When I started researching for a post about the UK’s smaller publishers, I soon realised that it was a big topic and that others had already started to cover it really well. So, instead of copying the work of others, I want to give the credit where it is due.
Here is a collection of other people’s posts listing interesting and lesser know publishers.
Blog posts with big lists of UK publishers
First up – only because I found it first – is Ribbonfish’s list of 16 UK publishers.
Next is writingtipsoasis.com’s list which I refuse to embed on the basis that the embed carries third party adverts. It’s a list of UK publishers who are (so the blog claims) accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
The next list I found was of the “best” independent publishers in London. I don’t know by what metric these publishers are considered the best but they were certainly some publishers here that I had not heard of before. No embedded link this time because the post did not support it (not everyone does).
The New Statesman has a list of 6 independent publishers outside of London. There seems to be a certain disconnect between publishers that work in London and those that work elsewhere. That’s not stopping these other publishers from breaking new ground anyway.
The next list I found was from Neon Books. They have a big list of UK poetry publishers. Which just goes to show that poets are not be limited to local free mags that rarely pay.
It was at this stage that I stumbled upon the biggest list I have ever seen. A website called publishersglobal.com has a seriously well-stocked directory of publishers. Over 900 of them. I cannot vouch for the contents of the list, but I cannot deny that it is a very big list of UK publishers.
Who are the UK’s bigger publishers?
Talking of big, you may be wondering who the biggest publishers are in the UK – not that this was the aim of this post. That information is widely available. For example, Wikipedia has a list of the top ten biggest publishers in the UK. The chances are these will all be names you recognise.
Why go with a smaller publisher?
If there are all these very large UK publishing houses, why would you want to go with a smaller company? It turns out that the smaller publishers are doing far better and may – in many cases – be better for authors.
In 2017, The Guardian published an article saying that while the industry as a whole seemed to be struggling, smaller publishers were seeing record growth.
Advances from independents may not be huge, but they compare well with those offered by larger houses for literary fiction without obvious sales potential. And in some cases, they can be higher – And Other Stories is now offering at least £2,500 for each new book.
The Guardian, Small indie publishers report booming sales
According to many reports that I have read, smaller publishers take far better care of their writers. Not only that but that care is more personal and often helpful.
Independent presses can also take a longer-term view of a writer’s career, Roffey continued, rather than dropping them at the first sniff of failure.
The Guardian, Small indie publishers report booming sales
While tending to the needs of their writers better, smaller publishers have also found ways to address under-satisfied markets rather than just trying to repackage the same type of thing for the same type of reader.
Over to you
What are your experiences of smaller or independent publishers? Have you been published by one of the UK’s many smaller publishing houses and if so, would you recommend them to other authors?
Let us know your thoughts on smaller publishers or if there is anything I have missed in the comments below.
Before you go, I have one small favour to ask. If this post was useful to you would you please share it with others. Knowing that this blog is helping people would be a huge encouragement to me as a writer.