialists who enable the company to provide quality content while the project managers fulfil the pivotal role of ensuring publications are delivered on time, within budget and to clients’ exact specification. Founded 1999.
Chase My Snail
19 Darnell House, Royal Hill, London SE10 8SU
tel 0785 267 5689 or +27 (0)82 822 8221 (South
Africa)
email headsnail@chasemysnail.com
website www.chasemysnail.com
Publishing Director Daniel Ford
Produces top-quality books, especially non-fiction sports, fitness and travel publications, for the co-edition market. Handles writing, editing, proofing and design to take the book through from concept to final files. Has a wide range of book ideas already developed for publishers looking to extend their lists. Operates in London and Johannesburg.
Creative Plus Publishing Ltd
2nd Floor, 151 High Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 9AB
tel (01277) 633005
email enquiries@creative-plus.co.uk
website www.creative-plus.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/CreativePlusPublishingLtd
Managing Director Beth Johnson
Provides all editorial and design from concept to final files for books, partworks and magazines. Specialises in female interest, children’s, gardening, illustrated non-fiction and instructional video production. Opportunities for freelancers. Founded 1989.
Diagram Visual Information Ltd
34 Elaine Grove, London NW5 4QH
tel 020–7485 5941
email info@diagramgroup.com
website www.diagramgroup.com
Directors Jane Johnson, Patricia Robertson
Research, writing, design and illustration of reference books, supplied as disks. Founded 1967.
Eddison Books Ltd
St Chad’s House, 148 King’s Cross Road, London WC1X 9DH
tel 020–7837 1968
email info@eddisonbooks.com
website www.eddisonbooks.com
Director Stéphane Leduc
Illustrated non-fiction books, kits and gift titles for the international co-edition market. Broad, popular list including Mind, Body & Spirit; health; personal development; and parenting, childcare and brain-training.
Edition
PO Box 1, Moffat, Dumfriesshire DG10 9SU
tel (01683) 220808
email jh@cameronbooks.co.uk
Director Jill Hollis
Illustrated non-fiction. Design, editing, typesetting and production from concept to finished book for galleries, museums, institutions and other publishers. Founded 1976.
Elwin Street Productions Ltd
(Trade Imprint: Modern Books) 14 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DP
tel 020–7253 3044
email silvia@elwinstreet.com
website www.elwinstreet.com
Director Silvia Langford, Rights Director Elena
Battista, Production Manager Marion Storz
Illustrated co-edition publisher of adult non-fiction: reference, visual arts, popular sciences, lifestyle, gastronomy, health and nutrition, parenting, gift and humour.
Global Blended Learning Ltd
Riverside House, Two Rivers, Station Lane, Witney, Oxon OX28 4BH
tel (01993) 706273
email info@hlstudios.eu.com
website www.globalblendedlearning.com
Primary, secondary academic education (geography, science, modern languages) and co-editions (travel guides, gardening, cookery). Multimedia (CD-Rom programming and animations). Opportunities for freelancers. Founded 1985.
Graham-Cameron Publishing & Illustration
59 Hertford Road, Brighton BN1 7GG
tel (01273) 385890
email enquiry@gciforillustration.com
and The Art House, Uplands Park, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8NE
tel (01263) 821333
website www.gciforillustration.com
Partners Helen Graham-Cameron, Duncan Graham-Cameron
Educational and children’s books; information publications; sponsored publications. Illustration agency with 37 artists. Do not send unsolicited MSS.
Founded 1985.
Hart McLeod Ltd
14a Greenside, Waterbeach, Cambridge CB25 9HP
tel (01223) 861495
email jo@hartmcleod.co.uk
website www.hartmcleod.co.uk
Director Joanne Barker
Primarily educational and general non-fiction with particular expertise in illustrated books, school texts, ELT and electronic and audio content. Opportunities for freelancers and work experience. Founded 1985.
Heart of Albion
2 Cross Hill Close, Wymeswold, Loughborough LE12 6UJ
email albion@indigogroup.co.uk
website www.hoap.co.uk
Director Bob Trubshaw
Specialises in Wiltshire and Leicestershire local interest titles; also folklore, mythology and social history. Publishes up to ten titles a year. See website for submission details. Founded 1989.
Ivy Press Ltd
Ovest House, 58 West Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2RA
tel (01273) 487440
email applications@ivy-group.co.uk
website www.ivypress.co.uk
Twitter @QuartoExplores
Creative Director Michael Whitehead, International Publishing Director Simon Gwynn, Publisher Susan
Kelly
Publishers of illustrated trade books on art, science, popular culture, design, children’s non-fiction, natural history and Conscious Living. Opportunities for authors and freelancers. Founded 1996.
Lexus Ltd
47 Brook Street, Glasgow G40 2QW
tel 0141 556 0440
email peterterrell@lexusforlanguages.co.uk
website www.lexusforlanguages.co.uk
Director P.M. Terrell
Publisher of language books, especially language learning material and phrasebooks: Lexus Travelmate series (15 titles) and Chinese Classroom series (two textbooks and CD-Rom with speech recognition); Insider China; UK4U (written in Chinese). Also dual language books: Cross Over into Gaelic series (Maggie Midge, Scottish Folk Tales); Scottish Folk Tales in English and French; ScotlandSpeak, a wordbook for Scotland. For children: dual language books for young children, Mess on the Floor, with audio app (French, German, Spanish and Scottish Gaelic); Gaelic Gold, a learner’s dictionary/phrasebook; What’s in a Scottish Placename? Founded 1980.
Little People Books
The Home of BookBod, Knighton, Radnorshire LD7 1UP
tel (01547) 520925
email littlepeoplebooks@thehobb.tv
website www.littlepeoplebooks.co.uk
Directors Grant Jesse (production & managing), Helen Wallis (rights & finance)
Packager of audio, children’s educational and textbooks, digital publications. Parent company: Grant Jessé UK.
Market House Books Ltd
Suite B, Elsinore House, 43 Buckingham Street, Aylesbury, Bucks. HP20 2NQ
tel (01296) 484911
email books@mhbref.com
website www.markethousebooks.com
Twitter @markethousebook
Directors Jonathan Law (editorial), Anne Kerr
(production)
Book packagers with experience in producing reference books from small pocket dictionaries to large multi-volume colour encyclopedias and from specialist academic reference books to popular books for crossword enthusiasts. Deals with publishers worldwide. Services offered include: start-to-finish project management; commissioning of writers and editors; writing and rewriting; editing and copy-editing; proof-reading; checking of final pages; keyboarding; typesetting; page design and make-up; text conversion; data manipulation; database management. Founded 1970.
Orpheus Books Ltd
6 Church Green, Witney, Oxon OX28 4AW
tel (01993) 774949
email info@orpheusbooks.com
website www.orpheusbooks.com
website www.Q-files.com
Executive Directors Nicholas Harris, Sarah Hartley
Children’s illustrated non-fiction/reference books and ebooks. Orpheus Books are the creators of Q-files.com, the free online children’s encyclopedia.
Founded 1993.
Quantum Publishing
(Imprint of The Quarto Group) 6 Blundell Street, London N7 8BH
tel 020–7700 6700
email kerry.enzor@quarto.com
website www.quarto.com
Publisher Kerry Enzor
Co-edition publisher and packager of a wide range of non-fiction titles; including healthy eating, fitness, history, Mind, Body & Spirit and craft. Part of The Quarto Group. Founded 1995.
The Quarto Group, Inc.*
The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street, London N7 9BH
tel 020–7700 9000/020–7700 8066
email dan.rosenberg@quarto.com
website www.Quarto.com
Chairman Timothy Chadwick, Ceo Marcus Leaver, Chief Financial Officer Mick Mousley, Director, Quarto International Co-editions Group David Breuer, President & Ceo, Quarto Publishing Group USA Ken Fund, Managing Director, Quarto Publishing Group UK David Inman
The Quarto Group is a leading global illustrated book publisher and distribution group. It is composed of three publishing divisions: Quarto International Coeditions Group; Quarto Publishing Group USA; and Quarto Publishing Group UK; plus Books & Gifts Direct (a direct seller of books and gifts in Australia and New Zealand) and Regent Publishing Services, a specialist print services company based in Hong Kong. Quarto International Co-editions Group creates illustrated books that are licensed and printed for third-party publishers for publication under their own imprints in over 30 languages around the world. The division includes: Quarto Publishing, Quarto Children’s Books, words & pictures, Qu:id, Quintessence, Quintet Publishing, QED, RotoVision, Marshall Editions, Marshall Editions Children’s Books, Harvard Common Press, Small World Creations, Fine Wine Editions, Apple Press, Global Book Publishing, Iqon Editions Ltd., Ivy Press and Quantum Publishing. Book categories: practical art and crafts, graphic arts, lifestyle, reference, food and drink, gardening, popular culture.
Salamander – see Pavilion Books Tangerine Designs Ltd*
Level 5, The Old Malthouse, Clarence Street, Bath BA1 5NS
website www.tangerinedesigns.co.uk
Packagers and international co-edition publishers of children’s books. Brands include: The Little Dreamers, Jolly Maties, Baby Eco, Little Eco. Specialising in novelty books, book-plus and innovations. Submissions accepted from UK only; must enclose sae if return required. See website for submissions procedure. Founded 2000.
Toucan Books Ltd
The Old Fire Station, 140 Tabernacle Street, London EC2A 4SD
tel 020–7250 3388
website www.toucanbooks.co.uk
Directors Robert Sackville West, Ellen Dupont
International co-editions; editorial, design and production services. Founded 1985.
Windmill Books Ltd
1st Floor, 9–17 St Albans Place, London N1 0NX
tel 020–7424 5640
Children’s Publisher Anne O’Daly
Book, partwork and continuity set packaging services for trade, promotional and international publishers. Opportunities for freelancers.
Working Partners Ltd
9 Kingsway, 4th Floor, London WC2B 6XF
tel 020–7841 3939
email enquiries@workingpartnersltd.co.uk
website www.workingpartnersltd.co.uk
Managing Director Chris Snowdon, Operations Director Charles Nettleton
Children’s and young adult fiction series. Genres include: animal fiction, fantasy, horror, historical, detective, magical, adventure. No unsolicited MSS or illustrations. Pays advance and royalty; retains copyright on all works. Selects writers from unpaid writing samples based on specific brief. Looking to add writers to database: to register: www.workingpartnersltd.co.uk/apply/. Founded 1995.
Working Partners Two
Managing Director Charles Nettleton Adult fiction. Aims to create novels across most adult genres for UK, USA and international houses. See above for submission guidelines. Founded 2006.
Baker Books
Manfield Park, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8NU
tel (01483) 267888
email enquiries@bakerbooks.co.uk
website www.bakerbooks.co.uk
International school book club for children aged 3–16. Operates in international and English-medium schools.
Bibliophile
5 Datapoint, South Crescent, London E16 4TL
tel 020–7474 2474
email orders@bibliophilebooks.com
website www.bibliophilebooks.com
Secretary Annie Quigley
Promotes value-for-money reading. Upmarket literature and classical music on CD available from mail order catalogue (10 p.a.). Over 3,000 titles covering art and fiction as well as travel, history and children’s books. Founded 1978.
The Book People Ltd
Park Menai, Bangor LL57 4FB
tel 0845 602 4040
email marketing@thebookpeople.co.uk
website www.thebookpeople.co.uk
Popular general fiction and non-fiction, including children’s and travel. Monthly.
The Folio Society
Clove Building, 4 Maguire Street, London SE1 2NQ
tel 020–7400 4222
website www.foliosociety.com
Twitter @foliosociety
Publishers of illustrated fiction, non-fiction and poetry books. Founded 1947.
Letterbox Library
Unit 151, Stratford Workshops, Burford Road, London E15 2SP
tel 020–8534 7502
email info@letterboxlibrary.com
website www.letterboxlibrary.com
Twitter @LetterboxLib
Booksellers, specialising in children’s books that celebrate inclusion, equality and diversity.
The Poetry Book Society
c/o Inpress Ltd, Churchill House, 12 Mosley Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1DE
tel 0191 230 8100
email pbs@inpressbooks.co.uk
website www.poetrybooks.co.uk
Twitter @PoetryBookSoc
Runs a quarterly poetry book club, with poet selectors choosing the best new collection of the quarter. Also operates online poetry bookshop, and publishes the Bulletin quarterly review of new poetry (available to full members). See also here.
Red House
PO Box 142, Bangor LL57 4FBZ
tel 0845 606 4280
email enquiries@redhouse.co.uk
website www.redhouse.co.uk
A member of The Book People family. Aims to help parents to select the right books for their children at affordable prices. Founded 1979.
Scholastic Book Fairs
Westfield Road, Southam, Warks. CV47 0RA
tel 0800 212281
email info@scholastic.co.uk
website https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/
Twitter @scholasticuk
Sells directly to children, parents and teachers through 25,000 week-long events held in schools throughout the UK.
Stronger together: writers united
Novelist Maggie Gee encourages writers to get together to cultivate writing friendships and to make full use of the wide range of advice and support writers’ organisations have to offer.
Do you remember the YouGov research (February 2015) that found being an author was the most desired ‘job’ in Britain? Apparently more than 60% of Brits think they would like it. YouGov, slightly oddly, concluded that the ‘aura of prestige’ around the ‘quiet, intellectual life’ was what attracted people. I wonder if the real reason that being an author is so popular is because people think authors just stay at home – enjoying a sort of perpetual sickie that protects them from public transport, bosses and colleagues, while their million-pound royalties gracefully accrete of their own accord?
It’s not like that any more. Vanishingly rare are the authors who do nothing but write books in solitary studies, self-basting in a silent aura of prestige. Now more than ever authors need meeting-places, networks, publicity, legal and financial support, friends and colleagues, critics and fans, and – far too often – day-jobs. The most recent research commissioned by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS, see here), the highly effective organisation that protects writers’ rights and collects, on our behalf, money due from the copying or broadcasting of our work all over the world, tells us that writers’ incomes have shrunk by around a third since 2005, and the proportion of full-time professional writers has gone down from 40% to 11%. In that landscape, we need writers’ organisations to watch our back. New writers should join ALCS and register for Public Lending Right (PLR, see here), the organisation that ensures the government pays authors money every time their books are taken out from libraries.
And don’t forget to make good writing friendships. I discovered the importance of this very early on. I had, it’s true, been writing poetry and novels in solitary bedsits throughout my twenties. Those hours of lonely application doubtless gave me technique, but they didn’t give me a publisher; there were no creative writing MAs back then and I didn’t know any writers. But out of the blue I got a letter from a small publisher saying they were starting ‘a small, serious fiction list’ (this would not happen today) and asking if I had a novel in a bottom drawer which they could look at ‘with a view to finding the statue in the stone.’
I sent off my manuscript. Six months later, I got a letter offering publication and a £500 advance. I still vividly remember drinking to the future that had so suddenly arrived, in the open air as the evening sky deepened to indigo over Turnham Green.
If this sounds too good to be true, it was. Not long after the joyous bottle of wine on the grass another letter came from the publisher asking if I would ‘support’ them in their ‘desire to continue publishing serious fiction’ by forgoing my advance. I was outraged, not least by that weaselling choice of words. I was working double shifts as a receptionist in a hotel to pay the rent and I could barely support myself – how could I support a publisher? Soon I was trying not to cry with frustration as I constantly ran out of coins in a faulty public phone box, explaining to writer Robert Hewison of the Writers’ Guild (WGGB, see here) what had happened. To his credit, even though I was not a member, he gave me good advice, and he also told me to join a union. I had got my first taste of a central truth about this business: writing may happen alone but, to get that writing safely out into the world, we need other people.
What else did I learn from that first novel? Put not your faith in princes or publishers, put your faith in publicity and good pals. When a writer-journalist friend of mine, Anthony Holden, loved the novel and arranged for a full-page excerpt to be published in The Times, my publisher suddenly contacted me to say they would pay me the money after all.
Though publishers and writers both break them, contracts are vital. The percentage share that authors get of electronic and translation rights for example, or of copies sold at a discount, are vital to our livelihood. It’s all in the small print, and a novice eye can’t spot problems. New writers, especially if they don’t have an agent, should join one of the writers’ trades unions when they are offered their first contract. Both the Society of Authors (SoA, see here) and the Writers’ Guild (the latter typically for film and theatre writers) offer members a free contract-vetting service. Over my 40-year career the Society of Authors has been there for me in a few tight corners: when I couldn’t use a computer for six months because of RSI, they gave me a £3,000 Francis Head bequest; when one of my publishers broke a contract, they supported my agent in extracting a payment.
After I had published a few novels I was asked to do a stint with other writers on the Society of Authors’ management committee. Every month we heard riveting stories about the disputes between writers and publishers that the Society was trying to sort out. Sometimes the writers had behaved abominably (which was shocking but thrilling), but it seemed to me that, more often, the publishers were trying to get away with murder and the legal weight of the Society was needed to restrain them.
I have since served for six years on the Public Lending Right Committee, seven years on the Council of the Royal Society of Literature, four of those as its first woman Chair, and this year I was elected to the Board of ALCS. It’s easier for writers to trust organisations run by writers. Novelists Maureen Duffy and Brigid Brophy were the driving force behind the Writers’ Action Group (WAG) who set up ALCS and Public Lending Right. ALCS has distributed over £400 million to authors since it began collecting money for rights which authors simply don’t have time to collect themselves; it has approximately 90,000 members. My PLR payments, despite ongoing cuts to libraries, have over the decades paid for new computers, research trips and, in the early days, the rent. PLR Registrar Jim Parker has helped other countries set up their own PLR schemes, too, for authors’ causes are international. ALCS has founded not only the Parliamentary Writers’ Group, where writers lobby ministers, MPs and lords about forthcoming legislation, but also the International Authors’ Forum (IAF) which has 52 member organisations from 28 countries and makes sure writers’ voices are heard when copyright law is being discussed at the United Nations.
Not everyone is an activist. The Society of Authors has an extensive programme of social events, some in London, some nationwide. Meeting other writers does matter. Despite Samuel Beckett’s reputation for proud and lonely artistic innovation, in Paris as a young man he cultivated James Joyce and had a wide range of literary and artistic contacts. Of course publishers want authors to be active and popular on Facebook and Twitter, but virtual friends will never be quite as warm as the ones you meet in the flesh. Plus, using your legs is a good way of avoiding the health hazards of sitting still all day writing and tweeting. Instead, look out for tweets about events and launches and, if the event is public, turn up – in most cities there will be something literary going on, and by getting out there you will be showing interest in other people’s work, which may even be returned. Literary salons offer a mix of music, readings and drinks. The longest-lasting and most diverse of these is probably Book Slam (www.bookslam.com), started by the author Patrick Neate.
The Royal Society of Literature holds regular talks, readings and workshops at Somerset House.
One of the best ways of making writer allies near the beginning of a career is to attend a creative writing group or course (see Writers’ retreats and creative writing courses, here). I have taught creative writing in too many places to mention over the years, for ground-breaking organisations like Arvon with its week-long stays for groups of 16 in stunning countryside, from Devon to Moniack Mhor in Scotland, and for London’s Spread the Word, with its innovative programme, affordable prices and urban edge. More recently I’ve taught on the Faber ‘Writing a Novel’ course, which takes groups of up to 14 through six months of development as novelists in leafy Bloomsbury. Arriving very nervous at the beginning, they are soon meeting up after class every week for shrieks of laughter in the pub.
Currently I am a professor on one of the country’s most high-profile Creative Writing MAs, at Bath Spa University, from which novelists like Nathan Filer, Tessa Hadley and Samantha Harvey have graduated, and where, after becoming successful novelists, they now teach part-time. The groups there are small – usually only eight. Regularly reading and commenting on each other’s work, these writers start to love each other’s projects, and afterwards, when one gets published, the whole group receives a boost. Agents and publishers come and visit. Despite the hard work and occasional blips (for writers are sensitive, sometimes prickly, creatures) all the courses I remember teaching on have been happy places with a huge amount of laughter.
Alas, in the end socialising is not writing – talking is not writing. Complaining to a sympathetic ear about not writing is definitely not writing. The more you get hooked in to the communal aspect of the writers’ life, the more fiercely you will have to protect your ability to write the book you want in your own way. Even if there are only eight writers in your group, you can’t respond to all their differing comments. What will really help is finding the voice or couple of voices that you trust, probably the ones that correspond to the small internal voice that already knows what is good and bad about your book. Those particular readers are gold dust, yet still you have to make the final decisions yourself.
Writers in groups often find it hard when the regular sessions finish. Frequently their writing stalls for a bit. Writers have to be able to work the central magic by themselves at some point. They have to find a space far enough away from the social, active, competitive world to dream up an alternative one and polish it to an obsessive sheen.
Then, when the story is almost ready to go, other people come in again: a good first reader who you will probably have found and grown to trust already; a good agent; and a good publisher. Then good bookshops to sell your work in; no writer I have ever known has managed to build an actual ‘relationship’ with Amazon. If you see a book of yours in a bookshop, booksellers are often delighted if you introduce yourself and offer to sign it. Good luck.
Maggie Gee, OBE’S most recent novel, Virginia Woolf in Manhattan (Telegram 2014) is a comedy that brings Virginia Woolf back to life in the 21st century in New York and Istanbul. She has written a memoir, My Animal Life (Telegram 2010); a collection of short stories, The Blue (2006); and 12 acclaimed novels, including The White Family (Saqi Books 2002), shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and two comedies about the UK and Uganda, My Cleaner and My Driver (Telegram 2009). She was the first female Chair of the Royal Society of Literature (2004–8) and is currently one of its Vice-Presidents. An international conference about her work was held at St Andrew’s University, Scotland, in 2012. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and a non-executive Director of ALCS. Follow her on Twitter @maggiegeewriter.
Tania Hershman shares her passion for short stories. She introduces the multitude of different forms a short story can take and how to go about writing your own. She also outlines the possibilities for seeing your own short stories published.
The first short stories I read, as a child, were Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, which are horrifyingly wonderful. I couldn’t believe so much could happen in only a few pages. Thus my interest in the short story was piqued. Later on, in my late twenties, I read Ali Smith’s Other Stories and Other Stories, and was similarly astonished. This is also a short story? A short story can also be so quiet, intimate and just as powerful? And with that, my love for the form was sealed. Having wanted to be a writer from a very early age, I decided to set out to learn how to write short stories.
Short story writers
Some of my favourite short story writers are: Donald Barthelme, Richard Brautigan, Roald Dahl, Anthony Doerr, Janice Galloway, A.L. Kennedy, Ian McEwan, Lorrie Moore, Flannery O’Connor, Grace Paley, George Saunders, Ali Smith, Jeanette Turner Hospital and Tobias Woolf.
What is a short story?
In one respect there is a simple answer: a short story is short, and it’s a story. What is short? As short as you like, down to five or six words even, some would say. And at the other end of the scale, the short story butts up against the novella at around 20,000 words, or roughly 100 pages. So, there’s a lot of space inside the word ‘short’. The question of what constitutes a story is more difficult. Beginning, middle and end? The more we try to define, the less clear it becomes, so let’s say we know a complete story when we read one, as opposed to an excerpt from something else.
It’s easier to say what a short story is not: it’s not a mini-novel; it’s not a poem without line breaks. However, it can sometimes seem like either of these. What it comes down to is that the short story is its own thing, a unique creature. Great short stories are great not despite their length but because of it. Great short story writers understand the rhythms of brevity, and that what is left out of a short story is just as important as the words it contains. Readers of short stories are required to fill in the gaps themselves, to do a little work, and being involved in the story rather than just watching it unfold makes reading them very rewarding.
Tips for writing short stories
1. There is no one way to write, there are no rules, everyone does it differently. Pick and choose from other people’s writing tips or make up your own rules, and find the way that works best for you.
2. Pin a note above your writing desk that says, ‘No-one is ever going to read this’ so that you can write freely without any inhibitions!
3. When you write, don’t forget that everything is in the service of the story: characters, setting, plot, structure, voice, style, beginning, middle, end. Nothing is sacred.
4. Don’t try and write for a particular market or competition; write the kinds of things you love to read. Surprise yourself, delight yourself, tell yourself stories.
5. Don’t be afraid to take risks, to stray away from the known into chaos, to get away from labels and boxes. Feel free to make your writing messy, raw and original rather than neat, safe and familiar.
Literary magazines
Some of my favourite literary magazines are listed here; they all accept short stories.
A3 Review
website http://www.writingmaps.com/collections/the-a3-review
A magazine that behaves like a map, with prose and poetry drawn from monthly contests.
Bare Fiction
website www.barefictionmagazine.co.uk
Flash fiction, short stories, poetry, plays and more in a large print mag, plus annual contests.
Cease, Cows
website www.ceasecows.com
Exploring the contemporary and the strange, flash fiction and prose poetry, online.
Conjunctions
website www.conjunctions.com
Innovative writing across fiction, non-fiction and poetry, in print and online.
Gorse
website http://gorse.ie
A print journal published in Dublin, featuring original fiction, longform narrative essays, poetry and interviews.
Gutter
See here.
Interzone
See here.
LabLit
website www.lablit.com
‘The culture of science in fiction and fact.’
The Letters Page
website www.theletterspage.ac.uk
A fabulous, correspondence-themed literary journal.
Litro
See here.
Memorious
website www.memorious.org
A journal of new verse and fiction.
PANK Magazine
website www.pankmagazine.com
Emerging and experimental poetry and prose.
Riptide
website www.riptidejournal.co.uk
Short stories with an undercurrent.
SHORT Fiction
website www.shortfictionjournal.co.uk
Beautifully illustrated annual journal focusing on short stories.
Southword
website www.munsterlit.ie/Southword/issues_index.html
New writing from Ireland.
Stinging Fly
website www.stingingfly.org
A beautifully printed magazine showcasing new
Irish and international writing with a particular interest in short stories.
Subtropics
website http://subtropics.english.ufl.edu
The literary magazine from the University of Florida.
Synaesthesia Magazine
website www.synaesthesiamagazine.com
Themed online magazine of art, fiction, poetry and non-fiction articles and interviews. Showcasing weird, unusual, thought-provoking and occasionally bizarre fiction and poetry.
Visual Verse
website http://visualverse.org
An online anthology of art and poetry, short fiction and non-fiction, between 50 and 500 words.
Wigleaf
website http://wigleaf.com
Features stories under 1,000 words.
There are as many types of short story as there are great short stories. They can be any genre at all – science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, crime, paranormal romance, humour, lit fic, chick lit, magical realism, surrealism – or any combination of these. There are no restrictions on content, style or voice. They can be told in the first person, third person, or even the second person (‘You wake up in the morning...’) or the first person plural (‘When we wake up it is still dark...’). Short stories can be ‘experimental’ – for example, they might take the form of a list or a recipe, or even a PowerPoint presentation. It is often easier to ask a reader to suspend disbelief and enter into an entirely bizarre world for only a few pages rather than something much longer.
There is a plethora of writing workshops and courses (see here) on offer face to face and online, and undergraduate and postgraduate courses in creative writing (see here). The short story world is buzzing with activity.
How to write a short story
There is no right or wrong way to write a short story. Some writers ‘splurge’ a first draft onto the page and then spend time revising the story. Others write the first paragraph and can’t move on until they know what happens next, and generally this is how I write, revising as I go. The American writer Lorrie Moore says she writes the beginning of a short story, then the end, then the middle. A new story comes to me as a first line which demands to be written down. Other writers see an image or hear a voice. Something which took me a long time to internalise is that nothing is sacred in your first draft – not the characters, the plot, the location, the tense (past, present, future), or who is telling the story (main character, narrator...). Anything can be changed, cut entirely or moved around. Where you start writing may not be – and is often not – where the story should actually start. You don’t have to start with a blank page: you could grab the nearest book, open it at random, pick a sentence and use that as your first line. Or go to YouTube, pick a video and use it as inspiration. A method that works for me is to compile a set of six prompt phrases taken from six different poems by various authors and write for a fixed amount of time, incorporating these phrases in my story.
Where you finish writing is often not where the story should end. Most of us have a tendency to overwrite endings, trying to tie up all the loose ends, but a good ending is vital. It’s not possible to have a fantastic short story with a weak ending, one that stops abruptly so you turn the page and are surprised to find it has finished, or one that peters out, or an ending that goes on and on and doesn’t know when to stop. I was told early on that the ending of a short story should be surprising yet inevitable. This is easier said than done. Ending a short story well comes with practice; it’s an instinct you develop from reading many short stories as well as writing.
Publishing short stories
It is an excellent time to be a short story writer as the short story is getting a lot of attention. Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature; Lydia Davis, American writer of short and very short stories, won the 2013 Man Booker International Prize; and American short story writer George Saunders won the inaugural 2014 Folio Prize for Literature, which is open to all works of fiction.
There are many places where you can submit your work. When you have a short story ready to send out, a good place to start is with a literary magazine. There are now thousands of literary magazines being published worldwide, both online and in print – and sometimes as audio magazines. The literary magazine is not – as its name might imply – just for
‘literary fiction’ (another term that is easier to define by what it’s not) but covers all genres. A literary journal may ask for stories that are only in a particular genre or on a particular theme, or under a certain length, or it may be open to all. Online databases of writers’ markets such as Duotrope.com (a small annual fee is charged) allow you to search according to various parameters.
Always read a magazine before submitting anything. Each literary magazine has submission guidelines that should be followed to the letter. One way editors cut down on reading the hundreds of submissions they receive is to discard those that fail to stick to their guidelines – for example, if a story is double the permitted length, or if a science fiction story is sent to a magazine that only wants realist fiction. The majority of literary magazines and competitions stipulate that short stories must not have been previously published, and putting them online where anyone can read them – for example on your blog – counts as ‘previously published’. The majority of literary magazines don’t charge a fee to submit work but neither do they pay contributors, other than with a copy of the issue in which they are published (if it is a print journal). Although you won’t make a living from publishing in literary magazines, it’s wonderful to see your name in print (or pixels) and to have your story where it will find readers. It also helps to build your reputation as a writer.
Anthologies are another place where short stories are published. A publisher (mostly small independent presses) will issue a ‘Call for Submissions’, which is sometimes on a theme or it may be an open call. These can be found on publishers’ websites, or via resources such as Duotrope.com and Places for Writers (www.placesforwriters.com). Authors with stories accepted usually receive one or two copies of the anthology and there is sometimes a small payment to the contributors.
BBC Radio 4 has two short story slots, the 15-minute Afternoon Reading on Fridays and the Short Reading on Sunday evenings (see Stories on radio on here), and the BBC pays well for short stories. Look out for the Opening Lines competition, which is for writers new to radio (see box below), and for published writers there’s also the annual BBC National Short Story Award (see here).
Small presses that publish short story collections
Black Inc Books
website www.blackincbooks.com
Black Lawrence Press
website www.blacklawrence.com.au
Cinnamon Press
website www.cinnamonpress.com
Comma Press
website www.commapress.co.uk
Dzanc Books
website www.dzancbooks.org
FC2
website www.fc2.org
Rose Metal Press
website http://rosemetalpress.com
Route
website www.route-online.com
Salt Publishing
website www.saltpublishing.com
Small Beer Press
website http://smallbeerpress.com
Stinging Fly Press
There are an increasing number of competitions for short stories. Usually an entry fee is payable, but always check into a competition’s reputation before sending off your money and story. Look for competition listings in reputable magazines such as Mslexia and other sources (see box below). If something sounds too good to be true, it may well be! While prizes can be up to £1,000 for the winning story – occasionally more – there can, of course, only be one winner. But competitions sometimes offer cash prizes – and publication – to finalists as well, and to be included in a competition anthology such as those published by the Bristol Short Story Prize (www.bristolprize.co.uk), the The White Review Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers (www.thewhitereview.org/prizes/white-review-short-storyprize-2017), or the Bridport Prize (see here) is a very prestigious accomplishment. (See also Prizes and awards on here for other short story competitions.) Competitions often make public not just the winners but also the longlisted and shortlisted stories, and to see your story on one of these lists is a great confidence boost – no, you didn’t win, but your story rose close to the top out of hundreds, perhaps thousands of entries.
