I’m focusing on UK based publishers of adult fiction, short stories and poetry. I’ll update my master list as I go along (or I’ll try too) but this fortnightly list will give a more personalised shout out.

Each entry features a sample book cover which clicks through to the website. The accompanying ‘about’ information is taken from each publishers website at the time I put this post together.

If you know of publishers I’ve missed or want to help update my master list then please add details in the comments.

Due to the pandemic, we’re all aware that times have been tough for indie bookshops and publishers, so obviously, if you can buy direct from them that benefits them more. Though bookshops are now open, some of you might still not feel comfortable venturing out so you might want to consider using Bookshop.org or Hive Books.co.uk – both of which offer a percentage of the sale to a bricks-and-mortar bookshop.

So here we go with I

Ignite Books

Ignite Books has one simple aim: to find great stories and bring them to you, our readers.

We look for tales that entertain and draw us in, that have something to say about our world, our society, and our common humanity. We make room for voices which would otherwise remain unheard, and we’ve a penchant for narratives that make us laugh out loud, then whip the ground out from under us when we least expect it.

We believe that in this digital age of smart phones and individuation, the art of storytelling and the ties that bind us are as important as ever. Maybe more so. We’re confident that changes in technology bring new opportunities to engage with our audience, and we’re sure that for every reader who adores the convenience of the e-book format, there’s another who loves losing themselves in the printed page. We have books for both.

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Immanion Press

Immanion Press was founded in 2003, led by author Storm Constantine. The idea initially was to publish her back catalogue novels, in particular her first Wraeththu trilogy, which had been long out of print in the UK, but it quickly became obvious that there were many other avenues to explore! We publish unusual and intriguing fiction by other authors, as well as story anthologies, generally in horror and weird fiction genres, such as the titles ‘Dark in the Day’ and ‘The Darkest Midnight in December’.
Storm Constantine’s work is published by Immanion Press exclusively in the UK, and nearly all of her back catalogue is now available through us. In addition, we publish Wraeththu Mythos novels, which are stories set in the world created by Storm but penned by different authors, including the regular ‘Para’ anthologies of Wraeththu short stories. We also publish a number of titles by the late Tanith Lee, and are committed to keeping her legacy alive, through republication of out-of-print novels and anthologies of uncollected stories.

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Impress Books

An independent publishing house committed to championing the brightest new talent with a small but passionate team, dedicated to their authors,  producing beautiful books and high calibre writing.

Impress Books specialises in discovering and nurturing fresh voices in crime, historical and literary fiction. We run the Impress Prize for New Writers, currently in its 11^th year and supported by big names in the publishing industry with a carefully selected panel of authors, journalists, bloggers and agents.

Impress Books was founded in 2004 as an independent publishing house focusing on previously unpublished writers of non-fiction and fiction. Our non-fiction list was launched with Being Luis in June 2005 and has continued to flourish with the addition of titles such as The Russian Countess: Escaping Revolutionary Russia and Of Sirens and Centaurs. We moved into publishing fiction in 2006 with 100 Ways to Improve the World.

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Incline Press

For the reader who collects and the collector who reads

In 1993 Incline Press found its first publishing project when a chance meeting with the artist Pete Carter coincided with the purchase of a first edition of Oliver Goldsmith’s The Deserted Village. Carter’s modern-day interpretation of Goldsmith’s poem provided the title-page illustration, and a generous gift provided the funds for large fount of Baskerville type with the “long s” from John Eickhoff’s Acorntype Foundry–enough to set by hand a type facsimile of the poem including all the errors and differences that Goldsmith later changed for the fourth printing.

Since those days, the Press has grown. Over one hundred books have been published and the fount of Baskerville has been transformed into probably too many cabinets of type–several of which were featured in the first two Incline Press type specimens, Forty Sheets to the Wind and Hung Out to Dry. The table-top Adana, Vandercook proofing press and the Arab treadle press have been joined by an Auto-Vic, and the Victoria Art Platen, both of which run on electricity and serve as our ‘tip of the hat’ to the twenty-first century, while a Ludlow type caster has just been fettled and will be pressed into action as soon as we can get the time.

All this expansion has long outrun the confines of the backyard shed, requiring a move to larger quarters. Our most recent home — a three-storey building built in the 1820s — now houses the entire workings of the Press: machinery, paper, ink, bookcloth, and type. Located on one of the oldest streets in the Oldham town centre, 36 Bow Street was originally built as a small cotton mill, but continues life in the twenty-first century at the heart of Oldham’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ as a letterpress print shop and our home.

