Small press If you wish to appear on the Mslexia website, please let us know Browse full listing alphabetically »   Browse by category »   A B C »   57 Productions produces performance poetry works on CD and cassette.   57 Effingham Road, Lee Green, London, SE12 8NT A & C Black Publishers Ltd was established in 1807 and has since made a name for itself through a wide range of non-fiction titles, from birdwatching to art and design. The publishing house also produces both non-fiction and fiction works for children. Now owned by Bloomsbury. www.acblack.com Allison & Busby is a small publisher with a good reputation; unfortunately this means all submissions must now come through a literary agent. www.allisonandbusby.ltd.uk Amber Lane Press Ltd is a publisher of original modern play scripts as well as books about the theatre. www.amberlanepress.co.uk Andersen Press Ltd publishes fiction and picture books for children up to the age of 12. Quality is key with this firm which sells its books in association with Random House. They welcome unsolicited mss for picture books. www.andersenpress.co.uk Anova Books is a brand new indepedent publisher formed from some very well established imprints such as Batsford, Collins & Borwn, Conway, National Trust Books, Paper Tiger, Pavilion, Robson and Chrysalis Children's Books. See the website for more details and to find the right publishing arm for your work. www.chrysalisbooks.co.uk Anvil Press Poetry is England's longest standing independent poetry publisher and though it is small, is surely perfectly formed. www.anvilpresspoetry.com Arc Publications has a good reputation for publishing high quality poetry, but be warned - they do not take kindly to submissions by unpublished poets. www.arcpublications.co.uk Arcadia Books is a small publisher that specialises in translated overseas fiction, as well as gay fiction, literary fiction, gender studies and biography. Recent awards show their size does not impede their success. www.arcadiabooks.co.uk Aurum Press Ltd prints quality non-fiction titles in the fields of general interest, art and crafts, lifestyle, travel and so on. Imprint Argentum focuses on practical photography books. 25 Bedford Avenue, London, WC1B 3AT Autumn Publishing Ltd is one of the UK's leading children's book publishers. Their range covers baby and toddler books, activity and sticker books and early learning. www.autumnpublishing.co.uk/ Barefoot Books Ltd produces picture books for children, specialising in the telling of new and old stories from a broad cultural spectrum. www.barefootbooks.co.uk/ Barny Books was founded with the aim of promoting and publishing new writers and illustrators. Their main field is children's literature, but they have also branched out into adult fiction and non-fiction. Approach by letter to Molly Burkett in first instance- the haven't the capacity to handle unsolicited mss. Hough on the Hill, Near Grantham, NG32 2BB Biscuit Publishing is a publisher of new writing, particularly short fiction and poetry. See website for competitions and local events. www.biscuitpublishing.com Birlinn is a publisher of Scottish interest works of non-fiction with a strong emphasis on the past - from history and archaeology to folklore, customs and military writing. Their imprint Polygon publishes Scottish poetry and fiction. www.birlinn.co.uk Black & White Publishing Ltd is a regional publisher of a not-too-strict persuasion; they also publish general fiction and non-fiction, while imprint Itchy Coo does the Scots language books. You can submit via the website. www.blackandwhitepublishing.co.uk Black Ace Books publishes both Scottish and further afield works of new fiction and a limited range of non-fiction, including history, philosophy, biography and psychology. Please check submission details on website before sending. www.blackacebooks.com Black Amber publishes books by second and third generation British and European Black and Asian writers. They aim to provide opportunities for unpublished writers with strong, independent voices in the genres of fiction, including teenage; anthologies; biographies and foreign literature in translation. www.blackamber.com Blackstaff Press Ltd is a long-term publisher of mainly Irish interest books, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and humour. It is well-recognised for opening doors to local new talent. www.blackstaffpress.com Bloodaxe Books is a very well regarded contemporary poetry publisher with a brave attitude towards producing quality books. The website explains their submissions details and gives you some useful tips for getting published too. www.bloodaxebooks.com Bloomsbury Publishing Plc continues to go from strength to strength, now publishing some of the biggest names on the market including J.K.Rowling, Margaret Attwood, Donna Tartt. Fancy your chances? Check the website for