Another place where you can submit your stories is one of the growing number of ‘live lit’ events, where, if your story is accepted, you will either be invited to the venue to read it or it will be read by an actor (see box on here).
Be ready for rejection
It isn’t wise to begin submitting anything until you are ready to receive a rejection. There is never a time in the life of a writer when rejection doesn’t feature. It just gets easier to deal with as you understand that it is not a rejection of you personally and that there are many reasons why an editor may not pick your story. For example, perhaps it doesn’t fit with his vision for that particular issue of the magazine; or maybe it was a topic that she personally doesn’t like to read about; or it could be that you haven’t got the ending right yet (sometimes editors can give marvellous feedback in rejection letters and I have found this very useful). Similarly, not getting anywhere in a competition doesn’t necessarily mean the story isn’t good. Competitions, too, are judged by human beings, with their own likes and dislikes.
I didn’t submit anything for publication during my first seven years of writing short stories. Instead, I went to workshops (the Arvon Foundation, now Arvon, see here;
Short story competitions and contests
Mslexia
See here.
Opening Lines
website www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007tmq5
Poets and Writers’ Magazine Tools for Writers
website www.pw.org/toolsforwriters
Places for Writers
website www.placesforwriters.com
ShortStops
website www.shortstops.info
CRWROPPS list on Yahoo
website http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/
CRWROPPS-B/info
CHAPBOOK CONTESTS
Black River Chapbook Contest
website http://blacklawrence.homestead.com/submissions-and-contests/the-black-river-chapbook-competition
The Diagram Chapbook Contest
website http://thediagram.com/contest.html
Gertrude Press Chapbook Competition
Publishing a short story collection
A short story collection maybe planned, perhaps with a theme linking the stories (although this is not necessary), or just something that happens when you realise you have enough stories for a book (roughly 30,000 words). If you decide you have a collection, there are several ways to look for a book deal. The traditional route is through a literary agent, although they commonly respond that it is very hard to sell a short story collection without the promise of a novel. Sending your manuscript straight to one of the large publishing houses will probably elicit a similar response. The main publishers of short story collections today are the small, independent presses, often operating on a not-for-profit basis. You can submit to them directly, without an agent. They usually ask for three stories, and then the full manuscript if they are interested in your writing. You don’t need to submit only to UK-based independent publishers – try further afield too.
Short story festivals and live events
SHORT STORY FESTIVALS
See also Literature festivals on here.
Cork International Short Story Festival (Ireland, September)
See here.
Kikinda Short Story Festival (Serbia, July)
website http://kikindashort.org.rs
National Short Story Day
website www.nationalshortstoryday.co.uk
National Short Story Week
See here.
Small Wonder: The Short Story Festival
See here.
LIVE SHORT STORY EVENTS
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
website www.thewhiterabbit.org.uk/projects/
are-you-sitting-comfortably
London. ‘A cosy evening of cracking stories, cute cakes and comfortable chairs.’
Bad Language
website http://badlanguagemcr.com
Manchester. Promoting new writing in Manchester:
a night of spoken word, prose and poetry.
Berko Speakeasy
website www.berkospeakeasy.co.uk
Berkhamsted. ‘A cabaret of short stories.’
Fictions of Every Kind
website http://sjbradleybooks.blogspot.co.uk
Leeds. DIY writers’ social night organised by writer S.J. Bradley.
Inky Fingers
website http://inkyfingersedinburgh.wordpress.com
Edinburgh. A series of events for people who love words.
Liars League
website http://liarsleague.typepad.com
London. A monthly live fiction night, where professional actors read new short stories by writers from around the world.
Rattle Tales
website http://rattletales.org
Brighton. A night of interactive storytelling run by local writers.
Short Stories Aloud
website http://shortstops.info/short-stories-aloudlive
email sarahefranklin@gmail.com
Contact Sarah Franklin
Oxford. Short stories read aloud by actors.
Story Fridays
website www.awordinyourear.org.uk/story-fridays
Bath. Writer-performers read stories inspired by a theme.
The Word Factory
website www.thewordfactory.tv
London. ‘A series of intimate short story salons
bringing brilliant writers and readers together.’
Alternatively, you could enter your collection into a contest which has publication as the first prize. A number of American university presses run such contests, and the concept is spreading. There are also ‘chapbook’ contests (see box on here): a chapbook used to refer to slim, often hand-bound, poetry collections, but the term is also now applied to short story collections. The small presses that publish short story chapbooks often invest a great deal in presentation, hand-stitching the covers and experimenting with different formats.
Both my collections are published by very dynamic small presses, which invest a great deal of love and care into each book they produce. Being published by a small press may not carry the prestige of a ‘big name’ publishing house, and authors will often have to do a great deal of the book promotion themselves and are unlikely to receive an advance on sales. However, these presses pride themselves on their investment and individual attention to every book and author they publish, and small press published books do win major literary prizes. For example, Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Great by Deborah Kay Davies (Parthian Books 2009) won the Wales Book of the Year.
Self-publishing, both in print and as an ebook is becoming increasingly popular, especially with short story writers as their chances of being published by a large publishing house are slim. However, this costs money and the writer is responsible for every element of the publishing process, including marketing and promotion. If you decide to head down this path, hire an editor to edit your stories first. For further information on self-publishing see Self-publishing for beginners and other articles in the Self-publishing section starting on here.
A passionate affair
I love short stories. This is a passionate affair that I hope will never end. I read upwards of 1,000 short stories a year – some because I am paid to (as a judge of short story contests, as a mentor, and as an editor) but mostly for pleasure – and I frequently find new favourite authors. I am continuously astonished at what writers can do with the short story form, reinventing it time and time again, making it their own. My greatest advice? Read. Read as many short stories as you can to inspire your own writing, to show you possibilities of what a short story can be – and then you can reinvent it for yourself. Good luck!
Tania Hershman is the author of three story collections, My Mother Was An Upright Piano: Fictions (Tangent Books 2012), The White Road and Other Stories (Salt 2008) and Some Of Us Glow More Than Others (Unthank Books 2017), a poetry collection, Terms and Conditions (Nine Arches Press 2017) and a poetry chapbook, Nothing Here Is Wild, Everything Is Open (Southword 2016). She is co-author of Writing Short Stories: A Writers’ & Artists’ Companion (Bloomsbury 2014) and co-editor of I Am Because You Are, an anthology of short stories inspired by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Tania is founder and curator of ShortStops (www.shortstops.info), celebrating short story activity across the UK and Ireland. Her website is www.taniahershman.com.
See also...
• The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Short Story Competition, page viii
First chapters: how to grab your reader’s attention
Emma Flint lists the important considerations for a writer embarking on a new book and pinpoints some key elements that make for success when composing that all-important first chapter.
The first chapter of your book is your one chance to hook your reader. If you don’t draw your reader in and make them want to continue, it doesn’t matter how thrilling the climax in chapter eight is or how thought-provoking the ending is. If your first chapter doesn’t work, your reader won’t make it past chapter one.
On the plus side, no other part of your book can provide you with the kind of pay-off that a good first chapter can. A good first chapter can get the attention of a reader. Or an agent. Or a publisher.
Viewpoint
There are a number of decisions that you need to make in your first chapter. Firstly, from whose point of view are you telling the story? What kind of voice will work best for the story you’re telling?
One of the most common mistakes novelists make is to have too many viewpoints and too many narrators. Keep it as simple as you can and never include more than one narrator if it’s not absolutely essential to the plot.
You should never write your opening from a particular viewpoint and then abandon that voice. Don’t allow your readers to invest emotionally in a character, and then neglect that character or kill them off early in the story – it will annoy and alienate your audience.
Setting
Your novel will almost certainly have more than one setting. However, in your first chapter you need only set up the rough location and the rough period for the opening of your main character’s narrative.
Avoid trying to set up an opening scene in too much depth. Two pages of description about landscape or weather before you’ve begun the actual story is unlikely to draw a reader in. Conversely, if you can relate the setting of your novel to your characters, you give your reader a reason to care about the history of a building or the colours of a landscape before you start describing it in detail. Sarah Waters does this beautifully: look at how she introduces setting through character.
Character
In your opening chapter, your main character has one job and one job only: to make your reader care about their story.
Your readers don’t need to like your main character. In the first chapter, they don’t need to know everything about her, or understand her childhood. You need to give the reader just enough so that they care about her, about the situation she’s in, and about what she wants.
And in order to show these things, you need to work out what you want your reader to learn about that character. If you’re writing a murder mystery in which your main character poisons his wife, your reader probably needs to know in the first chapter that the character is having an affair, or that he’s desperate for his wife’s money.
The easiest way to bore your reader is to tell them about your main character, while the most effective way to show your readers something about your characters is through dialogue. Dialogue tells you about a person’s background – where they’re from, sometimes what kind of education they’ve had, often how old they are. It tells you their beliefs, their prejudices, and how they see the world.
What’s the starting point of your story?
Broadly speaking, there are four ways in which you can open a novel:
• Start with a prologue – an episode that is not part of chapter one, but that relates somehow to your main story. It might not include the main character, or it might include the main character at a time outside of the central narrative – for example, when she’s a child, or when he’s looking back on the events of the novel from years later.
• Put your main character in a scene, doing something interesting related to the main story. It’s almost always more effective to start your story with action rather than description. That action doesn’t have to be dramatic – it can be as gentle as someone taking a bath or buying coffee. But what it must not be is a description of a character doing nothing – staring out of the window, reflecting on their broken marriage, fantasising. If it wouldn’t be interesting to watch a character doing it at the beginning of a film, don’t put it in the opening of your novel.
• Begin in the middle. Start at a point deep in the story and show a dramatic event; then, at the end of the scene, jump back to an earlier, quieter part of the narrative. To create this effect, you need to bring the reader into the scene late. Bring them in moments before the flight takes off, seconds before the gun is fired.
If you choose to use this method, you need to be aware of two things: firstly, this type of opening is used so often in mysteries and thrillers that it’s in danger of becoming a bit of a cliché. Yours must be both original and surprising. Secondly, it can sacrifice suspense for that whole portion of the story until the narrative catches up with the first moment. If you open with your main character fleeing from a guy with a gun, how nervous will the reader be in chapter four when that same character is at risk of drowning? They already know that she survives, at least until she encounters the gunman. The risk is that this kind of opening can deflate any later tension you want to set up.
• Use a framing device, where your story is bookended at the front and back (and sometimes in a few instances in the middle) by a story that is outside the main story.
Think of Alice in Wonderland, where the main narrative is bookended by dreams. Or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which uses multiple framed narratives.
If you’re writing a story that’s very removed from the real life of your reader – perhaps set in a fantasy world – a framing device can be used to show someone like your reader coming in to hear the main story. Show the reader a character like them getting involved, and that way you make it easier for them to follow you as well.
In deciding how to open your novel, you need to work out what information is relevant to your story. Your characters have pasts and futures (unless you plan to kill them off). The setting of your novel also has a past and a future. So, in a sense, every writer jumps into their story midway through.
One way to plunge your reader into the story is to add detail that makes your writing realistic and credible. If you’re writing an historical novel, do your research. If you’re writing about a location that you’re familiar with, show the reader that you know it well. But be careful to use that detail sparingly, rather than piling it on to show off your knowledge.
Another way is to create tension – and the easiest way to do this – is to set up conflict in the first chapter. Conflict feeds readers. It creates drama.
To generate conflict, you need a mini-plot. A fight scene is an example of conflict. But a fight scene alone isn’t enough if the reader doesn’t know who the characters are. They’re not yet invested in them. A fight scene between two brothers is better. It ups the stakes a little. But a fight scene between two brothers, one of whom suspects the other of killing their mother, is better still. Now you have a story.
It’s no accident that many great novels have first chapters that could stand as short stories. Every chapter should have its own mini-plot and its own mini-narrative arc, and this element is most important in chapter one.
Move the reader on
As you will know from your own reading, the more of a book you read and enjoy, the more you’ll want to read; if you read the first page and liked it, you will read the second. If you read ten pages, you’re likely to read twenty.
One of the functions of your first chapter is to get your reader on to the second. As a writer, you’re like the witch in Hansel and Gretel... you’re giving the reader breadcrumbs to follow. If they pick up one – in the form of a well-crafted line, or a believable character, or a moment of suspense – they’ll be looking for the next one.
At the opening of your novel, those breadcrumbs need to be close together – because your reader isn’t yet engaged. Following the fairy tale metaphor, they’re still looking back at the edge of the forest. You need to entice them in.
And your first breadcrumb comes in the form of your first line.
First lines
A great first line is like a welcome marriage proposal: it makes the reader commit. A first line needs to do one or more of several things:
1. It needs to be well-written, and memorable, and confident. There’s no room in a first line for flabby language or clumsy wording.
– Take Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: ‘It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.’
2. The first line needs to give an indication of the story to come. It is a promise, or a question, or an unproven idea, which will be explored in the novel itself.
– Think of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’
– Or Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’.
3. A first line needs to say something interesting; it can show the reader a shattered status quo or subvert their expectations.
– Perhaps the best-known example of this is the opening line of George Orwell’s 1984: ‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’
– The most effective examples of this type of opening line are often the shortest. Take Iain Banks’ opening of The Crow Road: ‘It was the day my grandmother exploded.’
– Or the opening line of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: ‘All children, except one, grow up.’ Ask yourself what questions you are raising in your opening sentence and paragraph, and whether they are interesting or memorable enough to draw readers in.
And two final and key points about opening chapters:
Firstly, your reader needs to understand from the first chapter what your book is about, and why you’ve written it. They need to feel the interest or the motivation or the passion that made you want to write it.
Secondly, your first chapter must be interesting. The absolute worst thing you can do is bore your reader. So be brave. Be bold. Open your book in a way that commands attention and engages curiosity.
Emma Flint graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MA in English Language and Literature and completed a novel-writing course at the Faber Academy. Her debut Little Deaths, a crime novel set in 1960s New York and based on a real-life murder, was published to wide acclaim in January 2017 and was longlisted for the Bailey’s Women Prize for Fiction and the Desmond Elliott Prize.
Graphic novels: how to get published
With more graphic novels and comic books being made into films and shortlisted for book prizes, publisher Emma Hayley suggests that there has never been a more exciting time for writers and artists to get their ‘GN’ published.
When Mary and Bryan Talbot’s graphic novel Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes (Jonathan Cape 2012) was named winner of the biography section in the 2012 Costa Book Awards, it was the first time a graphic novel had won’this prestigious literary prize. While others have won major literary awards in the past – Chris Ware won’the Guardian First Book Award in 2001 for Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Jonathan Cape 2000), and Art Spiegelman won’the Pulitzer in 1992 for Maus (Penguin 1986/91) – the Costa jury’s award marked a renewed enthusiasm for the medium, as well as its acceptance by the broader literary establishment.
Essential books about graphic novels
•Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (William Morrow Paperbacks 1994)
•Scott McCloud, Reinventing Comics (William Morrow Paperbacks 2000)
•Scott McCloud, Making Comics (William Morrow Paperbacks 2006)
•Will Eisner, Comics and Sequential Art (WW Norton 2008)
•Will Eisner, Graphic Storytelling (David & Charles 2001)
•Michael Dooley and Stephen Heller, Education of a Comics Artist (Allworth Press 2005)
•Alan Moore, Writing for Comics (Avatar Press 2003)
•Paul Gravett, 1001 Comics You Must Read Before you Die (Cassell 2011)
•Paul Gravett, Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life (Collins Design 2005)
Journalists are dedicating more space to graphic novel reviews, and high-street retailers are devoting more space on their bookshelves to a wider range of graphic novels than ever before. The growth of the graphic novel and comic book market is clear: in the UK it grew from £2m in 2002 to £16m in 2012. That’s a staggering 700% increase over 10 years. This isn’t the first time that the market has enjoyed a growth, but it is the first time that such a consistent period of growth has been seen since its peak in the mid-80s with the birth of such classics as Watchmen, Maus and The Dark Knight Returns.
What is a graphic novel?
The term ‘ graphic novel’ was coined in 1964 by American comics reviewer and publisher Richard Kyle, but comics in book form have been around at least since the early 19th century. Not everyone agrees on the definition of a graphic novel: it is generally agreed, however, that it must contain sequential artwork, the narrative of which need not necessarily include words.
The word ‘novel’ is potentially misleading, since it elsewhere exclusively suggests a work of fiction. It is important to remember, however, that the medium of the graphic novel contains many different genres – including reportage, biography and history, as well as the more traditional forms of sci-fi, horror and romance. Essentially, the difference between a graphic novel and a comic is its length: while a comic may contain 24 or 32 pages, a graphic novel will be long enough to warrant a spine. But while a six-issue comic series might be collected into a graphic novel, there are many graphic novels that were only ever conceived as integral, ‘long-form’ works.
Despite some creators still disliking it (preferring to call their work a ‘ comic book’, plain and simple), the term ‘ graphic novel’ has gone a long way to overcoming preconceptions and prejudice. The usual stereotypical associations of ‘comics’ with children, geeks, male teenagers or middle-aged nerds (think ‘ Comic Book Guy’ in The Simpsons) have to a large degree been replaced by the notion that this unique medium can be a sophisticated form of literature appealing to a broad range of readers.
Getting noticed
The best way to start getting your work noticed is to self-publish short comics. There is no stigma associated with self-publishing in the graphic novel world; in fact there is a long tradition of self-publishing which is actively encouraged. Write or draw your comic, print off some copies, hire yourself a table at a comic ‘ con’ (convention) (see box) and sell it. If you’ve had an idea, executed it well and sold it, not only will you feel an enormous sense of accomplishment, but you will also have demonstrated your commitment – and this will not go unnoticed by a potential future publisher.
Taking part in a comic con is in any case a great way of meeting people in the industry, from fellow creators and enthusiasts to editors and publishers. Some publishers who exhibit at comic cons will be willing to do ‘ portfolio reviews’, reading and appraising your work – it’s a great chance to get your face, name and work in front of a publisher. If you catch them on their stand at a busy time, then at least drop off your pitch (see Your pitch below) and give them your card.
Festivals and comic conventions
UK
There are numerous comic cons in the UK. Here are some of the bigger ones:
LICAF: The Lakes International Comic Art Festival
(Kendal, The Lake District)
website www.comicartfestival.com
Thought Bubble
(Leeds)
website http://thoughtbubblefestival.com
MCM Expo
(London, Birmingham, Ireland, Manchester, Belfast, Midlands)
Check this website for a complete list: http://www.comicconventions.co.uk
EUROPE
You’ll find comic cons happening throughout Europe including in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Barcelona, Erlanger, Lucca and Holland. Be sure not to miss:
Angoulême International Comics Festival
website www.bdangouleme.com.
Book accommodation early to avoid
disappointment.
NORTH AMERICA
North America boasts a huge number of comic
cons of differing sizes. The big ones include:
Comic-Con International
(San Diego)
website www.comic-con.org
New York Comic Con
website www.newyorkcomiccon.com
Smaller cons include:
APE: Alternative Press Expo
(San Jose)
website www.alternativepressexpo.com
SPX: Small Press Expo
(Bethesda)
website www.smallpressexpo.com
MoCCA festival: Museum of Comic and Cartoon
Art
(New York)
website www.societyillustrators.org/mocca-artsfestival
TCAF: Toronto Comic Arts Festival
website www.torontocomics.com
Social media A good presence on social media can be a prerequisite for some publishers. Make sure you are on the latest social media networks, whether that’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, etc, and be prepared to build your fan base. One way would be to ask fellow creators to start following you and getting them to endorse or ‘like’ your work and ideas. Word of mouth is a powerful way to get attention.
Prizes and awards Another way of enhancing your profile (and broadening your experience of working to a brief) is to enter as many competitions as you can, of which there are an increasing number. The two main awards are the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize and Myriad’s First Graphic Novel competition. If your artistic style is more manga-oriented, the Japanese Embassy’s annual ‘Manga Jiman’ contest may be for you. This is a great way of getting your work seen by a wider public, and even if you don’t win, your ambition will be noticed by industry professionals.
Know your publisher
Before pitching to a publisher, make sure you’ve studied their catalogue or website thoroughly. If they don’t publish superhero books, don’t send them a superhero pitch. Look at the different series they publish, look at the page count (‘ extent’) and size of their books, and try to conform as much as possible with their formats. Check to see if they have any submission guidelines on their website (they usually will) and supply your pitch in accordance with these.
Covering letter Make sure that you spell the name of your publisher correctly. This may seem basic advice, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who send their covering letters in a rush and make rudimentary errors. Don’t let that be you: you may fall at the first hurdle. Spend time on composing your covering letter – it doesn’t need to be very long (publishers are busy people), but it does need to introduce you and your work as concisely and effectively as possible. Also ensure that you are addressing your letter to the right person, by finding out the name of the commissioning editor or publishing director.
Your pitch
Getting your pitch to stand out from the rest is one of the most important things you can do. Plan your approach well. One excellent way is to get endorsements for your pitch from those already in the industry, such as other well-known creators. A sentence or two is all that’s needed. This shows good marketing skills and gives your project weight. Bribes such as chocolate coins or cookies have been known to send waves of excitement and appreciation through a publisher’s office – this may not guarantee your work gets published, but it does get it noticed! The most important way to stand out from the crowd, however, is to make sure that the presentation of your submission is of the highest possible quality.
Usually a publisher will want to see a number of pages of sequential art (I would recommend at least eight pages), together with a ‘ synopsis’ (brief summary of the whole book). A whole script isn’t necessary at pitch stage. In fact, to begin with, less is definitely more. Make sure that those pages are of the highest standard possible. If you are a novice letterer, it’s worth persuading a more experienced letterer to do it for you; if you’re not brilliant at creating speech bubbles, ask someone else to help. Make sure that you don’t let your good idea slip under the radar because of a sub-standard presentation.
Unlike most authors of prose fiction, creators of graphic novels don’t need an agent. The graphic novel world is still small enough for you personally to get to know the editors and publishers who make the decisions. However, if you’re trying to get your work published in the US, and you don’t have the necessary contacts, then an agent could be a useful way in. Many creators are very good at creating, but not so good at selling themselves. If that’s you, then perhaps finding an agent is a good option – though of course they don’t work for free.
Sequential art courses
Swindon College of Art
website www.swindon.ac.uk/Course-Search/CourseDetails.aspx?q=sequential+art
Royal Drawing School
website http://royaldrawingschool.org/courses/public-courses/drawing-the-graphic-novel-1
Staffordshire University
website http://staffs.ac.uk/course/08W91000.jsp
University of the Arts London
website www.arts.ac.uk/chelsea/courses/shortcourses/search-by-subject/illustration/comicbook-art
website www.arts.ac.uk/csm/courses/short-courses/animation-interactive-film-and-sound/cartooningfundamentals
Glyndwr University
website www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/Undergraduatecourses/DesignIllustrationGraphicNovelsandChildrensPublishing
University of Exeter
website https://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/english/modules/eas3166/description
Emerson College
(online course)
website www.emerson.edu/academics/professionalstudies/certificate-programs/graphic-novel-writingillustration
The Guardian also runs masterclasses in graphic novel creation curated by SelfMadeHero.
Creator meet-ups
WIP Comics
website www.meetup.com/WipComics
Laydeez do Comics
website https://laydeezdocomics.wordpress.com
Process at Gosh
Building your library
•Art Spiegelman, The Complete MAUS (Penguin 2003)
•Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen, International Edition (DC Comics 2014)
•Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis (Random House 2007)
•Frank Miller, Batman Dark Knight Returns (DC Comics 2006)
•Frank Miller, Sin City series (DC Comics, 2010 onwards)
•Neil Gaiman, Sandman series (DC Comics, 2010 onwards)
•Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Jonathan Cape 2001)
•Chris Ware, Building Stories (Jonathan Cape 2012)
•Craig Thompson, Blankets (Top Shelf 2003)
•Charles Burns, Black Hole (Jonathan Cape 2005)
•David B., Epileptic (Jonathan Cape 2006)
•Bryan Lee O’Malley, Seconds (SelfMadeHero 2014)
•Glyn Dillon, The Nao of Brown (SelfMadeHero 2012)
•Scott McCloud, The Sculptor (SelfMadeHero 2015)
•Posy Simmonds, Tamara Drewe (Jonathan Cape 2009)
•Daniel Clowes, Ghost World (Jonathan Cape 2000)
•Will Eisner, A Contract with God (WW Norton 2007)
•Joe Sacco, Palestine (Jonathan Cape 2003)
•Adrian Tomine, Shortcomings (Faber & Faber 2012)
•Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Jonathan Cape 2006)
Some publishers will still accept pitches from a writer without an artist already attached, and vice versa. Increasingly, though, publishers prefer the pitch to be submitted by an established artist-and-writer team, while others prefer to work with a single creator who does both the writing and the artwork. If you’re a writer or an artist looking for a collaborator, then there are a number of ‘meet-ups’ where you can find fellow creators.
Get qualified
A huge number of creators with a background in filmscript or play writing imagine they can easily turn their hand to writing a graphic novel, but it’s a different medium and it has different rules. True, if you are used to thinking in visual terms you’ll have a head start, but there are unique storytelling techniques you should learn and absorb before taking the plunge. On here there is a list of practical books that might be of help to you (see Building your library). On the other hand, if you’ve never written any kind of script in any medium before, then you should look at the various courses on offer.
Go for it!
If you’re passionate about your project, the best thing you can do is believe in yourself and go for it. If it doesn’t work out at first, don’t be hard on yourself. One of my heroes is the film-maker and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose recent documentary about his doomed attempt to film the sci-fi film Dune in the 1970s stands as a triumphant testament to the fact that something that might be deemed a failure can, in so many other ways, prove to be a success. Good luck!
Emma Hayley founded London-based publishing house SelfMadeHero in 2007 after spotting a gap in the UK market for high quality graphic novels for adults. Before launching her own company, she worked as a journalist, a film PR and as an editorial director for several small publishers. She was named UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year, as part of the British Book Industry Awards 2008. See www.selfmadehero.com/about.php.
The ‘how to’ of writing how-to books
Author Kate Harrison had published 12 novels when she made the unexpected move of writing a diet book. Here she talks through the six things you need to know to write a how-to book.
Becoming a how-to author was not part of my plan – and as for being a diet guru, my lifelong battle with the scales meant I was surely never going to be a position to tell others how to eat. Yet here I am, the author of four books on the intermittent fasting approach to weight loss: the first, The 5:2 Diet Book, was turned down by my own publisher, but I published it myself and it became a bestseller, shifted more copies than my (still successful) novels and, at the last count, has been translated into 16 languages. And I’m two stone lighter than I was before this whole new world opened up ...
Maybe dieting isn’t your area of expertise, but all of us have some specialist knowledge. Whether you’re the go-to person for assembling flat-pack furniture, organising kids’ birthday parties or training wilful puppies, there are readers out there who’d love to know how.
But how can you turn your skills into book sales? Here’s the ‘ how to’ of how-to books:
1. Know your stuff
What do you know more about than the average Joe or Joanna? Do your friends regularly ask you for help with something? Do you have a job or a hobby that gives you expertise?
Understanding a subject inside out is the key to a great how-to book. But that doesn’t mean you need academic qualifications. Decades of experience in a practical skill will give you the understanding – and the short cuts and tips – that readers may prefer.
My experience: I’d spent years of my life losing and regaining weight on different regimes, yet when I tried intermittent fasting after watching the BBC’s ‘ Horizon’, I immediately sensed this could be different for me. There wasn’t much practical information around, so I tried different approaches, and set up a Facebook group to share tips with friends. I was both an expert in dieting – including emotional factors and the reasons for failure – and a natural sceptic because, as a journalist, I was trained to question everything.
2. Know your readership
Often, the readership of a how-to book will be people like you, but the you before you went on the journey that equips you to write the book. Or they might be people you already teach in your day job or as a volunteer.
Whether you’re a craftsperson with tricks that have taken you decades to learn, or a therapist who wants to help people in print as well as face to face, you need to understand the readers who might buy your book, so you can get the tone right.
My experience: I knew my ideal reader was me, six months earlier. But I did understand that, while I was fascinated by the science of fasting, not all readers would share my interest. So when I planned the book I aimed for the middle ground, interspersing real-life experiences, with more complex biology. I included a glossary, and lots of hyperlinks-particularly useful in an ebook – so that readers could easily read the research for themselves.
3. Know the question your book will answer
All how-to books answer a question or solve a problem. It’s worth spending time thinking through what that question or need is, to help refine what your book will offer.
One practical way to do this is to use Google or Amazon search functions. When you type in the beginning of a phrase, search engines predict what the rest of your phrase might be, based on millions of previous searches. It can be hilarious, but useful too.
For example, type DIY ‘into the Amazon books search bar, and you’ll see: projects, for women, complete manual . Or type ‘clean eating’ on Google and you’ll see other people have searched for ‘ meal plan’ or ‘ breakfast’. Do this around lots of possible combinations and write down key words.
Once you understand what people want to know, you can structure your book around telling them, dealing with one key point or area per chapter. Use the key words in the title of the book itself: it makes it easier for readers to find your book!
Some questions or needs are very niche, which is not a problem if you’re writing an ebook. Because the costs of producing the book are low, you can create shorter books – at lower prices – that address single issues and work well at the shorter length. Or bring different questions on one topic together in a ‘complete’ guide.
One important point: if you’re writing about health, or potentially risky activities, include clear and appropriate warnings to ensure you’re not putting readers in danger. If you have any doubt at all, look at the warnings in books on similar topics, or take professional advice. The last thing you want is to be sued!
My experience: ‘How can I lose weight and keep it off?’ is a need shared by millions of people worldwide. Discovering what worked for me was a life-changer, and I focused on explaining why the approach was different, and on practical ways to fit it into your life.
4. Know your unique story/point of view
Stories aren’t just for children. We learn the three-act structure of stories – beginning, middle, end – from movies, books and even jokes. Structuring your non-fiction book around a story makes it more enjoyable. For example, a book about money or changing your job could easily follow the ‘ rags to riches’ Cinderella storyline.
Your book doesn’t have to be a fairy tale, but readers will enjoy reading your own story and/or case studies or people you’ve helped. Explaining your own struggles or problems, and then how you found the solution, establishes you as credible. Your story also makes your book unique. Even if you’re a high-powered expert – a brain surgeon or a leading detective – talking as one person to another will make your book accessible, and help you stand out, even if there are many other books already on your topic. My experience: as a consumer of previous ‘diet books’ written by scientific experts, I knew they can be patronising. I decided to be 100% honest about my struggles, interspersing research and advice with my own weight-loss diary. After the book was published, I had countless emails from other dieters saying ‘it was like reading my own story’ and my success, after years of failure, helped inspire them to try the plan.
5. Know how to publish your book
Writing may be a solitary activity, but publishing your book will almost certainly be a team effort!
You have two main options: look for an agent and publishing deal, or self-publish your work as an ebook and a print-on-demand title. The decision is worthy of an article in itself, but how-to books are very well suited to self-publishing. If your subject is quite niche, then it may not be worthwhile for a mainstream publisher, but if you get your title and cover right, readers can find you easily online, and will you will receive the lion’s share of the profits. Agents and publishers are more likely to be interested if you’re well-known in your field and already have thousands of followers on social media, and they may offer you an advance based on a proposal.
Self-publishing doesn’t mean going it alone: you will need an editor/proofreader, and a cover designer who can make your cover as appealing as possible. The investment will help make your book stand out. Formatting an ebook is straightforward, but you may also want to hire someone for that, especially if it contains illustrations or photographs. My experience: I thought my book had potential, but my publishers didn’t agree. So I worked with my agent to self-publish on Amazon Kindle. It went to Number 1 in the diet charts within a few days – and later my publisher did republish an expanded version, plus we worked together on two recipe books and a self-help title, 5:2 Your Life.
6. Know how to sell your book
Hooray – your book is ready! But the hard work is not over. You need to let potential readers know it exists.
If you already have a blog or a website, post there, and on Twitter or Facebook. Be generous with your knowledge and content; offering free samples of your work is far more convincing than just screaming BUY MY BOOK! Ebooks can be given away for free or at a reduced price, which can help get you early reviews, or increase your visibility by helping the book rise in the charts. But use with caution; don’t undersell yourself.
