5 More Indie Publishers You Should Know
Cipher Press
Newly launched in 2020, Cipher Press is the independent publisher of queer fiction and non-fiction that this heteronormative world truly needs. Entirely queer owned and run, the indie focused on championing queer voices in genres as diverse as horror, sci-fi, fantasy and literary fiction. Cipher Press has published eight titles so far, including cult writer Brontez Purnell’s 100 Boyfriends and Since I Laid My Burden Down.
Nettleblack (June 2022) by non-binary writer Nat Reeve—touted as a ‘neo-Victorian queer farce that follows a runaway heir/ess and an organisation of crime-fighting misfits’—sounds like an absolute riot
Canongate
Launched in 1973, Canongate published Scottish writers for its first twenty years. The indie grew and picked up momentum, but nothing could have prepared them for 2002. They were launched to crazy heights after they published Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, which went on to win the Booker Prize. Boosted by this success they’ve grown to publish more bestsellers, with an eclectic list with something for everyone. Canongate reconfirmed its ability to rival the Big 5 with Matt Haig’s books, which are a staple of every chart.
Granta Books
Okay, you probably know about Granta, but just in case… The magazine was originally founded in 1889 and has been a literary quarterly since 1979.
Granta Books was launched ten years later, and now boasts a list of authors including Ben Lerner, Jenny Offill, Rebecca Solnit and Jeanette Winterson (to name a few). They also publish incredible works in translation, with books from Hiromi Kawakami, Han Kang, Sayaka Murata and Mariana Enriquez. Whilst they remain a relatively small independent, the cultural impact of their books is huge.
Verso Books
Again, Verso might be an indie, but don’t let that fool you into thinking their impact is small. This staple of independent radical publishing publishes a staggering one hundred books a year.
They’re the books I turn to when I want my mind to expand, to ignite ideas, challenge issues and imagine radical futures. Their books are also accessible and encourage curiosity, covering topics. I find their books challenging in a really important way, and they remind me the power that knowledge and reading give us in shaping our world.
Profile Books
Founded 1996, Profile has grown from three people to fifty. You’ll probably find their imprints all over your shelves.
But I must admit I have used Profile as a bit of a trojan horse, just so I can talk about Serpent’s Tail! Serpent’s Tail became an imprint of Profile Books in 2007. Their campaigns always stand out and their list is equally as impressive, including Mary Gaitskill, Ruby Tandoh, Chris Kraus and Torrey Peters. On top of all that talent, they also publish Carmen Maria Machado’s work, which I will never stop raving about (trust me, I even wrote my dissertation about it).