Independent publishers

Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had fallen to almost zero. They weren't the only small publishers struggling. With bookshops and distributors closing, a survey from the Bookseller at the time found that almost 60% of small publishers feared closure by the autumn.  Read more

Hello reader -

If you're in any way a member of the independent publishing community (or a former member, or a recovering member, or an aspirational member), welcome. I hope you and yours are staying healthy and staying home, if able.

When you look around at the most beloved books of the past decade, the books that seem destined to be classics, one thing becomes clear:

Small presses are amazing.

"Small presses do take a lot of risks, but talking so closely to John Murray, for instance, they're just as passionate. Yes, they have to factor in a lot more things. They're still taking risks, albeit at a larger scale. There are mainstream presses doing the same thing and publishing new authors, which is great." On seeing The Loney's success, he says: "We have very mixed feelings.  Read more

Bridget Shine reports on how the Independent Publishers Guild is using the results of its biggest ever survey of members  Read more