Good reviews on Amazon and other sites are very important, but never post them under fake names or via family members’ accounts. You will be found out. A better idea is to put a note to readers at the end of your ebook asking them to review it if they’ve enjoyed it.
Articles in newspapers or magazines can really boost your sales. Press releases are simple to write but do research the right format online. Offer yourself, or people you’ve taught, as case studies. Local media often like to feature authors, so approach your local radio station or newspaper.
My experience: I had already shared tips in a private Facebook group I’d set up with a few friends who were also fasting. The group grew massively and when I decided to write the book, I included members’ experiences. This meant that, when it went on sale, they were keen to read and discuss it. The group is now 47,000 members strong, and I still use their comments to influence my books.
7. Finally, know what to do next
Whether you find a handful of readers, or many thousands, writing a how-to book can be rewarding and fun. And it can be a platform to so much more: a new book, a podcast or YouTube channel, an e-course, or offering yourself as a public speaker.
The possibilities are endless, but whatever you do, there’s nothing like that first email from a reader thanking you for making something easy... or even for changing their lives.
Kate Harrison worked at the BBC as a TV correspondent and news producer before becoming a full-time writer. Kate wrote nine adult novels, including the Secret Shopper series, and a young adult thriller trilogy, Soul Beach (Orion 2011), before starting her non-fiction journey. She first self-published The 5:2 Diet Book as an ebook in 2012, followed by a print version with Orion, and four more recipe/self-help titles. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Kate also teaches creative techniques and consumer insight to writers and media professionals. Visit Kate’s website at www.kate-harrison.com/courses for a free module from her e-course Write what you know: write & publish your non-fiction book.
Clare Mackintosh describes the vision, determination and hard work that propelled her along the road to becoming a bestselling author, and the passion and commitment needed to achieve that goal.
In 2011 I made one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever made. I was a police inspector with 12 years’ service, a secure job, good pension, and a promising future ahead of me; and I gave it all up to write. There were other reasons, too – I wanted to see more of my family – but this creative driver was a huge factor. The mantra ‘don’t give up the day job’ is a sound one for those who genuinely lack the skills or the talent to pursue their dreams, and it’s a wise one for those who rely on said job to pay the bills. Few are those with the independent means to do exactly what they want. For me, giving up the day job was exactly the impetus I needed to make freelance life work. I had been the biggest wage-earner and, although our childcare costs dropped dramatically, I had no choice but to continue bringing home the bacon. I was determined I would achieve this by writing, but sensible enough to understand that I would need to interpret this loosely. I pitched opinion pieces, securing a commission from Writers’ Forum and a column in Cotswold Life. I wrote for the Guardian and for any editor who liked my ideas enough to pay me for them. I wrote blogs for businesses in which I had no interest; social media content for companies about which I knew nothing. I wrote headlines, greetings cards, articles, columns and captions. Hundreds, thousands, millions of words. And every one taught me a little bit more about writing for a living – about deadlines, about working to brief, about budgeting, marketing, selling myself, believing in myself. The modern author is so much more than just a writer, and all these skills are important.
This period in my life lasted two years. Two years in which I was, variously, either ‘ paying the bills’ or ‘ building a platform’, depending on my frame of mind at the time. Building a platform, because my ultimate goal wasn’t to be a journalist – although I loved the articles I was writing; and it wasn’t to be a copywriter – although I was grateful for the work I had. I wanted to be an author. A novelist. I wanted a traditional publishing deal, with a ‘Big Five’ publisher and a literary agent who would help me build – and sustain – a career as a writer. I wanted to write a bestseller. It was a big goal; I was open to the idea that I might need to compromise, but at the same time fully committed to working towards it. It happened to other people. Why not me?
I had already dipped a toe into the literary world. Many of the words I had written had been on my own blog, one that had achieved a degree of success in terms of reach. A regular reader had put me touch with a literary agent, who asked to see the novel I was working on at the time – a light-hearted romantic comedy. The agent liked it, spending considerable time over the next year helping me work on a rewrite. Ultimately this proved a false start; I wasn’t offered representation, and the novel, whilst funny, wasn’t groundbreaking. ‘Do you want this book to forever be your debut novel?’, the agent asked me. ‘ Because you only get one shot at that first impression.’ Wise advice. Was it my best work? It wasn’t. Was I even especially proud of it? I wasn’t. It was back to the drawing board.
I started writing I Let You Go without any understanding of the genre in which I was writing. Not comedy this time, that was sure, but was it a crime novel? Was it a thriller? I didn’t know. I wrote a first draft, then floundered. What now? A chance encounter with a new acquaintance provided the answer. She loved the sound of my book – could she send it to a literary agent friend of hers? She had barely finished speaking before my manuscript was in her inbox.
This new friend and I agreed that she would submit the manuscript anonymously, to an agent whose name I wouldn’t know. The goal was to seek objective feedback, with no associated embarrassment if I decided to submit to the same agent in the future. I agreed, but between you and me ... I didn’t stick to the plan. After all, what former detective in my shoes wouldn’t have felt the urge to do a little snooping? I pieced together the facts. Female. A long-time friend. A shared holiday in France. A forthcoming trip to New York. With Morse-like tenacity I narrowed down potential agents to a shortlist I ruthlessly stalked on Twitter. Finally, I pinned it down to just one agent: Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown. I was heady with excitement. Of all the agencies in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, Curtis Brown was my number one; of all the agents, Sheila was top of my list. And now she was reading my manuscript.
A week later, in December 2012, she rang and introduced herself. She liked the book. It needed work – a lot of work – but she liked it. I embarked on a rewrite and four months later Sheila decided we’d put it out on submission. ‘Quietly,’ I remember her saying, ‘just to test the waters.’ I dreamed of going to auction, of six-figure deals fêted in the Bookseller. I prayed for editors fighting over my manuscript. It didn’t happen. What happened was a lot of lukewarm feedback. ‘It doesn’t leap out at me as one I can see how to publish,’ one editor said. ‘Neither the writing or the hook is quite strong enough to make it stand out,’ said another. I tried to be objective, but each rejection was a blow.
In retrospect, I should have shrugged off those comments far more quickly than I did. If I’ve learned one thing over the last few years, it’s the importance of passion in the publishing industry. The passion of an author, in writing a story that demands to be told. The passion of the agent, in pitching the story to an editor. The passion of an editor, not only in committing to the book, but in creating enthusiasm among the rest of a publishing house. This strength of feeling becomes inevitably diluted as it passes along the publishing chain; from editor to sales team, from sales reps to book buyers, from book buyers to store managers, from store managers to members of staff. Imagine how much passion a commissioning editor has to have, to ensure that – dozens of people down the chain – a member of staff in a chain of bookshops will hand-sell your book in such an enthusiastic way the customer cannot bring themselves to leave without buying it. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have wanted any of those lukewarm editors to buy my book. I needed passion.
I found it in June 2013, in the form of Lucy Malagoni from Sphere, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, whose enthusiasm and vision for I Let You Go was evident from our first meeting. We accepted an offer, and then the hard work really started. I don’t think I had any real understanding of editing until that point. I imagined some stylistic guidance, some typo correction, perhaps a little character enhancement. Nothing had prepared me for structural editing of such magnitude that each set of notes would plunge me into dark despair for at least 24 hours. I rewrote I Let You Go eight times in total, and would have lost all enthusiasm for it had I not been able to see that each draft – each painful, hideous, dragged-from-me draft – was producing a significantly better book. Tighter. Stronger. More suspenseful. Each draft added another layer and stripped out sub-plots that didn’t work. Each draft taught me something new.
It was around this time that I looked at the goals I had set myself. I was (although it still feels odd to call myself one) a novelist. I had a publishing deal with a ‘Big Five’ house, and representation from a superb agent. Had I written a bestseller? I didn’t think so. I revised my goals. I decided I wanted my first book to sell sufficient copies to keep my publishers happy. To ensure that bookshops were happy to stock my second book. I decided I would be a ‘slow burn’ author, hoping that each book would sell more than the last. With this in mind, I set myself a private goal of 50,000 sales. It seemed an extraordinary number, one that would take more than friends and family buying duty copies, so occasionally I told myself I’d be happy with 30,000. Or 15,000. By the time the ebook of I Let You Go came out, in November 2014, I had convinced myself I’d be happy if we sold 10,000 copies.
We sold 10,000 copies. In fact, despite very little publicity in the first few months (the marketing push being planned for the paperback) the book sold well. Word-of-mouth should never be underestimated, and the buzz on social media grew daily. Wisely, given I had little control over them, I stopped giving myself sales targets and started focusing on writing another book, wishing I was one of those authors with half a dozen unpublished manuscripts in their bottom drawers. 2015 was extraordinary. There’s really no other way to describe it, and a year on it still feels faintly unreal. I Let You Go sold half a million copies. It was picked as a Richard & Judy Book Club read (and won the readers’ vote), and was discussed on ITV’s ‘ Loose Women’. It became 2015’s fastest selling debut from a new crime writer, with translation rights sold to 29 territories. It hit the number one spot on Amazon UK for books and Kindle, and spent 12 weeks in the Sunday Times top ten. It turned out I had written a bestseller, after all.
Over the last three years I have worked, and continue to work, extremely hard. If you’ve ever envisaged life as an author to consist of wafting around in a smoking jacket, eating chocolates and occasionally scribbling creative brilliance in a Moleskine notebook, I assure you that the reality is very different (although no less enjoyable, and often featuring no less chocolate).
My advice? Think big. Set goals. Work hard. Talk about what you’re doing. It’s tempting to keep writing as a private activity, to avoid interminable questions from well-meaning relatives about whether you’ve finished it, and when can they read it, and are you going to be the next J.K. Rowling? But if you never tell anyone you’re writing a book, you’ll never benefit from that serendipitous moment when the person you do tell informs you that their neighbour’s cousin’s teacher’s daughter is a literary agent, and would love to see your manuscript.
There’s another reason to be out and proud about your writing, and it has to do with self-belief. If no one else knows that you’re writing a book, then I would argue that it’s hard to take it seriously yourself. Remember that passion I mentioned earlier? It starts with you. Believe in who you are and what you’re doing, and others will believe in you too.
Tell people you’re a writer. Because you are.
Clare Mackintosh spent 12 years in the police force, including time on CID and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant, and now writes full time. Her psychological thrillers, I Let You Go (Sphere 2015) and I See You (Sphere 2016) were both Sunday Times bestsellers. Visit Clare’s website www.claremackintosh.com or find her at www.facebook.com/ ClareMackWrites and on Twitter @claremackint0sh.
Rachel Joyce advocates that you take yourself seriously as a writer, so that others will too. It’s important to ‘know your stuff’ and allow your writing to find its place in the world.
When I was 14, I finished my first novel. Sisters was short, I admit – possibly no more than 500 words. It was written in couplet form and was autobiographical. During the course of this tale, the older sister (me) did everything to save her two younger sisters (mine) from unhappiness, general uncleanliness and also TB (we had just made a family visit to Haworth). For lots of reasons, it was important for me to tell that story. But here is the thing – as soon as I finished my book, I wanted more. Even then. I wanted it published. I tell you this in a light-hearted way but you have to understand that, when I wrote it, it was not light-hearted. That story was a part of me. It marked who I was – and I wanted people to know that.
I find it hard to explain why it isn’t enough for me to write a story and keep it to myself; why I must take it into the world; why I need ... what? What is it I need? The approval of others? The affirmation? The challenge? The sharing? More and more, I feel that writing is about saying, ‘This is how the world seems to me’ – followed by a question mark. Writing is a deeply solitary process but it is also, I think, the most generous piece of reaching out. I write in order to understand.
But back to Sisters. I didn’t mention to anyone I had written a book. I didn’t dare. I was a quiet child. I wanted people to know who I was, but I didn’t seem to be very good at showing it, at least not in a day-to-day way. I decided to give myself a pseudonym as a writer: Mary Thorntons. Mary because I thought it sounded intellectual and Thorntons because I made a mistake (I misremembered Thornfield from Jane Eyre). I had a hunch Mary Thorntons sounded altogether more writerly than Rachel Joyce.
So I had my BOOK. I had my WRITER’S NAME. What next? I went to my local library in West Norwood because that was where we always went for information. I headed for the reference section (I knew it well) and, with a beating heart, I found a heavy manual called the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. We are talking 1976. I sat alone, where no one could see me, and I opened it.
All I can tell you is that it was like discovering a friend – someone who took my writing seriously and who had practical knowledge in spadefuls. It provided a bridge between my story and the professional world of publishing. I couldn’t believe that everything I needed to know was in one book. I wrote down the names and addresses of publishers who were interested in rhyming books (there weren’t many). I noted the word count they expected (short) and the kind of accompanying letter. I also discovered that it was important to include my name and address (Mary Thorntons, West Norwood).
Now, over 40 years later, I have done at last what I wasn’t able or ready to achieve when I was 14. Over the years, I have written in different media: short stories and novels, for radio and television. And here too is a new edition of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook – the 111th to be exact. The book you are holding will give you all the up-to-date information it offered me when I was 14, but it also offers far more. Along with clear detailing of all the contacts you can possibly need, it now provides advice from many well-respected voices in the publishing industry about editing, how to pitch your book, writing for the theatre, copyright law, finance, how to attract the attention of an agent, self-publishing (to name just a few of the topics). If you take your writing at all seriously, and that part of you that wants your writing not only to be finished but to find its place in the world, then ... well done, you have come to the right place. There may be a lot of information to be found if you trawl the internet, but here it is all under one roof. Think of yourself as being in the best writers’ Christmas market. It is all here.
People ask me sometimes for my advice to a new writer. I say the obvious things: ‘Keep going’ and ‘Don’t let go until you really believe you have scraped right down to the bare bones of the truth’. But it might be better to say, ‘Take yourself seriously’. If you don’t take yourself seriously as a writer then how can you expect anyone else to? Nurture the part of yourself that needs to write. Listen to how it works, what it needs, its ups and downs. Don’t think of it as short term. It is a part of you, in the same way that your thoughts are part of you and so is your blood. And when your writing is done, be practical. Know your stuff about the world you are entering. Know where to place what you have done.
Read this book very carefully. Treasure it. Keep it beside you. It is your friend.
Rachel Joyce is the author of the Sunday Times and international bestsellers The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Doubleday 2012), Perfect (Doubleday 2013) and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Doubleday 2014). The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and has been translated into 34 languages. Rachel was awarded the Specsavers National Book Awards ‘New Writer of the Year’ in December 2012 and shortlisted for the ‘Writer of the Year’ 2014. She is also the author of the short story, A Faraway Smell of Lemon, and the short story collection A Snow Garden & Other Stories (Doubleday 2015). Rachel moved to writing after a 20-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court, and Cheek by Jowl. She has written over 20 original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4 and major adaptations for the Classic Series and Woman’s Hour, including The Professor, Villette, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Shirley and Jane Eyre (2016). See more at www.penguin.co.uk/authors/rachel-joyce/1069732/.
The only book you will ever need
Susan Hill, writer and publisher, extols the virtues of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and describes how it helped her become a published author.
When I was studying for my A levels, and then working my way through the reading list sent in advance of going to university, I spent a lot of time in the Literature stacks of our public library which provided me with everything I wanted – those were the days. I became quite good friends with the librarian who looked after that section. One day, I summoned up the courage to tell him I was writing a novel and asked how I could find out about publishers. ‘The only book you will ever need,’ he said, leading me downstairs to the reference section, ‘is this.’ And he pulled out the latest Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
I have never looked back, as a writer or, much later, when I became a small publisher. It is still extremely useful to me, but then it was the door to a new life, with key attached.
This, the Writers’ Bible, will not actually teach you how to write your book, but it will do everything else for you. I get emails almost weekly, asking for advice about how to find an agent, how to submit a book to a publisher and which publisher, how to prepare a manuscript and, more recently, whether or not to self-publish. Every reply contains the best bit of help I can give, which is to buy a copy of the latest edition of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
There are two sides to the writing life, and if one – the actual writing – is the most rewarding, the other is the most fun. My mother ran a small clothing factory, at a time when it was unheard heard of for a woman to do such a thing, and from her I inherited my fascination with business and how it works. I love the mechanics of the book trade, the way everything fits together – book manufacturing, publishing, distribution, marketing. I always wanted to learn about how a bookshop or a book chain, a publishing house or an agency, actually works – the logistics, the challenges, the risks and pitfalls. I absorbed so much information from the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook over many years, and when I came to start my own small publishing company, Long Barn Books, the latest edition never left my side.
I do not recommend that everyone go as far as I did and actually start a publishing house, but if you are a published author, or about to be one, I certainly think you should find out as much as you can about how it all works. Gaining an insight into what other people do to your book will help you to see things from other points of view. If you know how hard it is to make a profit from publishing and why, if you understand what a literary agent does for the money they take from you, if you discover how difficult life is for small bookshops now, you will have acquired valuable knowledge and some ammunition if you need it.
Agents frequently complain that they receive far too many manuscripts which are unsuitable for them. Why? Because people have not troubled to study exactly which agent represents their sort of book – information they can find readily in this Yearbook. The same goes for publishers. If they state clearly ‘no unsolicited manuscripts’ or ‘ submissions only through an established agent’, then that is what they mean, so why waste your time and irritate them by submitting your book independently?
The majority of published writers do not earn a large amount. I certainly didn’t for many years. I couldn’t afford accountants and legal advisers, but from this Yearbook I learned about tax, allowable expenses, and also copyright and libel. When you have a small income you need to manage it carefully and the cost of an annual copy of this Yearbook (an allowable expense) is money well spent.
Money, money, money. Grants. Prizes. Sitting on your own with just the words for company is the writer’s way of life. You have to love it. I love it. But can we please get away from the airy-fairy notion of the writer being above the business side? There is less of it about, but it still exists, and that attitude won’t help you stick to a budget or deal with HMRC or ask your agent why your latest statement seems to be alarmingly incorrect. (They never are – it is probably your own optimistic calculations that are wrong.)
Writing has not changed for me. I still love what I do; I still feel the butterflies of excitement when I start a new book. Writing the first line and being happy with it and able to go on from there, is the best feeling in the world – only rivalled by the very first time you see your work in a printed volume, bound and jacketed and in a bookshop. That thrill lessens a bit after some years and a few dozen books, but the excitement of writing ‘Chapter One. Page One’, never ever does. Writing is my thing. People ask me how they should learn to write and I have only one answer: ‘Read, read, read – read those writers who are better than you or I will ever be,’ and read attentively. Watch what they do. Every book will teach you something new and different. It will also enrich you, divert, entertain and delight you. Be careful not to copy other writers, even by accident – just read and learn. Your raw material will be uniquely yours, but the greatest writers of every genre and time will teach you what to do with it.
For everything else, as my librarian showed me over 50 years ago, you just need the Yearbook you have in your hand.
Susan Hill is the author of more than 56 books, which include literary and detective novels, collections of short stories and ghost stories, non-fiction and children’s fiction. She has won the Whitbread (now Costa), Somerset Maugham and John Llewelyn Rhys awards, amongst others, and has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her ghost story, The Woman in Black, published in 1983, is in its 26th year as an adaptation in London’s West End and now is also a film. She is a respected reviewer, critic, broadcaster and editor, and in 1997 she set up her own publishing company, Long Barn Books. Her latest novel is From The Heart (Chatto 2017). In 2012 she was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature. Her website is www.susanhill.org.uk.
See also
• How to get published, here
• What do publishers do?, here
William Boyd reveals how his first novel came to be published.
In the early 1970s when I was at university I started to fantasise about becoming a novelist. The trouble was that I literally hadn’t a clue about how to set about realising my vague but heartfelt dream. It’s hard to imagine today – in this internet age, with hundreds of creative writing courses on offer, writers’ blogs and literary festivals and all the rest – how arcane and remote the business of becoming a novelist appeared to be at that time. It seemed like trying to join some incredibly exclusive club. I didn’t know anyone who was a writer or who was connected in any way to the publishing industry; I had no idea how to submit a book to a publishing company or even what job a ‘ literary agent’ did.
However, I bought myself a typewriter and started to write. I wrote a novel and then another; I wrote student journalism, prose sketches and bad poems and even entered a play for a one-act play competition at my local theatre. In my random way I was actually doing the right thing, I now realise. I was writing as hard as I could, fulfilling my apprenticeship, making mistakes and learning from them.
Then in 1976 I moved to Oxford to do a PhD and for the first time met ‘real’ writers. Talking to them made the road to publication seem a little less obscure, a little less hit or miss. It struck me, then – and this also shows how times have changed – that my best chance of being published was through writing short stories and so I duly started to write short stories and send them off. I submitted stories to any magazine that published them – and there were quite a few in those days – literary magazines, women’s magazines, the BBC’s ‘Morning Story’ slot. I had my share of rejections but slowly but surely, over the next couple of years, I began to have stories published and broadcast. My stories appeared in London Magazine, Company, Punch, Good Housekeeping, Mayfair and the Literary Review amongst others. When I had had about nine stories published I thought – hang on, there’s almost a short story collection here, and I decided to submit my stories to a publisher. In fact I sent my collected stories off to two publishers, simultaneously. I recommend this ploy – it saves a lot of time – and in the unlikely event they both reply positively it becomes what’s known in Hollywood as a ‘ high-class problem’ – the kind of problem no one complains about.
The publishers I chose were Jonathan Cape and Hamish Hamilton. Both of them were highly regarded and were also regular publishers of short story collections (again, how times have changed). As a last-minute afterthought I added a PS to my letters of submission relating the fact that I had written a novel featuring a character – an overweight, drunken, young diplomat called Morgan Leafy – that appeared in two of the short stories.
A few weeks later the magic letter arrived from Hamish Hamilton, from the managing director himself, Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson. He said he would like to publish my story collection. Even better, he said he’d also like to publish the novel I had written – but, crucially, he wanted to publish the novel first. Slight problem – slight high-class problem – I hadn’t written the novel ... So I told a white lie – I had to retype the manuscript in its entirety, I said – and in a torrid heat of creative dynamism wrote my novel A Good Man in Africa in about ten weeks and sent it off. And the rest, so to speak, is history. In 1981 my novel was published and, six months later, so was my short story collection. I didn’t have an agent, I didn’t know anyone influential, I had no introduction to an editor or publisher – I did it entirely on my own. And I’m still waiting for a reply from Jonathan Cape.
William Boyd CBE is the author of novels including A Good Man in Africa (1981), winner of the Whitbread Literary Award and the Somerset Maugham Award; An Ice Cream War (1982), winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and shortlisted for the Booker Prize; Any Human Heart (2002); Restless (2006), winner of the Costa Novel Award, the Yorkshire Post Novel of the Year and a Richard & Judy selection; Ordinary Thunderstorms (2009); Waiting for Sunrise (2012) and Sweet Caress (Bloomsbury 2015). His James Bond novel, Solo, was published in 2013 by Jonathan Cape. He is also the author of several collections of short stories, screenplays and non-fiction writing.
Martina Cole describes how her writing career started.
The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook holds a very dear place in my heart. Without it, I would never have been published as quickly, or as well, of that much I am sure.
I had written my first novel, Dangerous Lady, when I was 21 and it had been a dream of mine to become an author. I wasn’t expecting fortune, or fame; all I had ever wanted was to see my name on the cover of a book. Books are probably the most important things in my life, apart from the family of course! I have loved books since I was a small child, when my father, a merchant seaman, brought home from his travels a cardboard theatre. When I opened the crimson faux velvet curtains, hidden behind them were the smallest books I had ever seen. The stories they contained were all old Aesop fables, and fairy tales, and I was absolutely entranced.
After that, a book was second nature to me. I even played truant from school so I could lie all day long in the park reading books from the local library – books I had taken out in my parents’ names as well as my own. Books I would never otherwise have been allowed to read at such a young age. My parents died never knowing they had library memberships!
So, when I wrote Dangerous Lady all those years ago, it was the start of my writing career, though I didn’t know it at the time.
Over the next nine years I wrote three more novels, film scripts, television scripts, and even a play for the theatre. But I had no confidence in myself as a writer, and I wrote for the sheer pleasure of it. I’m sure many of the people reading this are doing exactly the same thing!
Coming up to 30 was my personal watershed. I was running a nursing agency and had been offered a partnership. I was also moving house, so there were big upheavals all round. I was going to throw out all my writing efforts, and put away the dream of being an author. Then I glanced through Dangerous Lady – and I knew instinctively that it was much better than I had ever realised and that I had to at least try and fulfil my ambition, whatever the outcome might be.
I purchased then read the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook from cover to cover, and was fascinated by this world I craved but knew absolutely nothing about. It told me the correct way to set out a manuscript, both for a novel and for television, who published what, and more importantly, where I could find them! It was a mine of information, and it gave me the push I needed to pursue my dream.
I found my agent, Darley Anderson, tucked away among the pages, and taking a deep breath I rang him up – I nearly passed out when he answered the phone himself. I explained that I had written a book, what it was about, and he said, ‘Send it to me, I’m intrigued’.
I posted it to him on the Thursday night, and he phoned me on the Monday at teatime: Darley’s first words were, ‘You are going to be a star!’ It was the start of a long and happy friendship. It was also the beginning of my career in publishing.
When I am at a writers’ conference, or a library event, I always tell the audience they must purchase the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. On signings, if I am approached by someone who is writing a novel and I think they are serious about it, I purchase the book for them, and tell them that if they get published I want the first signed copy!
When I was asked to write this article, I was thrilled because all those years ago when I bought my first copy of the Yearbook I never dreamt that one day I would be lucky enough to actually be a small part of it. It’s a truly wonderful introduction to the world of literature, and it also contains everything you need to know about writing for television, film et al. If it’s relevant to what you are writing about, be it a novel or a newspaper article, you can find it in this Yearbook.
There’s so much of interest, and so much that the budding writer needs explained. By the time I finally had a meeting with Darley in person, the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook had helped me understand exactly what I needed to ask about, and more importantly, what to expect from the meeting itself.
I wish you all the very best of luck. Publishing is a great business to be a part of.
I wrote for years in my spare time, for free – I loved it. It was a part of me and who I was. I still love writing, every second of it. I was asked once by a journalist if I ever got lonely – writing is such a solitary occupation, as we all know. But I said no. I spend all day with people that I’ve created. I put the wallpaper on the walls, and I give them families, lives to live, cars to drive, and in some cases I have even killed them! Not many people can that say about their jobs.
The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook is a wonderful tool for any budding writer, so use it and enjoy it. Good luck.
Martina Cole’s first novel Dangerous Lady caused a sensation when it was published in 1992. 25 years later, Martina is the bestselling author of 23 highly successful novels, and has had more No. 1 original fiction bestsellers than any other author. The Take, which won the British Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year in 2006, was adapted for Sky One, as was The Runaway. Three of her novels have been adapted for the stage: Two Women, The Graft and Dangerous Lady were all highly acclaimed when performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Her books have now sold over 15 million copies. Her latest novel, Betrayal, was published by Headline in October 2016.
See also...
• How to get an agent, here
• Getting hooked out of the slush pile, here
• Letter to an unsolicited author, here
Marina Lewycka describes how she became a comic writer and makes suggestions on looking at life from a comic writer’s point of view. She also offers insights on why the same piece of comic writing can make some people laugh aloud but leave others totally baffled.
When I wrote A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, I certainly did not think I was embarking on a book in the comic genre; my intention was to write something deep and meaningful about the human condition. My two previous unpublished novels had been rather serious and angst-ridden works. I had wanted to write Literature with a capital L, but alas no one, it seemed, wanted to read my efforts. By the time I was in my late fifties I had more or less given up on the possibility of getting published, but some strange compulsion kept me writing, and I found myself chuckling quite a bit as I wrote. Freed from the obligation to write Literature, my style had lightened up, and so had my view of the human condition.
Getting published was a pleasant surprise, but I was a bit bemused to find myself in 2006 winning the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize (the UK’s only literary award for comic fiction; see here). So that’s where I’ve been going wrong, I thought. I must be a comic writer, not a writer of Literature. It was lovely to receive letters from readers who said they had laughed out loud while reading my book. But other readers wrote to me saying they did not know why the book had been described as comic, because they found it profoundly sad. And they had a point. The comic and the tragic are closer than we think. It’s the human condition.
With that prize, the die was cast, and keen to experiment with my new craft, I set about writing another comic novel, Two Caravans. I was even more bemused to find myself being shortlisted for a prize for political writing.
I soon found that when it comes to comic writing, you can’t please everyone. Not long after my third novel We Are All Made of Glue was published, I received a letter from a reader in Australia.
‘Dear Ms Lewycka, I very much enjoy reading your books, but I am shocked that your spelling is so bad. Don’t your publishers employ an editor? In We Are All Made of Glue there were two big spelling mistakes on here. Because of this, I do not feel able to recommend your books to my friends.’
Needless to say, I immediately turned to here and read:
‘My mother had always been a great advocate of past-sell-by-date shopping ... She didn’t think much of Listernia and Saminella ...’
The offending words, for my correspondent, were Listernia and Saminella, which were the character’s mangled pronunciation of Listeria and Salmonella. But the reader just didn’t get it. In the novel, the narrator’s mother uses long words she can’t pronounce because she has pretensions to education and culture, and so does my snooty Australian correspondent. How could she be so stupid, I exclaimed under my breath? I wanted to pen a reply pointing out the brilliance of my joke, but alas there was no return address.
That’s one of the dangers with comedy – it doesn’t travel well. This joke had obviously not made it to this reader in Australia, despite the fact that English and Australian are almost the same language.
Comedy also travels badly in time. The scenes in Shakespeare that had the 16th-century groundlings rolling with laughter, mostly leave modern audiences cold. A good director can still get across the meaning, but the essential quality of comedy is lost when you have to explain it. We may just raise a faint smile, as if to say, ‘Oh, I see what you mean.’
And humour even travels badly between generations. The things my parents thought were hilarious seem to me just faintly silly. The jokes that have me and my friends laughing out loud make my daughter and her friends snigger with embarrassment. The things they laugh at, I don’t even understand, because they usually refer to music or films or people that I have no knowledge of.
When Various Pets Alive and Dead was published, the very same jokes which delighted some reviewers made others groan. For every reviewer who admired a burlesque scene, there was one who derided it as slapstick.
English language and culture are rich in humour: irony, satire, farce, wordplay, wit, silliness, absurdity, teasing. It comes in many forms, and the first rule is that there is no rule to judge whether something is intrinsically funny or not; it all rests on the judgement of the individual. What we find funny is essentially subjective. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re chuckling to yourself as you write, the chances are that at least some other people will laugh when they read what you’ve written. But you can be certain that for every person laughing there will be someone else rolling their eyes and tutting.
Getting the most from rules
Comedy depends on recognition that certain rules commonly accepted by a social group are being broken. Its audience knows those rules, and the humour draws a warm circle of shared understanding around the insiders, ‘people like us’ who ‘get’ the joke, and excludes those who are baffled by it. What and who we laugh at defines us just as surely as the clothes we wear or the music we listen to or the books on our shelves.
Language is of course a set of rules, and breaking the rules of language is a rich source of humour. But you have to know the accepted expression to be amused by the mistakes people make. My books, like my life, are peopled by characters of many nationalities. When I was as a child, I learnt ‘correct’ English at school, while my home was always full of people who got along perfectly well with their own version of it. Later, a spell as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages left me with a lifelong fascination with the way that foreign people talk.
There are as many varieties of ‘bad English’ as there are languages, and the mistakes a non-native speaker makes often mirror the grammar of their own language. A Slavic native speaker leaves out definite and indefinite articles, whereas a German inserts them even where they don’t belong in English, for example in front of abstract nouns. Speakers of Arabic often don’t distinguish between ‘p’ and ‘b’. People who speak gendered languages tend to ascribe gender to everything. When I gave Dog a voice in Two Caravans, I had to create a new language for him. I studied dogs and I talked to their owners. I learnt that their sense of smell is predominant. They keep tracking and back-tracking over the same ground, in a purposeful, not a random way. But they have no nose at all for punctuation. Even bad English must have its own internal logic. That poses a particular challenge for translators.