submission guidelines. www.bloomsbury.com bluechrome publishes literary or experimental fiction and poetry. They are not currently accepting submissions, but keep checking their website as this is likely to change in the near future. www.bluechrome.co.uk The Book Castle publishes local interest works of non-fiction from the Oxfordshire/ Bedfordshire/ Hertfordshire/ Buckinghamshire area. www.book-castle.co.uk The Book Guild publishes fiction, children's and non-fiction, inculding an expanding specialism in the human interest genre. Originally a self-publishing firm, it is increasingly using straightforward publishing and covering costs itself. www.bookguild.co.uk Brewin Books Ltd specialises in publishing and distributing books about all aspects of life in the Midlands. www.brewinbooks.com Brown Skin Books publishes quality erotic fiction for black women. Please don't send any manuscripts, but ideas and synopses are always welcome. Have a look at their current titles or the website to get an idea of their market. www.brownskinbooks.co.uk Calder Publications Ltd is renowned for championing anti-establishment and eccentric writers according to the taste and whim of the famous John Calder. Publishes literary fiction and criticism, poetry, drama, biography, politics. www.calderpublIcations.com Canongate Books Ltd began as a strongly independent publisher with a distinctly Scottish interest in fiction and non-fiction. More recently, their stock has grown rapidly and so has the interest in books with a more international outlook. Very influential. www.canongate.net Capall Bann Publishing is a family-run enterprise which specialises in mind, body and spirit books - including magic, astrology, past lives etc. www.capallbann.co.uk Carcanet Press Ltd has a solid reputation for new and classic poetry in English and in translation, as well as the occasional fiction and literary criticism. Have a look at the website to get an idea of the kind of material they look for. www.carcanet.co.uk Chapman Publishing Scotland's leading literary magazine says it looks for 'controversial, influential, outspoken and intelligent' works. Submissions of poetry, short fiction and critical essays are welcomed, as long as they come by post. www.chapman-pub.co.uk Chicken House Publishing is a small-but-growing children's book publisher with a reputation for finding and championing new talent. And unsurprisingly so - its founder Barry Cunningham discovered Harry Potter. www.doublecluck.com Child's Play (International) Ltd is 'more than just a publishing programme - it is a philosophy.' Whether or not you buy their one-big-happy-family stance, there is no doubting their widespread appeal in learning through play. They also produce games and toys. www.childs-play.com Colin Smythe Ltd deals mainly in publishing Anglo-Irish fiction, drama and history, while also acting as an agent for a select few authors. www.colinsmythe.co.uk Comma Press is a small publishing press in Manchester set up to champion the short story. www.commapress.co.uk Constable & Robinson Ltd publishes mainly non-fiction (autobiography, biography, travel, current affairs and so on) as well as a small proportion of literary fiction and crime novels. www.constablerobinson.com Crocus Books is the publishing arm of Commonword, the community organisation for writers in the north west. Cultureword, another element of the group, is dedicated to the writers from the local Asian, African-Caribbean and Chinese communities. Confused? See their website or pop into their Manchester office. www.commonword.org.uk   D E F » Dedalus Ltd suggest you research into their eccentric list of unusual, clever fiction writing before sending anything off; we suggest you also read their website for submission guidelines. www.dedalusbooks.com Diamond Twig is a small non-profit press which exclusively publishes new writing by women in the north of England - see their website for further submission guidelines. www.diamondtwig.co.uk Duncan Baird Publishers was founded in 1992 and has grown in scope and scale, publishing cultural; religious; mind, body and spirit and the like. Non-fiction only. Castle House, 75-76 Wells Street, London, W1T 3QH Enitharmon Press publishes both new poetry and that of unduly neglected writers. They are currently warning off submissions as their intake is full for the moment, but still keep an eye out for this respected publisher. www.enitharmon.co.uk Etruscan Books prints poetry in the English language from the UK and the US, as well as Gaelic works. Their particular interests are sound and visual poetry, lyric poetry and works of a Modernist bent. 28 Fowler's Court, Fore Street, Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0AA First Century Ltd publishes non-fiction, fiction and poetry of Christian influence. www.first-century.co.uk Flambard is a small independent