London's small book publishers
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By Kate Riordan. Photography Rob Greig
Posted: Mon Feb 26 2007 
Snowbooks
The Snowbooks team’s Pentonville Road office might be small, but in this cramped space they’ve produced enough notable books to win Small Publisher of the Year at last year’s British Book Trade Awards.
Snow had an unlikely start, created as it was by two people with no previous publishing experience. Thirty-two-year-old managing director Emma Barnes worked (unhappily) in management consultancy before founding Snow in 2003. Before that, she worked as a buyer at B&Q and at Superdrug, where she met Snow’s co-founder and chairman, Robert Finn. ‘We would hatch plans together and it took ten years for them to come to fruition,’ she says. Feature continuesAdvertisementSnow’s three full-time editorial staff are involved at every stage of the publishing process, from cover design and typesetting to publicity, though each book is overseen by a single editor who treats it as his or her ‘baby’. For instance, with new SF release ‘Lint’ by Steve Aylett, Snow’s James Bridle not only approached the author in the first place but went on to design the eye-catching comic-style cover. Such is the scale of this job that Barnes prefers to call her trio of editors ‘publishers’.
Snow’s list contains crime thrillers, chick lit and martial arts books, but Barnes doesn’t take on poetry or children’s fiction, believing those genres to require specialist skills. They’ve also built up fruitful relationships with behemoth retailers such as Waterstone’s, initially by doing something as simple as sending them a clear and well-illustrated spiral-bound information pack of their titles.
‘It’s absolute bollocks that retailers don’t look after small publishers,’ says Barnes. ‘When we posted Waterstone’s our info pack they rang up and said ‘who the hell are you? The pack is amazing. Come in and talk to us.’
Snow accepts unsolicited manuscripts, as long as they’re submitted by email. In fact, this ‘small but nimble’ publisher goes further, and even dares to question the need for the literary agents who traditionally act as brokers between authors and publishers.
Bestseller ‘Adept’ by Robert Finn (50,000 copies).
Snow Books (020 7837 6482/www.snowbooks.com).
Other petite publishers
Arcadia Books
‘World writing’ is this Fitzrovia-based firm’s specialist field, from translated fiction to memoirs and gay and gender studies. Incorporating the imprints of BlackAmber, EuroCrime and Bliss.
Arcadia Books (020 7436 9898/www.arcadiabooks.co.uk).
Bitter Lemon Press
Launched in 2003 and based in W11, Bitter Lemon Press has carved a successful niche as a provider of classy thrillers from overseas, including the US, Australia, Latin America and continental Europe.
Bitter Lemon Press (020 7727 7927/www.bitterlemonpress.com).
Black Dog Publishing
This small Shoreditch publisher specialises in illustrated books, with an emphasis on high production values. It covers a wide remit of non-fiction subjects from architecture to music and fashion.
Black Dog Publishing (020 7613 1922/www.bdpworld.com).
Haus Publishing
Established itself as a publisher of quality biographies in 2002. Its ‘Life & Times’ series details the lives of people who have changed the world, ‘from Beethoven to Marie Curie’. In 2005, Belgravia-based Haus branched into travel literature (rather than guides) with the Armchair Traveller series.
Haus Publishing (020 7584 6738/www.hauspublishing.co.uk).
Pushkin Press
Has a loyal following for its elegantly presented books. Focusing on English-language versions of classic but neglected European titles. Located next to Regent’s Park, Pushkin celebrates its tenth birthday this year.
Pushkin Press (020 7730 0750/www.pushkinpress.com).- Add your comment to this feature
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16 comments
hi there
this is 'starlite' a poet; just finished my first novel, though,
already published two poems books.
'true poems' and 'life is a sword, keep fighting'
with an international company.
is available online (amazon) or free from the library.
don't give up, bye.
I am a young writer and i wish if you can publish a book i have written, over 1oo pages and autobiography of my life, thanks.
Good day sir
i am a writer i want to get my books published but i dont know if you do sell for writers. i will like to ask three question.
1 What does it take to publish
2 will you sell the books your self
3 what is the royalties share like
Please tel l me other things i need to know.
Bogapani1 is the title of my book. i want to sell the copyright @1720000 USD. It is the story of the down troden mass,livinng in a remote tea garden of Assam.
1.Is it necessary to have an agent to submit a novel to you?
2.If not,what are your submission requirements?
Many thank and kind regards
Patrick F Nash
writing is a art and to be a artist patience is needed. ©
Now I am going to make you laugh, I have about 30 novels and I am writing, but I am not a published writer because, publisher don't like my story, as I am muslim.
Time will come and the gloomy moon will shin. ©
I also write poems.
I have just completed a book. It's based on the seemingly unending religious crisis in the city of Jos, Plateau state of Nigeria. I am currently seeking a publisher for the finished work and I have no doubt that i will find one in spite of the avalanche of rejections i hear every day that tumbles down on new and previously unpublished writers. No one is immune to rejection anyway except if you are not a writer. But it shouldn't kill our spirits.
I have a book ready for publication Can you help
i complete six novels(60, 200+,200+,86,71,61, on DTP pages respectively) on world peace and innumerous poems and novels. if u read that that works r not world standred u will desrtoy it with abusing. i m journalist by profesion. kolkata, india.
mobile:0091 9333111543
Hi!! i just completed my book. Its a fantasy book, and I want publishers to publish my book, am searching from a publisher, from quiet a while I really hope i get a response from here...
I have just finished writing a fantasy book and im looking at publishers at the moment, i have had a few interests but i thought maybe you would like to read it if you wouldnt mind? I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
Jade.
surely you are a good publisher, though, would like to know more
about you, i;m still waiting to publish my poems book, tell me more.
There is also Other Criteria - a fantastic Art Publishing Company - www.othercriteria.com - web based and with shops on Bond Street and Hinde Street in London.
You are best visiting Hinde st to get a better selection of books, posters and small, affordable artworks!
The Swedenborg Society on Bloomsbury Way has been an active publishing house since 1810. Still publishing GREAT books of essays discussing the influential ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg, the 18th century philosopher and mystic, who inspired Blake, Yeats, Baudelaire, Dostoyevsky among others. Their books boast v. attractive and modern production/artwork also. See www.swedenborg.org.uk or visit the bookshop in Bloomsbury, just around the corner from the British Museum.
I believe that there is still room for plenty. Rejections should be working as the catalyst to boost the energy in you to move forward with your dream. Any writer who takes in rejections as a stepping stone to sucess and still keeps on trying till he gets his work published will ultimately prove to be a Super Hero.