In Ukraine my humorous descriptions of Ukrainians have caused controversy because soon after the book was first published it was translated into Russian, not into Ukrainian, and the Russian translators translated all the ‘bad English’ as Ukrainian. Nor were my Ukrainian characters popular, for despite the great tradition of Ukrainian humour, including Gogol and Bulgakov, modern Ukrainians have only recently achieved independent nationhood, and they want to be taken seriously on the world stage.
Comic writers inevitably offend somebody; it’s a risk you have to take, and most writers set their own limits. Just because you can upset someone doesn’t mean you have to go out of your way to do so. I draw the line at humour that targets the vulnerable and weak, or diminishes someone’s self-esteem. But I prefer humour that also expresses affection, and, like teasing, can offer us the gift of self-knowledge. We can transcend our foibles when we learn to laugh at them. This is one thing I particularly admire and love about the English sense of humour; the English do make fun of others, but they are supremely good at laughing at themselves.
Thinking about writing comedy
Although there is no formula to writing comedy, there has been an enormous amount of academic theory on the subject. From Aristotle through to Lacan and Umberto Eco, thinkers have provided many fascinating insights, but believe me, it’s not a bundle of laughs. Umberto Eco is among the most accessible, as witty and stylish in his academic writing as he is in fiction. However, the more one tries to analyse or explain comedy, the more elusive it becomes. In fact when a joke or a comic scene has to be explained, it loses its power to make us laugh. Comedy has to grab you by surprise. It’s one of those quirks of the human condition, like the fact that you can’t tickle yourself.
If you want to write comedy, the most useful approach is probably to expose yourself to the comic side of life:
• Cultivate eccentric friends and relatives – seek them out, observe their ways, treat them nicely, and let them inhabit your books.
• Be curious – some might say nosy. Ask the slightly impertinent question, peep through the open door, read over the passenger’s shoulder, listen in on the hushed conversation. Comedy is often found hidden away among secrets.
• Break rules – talk to strangers, shamelessly explore your host’s house, get into arguments. A comic situation often starts out seeming perfectly normal, then incrementally becomes more and more absurd as boundaries are transgressed.
• Keep a notebook – however memorable a joke or an anecdote seems at the time, you will not be able to recall it in an hour’s time.
• When things are getting hectic, imagine pushing them one stage further. Ask yourself – what if .?
• Or you can short-cut all these by immersing yourself in the zany world of wonderful comic writers, from Chaucer to Dickens to P.G. Wodehouse to Howard Jacobson. It’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable ‘homework’.
Comedy, like all drama, originates from a combination of people and circumstances. The same sorts of people often seem to find themselves drawn to tragic or comic situations. You probably have plenty among your acquaintances, and whether their story is comic or tragic depends on how it ends. I am particularly fond of:
• People in the grip of an obsession, like Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
• People who take themselves too seriously, like Adrian Mole or the characters created by Ricky Gervais
• People who are perpetual victims or losers, like Eeyore
• People who live in a world of their own imagining like Don Quixote
• People driven beyond the bounds of reasonable behaviour by an overriding need or desire, like Valentina in A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.
Now try placing one of these types of characters in a volatile situation, where some social norms are in danger of being transgressed. Maybe they misunderstand who someone is, or what someone has said, or they have misread the situation. Maybe there are too many people, or a dangerous combination of people together at the same time. Maybe money, honour or love are at stake. You can be sure that something will go terribly wrong. But instead of crying, we will laugh. It’s the human condition.
Marina Lewycka was born in a refugee camp in Germany in 1946 and moved to England with her family when she was about a year old. She has been writing for most of her life, and in 2005 published A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian which has sold more than a million copies in the UK alone. This was followed by Two Caravans (2007), We Are All Made of Glue (2009), Various Pets Alive and Dead (2012) and The Lubetkin Legacy (2016) – all published by Penguin.
Turning to crime: writing thrillers
Crime writer Kimberley Chambers describes how her life took a new direction when she began writing, and recalls the help and advice that have brought her success. She provides her own top tips for other aspiring authors.
I grew up in Dagenham and left school at 16, with hardly any qualifications. I then spent years working on East End markets such as Roman Road, Petticoat Lane and Whitechapel. When the markets took a turn for the worse, I began DJ-ing and then, in my thirties, I took up minicab driving.
At the age of 38, I was wondering what to do next. I hadn’t written anything since school, but always thought that one day I’d have a crack at writing a book. That was the start of my career. Before I started writing my first book, Billie Jo (Preface 2008), I made a list of all the main characters. I recall slightly struggling with the first three chapters, but I stuck with it and, from chapter four onwards, it started to get easier. By chapter seven I was flying, and was positive that I’d found my vocation in life.
Because I was still minicabbing, it took me a whole year to write that first book. My friend Pat, who had a bookstall on Romford market at the time, told me about the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. I wasn’t particularly great at technical stuff – I’m still not – and if it hadn’t been for Pat’s advice I wouldn’t have had a clue about getting an agent or getting published. She ordered me a copy and I remember reading through it from cover to cover. For someone uneducated like myself, I found it was written in a way that I could understand. I took all the advice on board, including the need to create a strong covering letter and to polish up the first few chapters; they, as the Yearbook explains, could be the only chance you have to catch someone’s interest.
The day after I sent those chapters off to about 25 agents, an agent rang me up asking to see the rest. Another four agents contacted me the following week. I went to meet a few of them and ended up choosing Tim Bates (then of Pollinger Limited, now at PFD), who is still my agent to this day. And, since then, it really has been a rollercoaster of a journey for both of us.
I recall the initial wait was horrid – waiting to find out if I’d got that first book deal. Every day seemed like a week. I think a few of the publishers were worried because I was so uneducated and because I wrote by hand (which I still do). Penguin Random House had just launched a new imprint called Preface and they decided to take a chance on me. My first book deal was very small but, by the time Billie Jo came out in July 2008, I had finished my second novel, Born Evil (Preface 2009) and already signed another deal, which enabled me to give up the minicabbing for good. Obviously, there’s always a chance, as a new author, that your book will flop or that you won’t be able to get your name out there; but my sales still grew, by word of mouth, and I always believed in myself and that one day I would make it to the top.
My fortunes changed when I moved to HarperCollins. They decided to bring out the third book they published for me in hardback, because they knew I had a loyal following. Payback (HarperCollins 2013) shot straight to Number One on the Sunday Times bestseller list, where it stayed for a couple of weeks. Since that day, I’ve never looked back.
I’m not the biggest planner when it comes to plotting my books. I tend to mostly go with the flow, and let the storyline come to me as I get into the book. For instance, my novel The Feud (Preface 2010) was meant to be a standalone but, when I got five chapters from the end, I decided to change the ending in order to carry on with the story. A similar thing happened with The Trap (Harper 2013). That was also meant to be a standalone, but yet again I loved the characters and thought there was so much more to come from them, so I ended up with five books.
I often get asked by others wanting to write a book how to go about it, and I always tell them to get the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and go through it with a fine-tooth comb like I did. I also advise them to write to as many agents as possible. As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I sometimes wonder what I would be doing now if I hadn’t been given the advice that I was.
As far as advising others on their writing, I personally find that I bring more colour to a book when I set it in an era that I’m interested in. I much prefer writing stories set in the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s. I love to recreate the music and fashion of those days and the way life was back then. For example, my parents used to have a caravan on King’s Holiday Park in Eastbourne, which back in the day had the biggest nightclub in the Southeast. So I set part of the Butler series at King’s – my main characters bought a bungalow there – and I went back and recreated those days and how I remembered it. The markets usually pop up in my books too. Queenie Butler, one of my characters, loves shopping with her sister Vivvy up the Roman Road. That was recalling the time I worked there myself and it was like a competition between the women back then, about who was the most glamorous on a Saturday afternoon! As I was writing those scenes, it felt like stepping back in time.
I’m not the biggest reader myself but, as a child, I was addicted to Enid Blyton and I remember reading the Famous Five books repeatedly. I didn’t pick up a book again until I went on a girls’ holiday in my late teens. I found a Jackie Collins novel at the airport, and that’s what got me back into reading although, since becoming an author myself, I don’t tend to read a great amount. I still enjoy a good holiday book, but I relax by watching a drama or film on TV. I have no set pattern to the hours I work, but I tend to write more in the evening than earlier in the day. In summer I like to sit at the kitchen table because it looks out onto my garden and it’s quite tranquil; in winter I prefer sitting in the front room opposite the open fire.
My top tips for anybody who aspires to be a published author are:
1Think about your characters carefully. I tend to visualize what mine would look like, give them strong names that suit them, and focus on their separate personalities.
2Pick a genre you like to read or a world you are familiar with. I chose the genre I write in as it’s the one I enjoy reading the most. I had led a reasonably colourful life, so choosing to write crime from the other side of the fence, rather than from the usual police perspective, was much easier for me. I don’t like doing hours and hours of research.
3Think of a strong beginning, middle and ending. This might change as your book develops, as it has in a few of mine, but it’s always best to know in which direction you are heading.
4Believe in yourself. If you are having a bad day when you are writing, don’t give up. Just take a break, then return to the story with a fresh mind and eye.
5Try to go down the route of getting properly published before considering self-publishing. To do that, you need an agent. You will find literary agents listed in this Yearbook, along with tips about how to approach them (listings for agents start on here.)
That is exactly how I got published, and I wish all of you doing the same the very best of luck.
Kimberley Chambers worked as a market trader, DJ and minicab driver before becoming a full-time author after the success of her first two books, Billie Jo and Born Evil. The second book in her Butler series, Payback (HarperCollins 2013), was No. 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list, as was Tainted Love (Harper Collins 2016). Kimberley’s other books include the Mitchell & O’Haras trilogy: The Feud, The Traitor and The Victim. Her most recent book, Backstabber, was published by HarperCollins in February 2017. For more information visit http://kimberleychambers.com and follow her on Twitter @kimbochambers or https://www.facebook.com/kimberleychambersofficial.
See also...
• The path to a bestseller, here
• Notes from a successful crime author, here
Notes from a successful crime author
Mark Billingham shares his experiences of writing success.
I am a writer because I’m a reader. That I’m a crime writer, however, is probably down to a desire to get free books. I’d always written stuff of one sort or another: silly stories at school, terrible poetry at university, so-so plays for community theatre companies. I’d drifted into a career in stand-up and writing comedy for television but my passion as a reader was for crime fiction, primarily of the darker and more disturbing kind.
Devouring the work of my favourite writers from both sides of the Atlantic fired my imagination and fed my head and heart, but as I had also developed an obsession for collecting the first editions of these authors, it was doing very little for my bank balance. My wife made the choice quite a simple one: get the books for free or get a divorce.
I’m still amazed at how easy it was – how little time and effort was involved. A couple of phone calls to the publicity departments of several big publishers, a bit of blather about how I was reviewing for my local paper, and suddenly the books came tumbling through the letterbox: package after package carried manfully to the door by my less-than-delighted postman. I did indeed start to review for my local paper and soon I was writing longer pieces, then articles for national magazines, and it wasn’t very long before I was asked if I’d like to interview a couple of crime writers – this was major!
I can vividly remember the enormous and terrifying thrill of interviewing such crime-writing giants as Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin, and I still get a secret buzz from the fact that I can now count them among my friends. (This, for me, remains one of the greatest pleasures in becoming a published writer; that if you’re lucky, those whose work you’ve admired for many years can end up propping up bars with you in exotic countries at ungodly hours.) So, I was a reader who adored crime fiction, who was lucky enough to be writing about it and who, occasionally, talked to those who actually wrote it.
Writing it myself, however, at the time seemed completely out of the question. Talking now to unpublished writers, I discover that such terror at the thought of sitting down and writing a novel is hugely common. Some of them are like housebricks for heaven’s sake! Now, I tell those as daunted as I was then, that if you write 1,000 words a day for a month, you’re more or less a third of the way through a novel. It all sounds terribly straightforward of course, but it certainly didn’t feel like that as I began trying to write my own crime novel.
One of the most common pieces of advice given to aspiring writers is to read, and it was at the point of starting what would become my first book, that I saw just how important this was. I was writing in an already overcrowded genre, and having read a great deal within it (or should that be around it?) I had a pretty good idea what not to write – that is, I knew those areas to which claims had already been successfully staked by others. Having decided therefore that my detective would not be a deerstalker-wearing cocaine fiend, or an Edinburgh-based Rolling Stones fan, I tried quite simply to write the sort of crime novel I enjoyed reading. I always imagine that such a stunningly basic notion would be obvious to all those who want to write. However, I’m constantly amazed to meet those claiming to have studied the industry carefully and to have spotted a sizeable gap on the bookshelves. Those who announce confidently that the world is finally ready for the crime-fighting antique-dealer/amateur veterinarian who, while not cooking and listening to opera, cracks tough cases with the help of a cat, in the mid-18th century Somerset countryside. If this is really what you’re driven to write, then all power to you, but if you simply try and fill what you perceive to be a gap in the market, you’re on a hiding to nothing.
I fully believed myself to be on a hiding to somewhat less than this, when I picked half a dozen agents from the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and sent off the first 30,000 words of my novel. From this point on in the career path of almost any published writer, luck will play a part, and I must confess that I had more than my fair share of the very good sort.
Being taken on by an agent is wonderful, and if you’re very fortunate, you will be taken on by a good one. Getting published is one thing but it helps if that publisher has enough faith in the book to spend a decent amount on marketing it – an amount so much more important than your advance. My still incomplete manuscript landed on all the right desks, and it was while in the incredible position of having to choose between agents, that I received the single best piece of advice I was given, or am able to pass on. Don’t imagine that things are going well. Imagine that they are going badly. Imagine that nobody wants to publish your book, that the rejection letters come back in such numbers that the Royal Mail lays on special deliveries. When that happens, who will be the agent who will give you up as a bad lot, and who will be the one willing to fight? Which one will say, ‘Well, if they don’t want it I’m going to try X’? This is the agent to choose. In the course of any writer’s life, a good agent, not to mention a good editor, will probably need to show more than once that they aren’t afraid of a good scrap.
As far as further advice goes – beyond the encouragement to read and to write something every day – it is important to remember that lies (white or whoppers) and luck (of both kinds) may play a disproportionately large part in the way things turn out. Oh, and if you could avoid writing crime novels about a north London copper with a weakness for Tottenham Hotspur and Hank Williams, I’d be very grateful.
However, one small drawback to getting published and finding yourself trying to produce a book a year, is that you suddenly have far less time to read. This is hugely upsetting, and in my case doubly ironic considering that, with requests for reviews and endorsements, I now get more free books than ever. In fact, the only person unhappy about the way things turned out is my postman.
Mark Billingham is the author of an award-winning series of novels featuring London-based Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, the latest of which is Love Like Blood (Little, Brown 2017). He worked for many years as a stand-up comedian, but now prefers to concentrate on crime writing, as those who read the books are not usually drunk and can’t throw things at him.
Mick Herron describes the appeal, range and addictive nature of writing spy novels, and offers his thoughts and advice on developing plot, character, and a rewarding work ethic.
I can’t remember when I first realised I was a novelist, but now that the condition has firmly established itself – and seems likely to be terminal – I keep noting new symptoms. Like the habit I’ve developed of pausing a DVD when a bookshelf hoves into view, to read the titles. Often, set designers remove the dust jackets from novels, to make their spines seem more business-like, which means you can occasionally make out, say, a Jilly Cooper in a Home Secretary’s study. And I once spotted a bound set of law reports in the background of a vet’s surgery. TV props people buy books by the yard.
Nor am I sure when I became a spy novelist, but it felt like a natural progression. Novelists are spies of a kind, after all; observing the people around them, inventing cover stories for strangers. So it’s an attractive genre for the budding writer, offering the opportunity to rely on skills honed by years of nosiness. Which isn’t to say that – for me, anyway – it was simply a matter of picking up a pen and wading right in. Starting was difficult. Which is as it ought to be. If you love books, the prospect of adding to their number is an intimidating one, and nobody is going to give you permission to do so; you have to grant this yourself, or find it in the pages of authors you love. For me, that’s a long list, but it was the late Reginald Hill whose work provided the necessary encouragement. I’m still not quite sure why this was. There was nothing in his style or plotting to suggest that I, or anyone else, could write anything like as well as he did; but the generosity of his spirit, as exemplified by the humanity of his characters, allowed me to believe there could be no harm in trying.
Assuming, then, that you’ve already reached that stage, the things you’ll need for the road ahead include plot, character, style, a writing routine and some rules. Good luck with all of that. Here’s a few loose thoughts to start you off.
Staying off the grid
A good spy novel depends on a tight plot. The classics of the genre dazzle because of the way they deceive – think of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold: that moment when the plot cracks like a whip, and the ground shifts beneath the reader. Not all books work like that; still, you need more than the simple desire to produce a novel before embarking on the writing.
But that’s not to say you need everything worked out in advance. Beginning a novel is daunting – like setting out on a round-the-world trek – and it’s comforting to have an itinerary, but at the same time it’s possible to over-plan and leave no time for the spontaneous experience. If your plot has been designed to the tiniest detail, its every movement choreographed in advance, then writing it becomes less like creating fiction and more like filling in a spreadsheet (symbolic moment: check; character insight: check; action sequence: check). It’s a tempting method, largely because it allows you to feel you can sneak up on your book: make your notes, draw up your blueprint, flesh out your jottings, and lo – there’s your novel. But the likelihood is that the result will be as lifeless as the process which produced it. A novel needs room to breathe; don’t starve it of oxygen. Allow for organic growth. If your plot goes chasing down rabbit-holes, you can always call it to heel on your rewrite. Let yourself enjoy the ride, and this will communicate itself to the reader.
As with so many other things, of course, if you’re to enjoy the ride, you’ve got to be in the right vehicle. One you’re comfortable with. My editor once had to point out to me, very gently, that car windows don’t have handles any more: you open them by pressing a button, which, moreover, won’t work when the engine’s not on. It’s not that I’m a Luddite, or even especially stupid, it’s just that the technical stuff – forensic detail – doesn’t excite my imagination and I tend not to pay attention to it. Which could be seen as a disadvantage in the world of the spy thriller. After all, any expert in security will tell you that cyber-terrorism is the next big threat. Bullets kill targets, bombs kill crowds, but cyber-villains can knock out infrastructures. So if, like me, you have only the sketchiest notion of how a kettle works, you might feel that the genre isn’t for you. How can you write about espionage without being up on the tools of its trade: the latest surveillance techniques, the state-of-the-art weaponry that will have moved one generation forwards before you’re halfway through your first draft? How can this be the right car for you?
But just because technology moves like a cheetah doesn’t mean the game has changed beyond recognition. As novelist Adam Brookes has pointed out, you can have all the gizmos in the world at your disposal, but sooner or later you’re going to need the Sneaker Guy. He’s the one who tiptoes across the room in his sneakers, slips a flash-drive into an air-gapped computer, and steals its supposedly secure data. He might be your hero, might be your villain, but the point is: he’s a human being. Drones patrol the skies, and malware creeps across the Net, but somewhere down the line, there’s a man with a joystick or a woman writing code. And men and women are the novelist’s bread and butter.
So if you want a Bond-type scenario, with an evil genius in a volcano-base plotting to conquer the world, go for it. On the other hand, there’ll always be overworked civil servants in shabby raincoats, trading classified information at bus stops or on allotments. The spy genre covers both. Which you prefer is a matter of taste.
Start on the inside
And whichever scenario you opt for – whether they’re licensed-to-kill Actionwomen or shabby Everymen – your characters should start on the inside. True, there’s a readership agog to hear what your character drives, where she shops, what she wears, etc, and you’re free to indulge this. The spy genre, after all, has form here; Ian Fleming was among the first to pepper his texts with references to designer names. But this will only take you so far, because readers are only interested in these things for so long. If they don’t come to care for your character (note: this is not the same as liking her), they’ll pretty soon tire of the cool stuff she has.
How much you reveal of what your characters think and feel – how deeply you delve into the rag-and-bone shops of their hearts – is up to you. You might want them to retain an air of mystery, and not let the reader see too much. That’s fine. But regardless of what you put on show, you, the author, have to know what’s going on inside them. Without that, you’re just pulling strings and watching puppets dance. And the dance will be jerky and uncoordinated, because neither you nor the puppets can hear music.
Of course, having a plot, having characters, choosing your approach: these are all essential, but the tricky part is doing the actual writing. So before you start, remember this: writers are artists, and need creative freedom; they should follow their muse wherever it takes them, and not feel bound by the clock or the petty rules of civilised society. And they should write only when possessed by the urgent need to create, or what they produce will not be authentic.
And now forget all that, because it’s nonsense.
The idea that being a writer means only working when you feel like it has a certain attraction, true. Unfortunately, it’s one that quickly morphs into not being a writer, in which you can still indulge all the above self-adoring twaddle but without the dreary necessity of squeezing words onto paper. Because, whether you’re doing it full time, on your commute, in the half-hour before breakfast or in moments stolen from family life, writing is a job. One you’ve chosen because you love it, and one you may never be paid for, but still a job, and like any job, if it’s to be done effectively you need a routine to follow. You don’t need a garret and an absinthe habit; you need a work ethic. And nobody else is going to create one for you.
The handy thing here is, writing fiction can be addictive. It has to be, if you’re to accumulate 90,000 words or more, over and again. So feed that feeling. Many habits we try to wean ourselves off, because they’re bad for us – drinking, smoking, overeating – or because we’re worried we indulge them too much: watching TV, buying shoes, tweeting. With writing, though, you’ve got to nurture your addiction. Set yourself targets. Reward yourself when you meet them. Feel good about hitting that daily word count, and let it niggle at you when you don’t. Before long, it’ll become second nature.
Addiction doesn’t betoken enjoyment, of course. There are times, many of them, when writing will feel like a chore, but you have to do it anyway. So bear in mind that if it weren’t for doing it anyway, most novels wouldn’t get written. And that’s as true for those gazing down from the top of the bestseller lists as it is for the rest of us.
The Golden Rule
All writers have rules, and I’m no exception. But I’m not about to reveal what they are. In cold stark print they’d look forlorn, like a list of resolutions from New Years gone by; indications of an ambition to do better, not necessarily reflected in subsequent performance. It would just embarrass all of us.
Instead, I’ll offer one Golden Rule – not my own; a very familiar commandment, and it’s this: Never use adverbs. This is a great rule, for at least three reasons. First, it’s short; easy to remember. Secondly: it’s good. Adverbs weaken sentences; they qualify, they dilute. Is that what you want to do to your prose? And thirdly – and this is the best bit – the word ‘never’ is an adverb. In other words, what this rule really means is: When you need to, break the rules. This will happen, a lot.
Two approaches
There are already a huge number of novelists in the world, but there are a far greater number of people who simply wish they were – a recent survey revealed that 60% of people polled wished they could earn a living by writing. Who’d be left to buy books if they did is a whole other question, but still – if it’s that common an ambition, what are the odds on you succeeding? That’s the kind of thought that can deter you from ever booting up your laptop.
But ultimately, if you want to write a novel, the best approach to doing so is to write one. You’ll encounter problems, but they will mostly be the kind that can be solved by craft and, since craft comes with practice, the more you write, the more able you’ll be to deal with them. And after a year or so, you’ll have a pile of typescript.
The alternative approach is to not write it, but to angst about it instead. This creates problems too, but of a more existential nature (‘Why can’t I write? Will I ever achieve my ambition? What am I doing with my life?’) that are best addressed through the bottom of a glass. And after a year or so, you’ll have a pile of empty bottles.
The choice is yours.
And one last tip ...
Few things are reliable in a novelist’s life, but this is: if you publish spy fiction, strangers will ask you, ‘Do you write from experience?’.
When this happens, lie.
Mick Herron is a novelist and short story writer whose books include the Sarah Tucker/Zoë Boehm series, the standalone novels Reconstruction (Soho Crime 2008) and Nobody Walks (Soho Crime 2015), and the award-winning Slough House series. Dead Lions (Soho Crime 2013), his second Slough House novel, won the 2013 CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger. His most recent novels are Real Tigers (John Murray 2016) and Spook Street (John Murray 2017). See more at www.mickherron.com.
See also...
• Notes from a successful crime author, here
Then and now: becoming a science fiction and fantasy writer
Aliette de Bodard offers her experience in the special art of science fiction and fantasy writing and the skill of ‘world-building’. She provides tips on tools and resources, and stresses the benefits of attending workshops and conventions.
In the beginning: writing books
I was a reader before I became a writer. When I was a child, my parents encouraged me by buying all the books I wanted. I soon became an expert at filing books in double and triple rows on narrow bookshelves. I read a lot, haphazardly – series out of order, children’s books, grown-up books, mysteries, science fiction.
I fell into writing much like I fell into reading: at one point, browsing through the library, I found a How to Write book, and realised that there was a method to it. There are many such books available. Many apply broadly, the basic building blocks of a story being the same, regardless of genre. But the ones I find myself coming back to are the ones with some sensitivity to writing science fiction and fantasy; some tips and tricks are specific.
Recommended writing books and resources
•Beginnings, Middle and Ends, Nancy Kress (F+W Media 1993)
•Steering the Craft, Ursula K Le Guin (Eighth Mountain Press 1998; rev. edn Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015)
•Storyteller, Kate Wilhelm (Small Beer Press 2005)
•Wonderbook: the Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, Jeff VanderMeer, Jeremy Zerfoss et al. (Abrams Image 2013)
•Worldbuilding Wednesdays, Kate Elliott et al. (www.imakeupworlds.com/index.php/category/worldbuilding-wednesday)
The one important thing I learnt from those books is how to manage exposition, which is a problem specific to science fiction and fantasy; when the setting differs a lot from today’s world, there is a lot of extra information to get across. The trick, I found, is to remember that the reader only has a few spaces in their mind at a given time for those differences; you don’t want to launch into a big, paragraph-long lecture, especially near the beginning, or you will lose them. Rather, you have to do this slowly and in steady trickles. You must build your world gradually, in small touches.
The other thing I learnt is how to do world-building. World-building is the basis of science fiction and fantasy: it’s the differences between the real world and your imagined ones, and the impact they have on characters, their lives, the plot ... Inspirations for this are numerous; I use history and mythology a lot, because is so much to be mined there. My novel The House of Shattered Wings (Gollancz 2015) had fallen angels in a post-apocalyptic belle époque Paris. Joan D. Vinge’s The Snow Queen (Doubleday 1980), set in a future of planetary colonisation, draws its inspiration for plot and world from the titular fairy tale.
But you can also change the environment or human condition to arrive at your imagined world. Ken McLeod’s Intrusion (Orbit 2012) features a benevolent UK dictatorship pushing pregnant women to take a pill that fixes their offsprings’ ‘anomalies’. Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice (Orbit 2013) features consciousnesses spread over multiple, and sometimes very numerous, host bodies.
One thing I’ve found that helps is that having only one modification (or ‘big idea’) will often result in a setting that rings hollow. I’ve had good results by throwing together two or more totally unrelated ideas and finding with ways to make them mesh.
Honing your craft: software for writing
My first attempt at a novel was swiftly lost when we moved and the computer it was stored on wouldn’t start up again ... My second attempt was a 200,000-word fantasy novel that became corrupted when it turned out Word 2000 wouldn’t handle large files properly.
Recommended software
Dropbox
website www.dropbox.com
Freedom
website www.freedom.tm
Microsoft Word
website http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word
Pages (Mac only)
website www.apple.com/uk/mac/pages
Scrivener
Nowadays, of course, there is software for writing and backing up. Dropbox backs up online, and also allows the writer access to a writing folder from different locations like a laptop or a tablet. Microsoft Word has patched up its issues with large files, and is the de facto standard of the science fiction publishing industry: at some point, writers will be handling revisions made with Word’s Track Changes (Pages is Apple’s slightly cheaper alternative, mostly but not always compatible).
I write my first drafts in Word because I find it simpler, and because I often write on the move in public transport. I use an Alphasmart Neo, a keyboard with a small screen and instant on/off that’s, alas, no longer manufactured. I’ve also had good results with a tablet plus Bluetooth keyboard (iPad plus Apple keyboard, in this case). I’ve found that I need to block out large chunks of time for first drafts; I can do revisions piecemeal, but first drafts require my undiluted attention. My one-hour commute is great for this. You can also try blocking a pre-determined writing time that you spend writing (no internet and no social media). Software like Freedom cuts off your internet connection for a set time-period. For revisions, especially for multiple plot lines and characters, Scrivener, which has been conceived with writers in mind, makes it much easier to change, move and delete scenes, as well as find particular occurrences of sentences or characters, so that’s where I do most of my post-first-draft work.
From afar: writing workshops
When I started writing, the internet was just taking off, which was in many ways a godsend. I live in France, which isn’t that far from the UK, but might as well be on another planet insofar as writing groups and writing workshops are concerned.
Science fiction and fantasy has a strong culture of peer workshopping: having other people read your manuscript and offer you reader feedback, in exchange for your reader feedback on their manuscript. Even back in 2006, a lot of this community were already online, which enabled me to join them.
You cannot write by committee; there is no pleasing everyone in every detail in a workshop. Equally, you do need to take critiques into account, as it’s unlikely your piece will work perfectly as a draft. A good tip is this: if only one person mentions a problem, then you can wonder how important fixing it is to you, and subsequently do the fix or not, as you wish. But if two or more people mention the same issue, then you have to fix it. The fix, though, might be quite different from what the critiquers are suggesting. Someone once wanted me to remove an entire section because it served no purpose. Instead, I rewrote it so that it was far more relevant to the overall plot.
Recommended workshops
Clarion
website http://clarion.ucsd.edu
Clarion West
website www.clarionwest.org
Critters
website www.critters.org Milford
website www.milfordsf.co.uk Odyssey
website www.sff.net/odyssey
Online Writing Workshop
website http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com
Orbit groups, BSFA
website www.bsfa.co.uk/orbit
Viable Paradise
website http://viableparadise.net
The other thing about critiques is that you can judge how closely a critiquer’s tastes mesh with yours by checking what they’re saying about other people’s stories, and whether you agree with it, because it’s easier to judge on things that aren’t your own writing. Someone whose critiques on other stories you appreciate should be given more weight.
When it comes to workshops, there are two approaches: a large sample pool of readers (such as Critters), or a smaller pool of people (such as Online Writing Workshop). The large sample is useful because of size and variety of reactions. I know it works great for some people: I’ve always found the smaller ones more useful because, as a writer, I find it hard to ignore the desire to please everyone, and this can be a disaster when trying to please 40+ people!
There are also in-person intensive workshops, whether in the UK or US. Many of these are application-based and can be quite competitive. They can be helpful for developing a writer’s craft and for connections; being isolated with other like-minded souls for anything from a week to six weeks can be a great boost. It can also be too much, so you should have a good idea of how much intensity you can bear (and such workshops can be expensive and time-consuming, which is the main reason I never went!).
Fantasy and science fiction conventions
RECOMMENDED CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS BSFA monthly meetings
website http://www.bsfa.co.uk
Eastercon
website www.eastercon.org
Held over the Easter weekend, various locations depending
on the year
Nine Worlds
website https://nineworlds.co.uk
Super Relaxed Fantasy Book Club
website www.hodderscape.co.uk/introducing-the-superrelaxed-
fantasy-club
Worldcon and World Fantasy Con
website http://worldcon.org, www.worldfantasy.org
RECOMMENDED READING
• Conventions and writing, or Schmoozing 101, Mary
Robinette Kowal
website http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/
conventions-and-writing-or-schmoozing-101
• Thoughts on Conventions, Zen Cho
I fell into conventions almost by accident. The 2008 Eastercon, one of the UK’s big Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions, was taking place in London, and I thought it would be fun to attend. At the time I only had a handful of publishing credits, notably a story in Interzone. Fortunately for me, Jetse de Vries, Interzone’s assistant editor, introduced me to everyone he knew, which made the whole prospect slightly less intimidating.
