If you’re an author in Yorkshire who wants to publish a book, below you’ll find 4 top book publishers in Leeds.
1. Peepal Tree Press
Based in Leeds, Yorkshire, the Peepal Tree Press was founded in 1985 by Jeremy Poynting. The organisation has been financially supported by the Arts Council England since 2011, which is one of the reasons why they can sustain a writer development project for authors of Asian and African descent. Their main interests lie in the Caribbean nation and in Black British writing. Although they have over 300 titles available, they only publish 20 per year.
They have three main criteria by which you can search for books online – publication year, country, and classification. When it comes to the latter, there are countless genres from which you can choose, among which poetry, historical fiction, cultural studies, memoir, anthologies, art & art criticism, sociology, and drama can be named. The unique aspect of their approach is reflected in their Discovery section, where they provide a context for each book. The main topics here are cultural forms, inner being, literary forms, people, place, society, spirit & spirituality, and time & history. All the mentioned categories are divided into numerous others, so there is a high chance that your book will fit at least one of them.
In terms of recent publications, you will find “Unknown Soldier”, by Seni Seneviratne, “A Portable Paradise”, by Roger Robinson, “My Strangled City and Other Essays”, by Gordon Rohlehr, and many others.
They have different submission guidelines depending on your nationality and genre of choice – for instance, UK-based fiction authors have to send a manuscript, a brief bio, and a synopsis. Novels and short stories are accepted as well, but only if your manuscript is at least 120 pages and 40,000 words long. They normally reply in 12 weeks to most submissions. For additional information, click here.
2. Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd.
Founded in 2008 by Tony Hannan, Phil Caplan, and a few authors, occasional broadcasters, and journalists from Yorkshire, Scratching Shed Publishing is an independent company based in Leeds. Although their main focus used to be the northern English culture, the range of interests has widened in the past years, as their list now includes both national and international authors, as well as the rugby league magazine Forty20.
Some of the genres you can find on their website are humor, general non-fiction, boxing, horse racing, history, scripts, travel & tourism, fiction, current affairs, football, and politics. Once you enter the Book section, you will be able to read more about titles such as “Murder in Mind”, by Stephen Wade, “The Greatest Sacrifice”, by Jane and Chris Roberts, and “The Struggle and the Daring”, by Mike Rylance.
Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome from both prospective authors and their agents. Before sending them your work either by post or electronically, you will have to present the idea via email. If you decide to send a hard copy, it has to be typed, double-spaced, and only printed on one side of the A4 paper.
Submissions must include a brief covering letter of 1-2 pages regarding the subject matter of your book, a CV or background details, a synopsis/chapter outline, your view on its potential readership, and the first three chapters.
This can be done here.
3. Mira Publishing House
Currently located in Leeds, Yorkshire, the Mira Publishing House was founded in 2011 as a non-for-profit Community Interest Company. Since it all began with Fadwa Mira Fadel’s creation – an electronic device that allows disabled people to enjoy any book -, Mira Intelligent Read was established as a mother company that aims to promote innovative ideas regarding the book industry.
They publish fiction and non-fiction on contemporary topics in English, as well as in other languages, and they focus on making all books affordable and available for every type of reader. Among the books on their website, you will find “Worth Their Weight in Blood”, by Carole Jahme, “Voices of the Arab Streets”, by F. Matthew Caswell, and “Philip Larkin – An Outsider Poet”, by Fadhil Assultani.
According to their description, they provide fair deals to all of their authors. However, they keep the copyrights for your work, so only contact them if you would agree to this condition. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact them.
4. Armley Press
Armley Press is an independent publication house based in Leeds, Yorkshire, and it was founded by John Lake and Mick McCann. They referred to their work as Punk Publishing, by noticing similarities between what they were doing and the 70’s independent music scene – being a champion for unorthodox voices, a Do-It-Yourself business, and an independent publisher are the traits that create the resemblance. Their main aim is that of being a counterweight for other media publishers based in London, which they characterize as having an ignorant bias.
They are mainly looking for edgy content that other publishers refuse to represent. They need originality, offence, edge, and discomfort. They are looking for authors that dare to say what’s on their minds and that don’t hold back. Some of the titles you will find in their collection are “Coming out as a David Bowie fan”, by Mick McCann, which was also the first book published by Armley Press, “Leeds, The Biography”, by Chris Nickson, and “Turso”, by P. James Callaghan.
If you believe that your message wouldn’t be clearly understood or fairly represented by more conventional book publishers, you should definitely check out Armley Press. You can send them your contact details, along with a message describing yourself and your work on the contact page, which you can find here.
What did you think of our list of top book publishers in Leeds, UK? Are there any others you know of? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
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