publisher in the north of England. It prints poetry, novels and short stories, with slight but not exclusive preference to local writers. See website for submission guidelines, they do accept unsolicited mss www.flambardpress.co.uk Forward Press puplishes anthologies of general fiction and short stories. www.forwardpress.co.uk W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd publishes popular non-fiction: alternative health, lifestyle, sport and hobbies, gardening and such like. The Publishing House, Bennetts Close, Slough, SL1 5AP Fourth Estate has a solid reputation for quality, relevant fiction and non-fiction (current affairs' popular science, travel etc). It was acquired by HarperCollins in 2000. www.4thestate.co.uk G H I » The Gallery Press was founded in 1970 to provide a home for publishing contemporary Irish writers in Ireland. It publishes poems, plays and prose. www.gallerypress.com Garnet Publishing Ltd publishes books about the Middle East and Islam including art and architecture, travel, religious studies and fiction. 8 Southern Court, South Street, Reading, RG1 4QS Gomer is Wales' largest independent press, publishing works in English and Welsh for adults and children. The family-run business has over 100 years of experience. www.gomer.co.uk Grub Street has made its niche in the seemingly unrelated fields of Food & Wine and Military History publishing. And why not? www.grubstreet.co.uk Gwasg Carreg Gwalch publishes Welsh books and books in English of Welsh interest, including folklore, cooking, walking and poetry anthologies. www.carreg-gwalch.co.uk Halsgrove is the UK's leading regional publisher, with titles from regions across the British Isles they aim to bring high national standards to the regional marketplace. www.halsgrove.com Hambledon and London is a well considered publisher of history books and one-time winner of The Sunday Times' Small Publisher of the Year award. 102 Gloucester Avenue, London, NW1 8HX Harlequin Mills & Boon Ltd has a lengthy list of imprints for every niche in the popular women's/ romance market. Their ongoing success is attractive to the adaptable writer, although this does mean they receive a huge number of manuscripts. The website has writing guidelines which may prove useful in your own context as well. www.eharlequin.com Headland Publications is one of the north west's leading poetry publishers with a particular interest in anthologies. They work with established names in British poetry as well as new, unknown and local poets. 38 York Avenue, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 3JF Honno Welsh Women's Press was set up in 1986 by a women's collective to create opportunities for Welsh female writers. They publish fiction, poetry, children's autobiography and classics by and for the women of Wales. The website shows Calls for Submissions. www.honno.co.uk Iron Press serves as an antidote to all those slick corporate publishers. Believing that literature should be both serious and fun, it champions new exciting writing. www.ironpress.co.uk   J K L » John Blake Publishing Ltd is a rapidly-expanding firm concentrating solely on mass-market non-fiction books. Please send synopses and ideas with an SAE only, no unsolicited mss. 3 Bramber Court, 2 Bramber Road, London, W14 9PB Leaf Books Limited publish short stories, micro-fiction and poetry in small format books that are for sale in coffee shops. We run competitions whose winners are published. Leaf run competitions and also offer a private printing and website service for authors. www.leafbooks.co.uk Little Tiger Press is an innovative publisher of children's books, focussing on 'warm, bright, bold and appealing reads that are fun for children and for adults'. An imprint of Magi Publications. www.littletigerpress.co.uk Lonely Planet Publications Ltd is one of the world's leading independent publishers with a well-honed niche in travel books for cities, regions, countries and continents worldwide. They seek applications from professional writers with specialised knowledge of specific areas. See website for details. www.lonelyplanet.com Luath started out with Scottish guide books, but have since branched out into a wide range of non-fiction areas, as well as some fiction. Their aim? To 'publish well written books worth reading'. www.luath.co.uk The Lutterworth Press is an established, reputed publisher of religious books. It also publishes some adult non-fiction. www.lutterworth.com   M N O » Maia Press is a very small but dedicated publisher of high-quality fiction by new and established authors. www.maiapress.com Mainstream Publishing Co. (Edinburgh) Ltd is Scotland's leading non-fiction publishing house. It has recently announced a new partnership with the Random House Group. See website for submission guidelines as well as the all-important 'what happens