In the years since, there have been quite a few new conventions and events set up. They’re great fun and also quite useful venues for networking. For all the importance of online social media, nothing quite matches meeting people in the flesh. They’re not for everyone; I know writers who do quite well at their careers without ever having set foot at a convention.
The UK has a lot of science fiction and fantasy events and conventions, and there are also a few big ones in the US that are useful. Every convention has a slightly different character, which means you can try a few and see which one suits you best. They can range from huge (thousands of attendees) to quite small (200–300 people), and can be literature or media or gaming focused. My personal comfort level is around 1000 people: large enough to justify a trip, but small enough that I can run into people by accident (as opposed to remembering everyone’s email/phones). Events are usually a bit different: they’re more circumscribed in time (Super Relaxed Fantasy Club is just one evening; a convention runs continuously over several days).
Conventions are generally very friendly to newcomers, but it’s best if you come into them knowing some people already. I was in the position of having published something which made me visible, but if you’re not, there are some strong opportunities today to ‘e-meet’ people before you attend a con. Following people on social media (Twitter, Face-book, Writers’ Forum) is a good way to start your network and have people at conventions you already know who can, in turn, introduce you to others.
Only do what you’re comfortable with. I’m an introvert (like a lot of writers), and I know I need to recharge my batteries with some quiet time every once in a while, lest I crash. I’ve found it helpful to have a room in the main convention hotel, or not too far from it. Don’t hesitate to hang out in the bar; panels are useful, but a lot of networking happens outside of the official programming. I actually met my agent in a bar at the World Fantasy Convention!
It’s been a while since I started writing fantasy and science fiction. Some things have changed, some things haven’t. At heart, it’s still about time and dedication spent developing and maintaining craft and connections – and sheer bloody perseverance, which always comes in handy!
Aliette de Bodard is a multi-award-winning writer of fantasy and science fiction. In 2016 she became the first writer to win two BSFA awards in the same year for Best Novel and Best Short Fiction. Her novel, The House of Shattered Wings (Gollancz 2015), won the BSFA Award for Best Novel. Her Aztec mystery-fantasies, Servant of the Underworld, Harbinger of the Storm, and Master of the House of Darts (Angry Robot) have been reissued by JABberwocky, and her ongoing Xuya universe series includes the two short novels On a Red Station, Drifting (Nine Dragons River 2013) and The Citadel of Weeping Pearls (JABberwocky Books 2017). Her latest novel is The House of Binding Thorns (Ace/Gollancz 2017). For more information see http://aliettedebodard.com. Follow her on Twitter @aliettedb.
Writing bestselling women’s fiction
Penny Vincenzi offers some insight on how she writes her bestselling novels. She highlights the value of writers really knowing the characters they create.
Well, that’s a tough one! How to write bestselling women’s fiction ... Writing: yes, I can tell you about that. Writing women’s fiction: yes, I can do that too. But bestselling women’s fiction – that’s a tough one. You need a bit of magic, a lot of luck, and an ability to believe in yourself – and a refusal to give up. I’ll do my best to tell you what I know. Let’s start with the writing.
First of all, you know if you’re a writer because you’ll be doing it already. I believe writers are born not made. You won’t suddenly think, ‘I don’t like nursing, I wonder if I might be a writer instead.’ (Although you can certainly do both, and lots of very successful writers have started out as nurses, doctors or vets; the medical profession is rich in plots ...) You don’t have to think about whether you want to write; you just know.
I started writing stories when I was eight, in the form of fake Enid Blytons, usually about a page long. My stories were hardly works of literature, but they were what I did when other children were sticking stamps in albums or building Meccano models, or playing with dolls. And I really couldn’t stop: I was enthralled, happy, utterly satisfied. Two years later I typed my stories on my mother’s typewriter with lots of carbon copies, stapled them into a magazine called Stories and handed them out in the school playground. (There were few takers.)
Later on, I wrote for the parish magazine and the school magazine (I was the editor), and then moved on to getting paid for writing captions to photographs in Tatler magazine where I worked as secretary to the editor. It was humble stuff: ‘Lord and Lady Smith enjoying a joke on the stairs’ sort of thing. But I knew that when I was writing, I was happy; I felt I was in the right place at the right time. Look out for that feeling; it’s all-important.
Writing and inspiration
The next thing you should know is that writing is hard work. A lot of it is sheer hard grind. There is a tendency to romanticise it, but it is not romantic at all. I don’t believe in inspiration – unless inspiration is what you call one of those bolt from the blue ideas that gets your spine tingling as it hits you and you recognise it as something that could form a rattling good plot, or really great chapter, or even one wonderful scene. But you are just as likely to get one of those ideas when you’re stuck in a traffic jam or leafing through a magazine at the dentist’s, or listening to someone chatting on the number 22 bus, as when (as many people seem assume) gazing misty eyed at some beautiful scenery or listening to a glorious piece of music (although don’t knock it if it does come then).
You should write because you want to, and more than that even, because you have to. Having got the idea, you then have to start working on it; your book won’t get written without you; the words won’t drift into your head, page after wonderful page, without effort.
But I’m running away with myself; and also making out writing to be rather joyless when actually it’s one of the most joyful, rewarding, exciting things you can possibly do. When I’ve had a good day at the plot-face, as I call it, I could fly; I feel literally and perfectly happy.
You need to practise writing; it’s a bit like playing the piano, and writing a little every day is better than producing a chunk once a month. Reading is essential too; the more you read, carefully and attentively, paying proper attention to how the author tells the story, weaves the plot, creates the characters, the more you will learn. Read as much and as widely as you can – biographies, thrillers, memoirs and classics, as well as modern fiction.
Squeeze out the time somehow so you can write, however busy you are; getting up an hour earlier never hurt anyone. And don’t think you need to have some complex program for your computer – or indeed a computer at all, although it helps. An exercise book and a ballpoint pen will suffice. ‘Just do it...’ as the song says.
Writing women’s fiction
Because I write women’s fiction, I feel qualified to tell you about it. I could never write a detective story because I’d be rubbish at the plotting side of it, or a learned literary work because I’m neither learned nor literary; and I couldn’t write a self-help book because that sort of thing just doesn’t interest me (although I do know they have huge value).
My fiction career began because I wanted to tell stories and I had a cracking idea. I suddenly felt there might be more to life than writing articles about beauty, or even doing interviews with celebrities and then writing about them, which at the time I loved. That writing experience taught me a lot about things like construction and creating a mood and a sense of place, all vital ingredients to successful fiction writing.
So, having cracking ideas is essential. All my books are what one of my editors called ‘what-ifs’ – each has a strong idea that grabs the reader when she first picks up the book and makes her want to explore it. For instance, a book about a village and the people who live in it sounds charming. But if the village in that book was threatened by a developer moving in and potentially wrecking its most precious beauty spot, describing who opposes him and how, and the relationships formed and/or threatened by him, plus the secrets that get unearthed in the process of the opposition – then you have a plot.
Thus, in Dilemma the ‘what-if’ is: ‘What if your husband asked you to perjure yourself to keep him out of jail?’, and in Windfall, ‘what if you inherited an enormous sum of money, how would it affect you, your marriage and your relationships?’, and in The Decision, ‘what if you and your husband were battling over custody of your only child?’ People can put themselves into these situations, and wonder: what would I do, how would I behave? And so on.
The greatest and most important rule about writing is an old one: write what you know. If you don’t know about something – say, banking or the art world – but feel the subject suits your story, do a lot of research on it. Ignorance of a subject shows horribly in half a page. On the other hand, just because you’ve done the research it doesn’t mean you have to use every syllable of it – that would be boring. Readers get very involved in the world you create; they like to find themselves in a new place – whether it’s the world of modelling, law or journalism, they like to be told about something new. A sense of place is important too, from windswept beaches to plush restaurants and from Paris to Peru. If you bring those places alive, your readers will follow you to and through them. It all helps to bring everything in the book to life.
Know your characters
The most important thing about writing fiction for women is the characters you create. They need to leap off the page. For male fiction, in my view, it’s less vital as the plot will do a lot more. I think that women need to bond, to become totally involved with their heroines, and to feel she is, for the duration of the book, part of their own lives. Again and again, when I give talks about writing, that’s what people say: ‘I loved Lady Celia’ (in the Lytton trilogy), ‘I can’t get over what happened to Barty’ (also in the Lytton trilogy and a great favourite of readers), and ‘I got so worried about Jocasta [in Sheer Abandon] I couldn’t sleep’.
And indeed if you start discussing women’s favourite fiction, it’s the characters people talk about – Jane (in Jane Eyre), Cathy (in Wuthering Heights), Scarlett (in Gone with the Wind) and Lizzie (in Pride and Prejudice) as much, if not more, than the book as a whole. A great heroine will, as you write, take over the book and the plot.
I never know what is going to happen in my books. Many writers work in this way, being taken by surprise at what their characters do and actually refusing to do what the writer tells them. The only book I ever planned carefully was my first, Old Sins, where I had wanted my heroine to marry her stepson. It was a nice neat plot: her first husband, who was about 25 years older than she was, had died, and I thought and indeed wrote in the synopsis that she would fall in love with his son. But she didn’t and moreover, as I continued writing she just wouldn’t. Every time I wrote the scene that brings them together, it was awkward and embarrassing. I panicked; what was I going to do with her? Why wasn’t my neat plot working out? And then it hit me: she liked older men; of course she did, there was no way she would fall in love with a beautiful boy. So I listened to her for a bit and then abandoned the enforced marriage and allowed to her to choose someone else much more suitable.
It was a huge and truly valuable lesson. I’ve followed and listened to my characters ever since and I’d advise you to do the same. You need to know them really well – not just what they look like, but their likes and dislikes, what they are afraid of, what makes them happy, what makes them miserable, what they’re afraid of. It doesn’t all need to be spelt out though. Knowing your characters well makes them leap off the page, and makes your fiction sing and speak to people. It’s a wonderful feeling when you create interesting, strong characters and just let them go and you follow them.
Becoming a bestseller
I was lucky; my first book was indeed successful. And I know I had a lot of luck to make it so. I also had some hard-headed practical advice given to me. I knew I needed to have an agent – don’t even think about trying to sell your book to a publisher direct. It’s difficult to find a good agent who is willing take you on. Agents won’t take on an author unless they think they can sell their work. They know all the editors, and which of them will suit your work. Look in this Yearbook to find out which agents specialise in what areas. If you’re lucky enough to find an agent, listen very attentively to what he or she advises. If they say your typescript is too long, or the language is too flowery, or your grammar isn’t too great, or the plot is too convoluted, do what you’re told and remember that you’re lucky to have an expert working on your book with you.
I was truly lucky to have had a wonderful agent and an amazing editor first off and I never cease to be thankful for both of them. My story would have been very different, and less happy without them.
A good, memorable title is crucial, as is a striking cover. Publishers know a great deal about both and how to make a book stand out from the enormous number of books published every year. So if – and that’s a big ‘if’ – your book is sold to a publisher, you still need a lot of what I call magic.
You need an idea that will catch people’s fancy and ensnare their imaginations, a cover that catches the eye on the bookstalls, and a title that promises a heady dash of intrigue in the relationships you’ve created. It’s almost impossible to define but if you can also deliver a considerable element of charm in your characters, that will make people talk about them. If your book provides a positive experience, your readers will want more of it and will also enjoy your other books.
I hope you enjoy your writing and I wish you good luck with it. I think writing is the best fun and if you can promise people fun too, then you could, very possibly, hit the jackpot. Be brave and go for it: believe in yourself and don’t be talked out of writing the book you want to write!
Penny Vincenzi is one of Britain’s best-loved and most popular novelists. She published her first novel, Old Sins, in 1989 and has since written 16 bestselling novels, most recently A Perfect Heritage (Headline 2014). Her new novel, A Question of Trust is published in 2017. © Penny Vincenzi
Notes from a successful romantic novelist
Katie Fforde describes how she became published and why she likes writing romantic fiction.
If you want to get a group of writers into a panic, put them on a panel and then ask them, one at a time, what their working practice is. The first one answers confidently enough – after all they probably have several books on the shelves by this time. But the others listen in consternation, convinced that what they do is wrong and they are not proper writers even though the world is reading their books.
This is because there are as many writing methods as there are writers, and it’s important to work out what kind of writer you are.
If you are reading this there is a chance that you are a writer; but in case you’re not sure, do check. It’s hard enough to write if you like doing it, but if you think you might prefer painting water colours or needlepoint, please try those first. At least you might get an acceptable still life or cushion relatively quickly. It takes a long time to write a novel.
I discovered I wanted to write – almost more than anything else in the world – as soon as I started. My mother had given me a writing kit for Christmas. This consisted of paper, pens, a dictionary, a thesaurus and yes, a copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, as well as Tipp-Ex and a nice box to keep it all in.
Having made a New Year’s Resolution that I would start writing that year, I started in January. I cleaned the house, made sure my children were out of the way and put the first sheet of paper into my typewriter. When I’d got over my nerves – which I dealt with by starting to rewrite someone else’s book – and began a story I’d had in my head for years, I realised what had been missing in my life for so long. I had a lovely family, a lovely house and a lovely dog, and yet I wasn’t content. What had been missing was a creative outlet.
One of the joys of starting to write is that no one needs to know you are doing it until you choose to tell them. Most other things people do require a bit of going out in public. While it would be a bit difficult to hide it from the people you live with, the rest of the world doesn’t need to know. In fact, I suggest you don’t tell anyone unless you’re sure they will understand. There is nothing more irritating than being asked ‘how the book is going’ by people who assume you just need to write one to become a millionaire.
There are annoying examples of people who got their first novel published and became an instant bestseller – some of those authors are even my friends – but I prefer to think it’s better to be a tortoise than a hare. If you get there the long slow way at least you know what you’ve done and can do it again. That said, I have a Pollyanna side to my nature and will always see the advantages to any of life’s setbacks if I possibly can. It took me eight years before I found a publisher and ten years – from starting – before I had a book on the shelves.
Now that you’re feeling a bit more positive about it, knowing how long it took me to achieve publication, I’ll go on with my tips.
My top tip, which I’m assuming you do already, is to read a lot. I believe if you never ever went to any sort of writing course or never read a ‘how to’ book on writing, you would still be able to write to a publishable standard just by reading enough novels. It would take you longer, probably, because you could set yourself an impossibly high standard and consequently never become Henry James. But once you’ve decided what sort of book you want to write, which I hope would be the sort of book you want to read, read as many of the genre as you can fit into your busy life.
My second tip – which I sometimes describe as the gift I’d give to baby writers if I was a fairy godmother – is perseverance. This pig-headedness (a less polite but more accurate word) got me through receiving all those rejections. Every time I was rejected I became more determined that one day I would have a book published. But you do have to be very determined. I’d quite like to be a size ten, too, but I’m never going to be one because I don’t want it quite enough.
My third tip, which I’ll say more about later, is to emulate Nelson’s favourite captains and be lucky.
So why did it take me so long? I think it does take quite a long time to learn to write – for most of us anyway – but also I was aiming at a market that wasn’t quite suitable for me. I was trying to write for Mills & Boon. Like many people, I read these by the shelf-load and assumed, in my complete ignorance, that because they were easy to read they were easy to write. Not so! But I am eternally grateful to the literary agents that sent me some very encouraging rejection letters, and trying to fit my story into 50,000 words forced me to keep to the point. There is no room in those books for characters who have no function, for any little scene that doesn’t further the plot or for a hero who isn’t extremely attractive.
How did I finally get a book deal? This is where the luck comes in. I had been a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association for some years (I am now its President) and through its New Writers’ scheme (which alas is now hugely oversubscribed) my writing came to the attention of an agent, who was new to the business and so had time to look for new writers and to work with them. This agent told me she couldn’t do anything with the books I had been writing but that she liked my style and together we discussed what my next novel should be like. She asked for 100 pages before the end of the year. I felt I couldn’t write what amounted to half a Mills & Boon novel and not check I was on the right track so I sent her the first chapter. She liked it and I got into the habit of sending her chunks which she would read and comment on, sometimes asking for changes, at other times saying, crack on with it. This wonderful woman had sold the novel before I’d finished it.
But then came the hard work. There is no tougher writing course than your first professional edit, and although it was hard – no actual blood but certainly sweat and tears – I pity writers who don’t have this experience. My lovely story had too little plot and putting one in after it had been written was akin to putting in the foundations to a house after it is built. It is possible with the help of Acrow props and rigid steel joists, but it is not the way round to do it. Books need plots in the same way that bodies need skeletons and it’s better to work out what yours is before starting.
My second huge stroke of luck after finding a wonderful agent was to be picked for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion. This meant cardboard cutouts of me and the other authors were in the window of every WHSmith shop in the country and our books were reviewed by almost every newspaper. This massive exposure was a terrific start to any writing career.
So what keeps me going nowadays, 20 or so books on? One thing is that I keep having ideas which I want to write and I think this is something that develops along with other neural pathways that you forge. My antennae are constantly twitching when I watch television, go to a party or sit on a train. I am fascinated by relationships and want to explore new ones, and I also like falling in love. If you write romantic fiction you have to fall in love with your hero or you can’t expect your readers to. Falling in love with your hero is the affair you’re allowed to have and it is a lot less complicated to arrange.
Why do people buy my books? It’s hard to say but I’m very glad that they do. I think it’s because readers can recognise themselves in my characters and this is the same whatever age you are – I have readers of all ages, from school age girls to elderly women. I and three other authors were asked this question at a literature festival recently and none of us really knew. The general consensus was, life is tough for a lot of people and everyone needs a bit of escape. Some people like a nice gritty crime novel or an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but some like a story where you know the baby – and probably even the dog – is not going to die. You know you’re guaranteed a few hours off from your own life in a safe place.
This is why I like writing romantic fiction. I enjoy spending time with people I like, to whom nice things happen. I like being able to choose the wallpaper and have the garden I could never have. I also like deciding it’s time we had a good summer, and write about one.
And the very best thing about being a writer is meeting people who have enjoyed your books, read them to cheer themselves up when they were ill (although I do take it amiss when it’s implied that you have to be ill to read my books) or going through some sort of hard time. That is the very best reward.
So, if you feel fit for the fight (as Bonnie Tyler might have said) gather your tools and do your research. First of all, decide what you like to read. Don’t try and write anything just because it’s the current favourite unless you love it. You probably won’t succeed if your heart isn’t in it; if you do you’ll be stuck writing chaste romance novels when you yearn to write raunchy thrillers, and the market will have changed by the time it hits the shelves anyway.
And please do your research before you even think of submitting anything. It may seem blindingly obvious, but the number of people who send their work to any agent in this Yearbook without checking that they even handle fiction is enormous.
Be brave and get someone else to read at least part of your book before you submit it. It does have to be someone you can trust to be brutally frank, who will tell you if they don’t know who any of the characters are, and if they couldn’t care less. It’s better to find out things like this before you let the professionals near it.
Make sure you present your script exactly as it’s requested. Don’t email books to agents who only want hard copy. Make sure the copy is clean and easy to read. Write a covering letter that will encourage the agent to look at the book and if a synopsis is asked for, write one. (Some people find it easier to write after the book is finished.)
If you are lucky enough to receive comments from an agent, take them to heart unless you know them to be wrong. If they say your characters come across as older than they are supposed to be, watch a bit of ‘yoof’ television and learn some modern slang. If they say no one wants to read about undertakers, consider carefully if this is true. It’s possible you’ve written the one that people would enjoy.
If you’re brave enough to join a writers’ group, make sure it’s not a mutual appreciation society. It’s more productive to be told your dialogue is poor than for people to wonder why on earth no one has yet snapped up your masterpiece.
Be in it for the long haul. If (or when) you’re rejected, allow yourself a certain amount of time to gnash your teeth and eat chocolate and then get back to it. If you want it enough you will get there and there’s no time to waste feeling sorry for yourself. Writing mustn’t seem like a hobby, it must be your passion. Eventually it might also become your profession.
Katie Fforde is a Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author. Her first book was Living Dangerously (1995) and she has written 20 more novels since. Her most recent books are The Perfect Match (2014), A Vintage Wedding (2015), A Summer At Sea (2016) and A Secret Garden (2017), all published by Century. She has published three short story collections, From Scotland with Love, Staying Away at Christmas and A Christmas Feast. Her hobbies, when she has time for them, are singing in a choir and flamenco dancing. Her website is www.katiefforde.com.
Notes from a successful crossover author
Neil Gaiman explains how he ‘learned to stop worrying and became a crossover author’.
I didn’t set out to be a crossover author, it just never occurred to me not to be. To put it another way, what I wanted to be was the kind of writer who told whatever stories he wanted in whatever medium he wanted, and I seem, more or less, to have got to that place. So, I can tell you how I did it. I’m just not sure I could tell you how you could do it too.
My first book was a children’s book. I was about 22 when I wrote it, and I sent it to one publisher, and it came back with a nice note from the editor saying that it wasn’t quite right for them, and I put it away for ever. I was a journalist for a while (it would be accurate to say that all I knew of being a journalist when I began was what I had gleaned from the 1983 edition of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook). Then I wrote comics – mostly for grownups – and once I’d learned to write comics to my own satisfaction and thought it might be good fun to go and explore prose fiction, I was spoiled. The joy of writing comics is that it’s a medium that people mistake for a genre: nobody seemed to mind whether I lurched from historical to fantasy to spy stories to autobiography to children’s fiction, because it was all comics – a freedom that I treasured.
I started writing my first real children’s book in 1991, a scary story for my daughter, Holly, called Coraline. I showed the first few chapters to my editor at Gollancz, Richard Evans. Now, Richard was a good editor and a smart man, and had just midwifed a book by Terry Pratchett and me, Good Omens, into existence. The next time I was in the Gollancz offices he took me to one side and said, ‘Neil. I read the Coraline chapters, and I loved it. I think it’s the best thing you’ve ever written. But I have to warn you, it’s unpublishable’. I was puzzled: ‘Why?’ ‘Well, it’s a horror novel aimed at children and adults,’ he told me, ‘and I don’t think we could publish a horror novel for children, and I really don’t know how anyone could publish anything for adults and children at the same time.’
So I put the book away. I planned to keep writing it, in my own time, but there wasn’t a lot of my own time about, and I managed about a thousand words on it during the next few years. I knew that unless someone was waiting for it, unless it had a chance of being read, I wasn’t going to write it.
By now I had published a couple of books with Avon, and I sent it to my editor, Jennifer Hershey. ‘It s great, she said. ‘What happens next?’ I told her I wasn’t really sure, but if she sent me a contract we would both find out! She did. The contract was for about 5% of what I’d got as an advance for my last novel, but it was a contract, and Jennifer said she would worry about how the book was published when I handed it in.
Two years passed. I didn’t have anymore time, so I kept a notebook beside my bed and finished the book and handed it in. But I still had an adult novel, American Gods, to finish before Coraline would be published. Avon was taken over by HarperCollins, a publisher with a healthy children’s publishing division, and somewhere in there it was decided that Coraline would be published by HarperCollins Children’s. In the UK, the book was sold to Bloomsbury.
It was still a horror novel, still aimed at both adults and children, but the publishing landscape had changed in the previous handful of years. The success of the few books that had crossed over from children’s fiction to the adult world – the Harry Potter books, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, the Lemony Snicket books – made it at least a feasible goal.
Coraline was published in the summer of 2002, which was, coincidentally, the first summer without a new Harry Potter book. Journalists had column inches to fill, and they wrote about Coraline, imagining a movement of adult novelists now writing children’s books. In both the USA and the UK, it’s fair to say, adults bought the book at first, not children. That came later, as teachers enjoyed reading it and began introducing it in schools, and news of it spread by word of mouth.
The Wolves in the Walls followed, written by me and illustrated by artist Dave McKean. A children’s picture book, again, it was initially bought by adults who liked what I wrote and what Dave painted – essentially the graphic novel audience who had come with us from comics. But it was read to children, and became popular with them, and now most of the copies I sign at signings are for younger readers.
I don’t think you can plan for something to be a crossover book. But you can do things to make it easier. In my case, it was useful that I already had a large readership, one that had followed me from comics into prose, and who didn’t seem to mind that none of my prose books resembled each other very much, except in having been written by me. It was also wonderful that I had supportive publishers in the USA and the UK, who were willing to take different approaches to the material.
When I wrote The Graveyard Book, a book that began with me wondering what would happen if you took Kipling’s The Jungle Book and relocated it to a graveyard, I wasn’t really sure who I was writing it for. I just wanted it to be good. Dave McKean did a book cover for the US edition while I was still writing it, but once the book was done it was obvious that the cover was wrong. It looked like a book for ten year-olds, and only for ten-year-olds. While the book I’d written would work for children, it worked just as well for adults, and we didn’t want to exclude them. With tremendous good humour, Dave went back to the drawing board and produced a dozen new sketches. One of them seemed perfect – it showed a gravestone, which became the outline of a boy’s face in profile. It could as easily have been a children’s book cover or the cover of a Stephen King book; no one picking it up would feel excluded. (Another of Dave’s sketches, of a baby walking on a bloody knife-edge in which a graveyard could be seen, would have been perfect for a book aimed at adults, but was thought a bit too edgy for children.)
In the UK, Bloomsbury had come up with their own strategy: two editions of The Graveyard Book, one aimed at children, one at adults. The children’s edition would be illustrated by Chris Riddell, the adult edition by Dave McKean – and Dave’s baby-on-a-knife-edge cover was ideal for what they wanted, something that was unashamedly aimed at adults.
You can do your best to write a book for children that adults will like (or the other way around – in the USA the Young Adult Library Services awards celebrate the books for adults that young readers latch on to); you can try not to mess up the publishing end of things (that first cover for the US version of The Graveyard Book, which looked like a book that only ‘middle grade readers’ might have enjoyed would have been a mis-step); you can try to bring an existing audience with you, if you have one, and a way of letting them know what you’ve done. But I’m not sure that any of this will guarantee anything. Publishers are less intimidated by crossover books now that there have been many successes, but the mechanics of bookselling, the fact that books have to go somewhere in a bookshop, and that somewhere may be in a place that adults or children don’t go, that the adult and children’s divisions of publishers are staffed by different people in different groups who don’t always talk to each other or have the same objectives (or even the same catalogues) – all of these things serve to make it harder to be a crossover author and encourage you to stay put, to write something people will know where to shelve, to write the same sort of thing you wrote before.
I suppose you become a crossover author by taking risks, but they had better be the kind of risks that you enjoy taking. Don’t set out to be a crossover author. Write the books you have to write, and if you write one that crosses boundaries, that finds readers in a variety of ages and types, then do your best to get it published in a way that lets all of them know it’s out there. Good luck.
Neil Gaiman is the winner of numerous literary honours and is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, American Gods, Never where, Stardust and Anansi Boys; the Sandman series of graphic novels; three short story collections; and he is the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for one work, The Graveyard Book. He is also the author of books for readers of all ages including the novels Fortunately, the Milk (HarperCollins 2013) and Odd and the Frost Giants (Bloomsbury 2008) and picture books including The Sleeper and the Spindle (Bloomsbury 2014). Neil’s most recent publications are The View From The Cheap Seats (Headline 2016), a collection of his non-fiction, Cinnamon (HarperCollins 2017), a novel for children, and Norse Mythology (Bloomsbury 2017). Originally from England, he now lives in the USA. He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living postmodern writers and he says he owes it all to reading the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook as a young man. Visit him at www.neilgaiman.com.
Notes from a successful children’s author
J.K. Rowling shares her experiences of writing success.
I can remember writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in a cafe in Oporto. I was employed as a teacher at the language institute three doors along the road at the time, and this café was a kind of unofficial staffroom. My friend and colleague joined me at my table. When I realised I was no longer alone I hastily shuffled worksheets over my notebook, but not before Paul had seen exactly what I was doing. ‘Writing a novel, eh?’ he asked wearily, as though he had seen this sort of behaviour in foolish young teachers only too often before. ‘Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, that’s what you need,’ he said. ‘Lists all the publishers and ... stuff,’ he advised, before ordering a lager and starting to talk about the previous night’s episode of The Simpsons.
I had almost no knowledge of the practical aspects of getting published; I knew nobody in the publishing world, I didn’t even know anybody who knew anybody. It had never occurred to me that assistance might be available in book form.
Nearly three years later and a long way from Oporto, I had almost finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I felt oddly as though I was setting out on a blind date as I took a copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook from the shelf in Edinburgh’s Central Library. Paul had been right and the Yearbook answered my every question, and after I had read and reread the invaluable advice on preparing a manuscript, and noted the time-lapse between sending said manuscript and trying to get information back from the publisher, I made two lists: one of publishers, the other of agents.
The first agent on my list sent my sample three chapters and synopsis back by return of post. The first two publishers took slightly longer to return them, but the ‘no’ was just as firm. Oddly, these rejections didn’t upset me much. I was braced to be turned down by the entire list, and in any case, these were real rejection letters – even real writers had got them. And then the second agent, who was high on the list purely because I like his name, wrote back with the most magical words I have ever read: ‘We would be pleased to read the balance of your manuscript on an exclusive basis .’.
J.K. Rowling is the bestselling author of the Harry Potter series (Bloomsbury), published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than 200 territories, translated into 79 languages and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. In 2012 J.K. Rowling’s digital entertainment and e-commerce company Pottermore was launched, where fans can enjoy news, features and articles, as well as original content by J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling has written a novel for adults: The Casual Vacancy (Little, Brown 2012), which was adapted for TV by the BBC in 2015, and crime novels under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith: The Cuckoo’s Calling (Little, Brown 2013), The Silkworm (Little, Brown 2014) and Career of Evil (Little, Brown 2015). J.K. Rowling has collaborated on a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, which opened in London’s West End in the summer of 2016. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, written by Jack Thorne. In 2016 J.K. Rowling made her screenwriting debut and was a producer on the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a further extension of the wizarding world and the start of a new five-film series.
On turning from fiction to non-fiction, author Tom Holland was able to re-connect fully with his childhood love of history and find a fulfilling place as a writer. He reflects on the importance of historical accuracy in popular history, and on the literary and scholarly giants whose work has combined to influence and inspire him.
When I began writing, I wanted to be Proust. No novel had ever inspired me quite as much as his À la recherche du temps perdu (1913–27) – and so, with the lunatic hubris of youth, I decided that I would devote my career to emulating it. Naturally, it did not turn out well. My laborious attempt to write a ‘Great Novel’ proved abortive. My first published work of fiction, The Vampyre (Little, Brown 1995), instead featured Lord Byron as a vampire. Two more in the series followed, set respectively in 1880s London and the Restoration. My final vampire novel featured Howard Carter, a deranged Fatimid caliph, and bloodsucking pharaohs. It was all a long way from madeleines dipped in tea.
Or was it? Proust’s great theme was memory – the hold that it has on us, and the tricks that it can play on our minds. My mistake had been to imagine that my formative experiences, my formative passions, were best served by fiction. In truth, the emotions that lived most vividly in my memory, I came to realise, were those bred of my childhood love of history. That all my novels were set in the past was, perhaps, a desperate cry for recognition to my ego from my id. In writing historical fiction, I could now see that what really stirred me was less the fiction than the history. To invent things that had happened in the reign of Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh who served as the central protagonist in my last vampire novel, was to gild the lily. He was quite extraordinary enough as he was, without me giving him a taste for human blood.
So I decided to turn to non-fiction. Pointedly, though, I chose as my subject the period that had given me my first ever rush of fascination with vanished empires. It was a book on the Roman army (complete with a gory cover showing one of Caesar’s officers getting spitted by a Gaul) that had first persuaded me, at the age of eight, to abandon an obsession with palaeontology for one with humanity’s past. Rome was the apex predator of the ancient world: like a tyrannosaur, it was lethal, glamorous, and extinct. Yet it was also a civilisation of astonishing brilliance, possessed of poets and historians who, over the course of my studies, and then into my adult life, had allowed my fascination with it to mature as I myself grew older. Rome, as a theme, was unavoidably steeped in my memories. In researching the age of Caesar and the collapse of the Roman Republic, I was exploring an aspect of my own past, as surely as if I been writing an autobiography.