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Indie Books

IndieBooks is an independent publisher committed to producing books that are a pleasure to own and to give. As an artisan publisher, we try and find the best ingredients, from the finest writers and illustrators right through to the care taken with editing and design and printing. We want our readers and authors to have the reassurance that every book we publish is produced to the highest standards. If you want to follow our progress, then check out our blog. If you want to get involved, drop us a line.

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Indigo Dreams Publishing

Indigo Dreams is based in Devon in the beautiful southwest of England, surrounded by Cookworthy Forest and about half an hour from the North Cornwall coast and Dartmoor. We publish around 50 poetry books a year, pamphlets and full collections, as well as three poetry magazines: Reach Poetry, The Dawntreader and Sarasvati. We have given first publication to many poets we feel deserve a wider audience and combined that with publications by experienced poets.

We also run the annual Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize to keep the name of that great poet and publisher fresh and to publish two poets each year in his honour. You will see this and other competitions in the menu.

Indigo Dreams is active on Facebook and Twitter and also issue a monthly newsletter, Indigo News. You can follow us on social media and join our mailing list from the links at the Footer of most pages.

Our main purpose is to promote poetry and publish books that we hope will prove to be popular with you, the readers. We take great pride in our production values and have an excellent working relationship with our authors. While being professional, we believe that ‘pleasure not pressure’ should be our work ethic.

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The Indigo Press

The Indigo Press is an independent publisher of international literature and creative non-fiction, based in London. Guided by a spirit of internationalism, feminism and socialism, we publish books to make readers see the world afresh, question their behaviour and beliefs, and imagine a better future.

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Influx Press

Influx Press is an independent publisher based in north London, founded by Gary Budden and Kit Caless. We are committed to publishing innovative and challenging fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction from across the UK and beyond. Formed in 2012, we have published titles ranging from award-nominated fiction debuts and site-specific anthologies to squatting memoirs and radical poetry. We won the 2018 Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. Attrib. and Other Stories by Eley Williams won the prestigious James Tait Black Award in 2018, and our titles have been shortlisted and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Edge Hill Prize, the Jhalak Prize, and the Gordon Burn Prize. Sanya Semakula joined the team as assistant editor in 2016, and Jordan Taylor-Jones filled out the lineup in 2019 as events and publicity officer.

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Ink Sweat and Tears

Ink Sweat & Tears is a UK based webzine which  publishes and reviews poetry, prose, prose-poetry, word & image pieces and everything in between.  Our tastes are eclectic and magpie-like and we aim to publish something new every day.

IS&T was founded by Salt author Charles Christian in 2007 as a platform for new poetry and short prose, and experimental work in digital media. Charles ran the site single-handedly, publishing new work every day till 2010, when now sole editor, poet and artist Helen Ivory came on board as Deputy Editor.

The current site carries all work from 2020 onwards.

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Inkandescent

INKANDESCENT is a publishing venture by Justin David and Nathan Evans with a commitment to ideas, subjects and voices underrepresented by mainstream publishing, we hope to discover and celebrate original, diverse and transgressive literature and art, to challenge the status quo.

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Inspired Quill

Creating a New Generation of Diverse Books: Find Yourself in Our Pages

Inspired Quill is a traditional, indie press setting new standards for how publishers should work — eco-friendly, people-orientated and focused on quality, inclusive publishing.

We’ve been a social enterprise since our inception in 2011, which means that we’re always thinking of ways to give back to our communities. This includes pledging profit percentages to charity, running subsidised workshops and mentoring schemes, and donating books to those who may not otherwise have access to them.

Although we’re a small publisher based in the UK, our amazing authors and team live across the entire globe, and we attend plenty of international events, too.

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IRON Press

As publishers become more corporate, global and boring, IRON Press champions new quality writing as it has done since 1973. IRON runs events and launches; it also thinks literature is both serious and fun.

If we had anything as overblown as a mission statement, it would say we publish what we do because we like it, and what other reason should there ever be?

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Istros Books

Istros Books – where quality has no borders

Istros Books was set up in 2011 in order to publish and promote literature in translation from SE Europe and the Balkans. In its short history, it has managed to prove itself at the forefront of discovering and promoting exciting new works, ranging from essays on the state of the EU by Slavoj Žižek, to six winners of the EU Prize for Literature.

We are proud to continue our committment to bringing you fresh and exciting works in English translation, including the joint titles published with Peter Owen as part of the World Series collection from Slovenia and Serbia.

At Istros, we believe that good literature can transcend national interests and speak to us with the common voice of human experience. Discovering contemporary voices and rediscovering forgotten ones, Istros Books works hard to bring you the best that SE European literature can offer – and that’s an area with some bloody good stories to tell!