next'. www.mainstreampublishing.com Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd are interested in a wide variety of non-fiction genres, including biography, philosophy, psychology, sociology, women's studies and more. They also accept fiction and poetry submissions, but from agents only. www.marionboyars.co.uk Mercat Press Ltd was formed in 1970 as part of the bookseller James Thin. Since 2002 it has been an independent enterprise and is currently one of Scotland's leading publishers, specialising in books about the culture, language, people and outdoor life of the country. www.mercatpress.com Michael O'Mara Books Ltd calls itself London's last 'small but noisy family publishing house'. The specialities are in biography (think Andrew Morton's Diana), humour and commercial children's books. www.mombooks.com Milet Publishing Limited is named after a historical site of Turkey's Aegean coast that was once considered the centre of knowledge - a place to exchange ideas and learn new philosophies. This is reflected in Milet's position as a mulitcultural, multilingual publisher of children's books. www.milet.com Millivres Prowler Limited is publisher of leading magazines Gay Times and Diva, as well as producing lesbian literary and genre fiction through its imprint Diva Books. www.divamag.co.uk Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd is the umbrella company of several imprints including Vital Spark (humour), The In Pinn (outdoor, fishing etc), Angel's Share (whiskey, food, drink) and NWP (biography, history, general non-fiction). See website for more details. www.nwp.co.uk Nick Hern Books is one of the UK's leading specialists in performing arts publishing. They also license many of their plays for amateur performance. www.nickhernbooks.co.uk Oberon Books publishes play scripts and books about the theatre. www.oberonbooks.com Only Women Press is the proud publisher of women's - and by priority, lesbian - writing. It publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry and short stories (although is currently at its limit for poetry), see the website for submission guidelines. www.onlywomenpress.com   P Q R » Parthian Books publishes poetry, fiction and drama by Welsh writers in the English language, as well as Welsh writing in translation. We particularly like them for the line, 'Books are a celebration and are launched with a few glasses of wine and some welsh cakes.' www.parthianbooks.co.uk Peepal Tree specialises in Caribbean, Black British and South Asian writing and is a truly independent press, doing everything from typesetting and designing their books, to packing them into boxes. They primarily publish fiction and poetry, but are developing their non-fiction and academic capacities. www.peepaltreepress.com Peter Owen Ltd was founded in 1951 and to many remains a reminder of the old school publishing houses. Unsolicited mss with accompanying letter and synopsis welcome for non-fiction; call in advance regarding fiction opportunities. www.peterowen.com Peterloo Poets publishes the work of poets both new and neglected, including the late starters amonst us. They describe their range as 'without frills, without fuss, and most definitely without the avant-garde.' www.peterloopoets.co.uk Phaidon Press Limited is an international publisher particularly renowned for its beautifully presented visual arts books. Covers arts, film, cuture, fashion and so on. www.phaidon.com Piatkus Books publishes commercial and literary fiction and a broad range of non-fiction. Noted for their successful women's writing. A strong independent. www.piatkus.co.uk Polygon is now under the ownership of Birlinn since 2002. They still welcome unsolicited mss, ideas, synopses for literary fiction and poetry titles. www.birlinn.co.uk Profile Books has been twice winner of Small Publisher of the Year awards. Its range covers history, biography, politics, popular science, travel and more. www.profilebooks.co.uk Pushkin Press Ltd publishes classic and contemporary European literature in translation. www.pushkinpress.com Reality Street Editions was formed in 1993 as an amalgamation of 2 existing independent presses, Reality Studios and Street Editions. They publish contemporary British poetry as well as international poets in translation. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. http://freespace.virgin.net/reality.street/ Redbeck Press is a small but productive publisher, bringing out several poetry collections and anthologies a year, as well as works in translation. 24 Airville Road, Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD9 4HH The Rialto is one of Britain's major poetry magazines that has recently branched out into publishing books also, mainly first collections by up and coming poets. For more details see their website or read the magazine for a good idea of their style and interests. www.therialto.co.uk Robert Hale Ltd