Which is not to say that Rubicon (Little, Brown 2003), my first work of non-fiction, did not aspire to stringent accuracy and objectivity. History has always had pretensions to rank as a science. Thucydides, writing back in the 5th century BC, scorned the exaggerations of poets and the meretricious taste for fantasy of chroniclers; presenting his account of the great war between Athens and Sparta, he assured his readers that ‘the conclusions I have drawn from the proofs quoted may, I believe, safely be relied upon.’
History today, as an academic discipline, is recognisably the descendant of such a methodology. Scholarship, in university history departments, ranks as a vocation. The books that result tend to be written by experts for experts, and in a style that is distinctively academic. Historians who write for the general reader cannot afford to indulge in jargon; but neither can they afford to jettison the exacting standards that serve to qualify a book published by a university press. With large readerships come large responsibilities. No less than academics, writers of popular history are dependent for their career upon a reputation for not making mistakes.
An evident aspect of history’s enduring appeal beyond the groves of academe, though, is precisely the fact that it is not a science. Herodotus, Thucydides’ great predecessor and rival, declared – in the first sentence of the first work of history ever written – that it was his ambition to ensure that ‘human achievement may be spared the ravages of time’. Literally, he spoke of not allowing them to become exitela, a word that could be used in a technical sense to signify the fading of paint from inscriptions or works of art. To Thucydides, the colours applied by Herodotus to his history were too bright, too distracting, to qualify him as a true historian – a criticism that would see him, in due course, named the ‘Father of Lies’ as well as the ‘Father of History’. Herodotus himself, though, might have retorted that Thucydides was too dry, too narrow, too lacking in colour. His own history was rich with the plenitude that is the mark of great literature. If his concern with the means of gathering evidence was something revolutionary, then so too was the sheer scope and range of his interests. No one before him had ever thought to write on such a heroically panoramic scale. Unlike the austere narrative of Thucydides, with its focus on politics and war, that of Herodotus might lead in an often bewildering variety of directions: to a laugh-out-loud story of a drunk man dancing on a table, perhaps, or to the chilling account of a eunuch’s revenge on the man who had him castrated him as a child. ‘Clio,’ as Isaiah Berlin once put it, ‘is, after all, a muse.’
It is the mark of the direction that my career took, I now recognise, that the great literary influence on my life has turned out to be, not Proust, but Herodotus. He too, like Caesar’s legions, was a part of my childhood; and ever since I first read him at the age of 12, he has been a constant companion. I translated him for Penguin Classics, and Persian Fire (Little, Brown 2005), the book I wrote after Rubicon, was in large part a refraction of his work. Much of what we know about the early 5th century BC – the Persian Empire, the Greek world, and the wars that were fought between them – is dependent upon Herodotus; and it was as a quarry full of data that I gleefully mined him for my own history of the Persian wars. Yet Herodotus – in his love of wonders, in his complex relationship to evidence, and in his style, which today can appear closer to Tristram Shandy than to any conventional work of history – was a great literary artist as well as a historian. To write in his shadow is, of necessity, to acknowledge that. Which is why, in academia, the study of Herodotus is as much the prerogative of literary critics as it is of historians; and it is why, to the writer of popular history, he affords quite as many opportunities to meditate upon the nature of memory and narrative as any novelist would.
‘Stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus!’ So Umberto Eco ended his bestselling novel, The Name of the Rose (Secker & Warburg 1983). ‘The rose that once was now exists just in name – for bare names are all we have.’ It is given to few writers to combine scholarship with fiction to the remarkable degree that Eco did; but to write about the distant past is, perforce, to wrestle with the implications of Eco’s Latin tag. Even when the sources are at their most plentiful, uncertainties and discrepancies crop up everywhere. This is the fascination of ancient history, as well as its frustration. Although to write about it is, indeed, to impose upon the past an artificial pattern, that need be no drawback. The ancients, after all, when they wrote their own histories, did the same. Rare, for instance, in the era of Caesar, was the citizen who did not fancy himself the hero of his own history. This was an attitude which did much to bring Rome to disaster, but it also gave the epic of the Republic’s fall its peculiarly lurid and heroic hue. Barely a generation after it had occurred, men were already shaking their heads in wonderment, astonished that such a time, and such giants, could ever have been.
A half-century later, the panegyrist of the Emperor Tiberius, Velleius Paterculus, could exclaim that ‘It seems an almost superfluous task, to draw attention to an age when men of such extraordinary character lived,’ – and then promptly write it up. He knew, as all Romans knew, that it was in action, in great deeds and remarkable accomplishments, that the genius of his people had been most gloriously displayed. Accordingly, it was through narrative that this genius could best be understood.
This intersection between the reliability of ancient sources and their unreliability, between their value as a record of facts and their often incorrigibly literary character, is the furrow which, as a writer, I find I most enjoy ploughing. It has led me to various dimensions in which reality and fantasy can easily seem intermingled: to the court of Nero; to the origins of Islam; to Viking England; to the First Crusade. The pleasure I have taken in writing about all of them is the pleasure of someone who, after years of restless wandering, has finally found somewhere that feels like home. I am not Proust, nor was I meant to be. The relief of discovering that is what enabled me at last, after many false starts, to become fulfilled as a writer.
Tom Holland is the author of the prize-winning history titles Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic (2003) and Persian Fire (2005), as well as Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom (2008), In the Shadow of the Sword (2012), and Dynasty (2015), all published by Little, Brown. Tom’s translation of Herodotus: The Histories was published in 2013 by Penguin Classics. His novels include The Vampyre (1995), Deliver Us From Evil (1997) and The Bonehunter (Abacus 2001). His latest book is Athelstan: The Making of England (Allen Lane 2016). Tom has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4 and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Making History. He has written and presented TV documentaries on subjects ranging from religion to dinosaurs. Tom was Chair of the Society of Authors 2009–11. Visit www.tom-holland.org for more information or follow him on Twitter @holland_tom.
Historical fiction gives writers the freedom to use ‘informed imagination’, rich in authentic detail, to breathe life into history, explains historian and novelist Alison Weir. She explores important aspects of the genre and describes the bridge between biography and fiction in her work, seeing encouraging trends in the market.
Filling in the gaps: enhancing history?
Writing a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine was my first attempt at recreating the life of a medieval woman, piecing together myriad fragments of evidence in an attempt to construct a cohesive narrative – such is the challenge of medieval biography. It was, to some extent, a frustrating exercise, because there will always be gaps that we cannot hope to fill: no one thought to record what the beautiful Eleanor actually looked like, for example, how much political influence she actually exerted, or why she separated from her husband, Henry II. I found myself itching to fill those gaps, knowing that a historian oversteps the bounds of legitimate speculation at his or her peril, for we can only infer so much from historical sources.
It was while I was researching this biography, it occurred to me that I wanted to write a novel about Eleanor, one in which I could develop ideas and themes that had no place in a history book, but which – based on sound research and educated guesses – could help to illuminate her life and explain her motives and actions. A historian uses such inventiveness at their peril – but a novelist has the power to get inside their subject’s head, and that can afford insights that would not be permissible to a historian, and yet can have a legitimate value of their own.
Having decided to have a go at writing a novel, I had to choose a subject. Eleanor of Aquitaine was off limits at the time, because my contract precluded a competing book. A reader had suggested that I write a biography of Lady Jane Grey, and it occurred to me that Jane’s tragic tale would be an ideal subject for a novel: it was short, it was dramatic and unbearably poignant, and I knew it well, having researched it for an earlier book. Three months later the novel was finished.
My agent thought it a riveting story, but said I should come down off the fence and forget I was a historian, as the book read like ‘faction’. But I had no more time to work on it, so I put it away and forgot about it until 2003, when I rewrote it using the first person and the present tense, a format in which no history book would ever be written. It was this novel that was commissioned by Hutchinson and was published in 2006 as Innocent Traitor. Since then I have published four more historical novels, including one on Eleanor of Aquitaine.
From historical fact to fiction: providing authentic detail
Writing historical fiction affords me a sense of freedom: it is liberating not to have to keep within the strict confines of contemporary sources. I can use my imagination to fill those frustrating gaps, although I strongly feel that what a historical novelist writes must be credible within the context of what is known about the subject. You cannot simply indulge in flights of fancy. That sells short both those who know nothing about the subject, and those who know a great deal. I know – because my readers regularly, and forcefully, tell me so – that people care that what they are reading in a historical novel is close to the truth, if allowing for a little dramatic licence and the novelist’s informed imagination.
Consequently I feel that I have a great responsibility towards my readers – and also my subjects, who were, after all, real people. In my novels, I adhere to the facts where they exist, using my informed imagination where they do not. History does not always record people’s motives, emotions and reactions, or the intimate details of their relationships or their love lives, so there is plenty of scope for invention there – and I have to confess to having been quite inventive in that respect!
The setting must be authentic. Too many historical novels fall down because the author has not done enough background research. They know the story superficially, but they don’t know the period or the social and cultural context. It’s an advantage to have studied the history in depth. I find that I am constantly looking up minor details in the interests of authenticity, such as the kind of books that were printed by the Caxton press in Lady Jane Grey’s time, the kind of food that Eleanor of Aquitaine would have eaten, or even the Welsh folk song sung by Elizabeth I’s nursery maid. One can’t afford to be sloppy because this is ‘just’ fiction.
Readers of history books love such details – I’ve heard that time and again – and I’ve found that it’s often in the details that we gain a broader picture. For example, Peter Englund’s book on the Great War, The Beauty and the Sorrow (Knopf Publishing 2011), briefly mentions a soldier watching the body of a fallen comrade decompose over days; he has come to see it as just chemicals and rags. But that speaks volumes about how men coped with the unimaginable carnage of that war. And maybe historians can learn something from historical novelists about bringing history vividly to life.
Finding an authentic voice
A major challenge to any author embarking on a historical novel is the use of language. There are tough choices, and you will never please everyone. You could, if you were stupid enough, adopt pseudo-Tudor speak and alienate your readers with words and phrases such as ‘prithee’ or ‘hey nonny nonny’; or you could go to the other extreme, as Suzannah Dunn does in The Queen of Subtleties (Doubleday 2005), where she has Anne Boleyn calling her father ‘Dad’. Although I flinched at that, her novel worked well, thanks to the excellent characterisations.
Having spent many years studying Tudor sources, I have become familiar with the idioms of language in use then – although we can never fully know how people actually spoke, only how their words were written down, which may not be the same thing. Wherever possible, I use my characters’ own historical quotes, or the quotes of others, lifting them from historical sources but modernising them slightly so that they do not stand out awkwardly in a 21st-century text. In order to appeal to as wide – and as young – an audience as possible, I confess to deliberately using a few modern idioms where I think they sound better than their Tudor equivalent, even if they are anachronistic. But it’s impossible to please everyone with the language in a historical novel: while one reviewer of Innocent Traitor deplored what he saw as anachronisms, another said I had got the language just right. In my subsequent novels I have used the past tense and the third person, which allows for greater versatility in telling the story.
Inventive freedom: from historical evidence to ‘what if ... ?’
How far dare a novelist make things up or manipulate the facts in a novel about a real historical figure who may also be famous? My feeling is that you should have some historical evidence, however flimsy, on which to base your storyline. For a historian, such evidence may not be convincing, but it might be a gift to a novelist. For example, in The Other Boleyn Girl (Harper 2007), Philippa Gregory has Anne Boleyn, desperate to have a son, contemplating committing incest with her brother because he is the only man who can safely be relied upon not to betray their intimacy to others. The historical Anne was charged with incest in the indictment drawn up against her, and while other evidence strongly suggests that these were trumped-up charges, a novelist can use them as the basis of a good plot. I have no argument with that.
The issue of Elizabeth I’s much-vaunted virginity has been endlessly debated by scholars, so in my view it is quite legitimate for novelists such as Susan Kay in Legacy (Bodley Head 1985) and Robin Maxwell in The Queen’s Bastard (Review 1999) to depict the Queen having a full physical relationship with the Earl of Leicester.
I myself took a similar liberty, going against what I believe as a historian, in my second novel, The Lady Elizabeth (Hutchinson 2008). That storyline was based purely on unreliable gossip and a coincidence over dates, but had this contemporary evidence not existed, I would not have ventured so far. Given that it does exist, and even though, as a historian, I would discount it, as a novelist I have the freedom to ask: what if?
My fourth novel, A Dangerous Inheritance (Hutchinson 2012), was the sequel to Innocent Traitor, with a dramatic sub-plot involving the bastard daughter of Richard III and a few hints of the supernatural, which I have woven into all my novels. But in this one the theme is more prominent – and you might say that Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time (Macmillan 1951) was an inspiration. Yet this book is very different from that much-outdated classic, and it is the first of my novels in which I wrote a fictional tale that had no historical foundation. Even so, it is based on extensive research and set within the context of two documented lives – and an enduring mystery. You could say that I have learned to relax into fiction writing – but my quest for authenticity remains as enthusiastic as ever.
I feel strongly that, where a novelist invents material in a historical novel about real persons or events, they should always include an author’s note explaining what is fact and what is fiction. If the book is largely fictional, that should be made clear. Does it matter? Of course it matters, when we are dealing with real history. It is a matter of concern to historians that fiction – in well-publicised novels and films – is often taken as fact.
Publishers, trends and sales
Where do publishers come into this? I want to say from the start that my own publishers have always been supportive of my pursuit of authenticity. But publishers do not have the autonomy they once had, and they need to survive in a difficult world. Supermarket giants, for example, have enormous power: they squeeze publishers’ profits (see a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer and you might depend on it that one has been printed free); they reject jackets and titles as not being commercial enough for their customers, which can result in the dumbing down of a book, making both the publishers and the author very unhappy. I fought for my novel on Eleanor of Aquitaine to be titled A Marriage of Lions, which reflects the parallels between evolving heraldry and Eleanor’s turbulent marriage to Henry II. But that was rejected out of hand, and I ended up submitting no fewer than 90 titles until a compromise was reached and we went for The Captive Queen. It’s a title I still hate – it’s inane, and echoes so many others on the market. And it has since become clear that many readers preferred A Marriage of Lions.
Having made my case somewhat passionately for authenticity in historical novels, which ones would I recommend? Apart from those already mentioned, I must mention C. J. Sansom’s compelling Shardlake series; Edward Rutherfurd’s epics Sarum (Arrow 1991), London (Century 1997) and The Forest (Century 2000); Sarah Gristwood’s The Girl in the Mirror (Harper Press 2012); Derek K. Wilson’s The First Horseman (Sphere 2013); and, of course, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate 2009) and Bring Up The Bodies (Fourth Estate 2012), in which she wonderfully evokes a world, even though as a historian I find her portrayal of Thomas Cromwell over-sympathetic. Historical novels have become a respected genre because of novels such as these.
The tide is turning, I think. Having seen the BBC’s well-paced and fairly authentic adaptation of Wolf Hall (2015), and the huge interest in it, I am more optimistic than I was. Maybe we don’t always have to knuckle under to the powerful factors that come into play in the publishing and interpretation of history: market forces; the need to drive sales; the impact of films and blockbuster novels. It seems that people are again seeking – and enjoying – excellence in historical fiction. But historians might not win all the battles. As one lady remarked when she heard me pointing out some inaccuracies to a friend as we toured a well-known castle – ‘Please stop spoiling it for me!’
Alison Weir is the top-selling female historian (and the fifth bestselling historian overall) in the UK, and has sold over 2.7 million books worldwide. She has published 17 history books, including The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Bodley Head 1991), The Princes in the Tower (Bodley Head 1992), Elizabeth the Queen (Jonathan Cape 1998), Eleanor of Aquitaine (Jonathan Cape 1999), Henry VIII: King and Court (Jonathan Cape 2001), Katherine Swynford (Jonathan Cape 2007) and The Lady in the Tower (Jonathan Cape 2009). Alison has also published six historical novels, including Innocent Traitor (Hutchinson 2006), The Lady Elizabeth (Hutchinson 2008) and two in a series of six novels about Henry VIII’s wives, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen (Headline 2016) and Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession (Headline 2017). Her latest biography is The Lost Tudor Princess: The Life of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (Jonathan Cape 2015). Queens of the Conquest (Jonathan Cape 2017) is the first title of four in a new non-fiction series England’s Medieval Queens.
See also...
• Writing popular history books, here
Gillian Stern sheds light on the invisible role of the ghostwriter, describing the often intense process involved in the art of writing another person’s story in their own voice.
Everyone has a story. I learned this as a Saturday dental nurse at my father’s NHS practice in Tottenham. Even the smallest details of people’s lives are important, he would tell me. Listen carefully and you will hear.
His tiny surgery vibrated with life. Even before I had a chance to show a patient to the chair, they took up whatever they had been telling him during their last visit, which may have been six months or a year previously. They talked about their children, their families; they pre-emptively repeated their vow to quit eating sugary things; they gave their opinions on what Thatcher was or wasn’t doing; told him how they brushed their teeth, what dental problems they were having. And as he filled their mouth with cotton wool rolls and started probing, he would take up the thread of their conversation, to which the patient would nod their head or roll their eyes, trying to make themselves understood.
As I mixed the mercury and amalgam for fillings, or held the hand of a nervous patient, I would listen. Everyone who sat in that chair had a distinctive voice; they were mostly living hard, complex lives. And I learned to hear, I learned to ask questions, and eventually I learned that sometimes what a patient wasn’t saying was as interesting as what they were saying. My father made each and every one of his patients feel as if they mattered and how I wish now that I had written down the words that filled his surgery, in the rich and varied voices of his patients.
Maybe, then, it is no surprise that I am a ghostwriter – a writer who gives voice to other people’s stories. I am paid to listen, to hear, to become someone else, to tell their story in their voice. In this, I am completely invisible, a siphon for their words, their story, their life, their soul. I do not interpret or pass judgement and though I might steer my questions in a direction I think their story should head, ultimately the book I am ghosting is entirely theirs, made up of their words.
While there are a range of ghostwriters – from those who ghost speeches to others ghosting novels – I ghost memoirs. I am a more reactive type of ghost in that I take commissions; many ghosts are more proactive, coming up with the idea of who they are going to ghost, taking responsibility for the outline, and involving themselves in all aspects of the publishing deal to writing the book itself. Ghostwriters are proper writers, often excellent writers, and in a world where we suspend our egos almost entirely, swapping recognition for invisibility, ghostwriters deserve all the accolades the industry and public are so keen not to throw our way. Going into a large, unnamed publishing house, where they were painting beautiful swirls of their author’s names up and down the walls, I was completely unsurprised to see my own and other ghostly colleagues’ names not included.
There is a peculiar snobbery and fuss out there about ghostwritten books and I can’t quite work out why. There are plenty of people with book-worthy stories, from the already famous to the completely unknown, who have been busy living their lives – noisily or quietly – but who have never written a book before and are honest enough to know that writing is not one of their talents. While everyone has a story, not everyone has the ability to write that story. So, in order for their commissioned book to be the best possible read, they, their agent and publisher decide that it is better to employ the services of a professional writer rather than have them inflict underdeveloped, clumsy prose on their readers. I can see nothing wrong with this. The art is in how that story is told.
I came to ghosting through being a structural editor. A publisher handed me a manuscript by someone pretty famous (signing Non-Disclosure Agreements means I am not allowed to disclose who I am ghosting, before, during and after) and asked me to edit it. It was so tortuously written – so oblique and wooden – that I simply couldn’t, and I requested time with the author, persuading them to let me have a go at re-working what they had written. The book went on to do extremely well and so the same publisher commissioned me to ghost another memoir. Publishing is a small world and publishers get used to reading between the lines in acknowledgements. ‘A special thank you to Gillian Stern, without whom none of this would have hit the page’ is a bit of a giveaway in the industry (and to my family), and so the acknowledgement, on many levels, is everything.
Often I am asked to attend what is, quaintly and oddly, still known as a ‘beauty parade’, where the person who needs a ghost – the author – with their agent and the publisher interview a number of potential ghosts, offering the job to the person whom the author feels best fits the profile of whatever it is they are looking for. I have walked into some such events and it is obvious immediately, or as the interview proceeds, that there is no way I fit, either because of a massive difference in outlook or voice or a complete lack of connection; I have walked into others and the connection and fit have been instant – not that that means I always then got the job. Mostly, though, because I’ve been around a bit, I am asked directly by a publisher to meet the author, with a view that I am the right person for the job. I am careful about what I accept; I am likely to be spending a great deal of time with the author, investing a great deal emotionally in them and their story, even ‘becoming’ them as I get into and develop the writing. I can only write someone’s story if I can imagine myself in their voice. I will not accept a job if I think I will bring judgment and bias to the page.
Once I accept a commission, I either involve my agent or negotiate the contract myself. I read as much as I can about the author that already exists. Sometimes that can be just the outline on which the publisher has bought the book; in general, though, there is a body of material online, in existing books or articles and often they have diaries or letters or papers. I listen to, or watch, whatever programmes or clips I can and then spend time with the author, chatting, walking, eating (– for one author even frenetically working out with them at their gym while they talked!). I tape as much as I can and in the early stages, as I go about myday, I stick in my headphones and listen to their voice, allowing their way of talking, the patterns in their speech, to become mine too. I try it out as I shop or talk to friends. I try to understand the way they look at the world, the way they see the everyday, what it is they want to convey. I love that aspect of the job, the beginning of becoming part of someone else’s life so intimately. It’s a strange internal intimacy; becoming them – as I write and am them – can be overwhelming, although when I’m actually with that person, I can feel oddly detached.
Typically, the author and I have a couple of sessions where we decide how we are going to work and then we get going. I generally spend as much time as I can with them; some like me to tape everything over a number of days or weeks and get writing; others prefer to get together once a week or so, with me writing and them going over what I have written in between times. Most authors I have worked with like to pore over everyword, checking that I am expressing them as they believe they express themselves, hearing the flow of the narrative, the timbre of the tone, the sound of their words. I have the world’s best transcriber and I download tapes to her as soon as I get home and write from the transcripts. One thing I would strongly advise aspiring ghosts to do is to insist that your publisher or author pay for all transcribing expenses.
Once we settle on style and rhythm, I like my editor or the author’s agent to see a few initial draft chapters so that there are no great surprises or disappointments near to the delivery deadline. I didn’t do this on the first book I ghosted, and a couple of days before delivery received 18 pages of vicious criticism from the author’s agent, none of which I disagreed with.
I get emotionally attached to my authors, of course I do. I have fallen in (appropriate) love; I have wanted to be the person I am ghosting; I have been a part of the lives of people I would never have otherwise had access to and I have seen things that would fill a book I can never write. And I have learned, painfully at first, that once the script is delivered and the book goes into production, I need to get out of there. I don’t own the book; I don’t own the story and I have no part in the publishing process once the script is delivered. Quite often the author and I stay in touch; quite often they tell me I am the most important person in their lives, the person who ‘knows them the best’, but that is moonshine and after the launch, after the razzmatazz, after the sales (and even prizes), life moves on. I did ghost two memoirs for one author, two years of our lives spent working together, and she told me shocking things she had genuinely never told anyone before, which was a burden for me but one I was prepared to carry and not include in the book. But I am not in this business to make friends. Ghosting, like editing, is a job and, once a book is written, I need to write the next.
The questions I am most frequently asked are: Why don’t you write your own book? and How can you write a book without your name on the front? Here are my answers: I do not have a novel in me; I do not have a story about my life or an aspect of my life that I believe would interest readers; I have no desire to see my name on the front of a book when the story belongs to someone else. I get a great deal of satisfaction bringing interesting stories to life, in capturing someone else’s voice so convincingly that they hear themselves come off the page. Ghostwriting is challenging and complex and a great privilege.
These days, well into his eighties, my father is still collecting stories – be it on the streets of his neighbourhood as he goes for his daily ‘ball of chalk’, in the stands at White Hart Lane, or around the table with his grandchildren. And, if I had time, I would tell you his story. Or maybe, one day, I will ghost it.
Gillian Stern is a former academic publishing commissioning editor, who while on maternity leave discovered a novel that went on to win prizes and become a bestseller. She then crossed over into the world of commercial and literary fiction and has since been a freelance structural editor for literary agents and publishers including Bloomsbury, Hodder and Orion. She combines this with her work as a ghostwriter and to date has ghosted eight books, all memoir, for Penguin and Orion amongst others.
See also...
• Life writing: telling other people’s stories, here
Life writing: telling other people’s stories
How do you convey the stories of ordinary people and their real-life experiences in a way that engages the reader and shines a light on a specific period of history? Duncan Barrett describes the art of writing memoir and how its character and technique differs from that of biography.
Traditional biographies and history books tend to focus on ‘important’ people: kings and queens, statesmen, celebrities, and so on. Personally, I’ve always been more interested in understanding history the way ordinary people experienced it, as that’s the kind of history that most of us live through. Each book in the series that Nuala Calvi and I have written together explores an experience shared by women in the 1940s and 1950s, telling a handful of real-life stories as a way of shining a light on the broader historical context of these experiences. In The Sugar Girls, we tell the story of female factory workers in the post-war East End of London; in GI Brides, we celebrate the brave, romantic souls who took a gamble on a romance with an American soldier; and in The Girls Who Went to War, we follow the plucky, tough and confident young women who donned military uniform and stepped up to serve their country in its darkest hour. In each instance, we interviewed dozens of women – sometimes more than a hundred – before picking out a handful whose particular life experiences encapsulated the bigger picture.
Choosing an engaging subject
Assuming you’re writing about other people’s experiences rather than your own, choosing the right subject is key to the success of your book. If you want readers to engage with your stories, it helps to think of your ‘characters’ in the same way you would if you were writing fiction. What do they want? What kind of obstacles do they face? How do they change over the course of their story? Crucially, I’ve found that it’s important to choose individuals who have both positive and negative qualities – the former because you’ll want the reader to root for them (this is true, incidentally, even of an anti-hero, who needs to have some redeeming features) and the latter because if they’re too much of a paragon they won’t feel like a real person – even if they are. It’s also important to remember that if a character doesn’t grow or change in some way during the course of the story you’re telling – if, for example, they are merely a witness to interesting events, but don’t get involved in them – then what might have seemed fascinating to you at first probably won’t sustain a reader’s interest across tens of thousands of words.
Selecting the right subjects is equally important whether you’re writing about living people or those who are no longer around. I researched my book Men of Letters, about the Post Office workers who fought in the First World War, in the archives of the Imperial War Museum, trawling through box after box of letters, diaries and unpublished memoirs in search of the right cast of characters to make the story come alive. As always, I was looking for a balance of different experiences, from the naïve under-age recruit to the seasoned professional soldier, but also for characters whose war experiences changed them in meaningful ways: the fervent idealist who becomes increasingly disillusioned, the anxious young officer who gradually earns the respect of his men, and so on.
If you’re writing the stories of living people, then your relationship with them is important as well. Make sure they actually like the idea of being the subject of a book. I find that outgoing, exhibitionist types are often the easiest to work with: they’re used to telling their own stories and tend to do so with a lot of juicy details – plus they generally appreciate the experience of seeing their lives set down in print. Although I have occasionally worked with more reticent or private individuals if their stories were too good to resist, those interviews are often a difficult and slow process, and the subjects tend to be much harder to please when it comes to the finished text.
Since my books have generally been about women’s experiences in the 1940s and 1950s, I spend a lot of time tracking down older ladies. For The Sugar Girls, Nuala and I knew that even more than half a century later, many of the former factory workers we were planning to write about would not have moved far from where they worked as young women, so we spent many weeks dropping in on bingo clubs, community centres, church groups and so on, and asking everyone we met if they or their friends had ever worked for Tate & Lyle. We placed adverts in the local paper, and offered to write a feature for them about some of our early interviewees, on the understanding that they would put our contact details at the bottom and encourage readers to get in touch. What I’ve found with all my books is that this kind of promotion – even if you have to work for free, or shell out a bit of money for it – can make a big difference to the kind of people you end up interviewing. Someone who has gone to the trouble of getting in touch with you is likely to be highly motivated to share their stories, as well as more generous with their time than someone who only agrees to an interview to be polite.
Sensitivity
Obviously, if you’re going to tell someone’s life story (or a part of it) in print, where it may be read by hundreds – or hopefully thousands – of strangers, it’s important that you build up trust with them, in particular if the events you are covering are very personal. I often find myself writing about some of the most intimate and painful moments in my subjects’ lives: the sudden death of a partner, discovering an extra-marital affair, giving up a baby for adoption, and so on. While such significant moments are a key part of the story and need to be given dramatic weight, it’s very important to me that they feel truthful and not sensationalised to those who actually experienced them. I always show what I’ve written to my interview subjects before the manuscript goes off to the publisher to try to ensure that it captures the truth of their experiences. While a traditional historian or biographer might be inclined to editorialise, offering their own opinions and interpretation of their subject and the world they lived in, my approach is to tell these true stories in a way that captures the perspective of my interviewees, albeit told in the third person. When Nuala and I first sent our manuscript of The Sugar Girls to our editor at HarperCollins, he told us he was surprised at how ‘jolly’ it was – he had expected a story of East End factory workers to be much more grim and gritty. But other former sugar girls who read the book invariably told us that they felt we had captured the truth of what it was like for them growing up in the post-war East End, in a way that felt much more real to them than the somewhat sensational (though very dramatic) Call the Midwife books, in which a similar time and place is seen from the perspective of a middle-class outsider.
Inevitably, working closely with living subjects, and trying to ensure they are happy with what you write, can lead to compromises. Several times, interviewees have told me an interesting story, and then subsequently claimed that I’ve got it all wrong once they saw it set down on the page. This typically happens when the story involves some kind of embarrassment, and since all my interviews are taped it’s very easy for me to go back and check exactly what they said before. Sometimes, though, for the sake of maintaining trust and a good working relationship, I find it’s better to drop small incidents that a subject isn’t comfortable with, even if they would have enhanced the book overall. For example, one of the sugar girls I interviewed told a hilarious story about the elastic on her knickers wearing so thin that one day they fell down while she was crossing the road to catch a bus. She later insisted that this had actually happened to ‘a friend’, but in the end the truth came out: she had realised that her granddaughter might read the book and didn’t like the idea of her knowing that her grandmother had been knickerless in the street. Somewhat reluctantly, I agreed to drop the story from the book, rather than make her feel uncomfortable for the sake of my readers’ enjoyment.
Having chosen whose stories you want to tell – and what you need to leave out – the next big challenge is working out how to structure your narrative to appeal to your readers. Biographies and autobiographies may take a cradle-to-grave chronological approach, but memoir-style life writing allows you to be much more selective, emphasising certain key moments and incidents in order to give shape to the overall story. When Nuala and I start to plan one of our books, we draw a kind of graph for each core character, showing the emotional ups and downs of their experience over time. Where there are emotional plateaus, whether happy or sad, we have found it is best not to dwell on them, as they are inherently undramatic. (There’s a reason why ‘they lived happily ever after’ is traditionally followed by ‘The End’.) The most exciting moments in a story are typically those when a character’s fortunes change, whether for good or bad. I try as much as possible to include one such reversal in every chapter, and if you can arrange for your reversals to fall at the end of chapters, they’ll provide great cliff-hangers to propel your readers forward to the next one.
An important element of plotting is deciding on broader themes or narrative arcs within each individual character’s story, and then looking for incidents, even if they seem fairly minor, that help to provide a sense of continuity. In part this is a matter of ‘seeding’ – laying the groundwork for important moments in advance, so that they don’t seem to come out of the blue. One of the women in GI Brides, for example, eventually found out that her husband was an inveterate gambler, something that put a major strain on their marriage. In retrospect, she realised that there had been many clues she hadn’t picked up on along the way: the lavish gifts he would buy her when he suddenly came into a bit of money, the seemingly innocent poker game that he and some friends engaged in during their wedding party, and so on. Including such apparently minor incidents in her story helped set the scene for the drama that would follow.
Aristotle claimed that in ancient Greek tragedies a plausible but impossible story was actually preferable to a possible but implausible one. Obviously real-life stories are, by definition, not impossible – but keeping in mind that just because something is true doesn’t automatically make it plausible is important if you want your readers to connect with what you write. Some things in our lives do seem to come from nowhere, and real people can behave ‘out of character’ – but if you’re writing a true story in narrative form, the rules of narrative are important as well as the rules of truth. You don’t want your readers to have to keep reminding themselves that the book says it’s a true story on the back cover – you want it to feel true as well. Careful and consistent plotting is the key to this.
The biggest difference between biography and more creative life writing – at least from the perspective of the reader – is in terms of style. Whether you’re writing a first-person memoir or, as I do, telling the true stories of other people in a narrative form, make the most of the opportunities that are available to you. Try to include as much dialogue as possible. Although you (or your subject) probably won’t remember the exact words that someone used in a conversation many years ago, as long as the underlying meaning is truthful you can exercise a bit of artistic license in how you express it. Sometimes you may need to use your own background research – or, indeed, your imagination – to flesh things out a bit and bring the story, and the characters, to life. In The Sugar Girls, for example, I wrote that one of the women I interviewed had smoothed down her frizzy hair on the way into a job interview. When I first showed this section of the book to her, she asked how I could possibly have known this since she couldn’t remember doing it herself. I explained that she had told me that she was nervous, that her hair was perpetually frizzy, and that she wanted to make a good impression in the interview – the act of smoothing her hair conveyed all of that to the reader, and whether it actually happened or not was, in a sense, beside the point: the meaning underlying it was truthful. If I’m ever in doubt about how far to go in fleshing out an incident like this, I have a helpful rule of thumb: I imagine a reader telling their friends about a story they’ve read in one of my books. If their version of it contains no glaring inaccuracies, then I figure that any minor embellishments I’ve added to make the story feel more real can’t have done any serious harm.
Duncan Barrett is a writer and editor. In 2010 he edited the First World War memoirs of pacifist saboteur Ronald Skirth, published as The Reluctant Tommy. He is co-author, with Nuala Calvi, of a trio of Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers: The Sugar Girls (Harper 2012), which was ranked second in the history bestsellers of 2012, GI Brides (HarperCollins 2013), which was also a New York Times bestseller in America, and The Girls Who Went to War (Harper Element 2015). His first solo title, Men of Letters (AA Publishing 2014), was nominated for the People’s Book Prize. He also teaches creative non-fiction writing; for more information, visit www.lifewriters.co.uk.
Alexander McCall Smith suggests that within each writer there is probably more than one author wishing to be expressed and that writers should be ready to push themselves and explore the unfamiliar, to try a new voice. In this article he examines the options and points out when it would be prudent to not write in a different voice.
Every author is used to being asked for a tip for those starting off in the profession. The one that I have tended to give is this: never get stuck on your first novel – move on to the next. That advice comes from meeting so many people who have spent years – sometimes decades – rewriting their first novel. That, in my view, is a bad mistake, particularly if that first novel is unsuitable for publication, as so many first novels are. So why not make one’s second novel one’s first?
But then comes the question: what other tips? That needs a bit more thought, but my second tip is probably this: be versatile. Being prepared to write more than one sort of thing is, I think, one of the most important abilities that any aspiring writer should seek to develop. Of course there are plenty of writers who find their exact niche and stick to it very successfully: I find it hard to think, for example, of any romantic novels written by John le Carré, or spy thrillers by Barbara Cartland, for that matter. Writers who have the good fortune to master a genre and make it very much their own can indeed get away with doing the same sort of book for their entire careers, but for most people the ability to write on different subjects or in different voices is a very useful weapon in the professional armoury.
Of course there are all sorts of pressures going the other way, not least being those that come from publishers. One of the things that the first-time author may not realise is that publishers prefer to take a long view. When they agree to publish your first book, they are probably already thinking of the second. The commercial reason for this is obvious: a publisher is going to invest time and money in a book that will probably have a reasonably short shelf-life. It is not surprising, then, that they are thinking of your future career and about how your second book can do better than your first. All that is reasonable enough: it takes time to build up a following.
With this long-term strategy in mind, publishers will be keen to pigeon-hole you and present you as a writer of a certain sort of book. If, for example, you write a steamy novel about 50 shades of something or other, your publisher is not going to be pleased if your next book is on moral philosophy or even – and this would cause even greater problems for your publisher – theology. If you write a thriller, then that is how you are going to be marketed – as a writer of thrillers.
This process of categorisation, of course, can be to your advantage. Crime novels, for instance, sell better than many other categories, and to be labelled as a crime writer may help an author get started on a lucrative career. And crime fiction can be extremely well written and psychologically profound; there is no shame in being considered a genre writer, as long as one does not allow the demands of genre to be too constraining. There is a world of difference, though, between the narrow, formulaic romantic novel and the novel about love. The former will be of little literary merit; the latter may be quite the opposite.
Some will be wary of identification with a genre, as being placed in a particular one may be considered limiting. Yet the boundaries of genre may be vague. Think of Patricia Highsmith with her Ripley novels and her other titles too: those are every bit as good – if not better – than many so-called literary novels, and of course will be read, and enjoyed, by a much wider audience. Ian McEwan is another interesting example: his compelling novel, Enduring Love, could be considered crime fiction, or even a thriller, as could his exquisitely frightening novel, Saturday. And yet McEwan crosses literary boundaries with ease because he writes so well.
Writing for children brings particular dangers. Children’s books are obviously a very distinct genre, marketed and perceived by the public in a very distinctive way. If your first book is a children’s book, beware: you will be labelled by publishers – and possibly by everybody else – as a writer of books for children and you may never be able to present yourself as anything but that. I have personal experience of this: at an earlier stage of my writing career I wrote about 30 books for children and remember feeling very frustrated that I could not persuade the people who published those books to consider the manuscripts I wrote for adults. I felt trapped, and I know a number of writers who had a similar experience. It takes a real effort and not infrequently a stroke of luck to venture out from the world of children’s books.
Of course there is no real reason why an author should not write for children as well as adults and go backwards and forwards between the genres. Roald Dahl is an example of somebody who did that: his short stories for adults are exceptionally well crafted, but are definitely not children’s fare. His children’s classics, though, can be read with enjoyment by adults, whether or not one is reading them aloud to one’s children or for private pleasure. That is the mark, I think, of the great storyteller: he or she is of universal appeal.
But let us imagine that you are now launched, whether or not with a first book that fits into any narrow genre. What should you do about your second book? Should you try to do much the same thing as you did in the first? An initial question is whether you are interested in writing a sequel. That will depend on the nature of the first book: some books lend themselves to sequels more naturally than others. If you have created strong characters, you may wish to continue those characters and expose them to new challenges. That, of course, is how most real lives are lived: they go on for years – each of us, in a way, finds ourself in a family saga of one sort or another.
A series can be attractive to both author and publisher. From the author’s point of view there is a particular pleasure in returning to characters and places with which you are already familiar. Creating a new chapter in a life that you have already got to know in an earlier novel can be rather like sitting down for a chat with an old friend, and may present chances to say much more about character and background than you were able to say in the first encounter. From the publisher’s point of view, half the battle of marketing a book is over if there is a readership that already recognises – and likes – the principal character. That is why it is relatively easy for publishers of crime fiction to sell the latest exploits of well-known detectives: everybody knows those detectives and is eager to hear from them. But the same can be said too of other series: readers of Patrick O’Brian were lining up to read about Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin as soon as the next instalment was due, just as they did for Harry Potter and his friends.
Again, though, a warning note needs to be sounded. A successful series can become a treadmill for an author and may also frustrate the author’s desire to do something different. So it is a good idea to make it clear to publishers that one wants to be able to write something different from time to time. A good publisher will be perfectly happy to allow this if the author has been reasonably successful with an existing series; indeed the publisher should see this as a way of expanding the author’s readership as well as allowing existing readers to sample something different from a writer they have come to know.
My own experience of this has involved writing a number of standalone novels as well as a number of existing, regular series. I have found these standalones to be a valuable way of saying things that I might not have been able to say in any of my series, as well as giving me an opportunity to spread my wings stylistically. There is also the sheer stimulation involved in being able to do something new – to accept new challenges.
Recently I had one such challenge presented to me by a publisher with whom I had worked in the past. Roger Cazalet, one of the most highly regarded of British publishers, came to me with the suggestion that I should write a new version of Jane Austen’s Emma. It took me, I think, not much longer than 30 seconds to say yes to this proposal. Not only would this enable me to work again with Roger – and the relationship with your publisher is a very important matter – but it would also allow me to step into the world of Jane Austen, a writer whom I, like virtually everybody else, admire so greatly. I was aware, though, that this was yet another genre of fiction that I was straying into: that of the use of fictional characters developed by another author altogether.
Using another author’s characters seems to have become a rather popular pursuit. Not only are people doing it with Jane Austen – there are innumerable versions now of Pride and Prejudice – but they are doing it for a whole list of well-known fictional characters. There were the Flashman novels, for instance, that involved the reappearance of the bully in Tom Brown’s Schooldays. There are also the now fairly numerous reappearances of James Bond, from the pen of various distinguished modern novelists such as William Boyd and Sebastian Faulks. This is itself now a whole new literary genre.
I found writing a new Emma one of the most enjoyable literary experiences of my life. Part of that, of course, was the sheer pleasure of Austen’s story, but much of the attraction lay in the fact that it was a new thing for me to do. I had not done this sort of thing before, and there was the exciting challenge of an entirely fresh project. And that, I think, is the important thing for any author to remember: you must be ready to push yourself, to explore the unfamiliar, to try a new voice. I am not suggesting that one picks up and then abandons literary styles and genres with careless abandon: what I am suggesting is that within each one of us there is probably more than one author waiting for a chance of self-expression. Let those voices out. Cultivate them. And even if one ends up writing widely differing types of books, there is likely to be the same vision behind each of them that will make them authentically you. And that, of course, is the bit that you must always listen to and never silence – for any reason at all.
Alexander McCall Smith CBE, a former professor of Medical Law, is one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors. His No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series has sold over 20 million copies, and his various series of books have been translated into over 40 languages. These include the 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie Novels series, the von Igelfeld series, and the Corduroy Mansions novels. Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over 30 books for children. His numerous awards include the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award (2004) and Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction (2015), as well as honorary degrees from 13 universities in Europe and N America. His most recent novels are The Novel Habits of Happiness, The Revolving Door of Life and The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (all published in 2015), and he has also published a collection of short stories inspired by old photographs, Chance Developments.
There is more to literary translation than merely translating, as Danny Hahn explains. A self-confessed lobbyist, advocate and proselytiser for the profession, he describes the increasing breadth and diversity of ‘being a translator’. He gives advice on how to get started, practical information on the work, and reveals a highly supportive and dynamic working community.
The easy bit
What does a literary translator do? A literary translator takes a literary text in one language, and writes it again in another. It’s not particularly difficult, so long as you don’t care whether your translation is any good. But ... what about not merely translating, but translating well? That’s another matter entirely.
We all strive towards an ideal, a perfect translation, even while knowing that such a thing is impossible. Because rewriting a text in a new language doesn’t just mean carrying over the sense, it means carrying over everything: the rhythm, the register, the associations, the resonances, the voice. All these things are deeply embedded in the original language, one might say they are inextricable from it – so how could it be possible to keep all of them when you’re changing every single word? No, it’s impossible – simple as that. And yet we translators do it anyway.
Being a literary translator demands all manner of unusual, overlapping skills, but there are just two that are absolutely essential. You need to be: 1) an uncommonly close, sensitive and wise reader; 2) a fantastically accomplished and versatile writer. And in two different languages, of course, because that’s what translation is, after all – a process of reading, in language A, followed by a process of writing in which you deploy language B with such spectacular skill that everything you’ve read is somehow recreated, even if every single word is different. You read a line like ‘The cat sat on the mat’ and write a line in another language that keeps all of it: the meaning (feline, seated, carpet); the simple, almost childish register; the six absolutely consistent monosyllables; and the fact that the verb and both nouns all rhyme. Want to try it? Like I say – impossible!
How, practically, do translators work?
Literary translators in the UK are freelancers, hired usually by a publisher to do a single job (translate a novel, say). There are a number of publishing houses or imprints that have a particular focus on international literature in translation – Harvill Secker, Pushkin Press, And Other Stories, Peirene Press, Maclehose Press and others – but as it becomes more mainstream, translations are nowadays to be found (albeit in small numbers) on all kinds of literary and commercial publishing lists.
Translators do pitch ideas to publishers, but in the overwhelming majority of cases it’s the publisher who initiates a project. The publisher finds a book they’d like to publish in English (at one of the big trade fairs, perhaps, such as the Frankfurt or London Book Fair), then they recruit a translator to do the job. (Sometimes they invite several translators each to do a sample and choose the best match for the voice they’re after.)
There will be a contract between publisher and translator, specifying the terms of the agreement, which will include a delivery deadline, a rate of payment and a royalty. Payment is calculated on the basis of the word count of the job (I currently charge £90 per 1,000 words of my translation, which is pretty typical, though rates can be negotiated up or down) and this is usually considered an ‘advance’ on future royalties. The payment is usually made half on signature of the contract and half on delivery of the translation.
The translator will deliver the new text, which will go through a number of editorial stages; it won’t usually get a major structural edit as an Anglophone work might, but there will be some editing, copy-editing and proofreading – with the translator involved at every stage. (The translator should have the right to veto unwelcome editorial changes, though most translators – like most writers – are happy to be well edited.)
Eventually the translation will be published, perhaps both in print and ebook form; the translator’s name should be clearly credited (ideally on the jacket, but otherwise on the title page), and the translator’s copyright in the work asserted. In very rare cases a publisher will ask a translator to agree to a contract in which he or she signs over their copyright, but this should be forcefully resisted! Once the book is out in the world, the translator may well be invited to be a part of promoting it – alongside, or instead of, the original author.
Getting started
Literary translation, like any writing, doesn’t have anything as sensible as a career path one might tidily follow. It’s not a job that requires a certain series of qualifications, or clear stages of apprenticeship to be served before attaining the hallowed status of Literary Translator (from which time great work just sort of appears magically whenever you need it ...).What it does have, however, is an incredible collegial community, a network, which it’s really easy to get into.
Organisations like BCLT and Writers’ Centre Norwich run residential summer schools and all kinds of other workshops; there’s a mentoring scheme which pairs new translators with experienced translators in the same language for six months; and there are now dozens of postgraduate programmes for studying literary translation, some more practice-based, others with a stronger focus on theory. There’s a new Emerging Translators Network, too, which is mostly an online community but also hosts occasional events.
And there are plenty of opportunities to meet other translators in the community, whether it’s at the Literary Translation Centre at the London Book Fair every April, which hosts its own programme of events every year; or at the International Translation Day event in London, which gathers the whole tribe together – translators but also interested publishers, students, writers, funders. International Translation Day itself is 30 September, St Jerome’s Day (he’s the patron saint of translators), so the London event is always around that time.
However much you might hate the idea of ‘networking’, getting yourself known to publishers is an important part of finding your way into this industry, and the existing events, programmes and networks certainly make this easier. You might also want to write to publishers direct and pitch ideas for books you think they should publish (and commission you to translate for them, naturally). Send a cover letter, some information about the book and its author, and an excellent short sample translation. It’s very unusual that these cold pitches come to fruition but, if they (and your sample work in particular) are good enough, they are at least a useful calling card; even if they don’t buy this book, publishers may remember you and later invite you to audition for something else they acquire. Offer to do reader’s reports, too – these are a good way of honing your own critical skills, as well as allowing publishers to get to know you. And don’t be shy about pitching short-form translations to magazines; publishing the odd short story or poem is a good way to get in the door. There are plenty of good places to start that are particularly receptive to international writing: Words without Borders, Granta, Modern Poetry in Translation, The White Review, Asymptote, and many others.
The UK is blessed with a number of extremely effective and collaborative organisations working in the literary translation world. These are just a few of them. Sign up to their newsletters (and/or like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, etc) and you’ll quickly get a sense of who else is out there.
The British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT)
See here
Based at the University of East Anglia, the BCLT has recently changed its focus from public, professional and industry work to concentrate principally on its academic side. However, it still hosts an annual summer school (in partnership with Writers’ Centre Norwich, see below), and the annual Sebald Lecture. Speakers have included Seamus Heaney, Susan Sontag and Margaret Atwood.
website www.bclt.org.uk
The Emerging Translators Network (ETN)
Just as it sounds, the ETN is a network for emerging translators. It operates mostly as an online forum, offering a welcoming and supportive environment for early-career literary translators and would-be literary translators to exchange information and advice.
website https://emergingtranslatorsnetwork.wordpress.com
English PEN
The founding centre of the PEN International network, English PEN works at the overlap between literature and free speech. Best known perhaps for its work with imprisoned authors around the world, its activities range much wider. Its strapline is ‘Freedom to write, freedom to read’, and it helps to make as wide a range of books as possible available to English-speaking readers, specifically by supporting literary translation. PEN offers grants to publishers to help cover the translation costs of publishing and promoting foreign books. It is a main player in the consortium of organisations that oversee the Literary Translation Centre at London Book Fair and International Translation Day.
website www.englishpen.org (See also PEN
International in Societies, associations and clubs here.)
Free Word
See here
The Free Word Centre in London is home to a number of organisations – both residents (such as English PEN, above) and associates (such as BCLT) – that work in the areas of literature, literacy and free expression. Free Word has chosen translation as one of the focuses of its work, which has included annual translators in residence who use their time at the Centre to collaborate with resident organisations, work with local schools, programme public events on a translation theme, and so on. Free Word is now the organisation responsible for International Translation Day.
website https://freewordcentre.com
Literature Across Frontiers (LAF)
Founded in 2001, this ‘European Platform for Literary Exchange, Translation and Policy Debate’ is based in Wales but works right across Europe (and beyond). With a wide network of partners, the organisation uses literature and translation to encourage intercultural dialogue, through workshops and publications, etc, focusing particularly on less-translated languages. It also carries out research into aspects of the translation market.
website www.lit-across-frontiers.org
The Translators Association (TA)
See here
Part of the Society of Authors, membership is limited to those who have published a book-length work or equivalent (though there is also associate membership for those who have been offered a first contract, even if it hasn’t yet been completed). Among the many benefits is legal advice including clause-by-clause vetting of your contracts.
website http://societyofauthors.org/translatorsassociation
Writers’ Centre Norwich
This literature development agency has recently moved to new premises and is currently evolving into the National Centre for Writing. The transition will involve taking on much of the professional and public work that used to be done by BCLT, including the running of translation mentorships, programming public events that look at literary translation and translated literature, and publishing the journal for literary translators, In Other Words.
website www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk
I’ve mentioned the translation ‘community’, but it’s also worth thinking of smaller, more focused communities within it, which may exist for particular languages or regions. Find other translators who work in your language and look for other possible language-specific allies. For example most European countries, and some outside Europe, have organisations that exist to promote their literatures. Drop the appropriate ones a note and introduce yourself; they’re usually grateful to meet translators who want to help them get their writers into the wider world, and they’ll be useful to you.
‘Being a translator’
The world of the professional literary translator in the UK has transformed in the last five or six years, and in almost every respect for the better. So much of this has come about thanks to the dynamism of translators themselves and the way the profession has come to think about itself, and in particular what it means to be a translator. I draw that distinction a lot these days, between ‘translating’ and ‘being a translator’.
Translating is the core of the work, of course – taking an old text and writing a new one. That strange alchemical process (as one of my colleagues beautifully put it) of turning gold into gold. But that’s not how I spend most of my time.
I talk to publishers about books – things that interest me, things that interest them; I read foreign-language submissions on their behalf and write reports. I talk to foreign agents and publishers and writers, too, to get a sense of what’s going on in the publishing world. I am, in short, part of a big, transnational, translingual, literary conversation. I review translations for newspapers, and write about translation as I’m doing now. I do public events about literary translation and translated literature. I run workshops for newer translators than me (including in universities and schools, primary as well as secondary) and assorted programmes to make translation better, better paid, and more appreciated. In other words, I’m a lobbyist, an advocate, a proselytiser – as most translators are, I think. There’s a sense in the profession of a kind of common mission (it seems rather zealous when I say that); we all feel there should be more translation, and more diverse translation, and that translations and translators should be profoundly cherished by the reading public.
That’s what ‘being a translator’ means to me. Yes, doing the translating, but also being part of a community, a conversation – you might almost say a movement; it means seeing one’s role as broad and flexible, seeing oneself as a significant and active player in the publishing world, not just an occasional, grateful hired hand. The community itself is an extraordinarily warm and welcoming one, and it’s never been easier to join. Our profession and the market for our work are both growing – it’s a good time for translating, and for being a translator, too.
Danny Hahn is a writer, editor and translator. He has translated about 20 novels from Portuguese, Spanish and French, including translations of fiction by José Eduardo Agualusa and José Luís Peixoto, and non-fiction by writers ranging from Portuguese Nobel Literature Laureate José Saramago to Brazilian footballer Pelé. He has also written several works of non-fiction and one children’s picture book, as well as editing reference books for adults and reading guides for children and teenagers. Formerly National Programme Director of the British Centre for Literary Translation, he is a former chair of the Society of Authors (2014–16) and of the UK Translators Association (2012–15). His most recent publications include the new edition of the Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature (Oxford University Press 2015).
Food writer and journalist Rose Prince is often told she has a fabulous job – and she has to agree. Here she explains how she came into this line of work, and describes its different aspects and challenges in a changing publishing world.
‘So how did you become a food writer?’, people ask. That is an extremely good question. As with so many aspects of journalism there is no fixed course or apprenticeship. It has in fact always been better to come to a career in food writing knowing a lot more about food than you do about the media. Why? Because food, while obviously being our daily fuel, is also the product of an industry and while a margin of that industry is something we can celebrate, a greater part is shrouded in dishonesty and technology designed less to nourish consumers than the wallets of multinational food producers.
‘Food writing’ is multi-limbed: cookery writing in magazines, newspapers, cookbooks and now, of course, on the web forms the greater part. Its visual side – the accompanying photography – makes it the most commercial. Food travelogue is a beautiful aspect of the job, bringing stories from far-flung places, but one that is becoming trickier to achieve since expense budgets have been cut. Feature writing and investigative reporting have become important and might cover stories about food producers, animal welfare, environment or the gruesome agendas of factories and supermarket chains. Nutrition has seeped into food editorial with its spurious claims and wacky diets and of course there are restaurant reviews, though this arm of food writing is somehow set apart from the others.
I do not have a degree. After a somewhat scanty education in a girls’ boarding school – more an academy for brides than an education establishment – I drifted through the 1980s without much enjoyment (or husband). I cooked a lot for myself and my friends; it was the leisure I loved. I had been lucky to have both a grandmother who lived in France since before my birth and a mother who was not just a good cook but a great stylist who always found the new interesting ingredient, book or recipe before anyone else. She and Mary, my grandmother, were a great influence. At primary school in the 1960s I was the only one in class to smell of garlic, but I now see I was privileged: I had a food education from people who really cared and took an interest.
During my unhappy ’80s ‘drift’ it was food that comforted me and in which I took a growing interest. And here is a theory, though one not proven: food writers need to experience that comfort, that consolation; it is necessary to ignite something that is more than appetite for their subject, to be able to project its sensory side to their readers. It is simply not good enough to say something is delicious – it is how food makes you feel.
Food writers like Elizabeth David, Nigel Slater, Nigella Lawson or the great American M.F.K. Fisher are sensitive people whose lives with good food have also been punctuated with a degree of personal pain. Elizabeth David’s former doctor once described her to me as someone who ‘seemed to be without a skin, sort of raw’. That is not to say that you cannot write about food unless you had a miserable childhood, but understanding the joy that great food can bring to anyone, from any background, makes for a great communicator. Empathy meets salivation, you could say.
For a time, I thought I would be a food broadcaster. I met the producer of BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme and was asked to make a package about a Hampshire butcher. It was themed on butchers’ shops becoming a dying breed in the early 1990s, something close to my heart. I wondered why the producer wanted me to do it when I could barely operate the record button on my stereo. ‘Because it takes a lot longer to teach a radio reporter your knowledge of food than it does to show you how to use a DAT machine’, she said.
As it happened, I was not a great broadcaster. My voice was watery and I shook with nerves. Anyway, I wanted to write. I had begun to read about food while working in a cookbook shop three years before. Every morsel of information seemed fascinating and all I wanted was more. I became critical, deciding between the good and bad. I advise anyone who wants to write about food to read up, but also to be discriminating. For my part, it was the recognition of interesting food writing and appealing, original, tempting recipes that helped me to write closer to the level expected by editors.
Food and cookery writing – newspapers and magazines
Two decades ago, food editorial was largely devoted to cookery articles. Problems in the food industry were tackled by environmental correspondents, by the health writers or consumer affairs journalists. The coverage of agriculture issues tended to veer on the side of a post-war, ‘more-(food)-is-more’ philosophy dictated by agribusiness and barely concerned with the problems looming in the sector. When the scandals of salmonella and BSE hit the news in the 1990s, however, editorial opened up for food writers passionately campaigning for a revolution in the industry that favoured artisan producers of sustainable produce. It was at this time that I began to look up the appropriate editors and send in proposals.
When I finally submitted an idea that resulted in a commission to write a long food feature for a Sunday supplement, I thought, ‘Oh, s***’. Writing the piece ultimately became a matter of not being found out – I would write it to the standard of the writers I loved, or get as close as possible. I waited for the editor’s response but heard only from a subeditor (a good sign that the story had made sense and was at least readable). The following week there was another commission, and so it began ... That was nearly 20 years ago.
I am aware that this is what most people would define as a ‘break’; jumping from nobody to a writer because an idea landed in the right place. Yet it is the idea, the original thought, that gets you there. Every time you submit an idea, aim for it to have the ‘I did not know that’ factor, the element of surprise that every editor respects. Again, read a lot about food and you will know if the subject had a recent airing. It annoys the overburdened editor to receive a suggestion that appeared in a rival publication six months ago. Always run a search and never agree to do a piece unless your publication can run with it first. This is what is exciting about the job.
Of course, a journalist employed by a publication can become a specialist writer and many do. There is an advantage to working as a freelancer or a contracted writer working from home, however, because you are unchained, able to do fieldwork, whether literally tramping round Welsh hill-farms or indulging in the food writer’s greatest perk – having a long lunch with plenty of wine.
Food writing and PR
Not long after your first article has been published, the bombardment begins – from the food reps (or ‘PRs’). The food industry spends a fortune on PR and the responsible food writer’s job is to see through the rose-tinted haze of euphemism and cover-up, weigh up the promise that a new trend has begun against the likelihood that the notion was dreamt up in a conference room, and be careful not to be bribed. If you want to write about an idea put forward by a PR (and PRs who know what type of stories you look for and target you intelligently should be respected), it must always be your choice and not because you feel obliged having been love-bombed with free samples. I work upon one rule of thumb when it comes to PR-led stories: if they help shoppers make better choices, fine, but if shoppers are having the jumper pulled over their eyes, avoid.
Should the PR story involve a time-consuming assignment, or travelling abroad, do your homework and ask a lot of questions before proposing the story. I remember setting out to write about a mustard producer in France, believing it to be very artisan, pure and unadulterated. I took a wrong turning while touring the plant in Dijon, only to find a room filled with sacks of unpleasant chemical preservatives. Another time, in South Africa, I took a £200 taxi at the newspaper’s expense to see a sun-dried fruit producer.
‘What’s that?’, I asked the farmer, pointing to a tank on the production line.
‘Caustic soda – we dip the peaches in it to remove the skins’, he said. That one hit the dust and I had a lot of explaining to do when retrieving my expenses.
Online
As a writer who has enjoyed the great years of print, I look at the online revolution and hope that it is a development for the good. Digital has brought the bloggers – a vast number of unedited critics and creative cooks who must earn the trust of readers without the supporting foundations of national newspapers and magazine publishers. When bloggers gain great numbers of followers on social media the publishers get interested, so this has become a way ‘in’ for aspirational writers. However, not every blogger’s adventure in print succeeds because their followers, accustomed to reading for free, do not see a purpose in buying a book by the same author.
I guess that while digital and online is establishing itself in these early years, a balance will be found. So far, the texture of printed books and larger-format magazines with complementary cut-out-and-keep values make the print sector relevant. TV chefs’ books (a zone apart from the food writing I am discussing) continue to do well in the digital age. Food sections in digital newspapers are expanding and in some cases are classy too. New food writers will find much to occupy them in the future, but for the sake of the readers we hope realistic writing fees will deter PR-led material taking over the content.
Cookery books
Earlier I mentioned how, when working in a bookshop dedicated to food in the early 1990s, I fell in love with food writing. The books I began to collect then, from all over the world and varying eras, formed the foundation of everything I have done since. The esoteric, way-out, provincial cookbooks, beautifully written by scholarly cooks, inspire me the most. Such books once achieved relatively large sales.
Could similarly influential books be published now? Not in the same volume. The process towards authoring a book is much altered by TV cookery. Let’s say the independent cookery author struggles when retailers are drunk on sales of ghostwritten TV link-ups that reach half a million or more. The more room taken up on the tables of bookshops by the publications of TV cooks, the less room there is for a pretty book about the vegetable cuisine of Eastern Crete by a hitherto unknown author. Amazon, however, is good for the small book, should it get the right publicity, and all authors should tour independent bookshops and book festivals for face-to-face contact with readers.
Where, you have to ask yourself before approaching an agent or publisher, is your shop window? A columnist on a national publication, a successful chef with a trending, award-winning restaurant – and obviously a TV chef – will likely be published because they are visible and can promote their books naturally. Those running well-liked pop-ups, farm shops and some food producers can do very well too, but the author who writes about food in their own right has to work the hardest to get sales going.
But remember – there is always the fresh idea, beautifully realised in a gorgeous-looking book that hits the mood of the moment and becomes the year’s big independent success story. I believe there are many more of these to be written and printed, ebooks notwithstanding, so go for it and write those proposals. Waking at 4am so you can write to fit around family and other work commitments, going through several gruelling edits and enduring sleepless nights while the book is finally on the presses – all this is worth the moment when your book arrives, your hands are on the cover and you can smell its newly bound pages. Now you are an author, and yes, it is a wonderful job.
Rose Prince’s new book, Dinner & Party (W&N) is due for publication September 2017. She is the author of The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat (Fourth Estate 2005; reissued 2015 in paperback and on Kindle), The Savvy Shopper (Fourth Estate 2006), The New English Table: Over 200 Recipes That Will Not Cost The Earth (Fourth Estate 2008), Kitchenella (Fourth Estate 2010), and The Pocket Bakery (W&N 2013). She has published three editions of The Good Produce Guide (Hardie Grant 2009–12). How to Make Good Food Go Further: Recipes and Tips from The New English Kitchen was published on Kindle in 2014. She writes monthly columns for the Daily Telegraph and the Tablet and contributes regularly to the Daily Mail, the Spectator and other publications. See more at www.roseprince.co.uk.
See also...
• Writing features for newspapers and magazines, here
Sara Wheeler paints a vivid picture of life and work as a travel writer, through her own experiences and those of inspirational writers of the past. She reflects on the freedom and flexibility of travel writing as a genre, the personal qualities it demands, and how a sense of place is best captured through the details of daily life.
The happiest moment of my life presented itself one cool February afternoon in the Trans-antarctic mountains, many years ago. I was hiking up a valley. Fearful of losing my bearings, I stopped to fish an American Geological Survey map out of my pack and spread it on the ice. Tracing my route by topographical landmarks (including an especially pointy mountain glaciologists had baptised ‘The Doesn’tmatterhorn’), my finger came to a straight line drawn with a ruler and marked ‘Limit of Compilation’. Beyond that, the sheet was blank. I had reached the end of the map ...
Getting off the map
Travel writing aims to take the reader off the map, literally and metaphorically. Throughout my own professional life, travel has loaned a vehicle in which to explore the inner terrain of fears and desires we stumble through every day. Writing about travel allows flexibility and freedom within the rigid framework of train journeys, weather and knackered tent. The creative process is an ‘escape from personality’ (T.S. Eliot said that), and so is the open road. And a journey goes in fits and starts, like life. Not history, not memoir, but a hybrid blend of the two with a generous dose of topographical description, travel writing is sui generis – either that, or anything you want it to be, provided the narrative conjures a sense of place. It is a baggy genre. Why not be playful?
In the 5th century BC, Herodotus sniffed around Egypt. Coming upon a handsome obelisk, he asked a gang of workers nearby the meaning of the hieroglyphics carved on the base. ‘That’, the labourers solemnly announced, ‘records the number of onions eaten by the men who constructed the obelisk.’ Travel writing can break ground too. In the 14th century, Ibn Battuta set out from the land now known as Morocco and deployed his pen (or was it a quill?) to unveil points east hitherto undreamt of by his contemporaries.
I got started some decades ago with a book on Evia, the second largest Greek island (known to classicists as Euboia). I had studied both ancient and modern Greek at university, had lived in the country for more than a year, and was incubating plenty of ideas about all things Greek. I got a commission, but the resulting book was a labour of love: too much labour, too much love and not enough art (though it’s still in print... yeah!). My agent said, ‘Next time, go somewhere you don’t know anything about.’ So I went to Chile, because I had always been fascinated by its shape.
Inspirational writers
Many of the writers who inspired me were on the road and at their desks in the early decades of the 20th century – a kind of golden age for travel writing in Britain. I’m thinking of Evelyn Waugh’s Labels: A Mediterranean Journal (Duckworth 1930), Norman Douglas’ Old Calabria (Secker & Warburg 1915), Arthur Grimble’s A Pattern of Islands (John Murray 1952) and of course Robert Byron, the travel writer’s travel writer, whose Road to Oxiana (Macmillan 1937) perfectly embraces the frivolous and the deeply serious – a killer combo.
In the ’70s, the genre enjoyed a renaissance inspired by Paul Theroux, who set off by train to India, and then to Patagonia. In the aftermath, as the craze worked itself out, a superfluity of travelogues took a bogus motif as their central theme – you know the kind of thing: Up Everest with One Hand Tied Behind My Back. The trope reached its logical conclusion with Tony Hawks’ bestselling Round Ireland with a Fridge (Ebury Press 1998) (he hitchhiked the length of the country with a small item of white goods). This idea has had its day, I feel, and prospective writers would do better to find a more authentic theme.
The ‘pattern in the carpet’
The most important thing, in a book or a short piece, is the pattern in the carpet. Travel literature must be about something, and not just an account of a great trip. During the glorious six months I spent travelling down Chile, I assumed that journey’s end would be Cape Horn. But I learned that the country claimed a slice of Antarctica, which appeared on all the maps – even those on badges on Boy Scouts’ arms – like a slice of cake suspended in the Southern Ocean. Damn! So I hitched a lift on a Chilean air-force plane to a snowy base and, as I climbed a hill with a volcanologist and heard him tap-tapping ice into a specimen jar, I looked out at an ice desert bigger than the United States and saw my next book: a travel journey across the Antarctic. I subsequently spent seven months in ‘the Big White’ and the experience gave me a taste for extreme environments. Some years later I followed up with a book on the Arctic. For both, I had to get people to cooperate, as many of my destinations were not on commercial routes; indeed some, like the far eastern Russian region of Chukotka, were closed to foreigners. Dogged persistence required. Never Give
Up!
Books and other ventures...
My chief endeavour, in my working life, has been books: travel books and biographies of travellers, of Captain Scott’s man Apsley Cherry-Garrard, for example, author of the polar classic The Worst Journey in the World (Constable & Co. 1922). But, as for most of my peers, there have been many short pieces along the way. I write essays, reviews and squibs for love – and for money. The freelance travel writer has many avenues to explore. Some of these pieces really are essays – new introductions to classic works of travel literature, for example; some you could call incidental journalism. This latter might be an enemy of promise, but it gets me out of the house, often to places I would not otherwise go. Dropping in to a village in Kerala for six days might not yield any profound experience, but it offers suggestions and opens up possibilities.
There is a difference between the magazine assignment, for which the writer must travel fast and purposefully, and the book, for which the journey evolves its own inner logic. When I turned 50 my publisher suggested I collect some of my incidental articles in a volume which we called Access All Areas: Selected Writings 1990–2011 (Jonathan Cape 2011). Editing that book revived pleasures of crossing unimportant African borders using a kidney donor card as ID; of sharing a bathroom with a harp seal; of mixing a cocktail of six parts vodka and one part something else (they didn’t revive much of that, because I can’t remember what happened next...).
The power of detail
I often hear it said that tourism has murdered travel writing. I don’t think so. Mass travel has liberated the form. No amount of package tours will stop the ordinary quietly going on everywhere on earth. When I lived in Chile in the early ’90s I found my weekly trawl round the supermarket gripping beyond belief: watching women decide between this jar of dulce de leche or that one, weighing out their cherimoyas, loading up with boxes of washing powder. In Greece a decade earlier I often joined girlfriends at their weeklyweigh-in at the local pharmacy (domestic scales had to wait for more prosperous times). So you don’t actually have to be off the map. Don’t you sometimes find daily life almost unbearably poetic?
Minute curiosity is a requirement of the travel writer – and of the biographer, novelist and poet. The significance of the trivial is what makes a book human. Out there on the road, I have often found that the most aimless and boring interludes yielded, in the long run, the most fertile material. Every journey created energy, joy and, above all, hope. There was always a dash of human dignity to lift a story out of absurdity and farce, however ugly the background. The world everywhere and simultaneously is a beautiful and horrible place.
In short, the notion that all the journeys have been made is just another variation of the theme that the past exists in technicolour while the present has faded to grey – that everything then was good, and everything now is bad. A theme, in other words, as old as literature. I add the point that there are no package tours to the Democratic Republic of Congo, still the heart of darkness, or to the parts of Saudi Arabia where women live in a perpetual ethical midnight.
Tools of the trade
Having established her pattern in the carpet, the writer must work hard to conjure a sense of place: she has to make the reader see, hear, taste, feel and smell (though not all at the same time). Specificity is the key, as it is to all writing. Don’t tell the reader so-and-so was eating, or reading – tell them what he was eating or reading. Themes and characters can function as scaffolding. Other trusty tools include the use of dialogue, which works on prose like yeast. Quotations from your diary or letters or emails can vary the texture of your narrative. And history is your friend – use judiciously selected quotations from those who have gone before you. I often cruise the topography shelves in the stacks of the London Library, on the lookout.
And do I need to add that to be any kind of writer you have to read all the time? If you are aiming to pursue a career in the field I describe, you can start by devouring one volume by each of the writers I cite here – preferably within a month. Get the habit. Make notes about what you like and don’t like. I still keep a log of that kind, and I refer to it all the time.
Travelling heroines
Let me end with a few words from and about the travel writer who inspired me above all others: Mary Kingsley. She belonged to that tribe of tweed-skirted Victorians who battled through malarial swamps, parasols aloft, or scaled the unnamed Pamirs trailed by a retinue of exhausted factotums. History has tended to write them off as benignly mad eccentrics, but the best among their volumes have stood the test of time: Isabella Bird’s A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (1874), Harriet Tytler’s An Englishwoman in India (1903–06), Kate Marsden’s On Sledge and Horseback to Outcast Siberian Lepers (1893) (candidate for title of the millennium?). It is Kingsley, however, who carries the prize with her masterpiece Travels in West Africa (1897), a book enjoyed by millions since it first appeared more than a century ago. The author’s influence on those following in her tracks can scarcely be overestimated. After all, not only did she do what countless men told her could not be done, but she also turned the experience into literature – and had the time of her life to boot.
She was born in London in 1862, high noon of imperial splendour. Amazingly, given the sophistication of her publications, she never went to school. Blue-eyed and slender, with a long face and hair the colour of wet sand, she was 31 when she set off on her first proper trip to Africa in August 1893. Travels in West Africa tells the story of Kingsley’s second, 11-month voyage. Her ship reached Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 7 January 1895, and she headed southwards through those countries now known as Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The trip involved almost unimaginable hardship. Approaching the Gabonese river Remboué, our heroine wades through swamps for two hours at a stretch, up to her neck in fetid water with leeches round her neck like a frill. She marches 25 miles through forest so dense that the sky is never once visible, and falls 15 feet into a game pit laid with 12-inch ebony spikes (‘It is at these times,’ she writes, ‘you realise the blessing of a good thick skirt.’). Kingsley responds profoundly to the African landscape. ‘I believe the great swamp region of the Bight of Biafra is the greatest in the world,’ she writes, ‘and that in its immensity and gloom it has a grandeur equal to that of the Himalayas.’ Like all the very best travel scribes – one thinks of Sybille Bedford, Norman Lewis, Jonathan Raban, and, on form, Freya Stark – Kingsley brilliantly paints a landscape onto the page. The reader can see the silver bubbles of Lake Ncovi as the canoe carves a frosted trail, the rich golden sunlight of late afternoon, or the wreaths of indigo and purple over the forest as day sinks into night. ‘To my taste’, she writes, ‘there is nothing so fascinating as spending a night out in an African forest, or plantation ... And if you do fall under its spell, it takes all the colour out of other kinds of living.’ Indeed.
Sara Wheeler, FRSL is a travel writer, biographer and journalist. Her books include Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile (Little, Brown 1994), Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica (Jonathan Cape 1996), Cherry: A Biography of Apsley Cherry-Garrard (Jonathan Cape 2001) and Too Close to the Sun: A Biography of Denys Finch Hatton (Jonathan Cape 2006). Her most recent book is O My America! (Jonathan Cape 2013). She is a contributing editor of the Literary Review and a Trustee of the London Library.
See also...
• Writing for newspapers and magazines, here
• Life’s a pitch: How to get your ideas in print, here
Writing for the health and wellness market
Health writer Anita Bean offers advice on how to find success in the popular and fast-moving health and wellness market, using some essential ingredients – fresh ideas, careful research, trustworthy content and strong, clever marketing.
When I began writing as a freelancer in 1990, the health and wellness market was quite niche compared to what is today. Back then, it comprised mostly slimming magazines, which were targeted exclusively at women. As a nutritionist, I was – fortunately – in high demand. My first regular commission was a column for Slimmer magazine, and after that folded I had a regular column in Zest and She. In those days, most publications preferred to use freelancers rather than staff writers, so there was certainly plenty of work around.
The market has changed hugely over the past 25 years, thanks largely to the internet. So many more people are interested in health and wellness, not just slimmers. You’ll find regular health and wellness features in just about every print and digital medium – even the financial and business press! The other major change is the decreased use of freelancers by mainstream media, as tighter budgets mean many more health and wellness features are now written in-house.
This is both good and bad forhealth writers. More media channels and bigger audiences mean there’s loads of potential work out there for us. Editors need to fill more column inches and digital space, so they are perpetually on the lookout for new health content. The downside is that every man and his dog now seem to be an ‘expert’ and there’s nothing to stop them writing about health and wellness on the internet. As a result, good (that is, evidence-based) content has become diluted in a tsunami of poor content put out there by bloggers, self-styled ‘experts’, and social media stars with a large Instagram following and impressive six-packs. The public are often left confused and, nowadays, no longer know who to trust for health advice.
How I got into writing
As a child, I was always curious about the science of food – what’s in it, what happens when you add this to that, what happens to food in the body – and I was forever experimenting in the kitchen, cooking and creating recipes. I also loved reading cookery books and built up quite a collection over the years – I would devour every morsel of information I could find about food and nutrition.
At school, I loved home economics (now food technology) but was more fascinated by food chemistry. So I went on to study for a degree in Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Surrey and – unusually for a girl back in the 80s – started lifting weights. I qualified both as a registered nutritionist and, after winning the British bodybuilding championships in 1991, as a fitness instructor.
I honed my writing skills while I worked as a nutritionist for the Dairy Council. I wrote booklets and articles about health and nutrition, and also developed an interest in the organisation’s sports sponsorship activities. I realised that there was virtually no nutrition information available for athletes or regular exercisers. There was clearly a gap in the market for such a book! So, I handed in my notice and decided to enter the world of freelance health writing.
As with many things in life, getting that lucky break in writing is often a case of being in the right place at the right time, seizing an opportunity and taking a risk. You also need to have a strong belief in your idea, and be persistent. That’s essentially how I got my first book deal in 1992 (The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition) when I sent my proposal to Bloomsbury (then A&C Black), as well as many other publishers. There was nothing on sports and exercise nutrition in the UK trade market but, luckily, this commissioning editor happened to be on the lookout for a sports nutrition book to add to her sports list. My proposal landed at just the right time. But it was a risk for both of us, as it was an untapped and unknown market.
Fortunately, the market turned out to be a lot bigger than anticipated; as well as publicising the book to athletes, I also looked up my contacts list and targeted fitness training providers, schools and universities. The book was soon placed on the recommended list for many higher education courses, which now account for a large proportion of its sales. There’s no single secret to a book’s success, but it’s often a combination of fresh ideas, excellent content and savvy marketing.
Build your brand
The other aspect of writing is longevity. It’s tempting to sit back on your laurels after you’ve published a book and let sales look after themselves. But that won’t happen. You need to put sustained effort into building your reputation and marketing yourself and your work. As a new writer, I offered to provide nutrition talks for health clubs and fitness training organisations who then recommended my books to their students. I also gave talks to athletes, spoke at conferences, and provided quotes and commentary to the media. Much of this was either underpaid or unpaid but it was always done in return for a book plug. And any editorial coverage is worth so much more in terms of endorsement. Whether you’re a new or an established author, it’s important to get your name out there – and keep it there!
In the world of health and wellness, trends change fast, and what’s hot one minute can be out of the favour the next. The key to a book’s longevity is to update it regularly to reflect new thinking and also the demands of a fast-changing market. I’ve now written eight editions of my first book. Each time, I re-examine the content to ensure it is current and relevant to my readership. I add extra material and cut sections that I feel are no longer engaging my readers.
Market your work
In the highly competitive world of health and wellness, doing your own marketing is more important than ever before. I strongly recommend having your own website. This is not only a brilliant way of marketing your books and writing services but is also a platform to showcase your published work. Providing free information in the form of articles and recipes is also a great way of establishing your credibility and attracting potential book sales. You don’t need to spend a fortune (you can build your own site) but the more time and effort you put into your website, the greater will be the return in terms of future commissions. It’s also crucial to update your site regularly, add new content, ditch stuff that has become less relevant and learn a bit about search engine optimisation. I’ve redesigned my website (www.anitabean.co.uk) three times since 2004. I provide free articles and recipes, and a free downloadable ebook. To sustain a regular readership, I aim to post a new blog a minimum of once a month.
Having a social media presence is also crucial for a health writer. It’s not only a great way of letting people know about your work but is also essential for keeping up to date and finding out what people are talking about. I recommend focusing your efforts on just two or three platforms, whichever are most relevant to your target market. For me, Twitter and Instagram work very well. I use Twitter for sharing new information, publicising my work (e.g. new books, blog posts and articles) and finding out what’s new in health. I post photos of recipes from my latest book on Instagram to help spread the word.
Seven tips on breaking into the health and wellness market
1. Identify a gap in the market
Read, read, read – find out what’s new and emerging. Research what’s already out there, your competition, and then work out how you can make your product better. Keep an eye on trends and try to stay ahead of the game – be the first to write about a new topic, not the last.
2. Generate new ideas
Network with colleagues and experts at conferences; this is also useful for building up a contact list of experts for quotes. Mingle with your audience before and after presentations – what do they want to know, what are their concerns? Social media can be a great place to pick up on what’s trending and on ideas for blogs, articles and books.
3. Know your readership
Do your research – actually read the magazine you want to write for, so you get a feel of who the readers are and what they want to read about. Get on their level and talk their language.
4. Improve your content
Accuracy is paramount; always use evidence (not just ‘research says...’) and cite or link to the source or study abstract. Always add a practical element (‘– now here’s how you can use this info...’).
5. Adapt your style
Be adaptive and always write to, not at, your reader as if you were speaking to them. Aim to inspire them, and for your reader to say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that!’ by the end of the piece. Make your article or book unique and different from the competition, not just a companion to what’s already out there.
6. Be consistent
Ensure your messages are consistent across everything you write (e.g. you can’t be pro-carb one minute and low-carb the next), but be prepared to change your view if new research comes to light.
7. Don’t slavishly follow trends
Just because other writers are raving about a new thing – say, coconut oil – doesn’t mean you have to. Question a trend; where did it start? Often it stems from clever PR rather than science. And don’t believe everything a PR sends you; look beyond the headlines – where did the story come from? Read the original research, and only write about the product if you believe it stands up to scrutiny, not just to fill a column or to generate a grabby headline.
Anita Bean is an award-winning registered nutritionist, freelance health writer and author of 28 books, including The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, The Vegetarian Athlete’s Cookbook, Food for Fitness, The Complete Guide to Strength Training, Nutrition for Young Athletes and Sod It! Eat Well (all Bloomsbury). She has written features for many national magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Cycling Weekly, Runner’s World, Women’s Running and Healthy, and is quoted regularly in the media. Visit Anita’s website at www.anitabean.co.uk.
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• Writing about food, here
The world of the literary editor
Claire Armitstead gives an insight into the role of a literary editor.
When I started out as literary editor in 1999, reviews were commissioned by phone, written in wonky typewriter script, delivered by fax – and 50% of them never made it into the paper. Newspaper space was tight and publishing had entered the bloat years: it was no longer possible for even the best-managed set of literary pages to accommodate more than a fraction of the hundreds of books that poured into the office every week, and we were struggling to come to terms with this new reality.
Today, the books still pour in, but the internet has transformed the way we deal with them and confronted us with a whole new tidal wave of titles. We are no longer simply national newspapers, but international media operations with readers in every continent. Our space is limitless but our resources are shrinking – and we are once again struggling to come to terms with tough new realities.
All this coincides with a publishing revolution that is changing not only the volume of books produced each year but their very nature. If someone had told me ten years ago that we would be reviewing a self-published novel about sado-masochism, I would have redirected them to Playboy magazine. But we did review Fifty Shades of Grey, albeit after a traditional publisher had picked it up. Whatever the arguments about its artistic validity, it was the biggest book of the year, and arguably of the decade so far – as significant in its way as the first in the Harry Potter series. To review one Fifty Shades was a no-brainer, but what about the thousands of pale shadows that have leapt out behind it?
Some things, though, haven’t changed. The big grey mail bags still pile into the office twice a day, bulging with traditionally published books. Of the 400 or so books that are delivered every week, no more than 30 will make it into the review pages. While the internet has given us all manner of new ways to draw attention to books – from blogging to audio slideshows and video – reviews still belong to the old print culture.
Why should this be? One reason is economic: reviews take time to write and cost money to commission, and these resources are as yet mostly locked up in print. Another is cultural: people still want to write and read reviews on paper, just as they still want to read physical books. Though this might look quixotic in the era of online booksellers hosting online reader reviews, there is a strength in it. I oversee two weekly literary sections – the Guardian Review and the books pages of the Observer News Review. They are separately edited and have distinct personalities and policies, though both feed into the Guardian books website.
Review is a high-end section, which is currently strong on social history and literary fiction. The Observer section is smaller, with a particular strength in graphic fiction. These two sections create a reviewing ‘space’ wider than could be filled by any single outlet. To the outsider, though, the similarities undoubtedly look more obvious than the differences. Both are unashamedly biased towards UK publishing; neither review many celebrity biographies. Nor do we do self-help books or the misery memoirs that top the library charts year after year. Though we all have our quirks, this crossover exists for all newspaper review sections, which means that the vast majority of books published each year will never be reviewed by any of us.
Perhaps surprisingly, since the newspaper books sections are part of news operations, none of us tend to review the top-selling books – romance, for instance, or airport thrillers. Reviews have long been irrelevant anyway to the mass-market end of the business, which has other ways of selling itself. But to regard reviews in terms of impact on sales is to miss the whole point of book reviewing, which is a complicated negotiation between the culture of writing and reading.
The role of the newspaper books pages is not to sell books: it is to entertain, inform and stimulate readers, many of whom have little time in their lives to actually read books at all. The most obvious function of the review is to tell people whether a book is good or bad. But there is a whole spectrum between those two extremes, and this is often where the character and colour of the books sections lie. A book maybe well written but essentially dull or badly written but packed with fascinating facts. Reviewers can offer a digest of the stuff people want to know about. They can mediate and simplify, bringing an academic thesis into the language of journalism and placing it within the available reading time of an ordinary person’s working day. This is particularly true of non-fiction reviews – after all, a reader can be very interested in advances in quantum physics and very unlikely to get through Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.
Commissioning the reviews
The job of deciding what to send out for review ranges from a diligent twice-yearly hack through all the publishing catalogues to compile a list for potential review of every up coming book in the next season to what might pass as mere partying. Perusing catalogues is not only an essential part of the page-planning process, but it often reveals the underlying trends that transform shelves full of random books into a phenomenon. Part of the journalistic side of books journalism is to anticipate trends, such as the current fad for colouring-in books or nature memoirs. This intelligence-gathering also happens at publishing get-togethers. Yes, publishers do still hold book launches, but no, they are not all about getting drunk and behaving badly: it is often through meeting people that you pick up the ‘buzz’ about an exciting new writer, or an old one who has just been rediscovered. The best commissioning is often the result of lateral thinking inspired by a chance conversation: the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, on the poet R.S. Thomas, for instance, or Jonathan Coe on Alexei Sayle.
Then comes the physical business of handling the books, which all have to be unpacked, stacked and tracked. Once the obvious no-hopers have been discarded, the dozens of more or less worthy contenders have to be whittled down to fit the available space. Books are separated into original fiction and non-fiction, with a separate bookcase for paperback reissues. There are three editors on the Guardian Review desk who are each responsible for commissioning reviews in a particular area, in collaboration with the section editor. These are the gatekeepers, who convert the fantasy commissions of our brainstorming sessions into a realistic number of reviews. It does not mean that we are huddled away in our own little corners – on the contrary, the indefinable spark of a books desk depends on the hours that every editor is prepared to spend reading that marginal proof by an unknown writer on the bus home and enthusing about it in the office the next day. The commissions I am proudest of are reviews of those completely unexpected gems that only emerge from the most conscientious scouting.
But there are logistical limits to this sort of eureka commission. We have space for eleven 200-word paperback reviews a week, most of which will be cut-down versions of the original hardback reviews. Big reviews of first editions are more tricky: we may know that we will carry an average of six fiction and six non-fiction reviews a week, but until the review has arrived, we can never be absolutely sure what it will be like – ecstatic, condemning, indifferent; even long or short. This is where the literary editor’s job is closer to news than to features. A features editor can set the agenda, by choosing a subject, deciding how many words to commission on it and instructing a writer how to write them. A literary commissioner can choose a book for a critic to review, but can never tell that critic what to think.
Choosing the reviewer
For a variety of social, historical and economic reasons, literary critics are regarded as more compromised than those in any other art form. There is some truth in this, if only because writers are always reviewed by other writers. There is none of the separation of crafts and industries that exists between reviewers and actors, ballet dancers or concert pianists.
In addition, there is no tradition in the UK of giving jobs to literary critics, as there is for other art forms, so most reviewers have ‘day jobs’ – usually their own writing, or some sort of teaching, both of which bring dependencies and compromises. It’s the literary editor’s job to steer a path between these conflicts of interest to that ideal reviewer, who will be knowledgeable but not compromised, wise, reasonable and witty. People often ask if critics actually read the books they are reviewing, which touches on another important part of the editor’s role: to ensure that reviewers are properly attentive and to challenge them if they are not.
Placing the reviews
Once we have decided which books to send out, chosen a reviewer and taken delivery of their review, the next step is deciding where to place it and, just as importantly, what to place it with. Nobody would want to read page after page of bad-tempered reviews, yet equally, no one would trust pages in which every review was a rave. The challenge is to respect the opinion of the critic, while creating pages that have life and variety and which – in journalistic terms – ‘talk to’ each other. Serious reviews need to be leavened with playful ones, which explains the occasional inclusion of a blistering review of a predictably bad book.
One new aspect of this balancing act is that, though they are commissioning for print, good editors increasingly have an eye on how their reviews will play on the website, where the reader numbers (and opinions) are brutally clear. Our online readers are very different to the traditional newspaper readership: they are younger, more international and often gleefully pedantic. They love books about spelling and grammar, hate anyone they see as over-hyped, and are quick to ridicule anything they think is wrong or sub-standard.
New opportunities and challenges
This negotiation with print and online readerships is posing the greatest new challenge of all to the role of the literary editor. The Guardian is now a ‘digital led’ operation: stories commissioned for the web are picked up by the paper, we have web-only reviewing operations in the US and Australia, and reviews commissioned for the two UK newspaper supplements often run on the website before they appear in the paper. A review on a website is fundamentally different to that same review in a newspaper: it is no longer a mandarin utterance, but an opinion-piece that is open for discussion by people who do not have to put their real names to their own, sometimes vicious, opinions. The old joke that today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping is no longer true. Online books sections live in the ‘long tail’ – in hardback reviews which resurface as soon as the paperback appears, or pieces about unknowns who suddenly become prize-winners. A third of our books stories, whether features or reviews, are read more than a year after original publication. So publication of a review online is only the start of its life, and part of the editor’s job is to monitor the conversation, encourage critics to join in and defend them from unwarranted attacks.
The wonderful side of this new engagement with readers is the expansion of our intelligence-gathering networks. The Guardian has a devoted community of readers who congregate around our weekly ‘Tips, links and suggestions’ blog to exchange enthusiasms, as well as responding directly to news and reviews. They were the first to alert us to performance poet Kate Tempest, who won the 2012 Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry, and it was through them that we discovered Down the Rabbit Hole, a Mexican novella published in 2011 by the new publisher And Other Stories, which went on to become the first book in translation to be shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.
On our children’s website, which for the last three years has been carrying up to three reviews a day by site members aged 17 or under, as well as family reviews of picture books. Some teen reviews of very popular books – The Hunger Games or The Fault in our Stars, for instance – are read many thousands of times. Consider the impact of this new reviewing culture on children’s publishing – a literary sector that has traditionally struggled to get any space at all in newspapers.
However, authority still matters, and writers still want to see their books reviewed, and their writing read, in an old-fashioned newspaper section. The big change has been the variety of coverage we are now able to offer. Back in 1999, we were limited to reviews on paper; today we have a weekly books podcast, video interviews, and a Twitter following of nearly two million people all over the world. Each medium has its own personality and potential, but in the end what readers are looking for is informed choices and authoritative opinion within a known context. Which brings us full circle back to the critic and the book, and to the difficult negotiations between inside knowledge and independence, expertise and humility, seriousness and the willingness to entertain. Technologies may change, but as long as there are writers and readers in the world, reviewers will remain in hot pursuit.
Claire Armitstead is head of books for the Guardian, the Observer and guardian.co.uk.
Diana Athill describes the often unnoticed (but by authors generally much appreciated) work of an editor, how she started in the business of editing, and her relationship with one particularly important but needy author, Jean Rhys.
No one taught me to edit. Just before the Second World War’s end I joined a Hungarian friend of mine who had decided to be a publisher, although his English was still wobbly, and my job was simply to be English, and well-read.
Almost our first book was a problem: an account of the discovery of Tahiti by a man who knew everything – but everything – about it but who wrote so badly it was painful to read. Most firms would have rejected it, but the subject was interesting and we were trying to build a list, and by chance my partner, at a dinner party, sat next to an old boy recently retired from administering a Pacific Island who said he was looking for some way of using his new leisure. Would he consider editing a book? Yes indeed. So we introduced him to the author who was so pleased that he rashly paid him in advance.
The book came in, and to my dismay I saw that the naughty old boy had become bored after 30 pages and done nothing more. Either the poor author had spent quite a lot of money to no purpose, or I would have to finish the job myself.
I started on it nervously, but soon began to enjoy it. It was like unwrapping a lumpy parcel and finding something beautiful inside it. So I could edit – wow! The book got good reviews, and one reviewer said not only was it informative, but also it was very well-written. The author cut out this review and sent it to me. How kind and appreciative... But oh no! An attached postcard said, ‘I always knew all that fuss about the writing was rubbish’. Editor, know your place!
Though in fact that was an unusual case. Never again in almost 50 years did I get anything but gratitude from an author. Provided your comments make sense, a good writer is always glad of them. It is much rarer than one would think for a book to be read with really close attention – something an author longs for – so evidence that an editor has done so is welcome.
Usually my comments were few, and fairly trivial. Perhaps ‘it might be better to move your description of x’s looks back to his first appearance on the scene’, or ‘you’ve used the word ‘‘exuberance’’ four times on the last three pages’. Occasionally I would suggest a little cutting (which can always be done); but usually, once we had got going, I would not take on anything needing a great deal of work on the text. If permissions are needed for quoting from someone else’s work, it is of course the editor’s job to see that the author has got them, or to get them for him or her, and if something in the text might be libellous or unacceptably obscene it is the editor’s job to point it out and get a legal opinion; but on the whole the bulk of the task is nannying. You must keep your author happy by appreciating – genuinely appreciating – his or her work, and you must be helpful and attentive in small ways, making it clear that he or she is truly valued.
In the rare cases when you actually dislike an author, hand him or her over to someone else – unless you are unusually good at brainwashing yourself out of your bad feelings.
It is not often that nannying goes much further than the above, but it can. It did with one of our most valuable writers, Jean Rhys. She was, perhaps, the most extraordinary person I ever knew: extraordinary because of the contrast between her steely control of her art and her incredible inefficiency in her conduct of her life. Jean knew precisely how her writing should be, and why, and was perfectly indifferent to the opinions of anyone else. But in life... Well, I sometimes felt that she had become stuck at the age of eight. She was uncommonly attractive, so as a young woman she was always rescued from disaster by a man – but she was not much good at choosing men. Her first lover had money, but was much older, got bored, and broke her heart. After that, three husbands were each poorer than the last and two of them ended up in prison. Max Hamer, the last one, was there because of foolishness rather than criminality, but he emerged from the experience a broken man, and looking after him for years, with no money, nearly broke Jean. How she managed to finish the novel which finally made her famous, Wide Sargasso Sea, heaven knows. It saved her life, but only just.
A woman who knew Jean in her youth said she had never understood the power of the really weak until she met Jean, and I know what she meant. She meant that the feeling one got that unless Jean was rescued she would die in a ditch was true. It worked right up to the end of her life, so the nannying one had to provide as her editor was endless. She had to be reassured about money all the time; she had to be rescued from rogue agents; she had to be constantly told how good she was; she had to have home help found for her; she had to have typists found for her... Much of what she had to have was provided by a wonderful friend, Sonia Orwell, who gave her luxurious holidays in London every winter – but even then her editor had to go to her hotel every evening to put her to bed, because Jean filling a hot water bottle meant, inevitably, scalded hands. No one planning to be an editor should expect such a situation, but it is not impossible that something similar might happen.
I suppose it is possible that the work helped me to become a writer. I say ‘suppose’ because the idea did not occur to me at the time, but being concerned every day with the making of sentences may well have taught me what I liked and what I didn’t. Although I suspect that reading a lot, and being taught as a child how to parse a sentence played a larger part. (How dreadfully bored I was by grammar lessons, and how grateful I am now for being made to sit through them!)
But I believe what I really gained from being an editor was more important than anything to do with sentence structure. I think it is something simple but important to do with why one writes, expressed in words I often say to myself: ‘I must get it like it really was’. And who said those words – the only words she ever said in my hearing about her art? Jean Rhys.
Diana Athill, OBE is a literary editor and the author of several memoirs, one novel and a collection of short stories. Born in 1917, she was educated at Oxford University and worked throughout the Second World War for the BBC, before helping André Deutsch to establish his publishing company and pursuing a long career as an editor for Deutsch. Diana’s first memoir Stet was published in 2000 (and was recently re-issued) by Granta Books; this was followed by five further volumes of memoir, most recently Alive, Alive Oh!: And Other Things That Matter (Granta 2015). She won the Costa Prize for Biography for her third memoir Somewhere Towards the End (Granta 2008). Her novel, Don’t Look at Me Like That, was published by Chatto & Windus in 1967.